My house

Is no longer my house. 

That’s right.  Go back and look at that picture again.  Underneath that toy bin, baby gate, multicolored floor mats, racetrack and baby is my fireplace.

Everything in this picture is strategically placed.

Last week, James discovered the fireplace and all the little rocks in it.  Rocks are not a recommended toy.  So to James’ dismay, we put up a baby gate.

Now he tries to climb up the gate,

and slips on the marble.  So we got floor mats,

which he tries to tear apart so, we use a big, heavy bin to help keep the mats and the gate intact. 

The racetrack is one of his new favorite toys from Nanny Sasa.  So, that is a decoy to distract him from the area that once was my fireplace.

If we look to the right of the former fireplace, there is a table. 

A table with a drawer.

And a couch.  A couch with a dog.

And a window.  A fascinating, one-of-a-kind window.

But that window is so close to that bin.

And there we go again.

James likes to pick up everything of ours.  And he likes to put his things where he thinks they should go. (lately we’ve found his toys sitting on our entertainment center.)

All this moving around inevitably causes some bumps and bruises.

In his downtime, he still chews on everything.

Then we head upstairs, cause we just learned how. 

 

There’s a gate at the top of the stairs, but not YET at the bottom.

And we continue to cause trouble all over the house.  Pulling the curtains down, taking the dirt out of potted plants, taking the few toys that Lynyrd has out, chewing on any controller, phone or iPod that we can get our grimy little hands on, etc. 

I take each thing from him, as I baby proof daily.  Half the time when he doesn’t get what he wants, this little firecracker arches his back, kicks his arms and legs and screams.  For about 3 seconds. 

Then,  he opens his eyes to see my reaction, and I say, “James, you know that doesn’t work with me.”  And I look forward to the day that he understands those words. 

Sweet Baby James.  He keeps me on my toes.

And I love him. 

And love him.

And love him to pieces.