Climbing...Climb On!

Well, Evelyn June's first birthday is just one week away so I thought I'd better share about her noteworthy "Pre-One" adventures before they got overlooked and forgotten in the wake of her birthday celebrations. Jen last posted about Evie's resemblance to me with our very fetching mug shot. Yes, yes, in addition to teaching her intriguing facial expressions, I must also take credit for showing her how to stick out her tongue like a dinosaur spitting out feather pillows and rub her chin while saying, "hmmmm" in a most Sherlock Holmesian way (though not at the same time.) However what I'm most excited about (and probably have the least influence in) is her tenacious desire to climb on, over and under EVERYTHING.

For a dad that enjoys rock climbing, I can't help but be a bit ambitious about fostering this healthy (yet very, very, very safe I promise grandmothers) skill in my daughter.

Since we only have one step in our house, Evie mastered ascending it about 2 months ago, although descending always ended in a carpeted "thump" and subsequent cry for help. While visiting our good friends Lowell and Cassie earlier this month, I set Evie at the bottom of their 20 or so carpeted steps to see what she'd do.

In no time that girl learned to crawl all the way up and then figured out how to slide back carefully. Yeah I know, all babies eventually figure this out - but do they all immediately do 8 sets of stairs for interval training? There was no stopping her.


Here Evie's just a blur during her 5th set.


She has mastered climbing up on the trunk, pulling a dyno with her arms over the couch arm, and then scootching backwards off the cushion.

Here she's doing a bit of spelunking under the coffee table.



She's so refined in her downclimbing that she starts backing up 5 feet in advance of the laundry room step. Cracks me up.

If you've ever met me, you'd agree that I'm not a big man. I'd like to think that what Iack in power, I make up for in a high strength-to-weight ratio. I think my petite daughter may inherit the same fate - which is perfect for a couple of monkeys that like to climb...


Sure does bring a whole new meaning to the term "baby pullups" doesn't it?

A proud father,
Jimmy