Santa Claus, Someday!

Ryder has been climbing as long as he has been moving. At 8 months old he would climb up my body, up the couch, or up the coffee table. Then, in his near infancy, I felt the need to have extended arms below him in case a 14 pound meteor came crashing from the highest point.

As he got older I just expected to find him atop tables or bookshelves or windowsills.

Around 14 months the Tovsky men gene for car fascination kicked itself into high gear and Ryder would do whatever he had to to get himself into the drivers seat of our parked cars. He would handle the steering wheel as if he was cruising the Autobahn and touch every button (another of his favorite activities) just waiting for a jack-in-the box to jump out. The next time we would start the car we were usually greeted with blaring music, high-speed wipers, blinking hazards, and high beams. And, often, a quarter stuck in the CD loading slot.

As Ryder got older he got smarter, more capable, and more agile. He became a sort of Spiderman/gymnast/MacGyver hybrid of nimble mind and body. Climbing walls became no challenge, and for hard to reach places he learned to move over chairs, toys, or stools. He learned which buttons operated which functions and which key started the engine.

Recently, we've gotten smarter too! We've learned to lock the doors after leaving the car so that he can't get in! Genius, I know!

Today I found a very wet, very naked Ryder taking a break from his skinny dip to play in my locked car! How'd he get there? He climbed up the truck, across the hood, up the windshield and in the sunroof.

It won't be long until he is sliding down chimneys to get into the house.