A little more freedom never hurt anyone

For a few weeks now, I have let Jakob explore more parts of the house unsupervised. Of course I still listen for him and check on him regularly just in case he gets himself into a pickle, but he seems to be doing well with his new found freedom.
A while ago, while I was cleaning the downstairs, I heard some splashing in the upstairs bathroom. It was that day that Jakob learned a new game: open the lid of the toilet and play in the bowl, filled with water. From now on I keep the bathroom door shut.
On a separate occasion, while again I was cleaning something downstairs, I noticed a mysterious silence in the house that usually meant the toddler was up to no good. So up the stairs I went, thinking of all the things the little terror could be destroying. When I turned the corner of the stairway, I was surprised at what I saw. First I heard soft babbling coming from his room, then I peeked in and saw Jakob surrounded by a pile of books. He was reading the stories that Danny reads to him at night. My one and only thought: relief. Instant relief that this is the only trouble Jakob was getting in to.
And last, but certainly not least, Jakob has been figuring out how to climb. When he wants access to his blanket hanging in the back corner of his crib, he finds the foot stool to climb up on. His mission: to collect his blanket and binky through the slats of his crib before mommy catches him and makes him put it all back.
It's so funny when the triumphant toddler whizzes past me with his binky in his mouth and his blanket dragging behind him, because he is so proud of his completed mission. He certainly knows how to play the game to get what he wants. :)