*Olivia*
I patted the ground. “Come to Mama!"
Elio wobbled through another step, gripping the bars on his crib in his chubby little fist. He still preferred crawling, but the doctor told us we should encourage him to walk whenever possible.
I sat on one side of his nursery, slightly beyond the edge of the crib, hoping he would cover the final foot on his own. Dahlia leaned against the wall on the opposite side, ready to continue the back-and-forth if he made it into my arms.
Elio reached the edge of the crib and hesitated. He still had a small smear of blue frosting on his cheek from the cupcakes we got after shopping, and I'd expected him to go down for a nap right away, but he'd insisted on staying up and playing with clear eyes.
I tapped the carpet again. “You can do it!"
He took
