The Dance of the Romote

Sometimes we have mixed blessings. Every time Luke gets to a point where he is confident in a new skill, he often finds more trouble to get into. The latest example is his standing or pulling up. He has been able to do this for a few months now, although he hasn’t been consistent. He would usually pull himself up all on his own one time and then go several weeks before doing it again. For some reason I think he finally has the confidence to continually do this. Five days ago he pulled himself up two times that I know of, without anyone around and no screaming…like he usually does when he wants to pull up and can’t. Every day since he has pulled up at least five times on and off throughout the day.


I am so excited that we seemed to have reached this step in his development. I’ve mentioned before how we would soon have to put things away out of reach and remove things from our end tables. Well I think we are there. I’m so glad he is pulling up, but in the process he keeps going after the remotes.

I don’t know what it is about remotes that attracts kids. Is it the colorful buttons? The curiosity of how something changes, like the volume or channel, when you touch a button? But, remotes are right up there with doors, balls and the phone as far as Luke goes.

So, he kept pulling up and getting the remotes from the end table by the recliner. In fact, one day I heard the radio come on instead of hearing “Dora the Explorer” and when I went to check. Somehow Luke had gotten his Vegi Tales DVD going and changed the stereo from DVD mode to the radio/tuner mode. I wanted to tell him “no”, but he was so cute and was so smart…how could I? So…like an “intelligent” mommy I put the remotes on the other end table by the couch…where he had never pulled up before by the way. That worked for five days, until today. I heard a noise while I was in the kitchen, so I went to investigate….and low and behold Luke had two of the three remotes we use. I was so happy for him standing, I couldn’t get mad at him…so I gave him a hug and kiss and told him “good job”, then I took the remotes and said “no”. What kind of mixed signal is that?

I’ll have to find a new location for those remotes. I think I’ll try the window sill for now, which is also by the recliner. We’ll see how long that will last.