Last Friday, Augie took his first steps. They were clumsy, falling-over-himself first steps, just as they should be. But every day since, he's been working on standing, stepping, and balance. The most he had done was about 4-5 shaky steps. But today, Augie all of a sudden stepped out with the most calm, masterful steps! It was just after music class, and Augie had been climbing on the teacher (ahem, he likes climbing on people). I knelt down about four feet away and asked him to come to me. He took his hands off her shoulders, turned to me, and calmed walked the four feet between us, step by step. He didn't waver or totter, and he didn't even dive into me when he reached me - he was just standing there, waiting for me to sweep him up in my arms, which is exactly what I did. Augie can walk! It was a beautiful and proud moment for both of us. He's done it several times at home this evening, too, showing off for Baba.
The other majorly exciting thing he did was put himself to sleep for a nap (he can put himself to sleep for nighttime, but naps are something else). Normally I nurse him to sleep and then put him in the crib, but today he was still awake after I nursed him, so I put him in the crib and walked out of the bedroom. He played and rolled around for nearly 30 minutes, before I realized that it was silent in the bedroom and he was asleep. Yippee!
Yet another exciting thing Augie did today was figure out his shape-sorting toy. We've shown him how to use it several dozen times, but all he has wanted to do is bang the blocks together, or eat them. Baba was playing with him this evening and showed him how to put a shape into the right hole, and Augie started trying to do it. He'd put the round yellow peg on top of the round yellow hole (not getting the fit exactly right), then clasp his hands together against his tummy, like, "I'm so proud of this phenomenal stack of toys I have made!" and then he'd reach out and do it again. He can't quite wiggle the blocks into the sorter, but he's so close - and more importantly, he seems to get the point of the toy.
And then at dinner, he fed himself with his spoon. As in, more than none of the food on his spoon made it into his mouth. It also made it onto his forehead, cheeks, eye folds, and into the hair at the back of his head...
Unfortunately, none of today's pictures have anything to do with all of that. Today's pictures are the last from our road trip - pictures taken at the University of Virginia, Mama's alma mater. It's such a beautiful place, and we hope to make it back there - one way or another - some day. Mr. (Thomas) Jefferson's "academical village" - the heart of the University of Virginia grounds - has been considered America's greatest architectural achievement. The Lawn area, the heart of the academical village, features student rooms, faculty homes, serpentine gardens, and the Rotunda, and was imagined as a place where students and faculty lived, worked, played, attended classes, and collided minds together.
Augie atop the steps of the Rotunda:
Inside the Rotunda, looking out over the lawn (and pondering a future residence in Room 7?):
A look down the walkway in front of the lawn rooms and pavilions (and Augie practicing walking), standing in front of Room 7, home of the Jefferson Society Room 7 Resident:
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