Upstanding stander-upper...

As I mentioned previously, Sequoia has started to stand up on her own.

Well not completely on her own - she still needs to balance herself - but she does pull herself all the way to an upright standing position and can then balance with just one hand. She even occasionally forgets that she does not know how to stand and will let go and wobble for a few seconds before grabbing hold again.

As you can see in this series of shots, it usually starts with a devilish and mischievous smirk. She will then crawl with surprising speed to whatever route she has chosen to climb and with definitive moves that indicate she has been scouting the route for quite some time, she will methodically begin her ascent.

She is currently fearless of the kabooms that often accompany this new endeavor - me, not so much. It is one of the few times that I long for soft wall to wall carpeting. At what age can I get away with fitting her with a cool rock climbing helmet and saddle harness without being labeled an overprotective dork?

Well luckily for me she is quite coordinated and rarely falls into anything that hurts her. I know that she will fall, and she will bleed and I will cry and we will both get over it, but honestly right now I am amazed by the mixture of fear and pride that accompanies these achievements.

I know that in time she needs to learn an honest respect for pain so that she can also learn to manage her risk taking, but right now I just want to wrap her up in bubble wrap to protect that adorable sense of confidence that she has that nothing will ever hurt her.