Leslie’s Blog – (mini-vent)
(This is an actual “life blog” so there’s no social cause or political agenda on this one. No current new story or much else. Just a life blog. )
Of course, I’m grateful that we have found a beautiful house and are settling in very nicely. There are many things about this house that I love, including the “handicapped accessibility” of the doors and cabinets. But these things come with a price. The lever handles, while easy to use and very beautiful, offer no resistance whatsoever to Bebe. Therefore, there is not a single place in this house she cannot go.
In the past, we always had round door knobs. Well, bebe couldn’t open them. We could keep her out of any area by simply shutting the door. Well, no more. She can get into any room and any closet. I’ve been to the dollar store, Walmart, and Home Depot trying to find baby proofing items to make the house less accessible to her, but no luck. I did at least find something to secure the kitchen island doors shut.
I need some kind of way to keep her out of the bedrooms, closets and bathrooms with those lever door handles. She’s already gotten into her sisters’ rooms and their markers and crayons. I can’t turn my back, even for a second, when she’s awake. I was simply unloading the dryer when she got into the markers. That took all of what – 30 seconds.
There’s no carpet in this house. It’s all hardwood floors, which are gorgeous but after walking on them for a few hours, your feet are killing you. I hate shoes, probably from the neuro – stuff (MS related) but shoes bother my feet. And I prefer to be barefoot, but I can’t on these hardwood floors. They just kill my feet. So between the floors and the absolute lack of boundaries for Bebe, I’m so overwhelmed. I’m exhausted. I’ve never been this tired in my life, and I think every single part of my body hurts. Relocating means finding all new doctors – sigh. And a good doctor is so hard to find. (I don’t think I’ll ever find a doctor as great as Dr. Hadley. He was the absolute best.)
But my pain and fatigue levels are at unprecedented heights, and I’m just simply overwhelmed. But whining does no good, so I’ll try to redirect my attention to pursuits that can be solved.
Bebe will be 2 in less than 2 weeks. I still can’t believe it. She’s really starting to talk and explode in development. Today, at Walmart, she pointed to a pair of white sandles that had pink butterflies on them and said (plain as day) “BUTTERFLY.” I was so proud. I started clapping and cheering for her. She just smiled and said BUTTERFLY again. Her little vocabulary is really starting to take off. Yay! My gma keeps telling me it’s time to start potty training, and to that, I say H*LL NO!!!!!!!!!! I hate potty training, and my other 2 girls weren’t ready until at least 2.5. Bebe’s not yet 2. She’s not ready either. And there is no way I’m going to engage in a potty training battle with a toddler who clearly is not ready. Been there. Done that. Never again.
And I must be vigilent about the external doors as well. They also have those lever handles, and she CAN get outside. While we do live in the country on a quiet cul-de-sac, there’s still significant risk if she gets out those doors. I have to keep the deadbolts locked, and once she figures out how to undo those, I’m in big trouble. And if one of the older girls forget and leaves the deadbolt unlocked, Bebe can and will go right outside.
(And Thank God for auto-save b/c I just got kicked offline 3 times and didn’t lose my blog.)
And on that, this tired, weary, and worn out Momma is going to fold laundry.