Trouble

Sometime in the last two weeks, Paige has gone from belly flopping around the house (her sloppy-inchworm way of crawling) to on the move. I can't put my finger on the day (bad mommy/second child syndrome), but one day Paige got up on her hands and knees and took off. She's been into nothing but trouble ever since.

Unlike big sister who took her time getting comfortable with her new found mobility, Paige began pulling up the same day she started to really crawl. The result: a quick check in on her at nap time = oh, there's Paige standing in her crib trying to strangle herself with her mobile. Cue a panicked mommy and Daddy rushing to remove her mobile, lower her crib, and move the cord for her video monitor.

I didn't realize how un-baby-proofed our house had become in Reese's toddler years, but Paige has been quick to point out any and all weaknesses in our lines of defense. Recent run ins include the only TWO sockets in the house that didn't have covers, the bar full of glassware, and the stretch of flooring that hasn't had its baseboards replaced yet. Add to this our daily bouts of overturned dog and cat food dishes and my house is a constant disaster. While I could watch Reese motor around the house at this age, with two kiddos in the house one of them is bound to get in trouble the second I turn my back.

While I'm thrilled Paige is now happily able to explore her surroundings, the other disgusting drawback to having a crawler in he house again is seeing first-hand how dirty my floors are. I can sweep and vacuum every day, and Paige will still manage to find dog hair or lint to put in her mouth. Almost worse than imaging what she might be squirreling away into her mouth, though, is seeing how filthy her clothes are when you pick her up from her jaunts around the house. It makes this seem like a great idea: