The Mischief Has Begun

And it has all started with the steppie-stool. Until now, Eli has been a relatively calm, clingy, and exceptionally careful boy. Unlike the majority of parents, we've never had to do much baby-proofing (except electrical outlets of course). Most people have to worry when their little ones wander into another room, I pray for such events.
Yesterday we were playing with bubbles and the boy was quite excited because it had been a while. Then he asked me, with grunts and the sign for help, to open up our collapsible steppie-stool and ran off with it. I was relieved that the boy found something to entertain himself and went back to work on dinner- roasted tomato and red pepper soup, a Greek spinach pie, and buerli (way too much work, don't know what I was thinking). Then I got the feeling I should go see what he was up to.
I'd like to continue by saying "Now we only have a few rules in our house...", but if I think of them there might be too many to make that statement true . Either way, "No putting your hands in the fish tank" is well-known. His little brain put 2 and 2 together, with the stool he could reach the top of the tank. I wonder if he also thought, mom is busy, so she won't catch me... No, much too sinister, he's not even 2 yet.
A few minutes later his conniving brain was considering cause and effect again.

Steppie-stool
+
drawer pulls
____________________

= I'm on the counter

(He quickly reproduced his feat for the camera) The thing is, I let him up on the counter when I can watch him, but that time was up. He's so full of glee on the counter one might think I don't give him enough cooking-with-mom time, or

maybe I'm giving myself too much credit and its just that he too gets excited about kitchen gadgets, which happen to be out for bread baking.


With all this tomfoolery I wasn't sure how people have a #2 before the first one goes to preschool. I figured it out the other day. This 2-years-apart phenomenon is actually wise. You are either pregnant or have a tiny baby by the time the mischief has begun and there's no turning back. I must also admit that all the other good moms out there consider their children's happiness first when thinking about child-spacing. I, on the other hand, consider all the throwing up, tantrums, labor (both forms), and sleeplessness that must be endured. Call me selfish, I just say a happy mom is a happy family, right?