Kate started walking last week.

For the past month or two she’d been cruising along furniture and walking when one of us held her hand. But in the days before Christmas she discovered that she didn’t really need us anymore, and now she just gets up and takes off whenever the mood strikes her.

It’s fun to watch her walk, but it presents a new set of challenges. Taking her out to eat is getting a little harder…she gets a little restless in her high chair after about 10 minutes and just wants to walk all over the place.

We took her to Disneyland Saturday night and she didn’t last very long at the table. Tammy and I had to take turns leaving the Blue Bayou to take her outside to let her walk.

She was so cute in her big white parka. She’d loiter around the Club 33 entrance walking in circles before deciding to plunge into the crowd, with me and my pointer finger in tow… She’d smile and yell “BAH!” to people walking by every few seconds. Her squeakers drew attention, and people would stop and smile at her. “BAH!” she would say with a smile. “BAH! BAH!”

She even gets a little restless in her stroller now, and the look of joy that washes over her face when we set her loose is priceless.

Cameraphone shots of a baby-in-motion: