It finally happened.  Dan & I were lying in bed this morning (at 7:30!) and we heard it – little footfalls running through the apartment.  Benjamin was on the loose, and neither one of us had yet gotten up.  We switched his bed from a crib to a toddler bed last weekend, and it only took him a week to figure out he can actually get in and out without supervision.

Sigh.  I was hoping for longer.  (I’ve heard of people whose kids went MONTHS not realizing they were no longer confined.)

I have to admit, though, it was a pretty cute sound.  I was worried that he’d be worried — that he’d come out to the living room, and not finding us, would freak out a little.  But no, he apparently climbed up on the couch, got himself all comfy and then started saying, “Mommy!” relatively loudly (not loud enough to wake the neighbors or anything, but loud enough that I was worried he was going to wake Liam — who, miraculously, was ALSO still asleep).  I got up and came out quickly, in case he was concerned about where I was, but he was fine, he just wanted me to turn on the TV and get him a bottle.

It is a little scary for me, though — a little bit MORE of letting go.  If he gets up on his own, he could do any manner of dangerous things:  turn the oven on, get scissors out of the drawer and run with them, drink laundry detergent (or any other kid-unsafe item in the house) or, the worst:  he could actually leave the apartment.  I’m a mom.  I worry about these things.  Of course, he has no reason to do any of those things, and has never shown any inclination to do any of those things, but in my imagination, he’s going to start as soon as he starts wandering out of his own bed in the morning (or the middle of the night).  I have to convince myself to be watchful without being paranoid, and reasonable in the face of potential danger.  It’s not easy.

Really, though, it was pretty cool to hear him up and running around on his own this morning.  I’m pretty proud of him for that moment of independence, and for not being worried when he didn’t find us out here, awake.  I guess the next thing to do is to teach him to work the TV on his own, and the sleeping possibilities will be limited only by my nerves and Liam’s wakefulness.