Any day now

Swe-cha has been toddling a lot since last week.

He started taking his first step at 11 months and sort of stopped there. We figured there wasn't really enough space at home to require him to walk more than a few steps so he never did.

Two weeks ago, I asked Tita R if the walker that she offered a few months ago was still available and it was. We didn't think it was necessary before but hubby and I decided to let Swe-cha try the walker - even if it means having to go out and buy one (thankfully, we didn't have to).

The first time we tried putting him on the walker, Swe-cha cried and fought. He would lift his legs out so that we wouldn't be able to put him in, he probably thought this was a boring version of his exersaucer (no toys) and would just keep him prisoner. When he realized how mobile he was and what he could do on the walker, wow! He just cannot contain himself!

Nowadays, you'll find us zipping along the hallways, going past doorways, going up and down on the elevator and a few times, he even tried to enter neighboring units whose doors have been left open (eek!). We'll wake any excuse to go out walking (get mail or packages and even throw out trash). I see an improvement each time we walk out. He's getting more and more control and balance now and is very adept at maneuvering the walker - even making k-turns when he wants to back up.

At home, he mostly likes to zoom his way into the kitchen and start exploring the drawers and cabinets - toddler heaven! That utensil drawer in the photo is his favorite, he goes straight for that each and every time. Mommy has got to get that gate to bar the kitchen ASAP before he hurts himself.

Now, when he plays at home and wants to move from one toy to the other, he would get up on his feet and walk the few steps to the other toy (instad of crawling). Mommy has been encouraging him to do this more and more by moving his toys a bit further apart each time. We keep trying to capture the moment but he's stops toddling when he sees the camera. Sigh.

Oh, I also have to mention that it's not a good idea to leave babies unsurpervised in their walkers. A few days ago, Swe-cha pulled himself out of his walker and launched himself onto me (I was sitting in my pumping area and was expressing milk).