Can Do

So, here’s what I wrote after a recent trip to the toy store, the first trip where Linc was really able to walk along with us rather than be pushed in a cart or stroller:

“We race through the toy store, Lincoln almost running and chattering like a disgruntled squirrel. He makes funny little sounds, happy guttural chants at the toys, at the other children, at us when we fall behind. He walks with a distinct gait, his belly thrust forward and his steps following a wave-like side to side pattern. He wants to touch a baby sleeping in her stroller and chides me when I intercept. Such a toddler.”

I remember that Linc had such a distinct way of getting into trouble that day, finding distractions that Nico never thought of at that age. Part of it is his small size. He can climb on the shelves right next to the toys; he can actually fit behind rows of toys and crawl along the length of a shelf behind the inventory that has been pushed to the edge to make it more irresistible to the shoppers.

Anyway, it got me thinking about the changes we’ve seen in Lincoln since we were writing about our life last October. The first and most noticeable change is that he is a full-fledged walker now, finally really comfortable on his feet and strong enough to walk long distances (that is, when his parents are patient enough to survive the myriad distractions that make his progress painfully slow). I don’t mean to imply that he walks slowly – quite the opposite – but that he is so interested in things that he has a hard time staying motivated in reaching our goal, for instance getting from the door to the car. Heaven forbid he see something his little heart desires, though, because then he is off like a shot and we are running to keep up.

Another major change is that he is turning into a fearless explorer, particularly a climber. There is not a piece of furniture we own that he cannot scale. In the backyard he can climb the steep ladder into the play fort, and once at the top, he dives for the slide, usually headfirst. It’s cute, but the slide is fairly steep and something he still needs a little help maneuvering.

Perhaps the most exciting and endearing development has been the long awaited burst of communication, in the form of sign language. Linc can sign eat, more, milk, all done, mommy (ha! no daddy yet, which of course means he loves me more), give me, and he can even hold up two fingers for his age, though he holds up his thumb and index finger instead of the peace sign version. It is so amazing to watch him learn, and so fun to get to talk to him. He will walk over, sit in my lap and request “Itsy bitsy spider” by doing the spider with his fingers. He understands much more than he can say, of course, and can follow basic commands like, “sit down, go on, no, come here.” When I say can, mind you, that doesn’t mean he always does follow those commands. He is a toddler, after all.

It can be easy to focus on the areas that are taking a little longer, like speech, and the fact that we’ve had a pretty daunting series of setbacks with his feeding over the past year. That’s one nice thing about the once-a-year blog: it has encouraged a sense of perspective, a nice way of looking back over a whole year rather than focusing on the day to day changes. When I look back at the changes since last October, I can easily say, yeah, we’re doing okay. He’s doing okay. We really are getting there, and even when it takes a little longer, at least we know we are headed in the right direction.