And, what made it special, was that Mum let me walk in the shops.
For most two year olds, that's nothing!
The biggest worry with most walking two year olds in the shops,
is that they don't run away and get lost,
or they don't get trodden on in the crowds.
Today, Mum pushed my walker into the shops
and down the escalator.
She strapped me in to my walker and let me go.
This was a big step for us.
This was the first time we have taken my mobility walker to a very public location. It is the first time I have tried to use my walker
in a place where crowds of people could watch me.
It was a bit scary for Mum.
It was only weird for me,
because it was much noisier than where I usually walk.
And, it was a very smooth walking surface.
Oh, and it was mostly uphill!
When you have cerebral palsy
and you are only just beginning to use a walker,
you really notice the slopes in the ground!
Sometimes, I don't hold my head up properly
and sometimes, I like to spit and drool.
I'm tall, but I don't walk and run around and I never answer questions.
Often, I don't even look at people's faces.
That makes me look different, and causes some of the stares.
(Some of the stares are because I have amazingly long and thick eyelashes!)
At first, the stares made us feel very self-conscious and shy.
But then, we got used to being 'that family'
with 'that boy who can't walk and play'.
Then, we went on a holiday...
To a place where not many people knew us...
Not many people knew the Dexter story...
And, we felt the stares. Lots of them!
It made us realise how comfortable we had gotten in our local area.
People know about us here.
People had read about me in the paper,
on my website, on social media or, they had seen me on the news.
People knew me.
I still looked different, and I still got a lot of looks, but not so many stares.
People are starting to feel comfortable enough
to come over and say hello, too, which is nice.
They are starting to see me, not my cerebral palsy.
So, today...
Mum stepped out of her comfort zone again
and took me to the shops and let me use my walker.
And, it wasn't so bad.
We've gotten better at not feeling the stares, now.
I walked across the width of the shops a few times and,
while we got lots of looks, it didn't feel too weird.
Some people even stopped for a chat.
I'm glad we took my walker to the shops today.
I wonder where Mum and Dad might take me and my walker next...