Stair Climber

 Olive was thrilled that our new house has STAIRS.

She'd never really had the opportunity to climb stairs so I was shocked that she had no trouble at all climbing to the top (with someone following right behind her).  I knew this was going to be an issue so we had to block it off or keep her behind closed doors upstairs until we figured out the baby gate situation.

 

We met at an attorney's office to do our closing on our house and the attorney randomly asked if our new house had stairs.  We said yes and she said she had a really nice baby gate in her trunk if we needed one.  She explained that her kids were older now and no longer needed the gate.  She stuck the gate in her trunk hoping she'd find someone who needed it.  I'm still amazed by people's generosity and it definitely makes me want to look for opportunities to be generous to others.

 I had to look up a video on youtube to figure out how to get the gate open!  It makes me think it's pretty baby proof :)  I set it up and we talked about how we'd install it.  The woodwork was in the way, the studs weren't exactly where we'd hoped and my dad only had a hand saw to work with.  He took lots of measurements, drew some diagrams and made a list of supplies he'd need.  He built a frame out of 2x4s and I helped hold things in place so he could drill.  I marked spots for the nails and made sure things were lined up.  He was wishing he had white paint to paint the frame to match the woodwork, but I assured him that it was just fine.  

Olive was not pleased with the addition of the gate.  She go up to it and just shout at it.  I have a feeling that this gate is going to keep me sane and keep Olive safe.