We went to Hypercity today for groceries and stuff. It was Ria’s first visit there since she started walking independently (which she has been doing for the last couple of days or so). She had fun exploring the place in a new way, walking around herself. It was real fun watching her enjoy herself so much. She also gathered quite a few fans in the salesgirls around the store. She got a baloon from one of them, and squealed in delight trying to kick it around and then run after it. Finally she bit it hard and it burst while we were at the checkout counter. Her teeth are pretty sharp right now, she has two lower incisors which have just surfaced, and the urge to bite has increased now that the teeth are out. Anyways, happy kid came back home, walked around some more, had her dinner and is now blissfully asleep. Such a sweetheart!
Football
She is getting better at walking. She walked around in the living room quite confidently today, rarely falling, walking across the room end to end without fumbling. When we went down for an evening walk she insisted on walking, and not being carried. She also played her funny football game with her dad. If there is a plastic bag lying around, Ria will insist on playing football with it. Her dad kicks it around for her, and she feels that she was the one who made it move, and that amuses her immensely. That is something she really enjoys, and she keeps laughing non-stop for as long as they are at it. After quite a long time we had to drag her back home, at which she protested a lot, and then she finally dozed off.
Climbing down the stairs
Ria climbed down the stairs for the first time today. She has been climbing down a stair or two for quite some time now, but today she climbed down the full set of stairs. She was very careful and focused; with a serious look on her face she slowly slid down a stair a time on her stomach. Also, today is the first time she did a real outdoor walk. Holding our hands, she did a full round of the building campus, which is quite a lot of walking. She has been walking unaided around the house quite often for the past couple of days. Just a few steps at a time, after which falls and sits there smiling, then gets up and goes at it again. But she is loving it, and keeps walking around all she can.
Playing with her blocks
While I was playing with Ria today, she did something new. We were playing with blocks and stacking cups. Usually so far the way she plays with all such toys is by throwing the pieces all over the place, or picking one and tasting it. Today, she picked up a block and a cup, looked at them for some time, and then put the block into the cup without fumbling. Watching her do that felt so wonderful. It may sound like a simple task, but takes a lot of coordination for a baby, and today is the first time she did anything like that.