Limits Testing

Today has been a very trying day for me. Now that Hail can walk, he has decided that testing the limits to EVERYTHING is the way to go. Things he knew he couldn't do last week, he has decided that it is okay to try. I have tried everything from smacking his hand, telling him no, putting him in time out and spanking his bottom. I really wouldn't mind so much if he was only doing things that annoyed me, but he wants to test the limits with things that are dangerous. Like today alone, he tried to crawl over the top of the couch- backwards, he was standing up on his toddler bed and almost fell over backwards and smacked his head on the railing, tried to stick his finger in the fan-while running, and then tried to inhale his fork at dinner time.

My telling him no has no effect on the situation regardless of how I choose to discipline him. He laughs at me, continues what he is doing or moves onto the next dangerous button pushing act. Raph is usually the one that has to finally step in and discipline him before he listens. I don't know if it is the deep voice or what but I don't want this to be a constant issue where he is the only one he will listen to when discipline is concerned. Not only am I afraid that he is going to get hurt from not listening to me and continuing on his way, but I don't want him to be afraid of Raph because all he thinks he does is discipline him. I really don't know where to go with this one or how to resolve it. It is not as if I am shirking the disciplining duty on someone else, he just doesn't listen to me. I really hope that this is not the beginning of bad teenage behavior starting at 16.5 months.