Growing pains

My little baby is changing into a little boy so quickly. It's truly amazing to watch. In the last week, he:

* Stands up without pulling himself up on anything
* Squats down, picks up toys, and pushes right back up to standing (shaking the toy with excitement the whole time, of course!)
* Waves "hi" and "bye" with the sweetest smile on his face. He often waves with both hands, and sometimes one will be facing out and the other facing himself. My favorite is the "stoner wave" where he stares with fascination at his own hand as it waves away.
* He loves pulling off his own hat, and anyone else's. Today he tried to put it back on me so that he could pull it off again. Interactive play!
* Pulls doors open to get where he wants to be. He loves closing them, too, but I don't think he understands any great value to it - he just likes the pushing and the slamming noise.
* Climbs the entire length of stairs, after ignoring them for months.
* He took a first step - 3 days ago. He was standing, and wanted to get to me, so he took one step before falling onto me. But like Stewart says, walking is just controlled falling. I'm counting it as his first step.

I just want to soak up every minute - he's on his way. As he should be.