Letting her crawl...and climb.

This weekend we went to a Children's Consignment sale and picked up some great deals. Brylee is moving from the sitting, to the mobile stage. We realize that while she doesn't need every kind of toy, she still needs something to occupy her time. So we went to check out the sale! We went on 1/2 price day and SCORED! We got a little stand up learning table, a little piano, a toy that sings and counts (VERY against her Daddy's wishes:) and a little alphabet/number block. We got it all for 12 bucks!! They have another one coming in Franklin in a couple of weeks...I'll post when I find out it is.

 So this morning as I was cleaning and getting some baby food going on the stove, I decided it would be a great time to let her get her new toys out. (after I scrubbed them all down with bleach yesterday:) I am in the kitchen, and she is in the living room playing away. All the sudden, I realize it got very quiet, very quickly and I go into check on her and she is climbing UP  the entertainment center. She has the remote in one hand and her feet on the bottom shelf, clinging to dear life with the other hand. I couldn't help but LAUGH hysterically . I ran over there to get her and I just held her and laughed with her.

I realized a lot of things in that moment. The first thing was to enjoy her "mischievousness". This is the phase we are in right now. While, I'm not saying let her get away with anything I am saying, that it's easy to get caught up with "training" her right from wrong that we miss out on the sweet innocents of exploring. She has no idea what shes doing, all she sees is a stand full of "toys" for her to get into.

Something else I realized is that I have to be able to let her crawl and get into things. Lately I have been nervous to let her stand up and more often than not, topple over. I keep telling myself to not gasp when she does fall:), but how will she learn if she cant figure out some of these things  on her own. My friends and I joke about not letting them crawl, stand up, or take baby steps because we don't want them to grow up so fast. But really, what kind of parent holds their child back, for the security of themselves.

As I sit and watch her explore these new things, I am excited yet dreading what is to come.Knowing right from wrong, making great friends and great choices, schools, (as much as I hate to say it, and her Daddy wont even talk about it), boyfriends. I realize I can sit and worry about these things, or I can just start praying now. I wont ever be able to prevent everything bad from happening. But My God, is bigger than me, my thoughts and my desires.He knows whats best and as a parent I have to do my very darn best and then let Him take care of the rest. So as she is 8 months and getting older, I have to teach her right from wrong and how to make good choices, but I have to begin now, practicing on "letting go"... I cant do things for her so she wont ever fail. (even if it is as little as tumbling over right now).  Because in failure, is when we often learn the most. One of my favorite quotes and I have no idea who said it is, "No mistake is too great unless you learn nothing from it".

I am sure I will have to be reminded in a couple of years when these things seems to get bigger and the choices she makes just get harder.

Until then, crawling and climbing we go, Meredith