Some day you will get your stuff back

Piece by piece our house is moving from the upstairs to the crowded storage room in the basement. At some point we won't be able to open the door. The little hands are becoming quicker and more cleaver by the day. This week we retired a table lamp and a stack of books from the end table. Last week, the little table in the foyer. I fear our breakfast stools are on their way out.

Last week my Parents as Teachers educator asked me, 12 months into having them home, what the most important lesson was that I would pass on to a new triplet mom if I could. At first I said, schedules and sleep. My little blessings have sleep habits that are the stuff of legend. Two of them go down every night without a peep and wake up 12 to 13 hours later giggling and ready to start the day, and the other an hour later and the only reason she wakes up every night is to have a seizure. Pretty much like clockwork. So yes, I said, schedules and sleep keep us sane. But, the other day as we were visiting our newest little friend in a house that is designed for his tiny little needs and not our roamers we were reminded of how valuable 2 other little words are: baby proofing. As much as you might want to, you cannot keep an eye on all the little people all of the time. At some point one little body will need your attention while another little body sets of to cause a bit of mischief. And so, slowly but surely, our stuff has disappeared and our house has been creatively arranged so that at any time we can step away and not worry that the little people are anything but safe. So I think, if she asked me again, I would have to add environment to the list.

But, I am learning that this is a continuous battle. In the last month, all under my watch, I have pulled a dime out of Ella's mouth (where did she get a dime? I don't know. Does anyone even use dimes anymore?), responded to a thump and a cry to Ella clinging to the other side of the banister we THOUGHT was too narrow for a little person to fit through (3rd step, the rest is covered, just in case), watched a little rear end go up and over the arm of the couch as I was catching another falling off the front. We have also learned that there is a sticker on the under side of each of the dining room chairs, tables and end tables, it is best to lock them out of the kitchen while using the oven or stove and, in lieu of toys we should have just given them pantry, dishwasher and refrigerator doors to open.

This weekend we finished our latest operation 'lets keep the babies safe' project. The only good place to put our couch in the living room is backed to the open stairwell leaving about a 12 foot drop behind it. And since we love to play on couches, that needed a solution. Here is what we came up with:

 Last month we hung the TV and hid the components under the counter in the empty nook next to the sink. Interesting operation to change a DVD, but when do we have time to watch movies?

And still my favorite project, though we spend more time in other parts of the house now, is the gated toy room. At least most of the clutter is contained and out of sight.