Helen's been walking between Camilla and me for some time, and using walkers, and for the last week she's happily walked to other people. But now she's getting up all by herself and heading off without anyone in sight! We have a toddler!
She's not completely stable, but can usually sit down when she loses her balance - and mostly only loses that when she trips over something. She can crouch down and pick things up and stand up again, she can turn around, and she can walk rather fast, perhaps too fast (for our peace of mind). But most wonderfully, the novelty value hasn't worn off yet and she's still exceptionally pleased with herself when she manages to walk to the next room, or even a few metres, with a beaming grin. In a way I'm less directly excited about her walking than I am infected by her own excitement. And if there's anything I want for her, it's for her to retain that joy in doing new things, learning new things, meeting new people, and so forth.
It's not all fun at the moment, mind you. She seems to be acquiring teeth 9 through 16 - canines and first molars - all in one go, over just a few months, and that's a bit painful.