joy // a milestone

 wolfgang started walking on his birthday. watching him waddle around and plop on his bottom over and over again has brought us so much joy. the first time he walked across the room it was like someone declared war was over. daddy, eleanor and i cheered and clapped and jumped up and down. nothing else in the world mattered. we were the only people on the planet. we had witnessed something so new and magical. wolfgang was ever so pleased with himself and loves the praise that comes with walking. he walks and grins, walks and grins. all. day. long. with this new milestone comes new explorations around our house. we cannot let this boy out of our sight! he is pulling plugs from sockets, climbing in the bathtub, playing in the toilet, taking trash out of the trashcan and putting toys in or trying to find a way to make it up the steps. it has been exhausting and i haven't been able to get much done around the house. today when he went down for his second nap i had a pile of laundry to put away, but instead i fell over on my bed. i exhaled and laid flat on my back. i looked around my room and let my mind wander. i thought about the holidays and preparing for thanksgiving and how i haven't purchased a single christmas gift yet. i thought about how awful i must look and how i do not have the energy to do anything about it. i thought about how much i miss my husband because he has been gone a lot lately. but mostly i just thought about laying there. soaking in that few minutes i could just exist and be still and quiet. after his cat nap he sat up and gave me this cheeky smile. gosh ... so much joy. so. much. joy.