Keri Russell is taking baby steps when it comes to feeling comfortable being without her four-month-old son, River.

"I had my first babysitter last week for the first time!" she told Usmagazine.com at the Children's Defense Fund "Beating the Odds" dinner in Beverly Hills Thursday. "It's crazy — you kind of panic. But my babysitter is amazing."

No wonder it is tough being away from River: Russell, 31 (who is wed to carpenter Shane Deary), said her son has just learned how to laugh.

"It’s adorable!" she said. "I tickle his belly or make faces, and he just laughs. It’s the most precious thing I’ve ever seen!"

AWWWW..HOW CUTE Sticking out tongue

source: usmagazine.com,