The first step – I can tell you by experience how important that first step is. When there seems to be no start, no path in sight, the first step is what shows the way. When Neil Armstrong said “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”, he knew what he was talking about. Every step is important and takes you towards your goal.

You are aware that we are far behind in achieving our milestones with Little Miss. At five years of age, she is quite behind and that is always worrisome for a parent. Though delayed, we are reaching out milestones and that is the most important thing for parents of a special child.

One of the more important milestones for a child is walking. Some children start walking by the time they are nine or ten months old and others start a little later. But, most children start by their first birthday.

With Little Miss, we haven’t been that lucky. We waited and waited and with each passing day the desperation grew. She would walk sometimes, but with support. Either somebody was holding her hand or she held on to something. But never independently.

Then, one day she left the handle of our sofa, balanced on her feet and walked the three steps to our bed without any help. There she was, happy as a daisy and I sat on the bed trying to grasp what I had just seen. And, that was the beginning of independent walking for us.

The first steps are the most joyous memories and that day I finally got to make the memory for myself. She is still a little wobbly at times but with each step she takes, her confidence increases and my joy too. She likes walking around the house and we like watching her walk.