Another Milestone

Actually, Patrick didn't reach another milestone yesterday; I did. I left the house to run an errand completely by myself for the first time yesterday, completely by myself meaning without even Patrick with me. We needed groceries, and I volunteered to take care of the shopping if Matt would watch Patrick. That's a huge deal for me. I typically prefer staying at home, and I don't really like going places on my own when I can't avoid going altogether. For some reason last night, I just felt the need to get out of the house on my own for a few minutes. Simple as the outing was, it was nice. I even got to drive my old car again for the first time in about four months (it's not really big enough for a car seat). The whole thing was so comfortable that I'm starting to wonder why I didn't try it sooner.

When I got home, I found Patrick on Matt's lap doing this:
He had grabbed Matt's finger and brought it to his mouth very deliberately, while hugging his burp rag to him with the other arm. He clearly knew what he wanted, and it wasn't his pacifier. He wanted to use Daddy's finger as a pacifier instead. I got my chance to let him grab my finger and suck on it for a minute, so I can vouch for Patrick's deliberateness. It may seem like such a simple accomplishment, but it was so sweet. The way he so desperately wanted to hold on to us brought tears to our eyes. One more good result of socializing with all the new people over the weekend is that it made Patrick bond to familiar faces and people better (i.e. me and Matt). He has been much more content just to be in Matt's or my presence. The only times he cried today were when he was alone and wanted to be with us again. It is so heart-warming to see the small ways that he is starting to show us he loves us. I think just watching him smile at us when he sees us is enough to tide me over until he can audibly tell us he loves us. These small things are enough for me now.