walking!

so, last tuesday, december 13, emme decided it was time to start walking.  having never had a baby before, i wasn't sure how this whole walking thing went down.  in my (ridiculous) head, i think i thought it went something like...one day she's crawling, and then she starts walking and that is all.  this is, of course, not the case.  she's been taking a step or two here and there since around thanksgiving, but not regularly (or voluntarily) walking.
but last tuesday, after the usual evening routine of dinner, bath, pajamas, she was crazy fired up instead of ready for books and bed time like normal.  she was squealing and squeaking and bouncing like the little bunny that she is, jabbering away and pointing at everything.  we decided she could stay up a little bit later and we would just have fun time in her bedroom.  i remembered my friend amy had said that when her daughter was learning to walk, she wouldn't do it by herself unless she had something in each hand, so i decided to try it.  i handed e two of her french blocks and asked her to bring them to dada.  just like that, she took probably 6 or 7 steps independently!  it was amazing.  justin and i were clapping and laughing and generally super excited.  she proceeded to walk back and forth across the room (with encouragement) several times before finally exhausting herself.
since then, there has been a little more walking and a little more confidence every day.  it's only been a week, but she is definitely getting there.  i can't believe we have a real "toddler" on our hands....