You look away for a moment...

I always wondered how crayon marks found their way on other parents' walls. How do kids fall out of shopping carts? How does one roll of toilet paper make it's way out of the bathroom and get rolled out all over the house without notice? I wasn't condemning those other parents, I knew there had to be a reason, I just didn't understand how it happened. And then, Weslee became mobile...very mobile. Suddenly, things that I thought were "safe" are no longer "safe". I had been secure in my high countertops, my ability to shut doors and the ability to be ahead of the game...until, again, Weslee became mobile. And suddenly, I found myself in the category with those "other" parents.

This kid has taught me that ingenuity begins very young. He can pull chairs out, painstakingly crawl up onto them, and then get pens, crayons, books, and important papers off of our countertops and tables in less than a minute flat. He can turn on the burners on the stove (that was a surprising discovery, let me tell you!) He can shimmy up the couch, grab the phone and dial the numbers. And in these pictures, he learned how to unlatch and open the screen door out back. I was outside pulling weeds in the garden when I heard splashing on the sidewalk by our backdoor. He had let himself out, and helped himself to the kiddie pool while I was weeding. So, I stopped weeding and took pictures of his delightful fun. You can tell he's having a blast (that last picture in particular is a little crazy!). He shrieked and squealed through the whole thing...and now we keep the back door locked and bolted at all times.

You know, I remember my mother telling me that she felt "dumb" sometimes when we were teenagers (probably in part because we treated her that way)...but now, I can see why. The longer I parent, the less I realize I know. I had all the answers when I was in my teenage years, and by the time I'm a parent of teenagers myself, I'll probably feel exactly the way my mother did. For now, I'm happily indicted into the parent's school of keeping up with toddlers...and all the surprises it brings.