Look Mommy! Jakey is STANDING!

Yes, my little baby boy is standing up all on his own. He doesn't make a big deal out of it but me and Katie look at each other with wide eyes and smiles, sharing the moment. I don't know if Katie does it because she knows I'm excited but it sure is cute - of both of them.

He's done it so much in the past week that it shouldn't be an event each time... but it is. We get excited and we watch him and we try not to make any sudden moves. And he calmly reaches out and holds on again when he feels like it.

Jake started just letting go one day. He was standing by the couch and he... let go. And stood there till I got nervous and slowly reached out my hand to steady him if he got wobbly. Once he saw my move to steady him, he put his hand out and reached for the couch.

The other day he was holding on to the cabinet in the bathroom and he... let go. He stood there and then he started to crouch down... got a little wobbly and reached for the cabinet door but didn't stop what he was doing until he had one knee and one foot on the floor.

We were in the kids' room and he was holding on to the bed and he... let go. He stood and watched what was going on until he got wobbly and held on again. Calmly.

So I started thinking that maybe it's time for me to let go a little. Not panic when he stands up on the hard kitchen floor or a baby gate falls over onto him or he gets bopped in the head and almost run over by Katie because she decided she needed to carry her pink chair while running around the living room playing with Jake (yes, playing with Katie can be a contact sport). Not even when he crawled onto the seat of her pink chair and kept going over the back till it tipped over and he fell off laughing(!) when he slid to the floor. I did panic a little at that one.

He loves to stand up and "walk" while he holds onto the rolling chairs in the kitchen and I decided that I would try to let him even when I'm afraid he will fall over. I'll let him do this on his own so he can learn what he's capable of.

After all, it's not like he hasn't gotten a bump or bruise here and there and a little fall onto his tush isn't going to hurt him (not with his diaper padding the fall).

Matter of fact, most of the time he's doing great till I started to get involved!

Katie was easy when it came to this stuff. She waited so long to crawl and walk that once she did it she went full speed ahead (and it was time... I was ready to let go of my tiny baby and accept that she was growing up into the next stage of her life) so I wasn't as worried. Once she started walking, I could tell her "Katie, be careful" and she would slow down. I don't think it will be that easy with Jacob.

But I do think it's time for me to... let go. Let him see what he can do, test out his boundaries, be there for him when he does fall.