Determination Is Her Middle Name

Ali, my 11-month old daughter, crawls a lot now and has started to cruise. Hmmm... another travel bug in the family? Seriously, Ali has now discovered her newfound freedom of being able to stand and move about on her own, while holding on to something - any thing.

She has yet to really stand or really attempt to walk but my guess is the moment this happens, she won't even want to be carried. This early, when we carry her, she twists and moves her body so that you have no choice but to put her down and let her crawl...and she'll head straight for anything dirty like shoes and slippers.

Another favorite activity of hers nowadays is to go near our bed's headboard, pull herself up, and reach for our wedding picture which is hanging right above the headboard. We need to restrain her from time to time as both her head and the picture need protecting from potential disaster. But as Ali moves to reach for the picture, the expression on her face is certainly the look of determination if I saw one. Never mind the occasional bumps on the headboard. She does not even cry. She just picks herself up and starts all over again.

Would that we treated life the same way. Eyes on the goal. Never mind the bumps. What's important is we know exactly what we want. Determination is the name of the game.