Skipping a step?

Jillian learned to crawl a couple of weeks ago. After a few false starts, she was off and crawling and has the slightly calloused knees to prove it.

As with most of her development, she spends a couple of months on a plateau then does everything at once. She got three teeth around six months and decided that was okay with her and is just now getting her next teeth. They have just broken through her gums and should start showing for real in the next few days. I’m very excited for these new teeth, only because I was starting to worry that she didn’t have any more in there. I only have one wisdom tooth, after all.

So the crawling thing happened. It took months for her to figure that out but once she did, she is off and ready to do the next thing: climbing the stairs. And giving Mama a heart attack.

At first, this was a good thing, since we have a step-up from our living area to the dining area, and Jillian will need to learn to negotiate that if she wants to get around. So going up was a big skill to master. A couple of face-plants and a whole lot of yelling, and she can get up that step no problem. Going down is proving to be more difficult, however.

She crawls up the step and through the dining room to the stairs. We have a one-step landing before the stairs properly start, so she climbs up there a lot. That’s where I put the diaper bag most of the time so it’s handy and grab-able on my way out the door. There are lots of pockets and doodads that keep Jillian busy for about forty-five seconds, so it’s a good thing to just leave the diaper bag lying around.

I was sitting on the floor next to the stairs yesterday while Jillian happily emptied the diaper bag. I bent down to scratch my foot and when I looked up, she had made her way to the second stair already. AIEEE!

I thought maybe we’d try walking first, but apparently walking is for people who are intimidated by the stairs. Now, as soon as I put her down on the floor, she motors over to the stairs and starts her ascent.

It should come as no surprise then, that this weekend will be Baby Gate Installation Weekend!