Milestones

Everywhere you go in this house, someone is reaching a developmental milestone. What's striking is the different ways they come. Holden's newest milestones come at a gradual pace, sneaking up on you until you realize what he's learned to accomplish. And he meets them with exuberance and enthusiasm. Riley's arrive in rapid succession, but in a quiet calm, way.

It seems like we've been working on things like potty training, singing songs and drawing for months with Holden. And it seems like he'll never be able to do any of those things. Then, one day, he's belting out "The Star Spangled Banner" while holding a marker carefully and correctly in his fingers. Then, he stands up quickly, announces he has to pee, and scurries off to the bathroom. All the sudden, those weeks of potty training a couple months ago, with the tears and the pee and the poop everywhere, is a distant memory and we realize it's been weeks since Holden's had an accident.

Meanwhile, lying on his butterfly activity mat, Riley is perfecting his hand-eye coordination with concentrated determination. He scopes out the toy hanging over his face and, with a jerky, closed fist, he tap-tap-taps it. Lately, he's been holding on to them and trying to bring them to his mouth. Sometimes, there's a grunt of frustration or a laugh of delight with his new ventures. But usually, while we're focusing on the loud energy pouring from Holden, Riley is stealthily exploring his feet and sticking the pacifier in his mouth by himself.