The posts have been slim lately as I’ve had my hands full with a 15 month-old monkey. If I were a mother octopus I might have enough arms to keep Emerson out of trouble while having the camera in hand for those moments when trouble turns too-cute… but here I am with my two arms and even fewer photos!

In her short life, Emerson has acquired several nicknames but the one she most lives up to is ‘Monkey.’  Not only does she use her feet for everything imaginable, her legs never stop moving (even in her sleep which earned her the title ‘Crazy Legs’). In the past month my monkey’s passion for climbing has reached new heights — not only the couch, chairs and stairs but her crib and Go Crib as well. She will attempt standing on any toy, no matter the shape or size, if she thinks it will make her a little bit taller.

This climbing obsession combined with the natural appeal of the Christmas tree resulted in some trouble as-of-late. I was well aware of the risks involved in putting the tree up this year, but my love for ornaments wouldn’t allow me to skip the tradition. I wasn’t at all surprised when I heard the big crash followed by shrieks of terror about an hour after decorating the tree. Emerson had pulled it down on top of herself. Thankfully, neither Emerson or the tree were injured and the event scared her enough not to try it again. As a few weeks have gone by she’s worked up some courage and now likes to push the dining room chairs up to the tree so that she can climb them and touch the ornaments (only the top half is decorated). Let’s just say the tree has brought more anxiety than joy this year. I am counting down the days until I can take it down.

Besides the climbing, she loves to play in the lid drawer and remove items from the lazy susan in the kitchen. I will allow these activities until they become dangerous and so I wasn’t concerned to see her walking around with a box of spaghetti the other night. If only I had known it was an opened box of spaghetti….