Walking!

Ben is taking down some mile stones this month : now he's walking!
He took his first official, solo step on December 15, 2011, but he has been shy about letting go of the chairs and couches.  During the month after that he was showing promising signs by taking one or two steps on his own but he always chose to drop and crawl before things got shaky.  Now we are happy to report that he walks frequently and, even for audiences.  Both grandmas and grandpas have seen him walk on command.

We didn't encourage him to walk early and we didn't get any helpful walking toys for him to practice with, but I'm very glad he's taking his own steps.  Ben is not a little baby - he is physically very tall and very heavy and wearing size 2T clothes even though he's not quite one year old yet.  (He is now wearing the same shirt that Zeke wore when he came to visit Ben in the hospital for the first time.)   My back looks forward to Ben's growing independence.