JulieLeung.com: a life told in tidepools

Elisabeth is now sixteen months old and I’m realizing I should try to encourage more her to walk. Although I often wait to buy shoes until the child can toddle around a bit, waiting until they are absolutely necessary, I think it’s time to head to the mall and get some little white Stride Rites; that way I can take Elisabeth by the hand and help her learn to walk on the sidewalks when we go outside in the mornings. I like children to discover and start new things on their own, but sometimes they need a little help. Elisabeth’s the kind of kid who just loves sitting in my lap, maybe because she can tell lap space with Mommy is a prized commodity and she wants all the attention from me that she can get. Being a baby is her niche right now, the way she fits into our family.

So I’m trying more to encourage her to walk, rather than just sit in my lap. She’s also trying too, standing up and taking a step or two once in a while. Since she’s my third child, I’m not too concerned. One of her sisters also took a while to take off. I know she’ll walk in her own time.

But as my third child, Elisabeth has her own set of challenges. Last night when she was fussing beside me, wanting to sit with me, I told her to go get her new book from her box and I would read it to her. No sooner had I said this though then Abigail appears, book in hand, giving Elisabeth exactly what she wanted.

“Room service,” said Ted.
Why walk when you can get room service?!