Babyproofing 101

                                                         Look what we got this week:

                                                                         See why?

It's kind of hard to see in this picture, because it's starting to turn yellow, but this is Addison's first (and hopefuly last) black eye. In the mornings, I keep Addie in my bedroom with me while I shower and get ready for work. After that she watches TV or plays with her toys while I get her snacks ready for daycare and have breakfast myself. Monday, I forgot something upstairs, looked over at Addie who was completely immersed in Caillou on the couch, and ran up to get what I needed. Within seconds, I heard Addison climbing up the stairs. Addie knows how to go up and down the stairs, we haven't had gates because we wanted to teach her how to use the stairs and we wanted her to learn how to navigate her own environment. BUT she is NOT allowed on the stairs by herself. She knows it, and when I looked over the railing from upstairs, she saw me, smiled and continued up to me (little bugger). So I went to grab her. I hadn't even made it down the first step when I saw her lose her balance and go down. I am pretty sure my heart stopped beating entirely in that moment, I have never been so scared in my life. She was on the 5th step, and she knocked her head off the step she was on, then continued down on her back. She held her head up, and stuck both arms and legs out, and kinda starfished it down to the carpet.

I rushed down to her and as she was crying, I saw the little bump by her eye, which was already starting to swell, then I checked her over head to toe to make sure nothing was broken. She actually didn't cry for too long before she was up and playing again. About an hour went by and it was time to go to daycare. I was confident she didn't have a concussion or anything, and she was acting very happy so we went. I told her daycare provider to keep a close eye on her and I would call at noon. When I called, Addie was running around and playing and acting like herself.

So when I picked her up from daycare, her bump had become a black eye, and it has progressively changed colours daily to this nice yellow/purple/blue colour. Amazingly, there is not one other bruise on her body, but that was enough for me. That was NOT going to happen again. So after dinner that night, I went to get the gates. I went with the wood so it would somewhat match our stairs, and they're not bad. I actually don't mind them, and they do the job.

We put them up while Addie was in bed for the night. Her reaction when she came down and saw them? Went right over, pulled on it, and tried to stick her leg through.... haha better a stuck leg than a broken neck.

We are now gate people.