Wallking

Zoe is definately walking now, with purpose and direction, although it can get pretty wobbly. This is a big 'step forward' from the short stumble she has been doing during the last couple of weeks. Today, she started coming up from sitting to standing without the aid of furniture or toys - I'm amazed at how quickly she's acquiring new skills and lots of confidence. I've read that once babies reach this stage, they become dogged in their quest to improve their walking skills, forsaking all toys and playthings. It is true that she has been pushing her red ride on car, and anything else that will move, like washing baskets and large books, around and across the loungeroom for a couple of weeks now, so that was maybe the beginning of this fascination. She's also quite keen on climbing up steps and sitting on her car.

Another feature of the 'new' Zoe, perhaps associated with her 'quiet, determined' temperament, are the tantrums she is thowing - tears and screams - when she gets bored or is unhappy with a situation. At feeding time she combines this with throwing the spoons and food on the floor, which makes this three-times-a-day ritual quite challenging for Mum. I've calculated that I have washed that high chair tray a minimum of 180 times already, and I'm guessing there's at least another 12 months of this to go. Joy.