Redneck Baby Gate

Last Saturday Isaac expanded his field of exploration from the family room into the hallway and a quick turn just inside the kitchen.  The other night he was on a mission to increase his endurance and build his little muscles by taking the same path from the family room, hallway and into the kitchen wiggling his little legs, belly on the floor and smacks of each hand hitting the floor, pulling and wiggling himself a little further.  I listened to him making his way for awhile as I observed from the family room.  I knew instantly when he reached the kitchen for his first stop of exploration as I heard the cabinet banging slightly from Isaac pulling on the recycling bags. After that was no longer of interest he made his way a little further and I heard smacking hands against the oven.  He was intrigued by the noise of his hands against the metal for a little while and then I heard him wiggle a little further and then he stopped.   And then, the most unusual sounds
that's difficult to describe but a signature sound for Isaac.  Imagine him laying on his belly with his chest arched and head lifted off the floor flapping his arms and kicking his legs, a cross between a breast stroke and dog paddling only on land combined with grunts of frustration.  That was the cue.  He was done, worn out and had gone as far as he could.  Momma come get me....please!!

As a result, there is really no place that he can't wiggle into.  I used to be able to put him on the floor of our closet when I needed to get ready.  Now, he makes his way across the bathroom floor, and for some reason makes a bee-line for the trash and the water line behind the toilet.  It's amazing, to me anyway how he went from playing in one stationary spot to now being every where and into everything.

So, today, I had to get a few things done in the office.  Isaac only tolerated the jumper for a few minutes and then he wanted out.  He wasn't interested in the walker or the pack-and-play today either.  Nope, today he wanted on the floor so he could crawl and explore.  He was under the desk into the computer cords. He was into the small cabinet with printer paper but it's not as amusing anymore since the addition of a safety latch.  Since he couldn't pull all of the paper out he moved on to the bookshelves where he discovered papa's books on the bottom shelf so he pulled a few down and flipped through some pages Isaac style.  I quickly had to take a few books from him and place them on higher shelves.  I traded him papa's books for a couple of his own.  Then, he was in the hallway and into the bedroom.  I got up to shut the door from the bedroom to the bathroom and took a quick glance of the bedroom to assess what he could get into.  He must have been scanning the area too and decided there wasn't anything fun to explore so he headed the other direction.  Isaac was on the go today and full of energy.  I needed a solution and fast.  Desperate measures called for some ingenuity.

Yep, this is it in all it's glory.  My redneck baby gate.  A flattened cardboard box wedged into the hallway to create the perfect barrier.  Isaac was officially contained.  At least for the remainder of the afternoon.  Let's just say there is another trip to Babies-R-Us in my very near future for baby gates and more child safety latches for the kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets and drawers!