Ella is taking steps!

The timing couldn't have been better....Ella chose my birthday to start taking steps all on her own. On February 4th, just as I was headed out to celebrate with my friends, Ella took five steps to Meghan. Yep, you read that right. It wasn't to mommy OR daddy, but we were both in the room and got to witness it. Honestly, I couldn't care less who she was walking to, because I was so excited just to see her walk. BUT I'm so glad that those first steps were shared with her second mommy, "May May".
Then, on February 5th, we went to my parents house to watch the Super Bowl. Ella had no interest in watching the game, but spent a lot of time on her feet. Here is a short clip of her taking about fifteen steps:



Her longest run, probably to date, was when she walked all the way across my parents kitchen. I'd say it was 25+ steps. Not bad for her second day of walking. But since then, she has remained cautious. She is fully capable, we have no doubt, but she has a lot of anxiety when it comes to letting go and taking steps on her own. I have been trying to encourage her confidence by leading her around by her hand (she is now finally comfortable just holding on to one of our hands instead of both of them). She isn't always eager to be on her feet, but we continue to practice with her every opportunity we get.