Steppin' Out

After walking miles and miles around the house and front sidewalk behind one of his push toys, guess who took his first solo steps today?  And guess who wasn't around to see it.  I'll give you a hint -- she also wasn't around when he decided to crawl for the first time despite the fact that the vast majority of her waking hours are spent trailing around behind him.  Need another hint?  Her back is somewhat stooped from all the hours she's spent bent over with two fat little fists grasping her fingers for balance while he practiced his mobility skills.  But does he decide to debut his newfound walking prowess while she's around?  Nooooooo.   He waits until the one hour this week that he's alone with Daddy, and bam!  He's walking!  I'd like to file a complaint.

Yes, while Mommy was out doing the Lord's work this afternoon (no, seriously, I was out on a visit to one of the ministries our church supports!), Walt was at the park showing Daddy and some random other mommy his new skills.  I knew he was close this afternoon when he practiced standing alone over and over -- each time pulling himself up on his new toybox, holding on a minute while getting steady and then letting go and holding his arms out for balance, all the while grinning at me nervously until he lost his balance and ended up on his rump.  But I certainly didn't think he would go from 0 to 60 (okay, more like 15) in one afternoon!

We tried to get video, but by the time we got the camera, he was so worked up from all of our cheering that he couldn't quite concentrate on the walking.  But here's his best attempt caught on tape.  (Oh, and if you listen closely, you can also hear one of his first words --- "Keekee", which is his version of "Slicky".)

Download MVI_3676.AVI

We'll try to get better footage over the weekend, but for now, just be warned that Walt is on the move.  I hope the world is ready.