*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 ...