Monday, June 8, 2009

And So It Begins...

aj

AJ is 11 months now. I love this age - the attempts at communication, the experimentation with new expressions, the excitement they get from exploration...

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Oh, who am I kidding, our house is going on full lock-down. This guy is into everything - he fishes in the dog water, gets stuck in the pantry, tries to gnaw on shoes in the mud room, empties shelves, clears out drawers, tries to climb over the dog... The other day he stuck his finger in a heat register and sliced his finger open. I didn't even see that one coming.

Some things are presenting a bit of a problem though - like the stairs to the basement. I have seen gates with pet doors (Mister is getting to old to jump over), we have a few that open (the kids need to be able to go downstairs to play), and I have seen the ones that you can attach to banisters, but to get all three is a challenge. Sam, of course, has an interim "solution":

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Nice hunh? To make it functional, he attached a carabiner with zip ties on the side. Although it is not exactly what I had in mind, at least this "solution" is better than the last (i.e. no drilling).

So, it has begun - the keeping one ear open at all times listening for his shuffle (yes, he is a one armed scooter just like Spencer), the panic that comes from seeing his fingers sticking through the open space between the door hinges, and the heart stopping terror when he pushes on that cardboard.

I love this age, really, I do.

3 comments:

Kat said...

It is a fun age. And also completely exhausting. ;)
He is adorable!!!

MKHKKH said...

Too funny. I just posted about what a terror Hank is. I HATE this age. He looks like we have beat him because he has bruise all over his head and even his ear from falling so much. Steady walking will be so nice.

This is the gate we use for the basement stairs. The kids can open it no problem and Hank can't get through.I have let both Karlie and Kaitlin roll down the entire flight of stairs at this lovely age. I am hoping three is the charm and he won't go down.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2463324

Leeann said...

Love, love, love him.

LOVE.