Guilty
Yesterday I clung to the 59-degree’d weather harder than all those Chicagoans I wrote about on Wednesday. Hypocrite, I know. Guilty as charged.
Josh left for a weekend retreat yesterday evening, and being that he is going to be gone all weekend, he took the day off from the office. We decided to go to Charmer’s Cafe for breakfast–a newly begun weekly tradition that usually occurs on Saturday mornings. After hopping online to check the weather (hello 43 degrees at 8am!), we got ready to make the two block walk to the closest of our favorite local coffeehouses.
I buckled my Ergo carrier firmly around my waste and turned to the boy and let him know that we were going outside and it was time to ride on mama’s back. He looked me square in the eyes and said, “No.” Okay then… well…”Do you want to try walking, Monkey?” His reply, “Yeah!” And off we went.
Is it odd that Jude is 21 months old and that yesterday was the first time he has ever walked to somewhere in his life? He runs around outside all the time, but normally, I wear him to wherever it is we’re going, and then I get him down and let him do his thing. Anyway. Yesterday was the day. He walked the two blocks to and from Charmers; later in the day he walked one block to and from the local fruit market; and even later in the day he walked about three blocks to our local chain grocery store with me (I wore him on the way home… he was wicked tired). So, all in all, he walked about eight-tenths of a mile yesterday. Hasn’t anyone ever told this kid about starting out slow?
As we walked to breakfast, Jude holding my left hand and Josh’s right, I really had to work at holding back the tears. Lame, right? I just can’t believe how much he has grown up since last spring…hell, I can’t believe how much he has grown up since last week! This time last year he was crawling and cruising…not even walking yet. Yesterday, he had command of his mobility (well, except when he tripped over his feet at the cafe and went face first into a table…he didn’t have much command of himself at all at that point). He walked along, wearing his navy hoodie and his Cubs hat, stopping occasionally to point out a tree or a car or some grass, and he was a real little boy. Not (entirely) a baby anymore, but a true toddler with autonomy…
And it made this mama’s heart break–just a little.