A month or so ago, Sam was working himself up into a tizzy over the fact that Kayla couldn't quite walk yet. He did everything he could to encourage her, but to no avail. No amount of cajoling, bribing, or prompting could motivate her. She remained stubbornly a butt-scooter.
A seasoned father overheard Sam's woes and was quick to both commiserate and offer encouragement. "When my wife and I had our first child, we made the same mistake, the whole encouraging walking thing. With the second child we learned our lesson. We took a much smarter course of action: we discouraged walking. You know, pushing her down when she stood up. "
At the time both confusing and ludicrous, this pep talk now makes perfect sense. Since our post on Halloween, Kayla has become an expert walker and life has never been harder. In the few short weeks she's been walking, she's gotten herself lost at Target, almost run over by a car at the grocery store, and pummeled by a stampede of churchgoers taking communion . She's even tried to run away from us! Praise Jesus for short legs and small steps.
Another testimony of little Kayla's strong will and the sanctifying work of parenthood. A breach baby who refused to be flipped, a fluent scooter who refused to crawl, a late walker who refused to be rushed before her time. Slowly, we have come to grips with the fact that Kayla will do things her own way in her own time.
Sam and Liz feel quite blessed that we have been chosen to steward such a passionate child and that God has been so gracious to us as we stumble along on this path of parenthood. We prayed that God would change our child, but in his infinite wisdom and grace, he chose to change us instead. Praise Him who would complete the work that He has started in us, as mysterious as His methods may seem to His children who lack understanding.
If there is one piece of advice these young parents can give to our very specific audience of "people who read this blog and have children under 14 months" its this: Enjoy every step of the way! In this whole walking ordeal, we had gotten so caught up with the destination that we failed to enjoy what Kayla was doing along the way. Now the time has flown by so fast, and although hindsight is 20/20 we can't seem to remember 1/2 the stuff that has happened.
So there you have it. Kayla has accomplished so much over the span of her little life; an awe inspiring testament to our Creator's handiwork. Below are two videos taken almost exactly five months apart. We ask you this, what were you doing five months ago?
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