Mr. Independent Jr.

When you are blogging, or doing the laundry thinking that your child is safe in the living room playing with his toys, and using his imagination to entertain himself...sometimes you can be mistaken. You know you've been misled because you no longer here "Yankee doodle" playing on their toy, or hear them making crashing noises with their little tonka trucks. All you hear is silence. Sometimes it's good, and not so good. Good because you hope that they've gone down on their own for their morning nap, or not so good because they got  into something they weren't supposed to.

Well...that's exactly what happened to me this morning.

Although everything is childproof downstairs things can happen. I keep forgetting to close all the doors in the house. Noah is sneaky and will get into the girls dresser drawers, and start pulling out all their belongings. The first door I close is the bathroom, but sometimes I forget. After all... it is the only finished bathroom in this house, and it is always being used. The girls forget to close it too. I heard a soft crashing noise and saw Noah on the floor with the step stool that we keep in the bathroom for Chelsea. He didn't cry too much. He had grabbed the step stool to bring it closer to the window so he can be tall enough to look outside. That's fine and all, but he's still too small to be trying to step off of it like an adult would. I was a little worried he had sprained his little ankle, but he's fine. I had a solution and put my green cedar chest close to the window so he can climb on it carefully without getting hurt. I trust him to climb on that instead. I know he won't step off of that with one foot over another!

A few weeks ago I bought Noah a percussion set which includes a little piano, xylophone, and the drum. He loves playing with all three, but lately he's been using it as a step stool to get close to those hard to reach places. He's even moved it to the living room window. I am teaching him that the drum is not a step stool! I hope he'll get the picture.

He's too smart for his own good!

 Noah has also reached the point where he no longer wants to sit in his Bumbo chair to eat. He still fits in it. No matter how hard I try he refuses to stay put and wants to sit on the chair like the rest of us. He was actually cooperating when I took these photos.

He has the longest legs that go for miles. He's getting too tall, and wants to do everything on his own.  I have to come to the realization that he is no longer a little baby, and that he is growing up. This moment reminded me of when he spilled milk a few months ago, and was wiping it up on his own. I wrote a post back in February on how I need to accept the fact that Noah won't stay little forever. I will always remember this quote given by C.S. Lewis..."the maternal instinct is a gift-love". I know that for the past 18 months I have been giving him that gift of being needed, but there comes a time when it is also important for them to have their independence. I am still treasuring these moments while at the same time still willing to accept that "Gift-Love".