Gate 'er up

We need gates in our house.  Period. End of story.  Mabel is so mobile now with her army crawl that even the makeshift mound- of- pillows- boundary that J created didn't stop her from, as always, crawling toward the only dangerous things in the room.  She could have 12 toys laid out in front of her, but she inevitably heads to the fireplace, or the outlet, or the shelf that holds breakables.  And while getting up to chase her is good exercise, we are both willing to give that opportunity up.  I'm proud of Mabel for her mobility, curiosity, and resourcefulness, but I'm thinking gates will do a much better job-- structurally and otherwise-- than we do keeping her within safe bounds.

While she's zipping around the floors, Mabel has, unfortunately, been slowed down by what I think is a cold, but perhaps is an attack of fall allergies.  She's congested and runny, but she doesn't have a cough yet.  Yesterday presented a fun little event, as Mabel contended with the post- nasal drip making its way down her trachea and toward her tummy: she ate her solids (apricots with sweet potatoes) begrudgingly (whining the whole time) but then about twenty minutes later threw them all up.  And I don't mean spit them up-- I mean all- out vomited, the poor thing.  I feel like an awful mom looking back, strictly demanding that she eat up despite her moaning, because an empty belly at bedtime would only make her feel worse.  Here she was, trying to send me a sign-- a pretty clear one at that-- that she did NOT want any more food.  And there I was, shoveling it in.  I got her upstairs to change her diaper, and as always, she made my job hard (but in the very cutest way) by wriggling and twisting her body all over the place, "singing" all the while.  Suddenly, her shirt, naked thighs, the changing pad, and even her hair were puke- covered.  This ralphing was powerful.  Her hair was so badly assaulted that it began to stand up in a spike.  Oh, so now I get it, you really didn't want those sweet potatoes-- and for a good reason...

All I can assume is that the post- nasal drip made actual swallowing and digestion too tough.  We got her bathed and cleaned up promptly, and the little angel STILL slept through the night.  We have her increased mobility to thank for the all- out exhaustion that comes over Mabel before bed.

J and I plan to get the gates this weekend.  I'm foreseeing a clutzy accident, likely involving me, as I try to hurdle said gates.  It ought to be funny.  Once the gates are up, Mabel's crawl space will be limited which may tick her off, but will also minimize the rug and floor burn she gets on her tummy when we let her scoot naked.  It's just the most adorable darn thing seeing her get around the room in only a diaper.  Oh, Mabel, you've gotten us again!