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Willow's sliding frenzy

Last week, Willow took a huge step in her quest to become a big girl (she's abiding by her plans, not Mommy's and Daddy's, who want her to stay a baby forever).
Willow and I went to the playground for a morning of play and a picnic. Willow's idea of "a morning of play" is usually spending A LOT of time on the swing. Up to last week, if she wanted out of the swing, it was to walk over to another, better swing. Then back again.
Last week, things changed.
I put Willow at the top of a tot slide and started cheering her to let loose. I readied to keep her from tumbling off the bottom of the slide. She let loose, scooted down the slide and stopped just short of the edge. She shimmied off, smiling and took off after the steps to go back up.
She clamored to the top of the slide (this set of slides had one "top" with the option of going down three slides: a straight one, a curvy one and a tunnel one). Willow reached the top, sat down, scooted her bottom to the slick surface of the slide and let loose. Down she went.
She rushed up the steps and did it again. And again. And again. And for the first time in my young career of parenthood, I was able to stand nearby and simply watch, not having to hold her or push her or catch her.
Over the next hour, she tried all three slides (and tried to go down the monkey bars too).
On Saturday, at the Dunn Family Reunion, Willow did the same thing. Going up and down the set of slides all by herself. These slides, though, were a little faster than the previous ones, so Cherish and I had to catch her at the bottom a time or two, though I don't think Willow minded flying off into the dirt at the bottom.
Related to this new sliding frenzy, Willow is trying to climb EVERYTHING: couches, chairs, tables, trunks and her crib railing. She wants to go up and over. And she has no fear, trying to step off the side of our bed, for example, or the side of a tall playset.

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