Steps!

We spent the afternoon at the pool today. Oliver loves the water. Today he learned the joy of hanging out on the side of the pool and jumping/leaping towards me. He then learned that he likes the steps and perimeter of the pool even more. As he was exploring the drains, steps, bolts and little pieces of rock, out of nowhere he went from crawling to standing, unassisted. And then poof, he took about 5 steps on his own and then stood for a few more moments before he squatted. He then did it again about 3 times, towards the fence. (I could do a whole entry on Ollie's love of fences). So, poof.

I declare today the day he first walked, just shy of 14 months.

Community pools are so fascinating to me. I grew up in California where about 90% of my friends and family had a backyard pool, so it's been really fascinating and excellent people watching for me to discover the joy of community gathering at the cooling well. The pools draw people of all types, all economic levels, all colors, etc. There is a general sense that people stick to themselves, but the parents with babies in the middle of the pool (avoiding the splashing and crazy 5-10 year olds) sort of interact as we bounce around with our babies. It feels good to be a part of the REAL Chicago summer. It is also free, so going to the pool is an easy an effective way to stay on budget over the weekends.