I think maybe it just hit me, because a comment I read on facebook from a former therapist of Kiran’s just made me burst into tears … my boy walked today.

He walked in his Pacer – the gait trainer that has been sitting in my den for the past several months, because we have been working with a walker and the Kidwalk (which is another style of gait trainer). I was getting ready to take the Pacer back to where it came from, but I hadn’t found the time. For the first time in over a year, his school PT came over for an in-person session, mainly to make some adjustments to the Kidwalk. She essentially said “Hey, if the Pacer is somewhere easy to get to, let’s just try it….”

And something for Kiran just…clicked.

I really believe that the independent movement Kiran experienced with the Kidwalk helped. I really believe that the timing was what it was. His PT made some adjustments to the Pacer that helped him move it forward. Placement in the driveway, right where there was a tiny downhill slope (like, really tiny) helped him get going. Once he experienced it, he kept walking! Little tiny uphill the other direction on the driveway and down the sidewalk. And in the hallway inside. All of it.

He was walking, independently, with the help of a mobility device. The independence is the biggest thing for me, as his mom. And I could tell he was so proud of himself, which just filled my heart.

My. Boy. Is. Walking.

Prior to today, the only milestone I have noted for him is the first time we heard his laugh. I have it in my “Special Days” calendar in my phone, and it repeats every year. Today, I put a second milestone in that calendar, set to remind me every year.

Today, April 7th, 2021, my boy walked.

I am in shock and in awe and so so so so SO proud of him.