no. 9: one step at a time

dear little leah, 

today i'm remembering a time when you first climbed the stairs. we were at the mcphie's house and you had been trying for months. then one day, you just did it. it look you a long time. and we could all tell it was hard work. but you did it! every single person in the room cheered out loud for you - including you. over the next few months, you got really good at climbing stairs. eventually you started to stand and go up and down with adult assistance. 

then that went away. 

oh leah, that made me so sad when you stopped climbing stairs! it was like this whole world just slammed a door in your face blocking you from so many opportunities. but slowly {very, very slowly} you are gaining this skill back. 

the other day we were at the katz's house and i realized you were nowhere in sight - which meant you were no longer on their main floor. i peered up the stairs and there you were, grinning from ear to ear on the second section of their stairs. you climbed in record time. you carefully scooted down each stair on your bottom. you stood up on almost every stair and wanted to walk, but knew you couldn't do it safely. so, you sat back down and scooted. on the last stair, you stood up and got this look in your eye {that i imagine meant something like, "oh yah rett syndrome? watch THIS!"} and you stepped off. i was just far enough away from you that i couldn't catch you and my heart skipped a beat. and then you landed. on both feet. like you'd been stepping up and down stairs like a pro for years. 

and just this week you've started going in and out of our house off a small ledge to a small porch and then another small ledge to the asphalt. usually you either need my help or you get down on your hands and knees to crawl in and out. but there have been multiple times this week where you've just stepped out {or in} like it was nobody's business. 

i know this isn't easy for you. i can sense the fear in your little body as you make what is, for you, a giant leap - not knowing if your little body will cooperate. but these small steps {no pun intended} show me just how amazing you are. you are such a hard worker, leah. you have so much drive and so much desire to learn and grow and accomplish new things each day. yes, some things are scary. yes, some things are hard. but {like rachel said} you can do hard things! you CAN! you might have to try them out a few thousand times before you can do them yourself, but you stick with it and you figure it out. your legs and feet are getting stronger and more steady and all your hard work is paying off {and will continue to pay off!}.

i'm so proud of you, little leah. i hope you're proud of yourself too. keep up the good work. you'll be climbing those stairs on your feet in no time. 

i'll eat you up, i love you so. 

love, 

mommy