what's up at 8 months

It seems just these last two days Wesleys discovered that she can express her own preferences, this is new for me. In the past she was compliant to almost everything I could say, "it's time for a change" and tell her, "the head comes through, the hand comes through, now the other hand" and she didn't mind it that much. I could tell her "car seat time" and that was alright too. But now, she lets me know when she doesn't feel like having a shirt put on or sitting in the seat.
Of course such things still have to be accomplished, the wee one must be dressed for the weather and in her car seat when we go places, so I talk to her gently and just go about dressing her or buckling her in and she growls "ner ner ner ner rawr" and wiggles all over. When we're sitting around she doesn't just sit nice and still in your lap anymore eigther, she wiggles and squirms and twists all over to try and investigate everything she can see.
Another new development this week, she takes steps =D. She's stood when you hold her up for a long time, but now when you support her arms she'll go walking, very big steps, toes to the heavens, and sometimes she oversteps and doesn't know what to do about it so you have to help her out a little more. When she's sitting on the ground and sees something out of her reach she's very determined about investigating it. I get the impression one of these days she's going to figure out the scooching thing.

Today, in walmart there was a little kid, maybe four, who came over and was standing nearby looking up at Wesley. Wesley was so excited for some company, she squeeled with delight a couple times and tried to reach down and grab the girls nose. The whole time I was standing in line they just stared at each other, Wesley cooing and squeeling.

Rusty got lost on the other side of the highway and a trucker found her and brought her to winnipeg and called us I'm so glad she has a tag. She's home now, really scared though, it's all so strange for her.