Our little girl is now walking. She’s a terror on two legs, chasing after cats and smashing into walls. She was a mischief maker before, and now she’s getting into all kinds of trouble. As a proud dad, it’s a joy to watch.

She loves running around the house with little treasures in her hands (often tubes of toothpaste). She’s getting steadier every day, but she still falls a lot. Her crashes often look epic, but they never seem to discourage her. She just bounces back up and keeps running around.

Soon after Astrid started walking, we were in a small Indian chaat restaurant, eating bhel puri and samosas. Astrid was happy sampling all the dishes (making us proud parents) and running around the restaurant. Luckily we were the only ones there.

I was walking around with Astrid when she started running toward Emily, who was eating golgappa puri (the small puff balls that you pour tamarind sauce into) off of a cafeteria tray. Before Emily could move the food out of the way Astrid grabbed the edge of the tray, causing it to flip. The tamarind sauce made this perfect arch into the air and landed directly on Emily’s forehead. It was tragic but perfect comedy.

As Emily towelled up the puddles on her chest and lap, Astrid sat giggling. Our little mischief maker.

10 days before she started walking, she went for her first bike ride. When she’s older, she’ll be able to proudly proclaim she could bike before she could walk, even if it might be a stretch. She had a giant smile on her face the whole time, so we can’t wait to get her a balance bike.

July was a good month. With our first camping trip, a day at Folk Fest, picnics in the park, and lots of popsicles to beat the heat.

More July pictures.