Safety 1st!

I think I've mentioned, somewhere along the way here, that I'm trying to raise as close to a "free-range" kid as possible. It seems like a frightening prospect in this day and age, but evidently "this day and age" really is pretty safe.

So ... we oscillate between extremes in our efforts to not shelter Elliot too much.

Kitchen Kid

Like I'll let him play in the kitchen next to our under the sink cabinet without doors, but the toilet is on "lock down."

Or, a plastic bag is a dandy toy, yet the electrical sockets are plugged.

But, the difference is that I would never leave Elliot unattended in the kitchen, or playing with a bag. We only use safety products in the places where he's apt to be left alone for a minute or two. He's in the bathroom with me in the mornings while I'm taking those "whore showers" so I need to make sure he can't dunk his head in the toilet. And those electrical outlets are in the hallway where he walks up and down all day.

The only lazy parent type of "safety" item that we've induldged in was this gate for the xmas tree.



We removed it for the actual xmas festivities and, as it turns out, Elliot didn't want to mess with the tree anyway! Ha, go figure! Maybe this "free-range" kid stuff makes a better kid ... he gets to mess with so much stuff that he doesn't want to mess with the stuff we don't want him to? Just a theory.

I have a TODDLER!

Big Guy

WOW! When did that happen??

Since we co-sleep, Elliot usually wakes when I wake. This morning he was still asleep as I slipped out of bed. He's been working on changing up his sleep schedule ... dropping his 2nd nap and sleeping closer to 12 hours (instead of 10) at night.

So, even though I was a bit concerned about leaving him to wake by himself, I needed to start getting ready for work. I left the bedroom door and the bathroom door open and took what a friend told me was a "Puerto Rican" shower, but I've actually learned it's a "Whore's Shower" ... boy does that make me feel better. Anyway, midway through rinsing my hair I feel this little hand on my back.

Awww ... my little man (who I have been calling "big guy" a lot lately) had woken up just fine without me and decided to go find his mommy!

Tonight I was downloading pictures on the mac computer and Elliot was in the room with me. He was playing with some of my scrapbooking materials when he decided to stand up. He's taller than the desk. It's like "poof!" all of the sudden he's this little boy ... not a baby anymore.

I'm only slightly sad.

I'm enjoying this "big guy."