I'm walkin here

Well, it's official. We have a toddler. Austin is walking.

He took a few steps for me on February 25th, just a few days after his first birthday. And now he's walking every chance he gets. He's creeping around from furniture point to furniture point, as if he is a monkey swinging through the trees.

At this stage, he manages about 10 steps before falling to the ground. He lands on his butt (diaper cushions = genius). As he improves so do his falls. He anticipates them and his body nimbly prepares for impact, which at his height is not too terrible.

So what does this mean for us? Oy vey. It seems that everything is a hazard. Moth to a flame, bees to honey, flies on sh...you get the idea. One minute he's playing in an officially sanctioned area with a an officially sanctioned toy and the next he's climbing the step that leads to the staircase, pulling on the child gate like King Kong and teetering on the edge of the step. And falling off. I was literally running to put a rug under the step and he fell off before I could get there. Minor head bump #482.

I came home from work on Monday and for the first time ever, Therese was frazzled. She now has two toddlers that are only beginning to understand the concept of "no". Can you imagine? One goes toward the entertainment system, the other to the stairs and both scream in defiance lest they be disturbed from their purpose.

I noticed that the Pack n Play was blocking the kitchen and I asked, is there anything we can do more of to babyproof? She laughed and said we'd have to change EVERYTHING.

Meanwhile, Austin is super impressed with his new talent. He reminds me of a professional weight lifter readying their weights to lift. He sets his hands on the floor in front of him, squats and lifts and then gets so excited, he starts breathing heavy and flapping his arms and tumbles before he begins. Toddle indeed.