Sam took his first truly unassisted steps today.
We were in the front yard and he started playing a little game with me. It involved letting go of my hands and standing on his own for a few seconds before falling backward into my embrace. Standing and falling tickled him to no end, but it was clear that he especially loved the standing part. Because Karl and I will do anything to make and keep him happy, we pushed the game to include taking a few steps between us. After a few assisted steps, Sam finally did what he had never done before: from a standing position, he lifted one foot, moved his little body forward, put that foot down, lifted the other foot, moved his little body further, then put that foot down. He walked. For the first time. He carried his sweet, precious body from me to Karl using the balance, strength, and footwork he's been practicing for the past several months. It was enough to make me cry.
