Feet to the floor

Autumn became mobile quite a while ago. I can remember impatiently waiting for the first time she would roll from her back to her stomach. I still love to re-watch the video of that milestone, hearing the excitement in my and Steve's cheers.

Next came crawling. Again Steve and I were on pins and needles watching as Autumn would rock herself back and fourth, just waiting to make that first move forward. I remember placing her favorite toys just out of reach, tempting her to make that first move.

Seventeen months later Autumn has achieved all of these milestones that Steve and I so desperately wanted her to conquer. She can roll from her back to her stomach, she can crawl on all fours, she can walk, she can run and she can climb, and there are days when I wonder why I was so rushed to get to this point.

Don't get me wrong, I love the feeling I get when Autumn walks up, takes my finger and leads me to what she wants me to see. I am proud when I ask her to pick something up or find something and she comes running back, with a triumphant smile on her face, holding the requested item in her tiny hands. Watching her walk down the hall, with her blanket usually in tow, always brings a smile to my face. But I will not deny that there are moments when I wish I could go back to that little stationary baby who was entertained sitting in the exersaucer.

As I turned the corner into the living room last night, I had one of those moments.

As I mentioned above, one of Autumn's many talents is climbing. She can climb up and down the couches and beds in our house. Knowing that she can easily do this, and does it often, I do not worry about her doing so. Although with the "Closed Door Policy"  in place the beds are usually off limits. Quickly after realizing she had this ability, Autumn sought out the hearth of our fireplace. This, unlike the couches, did bother me. After some minor discipline and one or two bumps to the head, the hearth no longer seemed as exciting to Autumn and was abandoned.

Until last night I thought we were in the clear. When I turned the corner and entered the living room, this is what I found; my daughter, sitting in the center of one of our end tables, looking at a framed picture of herself. Hopefully it will not take any falls for Autumn to understand that plopping down in the middle of a table is not socially acceptable behavior. She has yet to repeat this feat, but as any mother of a one year old knows, that does not mean it won't happen. Timing is everything! And I had been worried about the hearth.

So while I spent all those days just waiting for that first step, I now spend that time making sure Autumn's feet stay on the floor!