Eating and...walking?

Rachel is so close to walking, we're holding our breaths. Today I took her upstairs while Drew took a nap in the basement (his allergies are keeping him up coughing at night, poor guy) and while I sat on the futon, she "cruised" along the coffee table, holding onto it with one hand and taking little steps. Then she reached out toward the futon, whined when she couldn't reach it and was very glad when I took her hand and she was able to place it on the futon. Then she started cruising along the arm!

She also regularly takes two to three steps with us holding her arms, instead of collapsing on the floor like she did...just last week, in fact.

It was really hot in the attic and, late in the afternoon, I curled up next to her on the futon. She laid her head down on my hip, like she usually does when I'm lying next to her (I think it's her way of telling me she loves me), and before I knew it, she was fast asleep! It was so sweet, I hated to wake her up. But Drew came upstairs looking for us, and she is getting heavier and heavier, so the weight on my hip was causing my back to ache. Of course, when Drew picked her up she refused to go down for an afternoon nap. We are hoping she sleeps through the night.

The heat was so intense that I couldn't bear the thought of cooking, so we grilled burgers (elk meat, surprisingly good) and french fries, and had a salad. Rachel really liked the fries. She also ate grapes at lunch today. Drew had been afraid to feed them to her for fear that she'd choke, but he was proud of the way she handled them -- she just bit in to one, sucked all the juice out and proceeded to devour the rest!

She continues to eat yogurt for breakfast, and we are making a habit of giving her bits of whatever food we eat. Shannon, one of the daycare ladies, pronounced Rachel a "champion eater" yesterday. I really hope this continues into toddlerhood, because it will be so fun to cook together.