His Biggest Cheerleader

I posted a video the other day of Kyle walking. That was one of the first times he took some good steps and not just a few steps while falling forward. Surprisingly that day, he just kept on walking. He didn't even need us to call to him and encourage him. He just decided he would try to walk everywhere he needed to go. By the end of the day, he had significantly improved in his walking.

The girls have been anxiously waiting for Kyle to be able to walk. Here is video of what goes on all day with his biggest cheerleader:

Look At Him Go!

On a more fun note, the orangutan is walking!

Kyle at 8 1/2 Months

This boy spends most of the day standing up. He can already take a couple of steps while holding onto something. I used to keep him in his footed pajamas all day. Not only was it to keep his feet warm, but it was kind of a modern form of foot-binding. It made it harder for him to stand up on our wood floors in hopes of delaying his ability to start walking. I don't want another early walker!

He is always on the move and getting into stuff! Karis always calls out, "Mom, move Kyle!"

Everything in the mouth! Such a challenge with two older sisters with small toys, crayons, hair clips, etc. 

Curious. I love watching his eyes as he observes people and things around him. 

 He talks a lot!

10-Month Old Makena

Makena turned 10 months old yesterday.  She spent the day walking a good 6 to 7 steps a few times throughout the day (she had been taking only 1 to 3 steps the last few weeks).  She seemed to have done it the best when she was walking towards Karis' slice of pizza -- this girl likes to eat!  I think Makena thought she ought to have a slice for her 10 month birthday.

Staycation Day 1

Since Derek has the week between Christmas and New Years off, I took the week off as well. We thought about doing a road trip, but decided to stay home and do a few day trips/activities throughout the week.

On the agenda for Day 1 was some fun around the neighborhood for the girls and rest for us -- we needed to recover from Christmas!

Highlights:

For me, taking the girls out one-on-one. Karis loves to be outside, but we can't go outside a lot because of Makena's naps. While Makena took her morning nap, Derek stayed home and I took Karis out in her new pink car, we went to the playground and just ran up and down little hills across the street. Later, I took just Makena on a long walk in the stroller.

For Derek, he loved taking Karis out on her new bike seat. She even fell asleep at the end!

We also saw Makena take a couple steps on her own!

Getting the Hang Of It

The other day, I watched the video of Karis taking a few steps when she just started walking (click here to see video). I can't believe how much she has progressed. I took another video to capture how she's walking now, just a few weeks later.

She loves to walk and now prefers it over crawling. She is pretty fearless, as she often walks around with her arms up trying to keep her balance (think orangutan) and often lunging forward and falling flat on her face. But she just gets back up and tries again.