Down from there!

Little A is at the stage where her mother feels the need to shrink wrap the dining table and chairs, for her safety. She has learned the usefulness of chairs, and the joy of that "high up feeling." She likes being high, and unfortunately there is no rehab program for infants who are learning to climb. There are emergency rooms, however, and we would like to avoid that at all costs. I'm going to have to keep her on a very tight leash for a while. If she is out of my sight, the next place I find her is on top of the dining room table with a big smile on her face. She is usually sitting with her back perilously close to the edge of the table and I have more than once had to sprint across a room to keep her from falling onto her head.
Yesterday, she walked up to the table and started to pull out a chair. I said "No No No," in that sing songey voice that mothers use to discipline tiny children. Take a moment. What was her reaction? Obviously it wasn't "Oh yes mommy. I understand. This is potentially very dangerous for me and I will stop this instant." Certainly not. I would love to hear from any mother whose child finds obedience so natural. I'm dumbfounded when my children hop obediently to any task they've been given. Dumbfounded is not an exaggeration. I'm fairly sure that D has found me in that state at least once and asked what was the matter. "Oh, T just obeyed." But, back to my precious tiny A. She did not obey, as I suspected she had other things in mind. She kept pulling out the chair, but added an ear to ear grin. She smiles a lot, but she pulled out all the stops for this one. I think that she fully expected me to change my mind and allow her the adventure. She is filled with self confidence, and I like that. I just don't like the idea of her landing on her head.
As a family we have been lucky. So far, knock on wood, we have had no broken bones or broken teeth. We've had some stitches and some dermabond incidents but even they have been rare. T's baseball coach broke some teeth as a kid while fielding a ball. I need to face the reality that at some point we are going to have some big accidents. In the meantime, I intend to do what any self respecting mother would do, and shrink wrap the baby onto my leg during the day. I want to see that sweet little smile, happy and intact, for the rest of my life. It is far too valuable to take any chances with. At least until she starts talking back.