Elliott is walking!

Hello everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family.  Some day I will get around to posting  pictures of our T-day  with the Grandparents (they kindly drove to us this year so we only have to make one big roadtrip this holiday season).  But today I wanted to give you the exciting (and slightly scary) news that Elliott is walking!

It all began about a week before Thanksgiving when I picked Elliott up from daycare.  I was chatting with Anita (our fabulous daycare provider) about how close he was to taking his first steps when we decided to give him some extra encouragement.  His buddy Joseph has been walking for months while Elliott has been taking his time, and more interested in developing his fine motor skills.  That first day he went back and forth between me and Anita about 5 or 6 times, a few steps at a time, until he got so excited that he just wanted to take off running before finding his balance, and would end up in a face plant instead.

Over the past few weeks he has really started gaining confidence and coordination, and is now walking without encouragement across rooms, although he still can't stay on his feet for too long before falling over and finishing off in a crawl.  I've been having trouble getting good pictures and video since I'm usually the one holding the camera, so please forgive the poor quality/low number.

Here he is with Grandpa Wayne, contemplating crossing the 3 feet of kitchen floor to get to me (see Reese silently cheering him on in the background).

And here he is stepping out to cross the big divide.

Now that he's gotten a taste of freedom, he is not content to sit or be carried when we are out and about.  On our last trip to Home Depot (our equivalent of a fun family outing) Elliott wasn't happy unless he was pushing the cart himself.  It made for interesting maneuvering through the crowded store, but he's a pretty good driver already.  Our walks with Reese have become super slow too, as he wants to walk down the street with us. 

Elliott also continues his fascination with cleaning items.  The other day I caught him wiping our kitchen floor with a dishtowel he pulled off the refrigerator, and anytime he sees me with a swifter he squeals until I let him have it.  I normally try to not give in when he throws a hissy fit, but in this situation I am more than happy to encourage an interest in helping me keep the house clean.

Just thought this was a neat picture of my sweet contemplative guy...

And one last shot of my guy rocking out in the new bed I made for Reese.  That's Steve's wallet that he snuck off the coffee table.  They grow up so quickly - one day they are taking their first steps, and the next they are swiping Daddy's wallet.

Hope you all are enjoying life as much as Elliott!!