I swore I'd never marry a Mountain Climber. Unfortunately, it seems I may have given birth to one.

Heidi is a climber.

Alex was chasing sheep through the field by the time she was Heidi's age.

Heidi is quite a bit taller than her sister was, and I suppose it's because her center of gravity is much higher, that she hasn't quite mastered it yet.

Yesterday Heidi learned how to climb Alex's new rocking chair. I caught her standing proud atop the wobbly seat twice before the rocking chair got hidden.

This was after I caught her perched atop Alex's play oven. She figured out how to climb on Alex's bed, then somehow crawl/climb from the bed, across a foot wide gap, onto the higher oven platform. She did this while Tyler thought she was quietly playing in the bedroom. The thought of how she got up there without falling amazes/horrifies me.

I walked into the bedroom to find her oh so happily sitting, smiling, 3 feet above ground. So proud of herself. It would have been a kodak moment if I had not dashed to rescue her after the initial shock wore off. I've previously been used to looking under things when I've misplaced my Heidi. The look she gave me was so... "Mom, I've been up here for 5 minutes, if I was going to fall, it would have happened by now. Please put me back, I'm off to conquer the Eiger."

I appreciate that sometimes she lets me think that she needs me. There are the days when she won't let me put her down and if I do, she sits on the ground hitting her head on the floor, over and over and over until someone rescues her from herself.

Then there are the times like today. While preparing dinner in the kitchen I casually looked over to see Heidi walking. She pulled up to a chair, turned around and casually took 3 steps into the abyss, towards nothing!!! I screamed and clapped and called for Tyler to come watch what was already finished. She just smiled knowingly, and I had the feeling this wasn't the first time.

Whenever I try and get her to walk, she smiles her goofy smile, sits down and crawls away. I flatter myself by thinking she is trying to perfect the act on her own, so as to pull it out as a party trick one day, surprise her Mom and WOW us all.

I thought I had this parenting thing all figured out. At least for the years 0-3. Now I'm seeing Heidi inherited a whole different set of trouble making genes. It was 3 years before Alex took her first trip to the Emergency Room. I have a sneaking feeling that Heidi may not make it that long.