Mountaineering

It seems an eternity ago or maybe last week that Norah first attempted to climb onto the couch in the living room. Once that obstacle was overcome she grabbed a fistful of our bedsheets, placed a foot against the nightstand, and hauled herself onto our bed. Next she learned to move from the couch to the coffee table, where she would stand proudly, screaming at us and waiting for us to acknowledge her achievement and shower her with approval (which didn't exactly go as she planned).

Recently she has learned to scale the edge of Justin's crib as seen in the above video. She's also learned to climb the entertainment center to reach the IPOD when her pleas for "Music! Music!" fall on deaf ears. It's no longer uncommon to hear some random song blare over the speakers while we're occupied by Justin's diaper change or some other activity that must be completed once begun. Our hearts stop every time she climbs and stands atop the swivel chair in the office.

Her ability to climb the bar stools at the kitchen counter seemed almost anticlimactic after the crib crawl, but this new skill has just changed everything in the blink of an eye. She has officially "taken it to the next level." Norah has discovered the concept of portability. Previously her reach was limited to stationary objects, but she has learned that bar stools can be moved......by little girls.

A new frontier is being explored as she now slides the bar stool where she wants to go and uses it to reach practically any object she desires. Stove top knobs, sharp knives, raw food being prepared, and fragile mementos are all a simple slide away from her grabby little paws.

I first witnessed this when Norah wanted grapes out of the sink before I finished washing them, so she slid the bar stool over to lend a hand. I put a stop to this by moving it a couple feet away and putting my foot on the bottom rung, but I was thwarted again since my child is evidently smarter than her Dad. She glared at me and furrowed her brow. In her facial expression, I saw the light bulb of inspiration spark, flicker, then glow brightly. I didn't know what I was in for, but knew I wasn't going to like it.

Remembering her crib climbing technique, Norah grabbed the top of the counter, then put her little foot atop the kitchen drawer, pulled herself up slightly, then started looking for a foothold for her opposite foot. As if the portable bar stools aren't daunting enough, she has learned that the kitchen drawers make an excellent ladder, and Mommy and Daddy can't remove those without making her job that much easier.