On The Move! part 3 - Ariel Walks

If we're being honest, and I always am :), Ariel took her very first steps towards some children in the Peterborough library when Dan and I were away in Barbados.  The day after we returned from our trip, she took her first steps that 'counted' for me.
Since that time she has been taking a few steps here and there, but is most comfortable having one or both hands held as she cruises around - until today!  Today, something clicked.
Here's what happened:
The day started like any other: we got up, got dressed, ate breakfast, played, then hopped into the car for some new, unknown adventure - Ariel's very first day of daycare!
After two successful and uneventful daycare visits last week, I was completely unprepared for the heart-wrenching emotional drop-off I was faced with this morning.  When we arrived, my outgoing toddler clung to Dan's neck for dear life.  And as the other children sat peacefully eating their snacks, Ariel proceeded to cry out in panic, arms outstretched towards me (her abandoner), as Dan handed her over to the daycare provider.  She just cried and cried.  I snuck in one more quick squeeze before handing her back to the daycare employee, which only seemed to make matters worse, and followed Dan out the door.  Awful.  The women at the daycare were kind enough to remind me before I left that I could call as frequently as I wanted and needed to check up on her throughout the day.  I did call, only once, at 10:15am, and they were pleased to report that she was playing happily at the time and only cried for about 5 minutes after we left.  Phew...that made me feel better.
When I went to pick her up, she was all ready to go and in good spirits.  Her daycare does a daily 'report card' that gives parents all the intimate details of their child's day.  So I got to read up on what she ate, nap time, diaper changes, etc. - very nice touch I must say!
Upon returning to our home, no sooner had we walked through the front door and Ariel independently walked across the entire room - no reservations.  She just kept right on walking around like it was no big deal the rest of the evening.  She was also chatting up a storm, telling us all about her day no doubt, and very hungry!  Many of the other children in the infant room are walking around, and their influence was not lost on Ariel.
Though Dan and I seem to miss capturing the defining moments on camera, we managed to capture the spirit of the occasion in this short video clip.  Here is Ariel, after dinner, on the day of her very first day of daycare still practising her truly newly acquired skill with her newfound confidence.