Walking already?

Annelise is 34 weeks old, so thebump.com tells me. I just know she's older than 7.5 months, but not quite 8. But she's getting so big! It's funny, she's still so small, but Mark and I frequently say how we miss our tiny little newborn. :)

We just recently lowered her crib to the second lowest setting because she's becoming way too strong for her own good. It's a bittersweet accomplishment, with more sweet than bitter. After her naps, Annelise would usually be on her tummy pushing her head way up to see what is happening outside the crib world. So whenever Mark or I would come in to get her, she'd hear that door open and immediately push her head up to see who it was! Makes me giggle every time I see that wobbly little head. Sometimes her daddy will go in very quietly, sneak around to open her bathroom door to let in the light, then go over to the main window in her room and slowly pull back the curtain and then open the blinds to let the most light through. The entire time Annelise is kicking and sounding so excited... almost giggling... then Daddy will sneak right up next to her crib, and pop up to surprise her!! She loves it!

So now she's on the next lower setting of the crib. Because she's figured out how to pull herself up! Her most favorite thing to do right now is to grab onto our thumbs or fingers and pull herself up to stand. Doesn't matter if she's laying down or sitting, she pulls herself all the way up! It's amazing, because it seems like just yesterday she was barely able to pull herself up to a seated position (just before we moved she could barely sit up on her own... just over a month ago!), and now she standing up! She's goofy wobbly, though; it's hilarious watching her try to steady herself. She's to the point where if somebody is around to pull her up to stand, that's what she wants to do. Just plain ol' sitting is so boring now, apparently.

Along with her new found love for standing up, she's getting really good at putting one foot in front of the other. She holds onto our hands super tight, and we start walking backwards facing her, slightly pulling her along and she's figuring out how to make steps happen to get her closer to where she wants to go! She's so amazing.

One thing I'm kind of sad about is that if she figures out how to walk, she may bypass the crawling stage altogether. She doesn't particularly enjoy being on her tummy, and would much rather just be sitting while playing. It's cool though, walking seems to be an easier mode of transportation, though the falls might be a little more intense than falling from crawling. But basically, I'm just going to encourage whatever she wants to do to explore her little world! Speaking of which... I really need to get on top of baby-proofing this place!