Major Milestone Accomplished: Crawling!

On December 22nd, I was getting dressed in my closet while Allie played on the floor a couple feet away.  As I was looking through my hanging clothes to pick out what to wear, I felt a tiny hand grab my toe.  I looked down and there was Allie sitting at my feet, reaching up to me with a grin and a 'pick me up, please!' look on her face.  That's how I knew she had learned to crawl.  I said, "Baby girl! Did you just crawl?!"  I picked her up and sat her back down a few feet away again.  And sure enough, she came right back to me, crawling all the way up and into my lap. 

Actually, I thought she would be crawling before now.  She'd been rocking back and forth on all fours and crawling backwards since before Thanksgiving -- she just couldn't seem to go forward.  I thought she might even crawl Thanksgiving weekend.  But I guess she chose to fine tune her skills before she put them into practice, because she already crawls like a pro.  She "cross-crawls" and swings her little bottom left-to-right as she goes, getting her whole body into the motion.  She's fast too!  I have to be quick if I see her getting into something she shouldn't. 

December 22nd also marked the day where the cats no longer have any peace.  They are Allie's favorite target.  She cackles and laughs deliriously as she chases them, clearly anticipating the joy of catching them -- which she never does of course.  Oh well, it builds character, right?