Where is the little girl I carried...?

OK, it might be a hair early to start on "Sunrise, Sunset" but the changes the past few days in E have blown me away. First (and really best) is that she hugs, really hugs us. Wraps her little arms around our necks and buries her face in our shoulders with sighs of happiness. Best. Feeling. Ever. Second is the laughter. She has always been a giggler when happy and excited, but now we get true peals of laughter out of her. And it is incredibly strange what seems to inspire it. R has had the touch, first getting her to squeal on and on with delight over how he can make the empty Quaker oatmeal container spin and dance on the floor. This threw her into spasms of giggles and outright belly laughs. And yesterday, when my mom was here, R got her going again, this time over a pen. Yep, that's our complex girl, entertained by a pen. But she was beyond giggling. He would hide and twirl and play with the pen right in front of her face, and she would stamp her feet and howl with laughter. Thank goodness for camcorders. And you'll notice from the photo that she worked up quite a sweat over it as well! Finally, E is really starting to walk now. This one gets the most mixed feelings from me, since it signals a real transition into toddler-hood, before I'm ready to lose my baby. She has been taking steps for over a week, but again this weekend, she really hit the ground running. Five steps, then seven, then ten... She will walk steadily from one person to another, even from one room to another if that's the only route to get to me (you know how I love that, right?). If she gets unsteady, she stops, regains her balance, and continues to walk. She can even stop and change direction now. But most impressive to me is that she will pull herself up from a sitting position into a walking position. She doesn't need help standing, or even a piece of furniture to pull herself up. Those are some strong and sturdy little legs. The eating is getting a little better, she adores yogurt and pureed carrots, and my goodness, does she love her prunes. Heh, considering the mighty force that is her gas, not sure that is a great thing. E continues to love music (especially baby-friendly videos viewed from her own little chair) and pictures (which is the only reason she seems to tolerate books unfortunately), and she actually slept through the night last night with no wee-hours-of-the-morning feeding. Probably all that power walking. And her favorite item in her Easter basket was her toy recycling truck. Note that the displeasure in the photo is definitely about the ears, not about the Easter basket. Yes, we do occasionally use her for our own amusement. Seems only fair. All the changes and advancements are exciting, but I do wish she wouldn't grow up quite so fast...