I’ve heard far too many times that mobility is both a blessing and a curse. When Hope was an infant, everyone and their mother felt compelled to warn us of how impossibly difficult life would become once Hope started crawling. And walking? Well from what nearly every acquaintance had to say about it, learning to walk would be one of the greatest offenses our daughter would ever commit against her parents.

Doesn’t this all sound so ludicrous? We thought so, too. But the more that sentiments such as this are perpetuated, the less time new parents have to reflect on the sheer awesomeness that goes into their child learning to walk—the balance, coordination, and drive can easily be overlooked during the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Among the many unexpected blessings of Down syndrome, we have been gifted a little extra time to watch Hope’s skills develop. Every milestone is worth the wait. Hope took her first steps in January (at almost 25 months old) and as of March is a full-fledged, bona fide walking person.

[Below is a video, which might not display on e-mail. If you cannot view the video, please click through to www.AtHerOwnPace.com for a little *sunshine.*]

Blessings and curses are relative, I suppose. We are blessed that Hope whines at the top of her lungs to get out of her stroller so that she can walk up and down the sidewalks when we are downtown. We are blessed that Hope puts up a fuss when we don’t let her run through a parking lot. And we are most certainly blessed to be surrounded by loved ones who understand that “At Her Own Pace” isn’t just a cutesy name, but a mantra repeated throughout every day: that we will never rush our daughter through her development in order to compete with her peers.