Yesterday I put up the first baby gate. It's at the top of the basement steps, and is really the negligent parent gate. It prevents Gabe from sneaking past us while we're busy in the kitchen and going for an epic tumble. Not that he'd ever silently crawl as fast as he can toward a forbidden goal or anything. Certainly not several hundred times a day, as evidenced by the tiny brush burns on his knees. Well, practically speaking, we have had a few few fires in the fireplace, and I'd imagine that, as long as something's burning, he'll probably have a very enticing goal that outshines the basement steps. But still, safety first.
Of course, Alex refuses to learn how to use the gate. As per usual, she prefers to whine, I mean, ask for help. Everything is more fun when it involves Mommy having to stop what she's doing to help with something that Alex can do by herself but just doesn't want to do.
So, the addition of the gate was exciting enough, but also, far away from any camera, Gabe decided to do something simultaneously impressive and horrifying. He stood up by himself. That's right, with no assistance but cheering (and expressions of dread over things sure to come soon) he pulled himself away from eating Simon R. Green books on the bottom shelf and somehow managed to navigate his way up the side of the ugly living room chair and got himself into a standing position. Granted, it wasn't a particularly stable position, what with one leg far forward and the other far back in a way that surely would have ended in a split if it had not been for a watchful set of parents spotting him, but it was standing nonetheless. Coordination being his worst enemy, he just sort of slumped over after a few intense seconds, but still, it was a successful foray into standing.
It makes me want to cover every hard surface in foam or blankets, and makes me wonder how trips to the playground will be in the not so distant future.
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