Pulling up

for real! Drew and I walked into Rachel's bedroom Friday morning to find her STANDING UP COMPLETELY and peering over her crib rail. "You need to lower the crib," I told Drew, with nightmares of Rachel pitching over the rail and landing on her head in my mind. "Tonight," he agreed.

Then yesterday, while I was posting a crime story on The Oregonian's Web site, Drew called me. "POSTED!" he said excitedly. "Rachel stood up all by herself and leaned against the music table!" (it's a table with a top of piano keys and other buttons that when you push, they make music).

Drew didn't get to lowering the crib until after I got home from work yesterday, when Rachel and I went on a playdate with a friend of mine from the newspapers and her son, Parker, who is four months older than Rachel. We found a great park within a mile or so of our house, which has playground equipment perfectly sized for little ones. (Grant Park, closer by, has swings and great play equipment, but it's sized for toddlers and older kids).

You could clearly see the difference between Parker and Rachel: Parker spent most of the time trying to eat dirt and playing with shovels that were taller than he is; Rachel was in a cuddly mood and spent most of the time on my lap or in my arms. At one point I sat on the edge of the sand pit with her leaning against my chest, singing "Heigh Ho" to her. (I reminded Dad this morning how he used to sing that song to me. It's a Peter, Paul & Mary round-robin song, and every time I sing it it reminds me of how much Mom and Dad listened to Peter, Paul & Mary. The things you discover about your parents when you have kids of your own!)

When I got home, Drew had lowered the crib to its lowest setting. "Are you SURE we need to do this?" I asked wistfully. It means that when she gets big enough to peer over the edge of this lowest setting, we'll have to think of getting her a real, big-girl bed. I'm told this happens around age 2 or so. "Yes," he replied firmly.

I made him promise that we can keep the crib once we get Rachel a bed, just in case Rachel has children. Or in case we have another one of our own, which is currently under discussion.