Not Like the First Time

Ada was, and remains, a parent-focused kid. She was one of those babies who is happiest sitting in her mother's lap. And despite the fact that she has always been a strong-willed person, as a baby she was also pretty happy to listen to us. Mom says don't got up the stairs? Okay. Dad says don't pull down the books? Sure. She was just not a destroyer and did not feel the need to investigate every nook and cranny of our house.

Unlike Ada, Ian wants into everything and is not happy to be redirected or diverted from his investigations. Until we got a gate, he spent a solid week trying to get up the stairs (over and over and over again). Even now he often stands at the bottom of the stairs shaking the gate, venting his frustration with its existence. He has lately been interested in getting to the built-in window bench in our living room. We have tried to keep him away, as the bench has a printer on it, along with Chris' lap top and a mess of cords. Today while I was at work Ian spent considerable effort to get to the bench, finally figuring out how to move the ottoman out of the way. In response, Chris wedged the ottoman between the couch and the coffee table. Undeterred, Ian skirted the ottoman by climbing up onto the couch. Chris relented, and after moving the computer let Ian get to his goal. Chris reported that Ian just stood there looking thrilled, and eventually moved on.

So maybe that is lesson number one for us with Ian. If we let him go where he wants to go, he'll be satisfied and then move on. Unfortunately the same can not be said for Mira, who followed her brother to the built in and immediately began banging on the printer.