Overnight Success

Guess who's walking???  Last week, Zain had a few "first steps."  He took one or two little unsupported steps a couple times.  Then two days ago, he had what I'd call his "first walk."  Rather unexpectedly.  I was chatting on the phone with my mom and all of a sudden I said, "He's walking!"  He was taking four waddly little steps.  For those of you familiar with the geography of our baby-safe zone, he walked between the coffee table and the leather chair, where I was sitting.  Later in the afternoon, he took another four-step walk in the kitchen.  Shif missed these first sizable walks, but he did show her a little 2- or 3-step jaunt yesterday.  He's also suddenly much better at walking with us holding one of his hands.  Before, this was always sort of an exercise in twisting, turning, falling, stumbling, and bumbling.  But now, seemingly out of the blue, he just toddles confidently along beside us.

Another new skill has shown up, seemingly overnight, today.  He's saying 'no', appropriately, complete with shaking head.  "Want some more banana, sweetie?" "Nee [shake, shake]."  Yes, it sounds like "nee", which somehow makes him sound like a little Amish man to me, but it definitely is a polite 'no'.  More polite than his former method of swatting away a spoonful of food or dropping it on the floor. 

Some more recent pics:

At the park, before his last haircut

Three puppies

In flight

The reason there are no knobs on our stove right now (you can also see the lawn furniture that has replaced our lighter, tippable kitchen chairs - Martha Stewart does not live here)

Trying out crayons

Apparently they are better as a snack

Mobile drinking