Oh, By the Way...

. . . have I mentioned that the child is walking?

Two or three days ago, I noted that, although she was obviously capable of walking across the big middle of the room unaided, she still prefered to hold onto something if she could.

Then, a couple of days ago, I saw her walk the length of one wall in the living room (the one without any furniture), and instead of having a hand on the wall the whole way, she was only touching it every three or four steps, as if to make sure it was still there.

A few minutes later, she made the same walk, but this time, she didn't touch the wall at all. She just held her hand up, ready to grab it if she needed to.

Since then, she's been walking without touching anything more and more every, oh, hour - even if she's going right along a wall or the couch or something else cruisable.

She still cruises some, and certainly still falls down plenty - usually on her nicely-padded booty, but occassionally on her not-so-padded face - but I think it's time to admit that she's walking.

Within the past couple of days, I've started just putting her down onto her feet any old place, rather than sitting her down, or "parking" her against something to hold onto.

I've also started having her follow me around the house, rather than picking her up and carrying her to another room.

Remember a few weeks ago, when we baby-proofed the house?

Well, we evidently did not toddler-proof it. We're doing that now, as she shows us what we've missed.

I've been shutting the door to the dogs room if we're in the kitchen, to keep her from going out there and getting in their food and water. I told her the other night that she was "grounded from that room," because she wouldn't stay out of it.

Today I realized - the third time I took one away from her - that we can no longer hang dishtowels on the oven handle.

And, of course, we've gotten very good about closing both the toilet lids and the bathroom doors.

I guess she really is a toddler now, isn't she?

When the fuck did that happen?