Living vicariously

(Here's a post I wrote a month ago, and never posted)

I recently found out that I no longer need to gate the top of my stairs. Jacob is too afraid to go down them. I have tried to teach him, but he just fusses and cries all the way down.

Instead, he lives vicariously. He throws everything down the stairs. And then he looks at them longingly, as if to say "Goodbye old shoe, I cannot follow you, but I will remember you with fondness. Enjoy your visit down the stairs."

By "everything" I mean, dishes, tupperware, apple cores left on the table, toys, bags, you name it. But his favorite is to throw the shoes, especially Sam's shoes.

(Update: One day about a week ago, Jacob decided to go down the stairs. No trial and error--I walked in and he was at the bottom. He's very proficient now, going up and down without a problem. He still throws everything down the stairs, but now he goes to visit them.)