not walking, but close

So I mistakenly predicted that Casper would be walking by the end of September, and here it is the end of October and he's still mostly a crawler. He took his first steps back in early September and though he's taken a few steps every day since then, he really prefers to crawl. Though he seems to be the most athletic of the three kids, he was terrified of falling as a baby, so I think there may be some fear associated with the walking thing. Granny has been staying with us and has been encouraging Casper to walk; he's started taking her advice. Today especially, we've noticed some visible confidence in his little stride, and we've seen him begin to take more steps. This gradual mastery of a new skill is new to me. Gwennie and Linus both took their first steps (between 13 and 14 months) and gave up crawling on the spot. Maybe Casper will be exclusively walking by Christmas . . .