New skills means redecorating

Toddler proofing blog post!

The moment Middie Biddie learned to walk, she learned to climb.  The couches are now the favorite toys in the house.  What I used to use to blockade the children are now attractants.  Therefore, time to move stuff!

Behind this Teeny Tiny smile, you can kind of see what I used to have going on in their play room.  The corner of my desk had a gate that was nailed to the couch.  The router, modem, and lamp were tucked behind the corner of the couch and a collapsed exersaucer was nailed to the wall as a blockade.

I felt we needed to move the couch away from the angled gate because I was afraid one would climb the couch and then fall in behind it, most likely really injuring themselves during the fall and even if they didn't, they would now be caged in with every cable from my computer and uncovered outlets, not to mention full access to everything on and under my desk.

So we've moved the couch to the other side of the room, used excess floor boards to cover all of the running cables, and put up an old filing cabinet in the corner for routers and modems to sit on.  The filing cabinet is screwed to the wall, but the drawers are only taped closed at the moment.  We'll get proper latches on those soon enough.

Middie Biddie likes to hang over the edge of the couch and we had a spare crib mattress that has seen better days lying around, so I plopped that under the dangerous side.  I can't really prevent all falls, but I can at least make them less injurious if they happen.

In the main room, not a whole lot of change.  Please no comments on my housekeeping skills, the laundry will be put away eventually and the broom just roams freely at will.  The pack and play attached to the side of the couch is now storage for extra pillows and blankets.  If a kiddo should tumble into it, they'll be landing in a pillow pit.

For the first time in my adult life, I'm going to have a Christmas tree.  Scrooge no more I guess.  We've opted to go the fake route, at least for a few years.  It's easier, cheaper in the long run, lighter if it falls on anyone, and now that I'm making Christmas ornaments in my pottery shop, I'll be able to use it year round for photography.  It's not decorated yet and I haven't fluffed out the top portion, but here's my baby/cat proofing solution - we set it inside a bassinet and put the pretty ruffles back on that we had packed away when it was actually in use.  So far, the cats have left the ruffles alone which is good because it does help make it look pretty.  I'll get some twine and tie the base of the tree into the center of the bassinet and then tie the handles of the bassinet to a wall.  For now, it's sitting just out of reach of the girls playroom on the edge of our room of perpetual storage.  It helps block the view of the ugliness going on behind it.  This set up also makes the tree very easy to move so Christmas morning we can put it in the middle of the room and put presents underneath it.

Sometimes I think I should change the name of this blog to "Macgyvering my way through motherhood".