More time passed in the new pack.
For the first time in months, I stopped counting the days by how far we had run.
I counted them by Derek’s smiles.
He was more than a year old now, and every morning seemed to bring something new. He walked confidently around our little home, sometimes so quickly that Lydia had to chase after him. He wasn't that balanced at walking well yet.
“Derek, slow down!” Lydia would always say as she runs after him.
He turned, laughed, and kept running.
Lydia shook her head. “He never listens.”
“He is one year plus,” Mara said from the doorway. “What did you expect?”
“I expected him to have some respect for my knees.”
I laughed.
Derek looked at me and stretched out his little arms. “Mama.”
My heart melted every time he said it. I lifted him into my arms
