Walking, walking, walking, walking...

hop, hop, hop!!

Here is a much better video of Lara walking. She took over 100 steps here. For her, this totaled about 15 feet. It is really just amazing to see this progress happen so suddenly and quickly. Of course, as she gets older, her form will improve and she will take bigger steps. To answer some questions I have received from people: Yes, she will always need her braces (at least, I expect that she will, but maybe I am wrong). And no, she will not always need her walker. She may always struggle a little on uneven surfaces, and maybe she will use a cane or something for support in those conditions, but generally, at this rate, we can see that she will eventually be getting along just fine on her own. But she may do better with a walker for the next couple of years. We'll just see when we get there. A few weeks ago, a boy, maybe 5 years old, was walking around at Easter Seals, just playing. I assumed maybe he was waiting with a parent while a sibling was in therapy; you see this a lot. I was a little surprised when he told me he had braces on too, then grabbed his walker when his family was ready to leave. He seemed to be walking effortlessly, but I have been told this is the way of it; once these kids walk outside, it becomes a little trickier. Lara also has a goal of learning to pedal on her bike. She managed to pedal a little at therapy, but it is something we need to work on.