A "New" Play Area

So ... I'm not sure if I mentioned it in my previous post or not, but Caed is in to EVERYTHING. The house has been baby proofed for a while now, but there's only so much you can do to keep him away from floor lamps and electrical cords ... especially in our small place! (I even rearranged the living room furniture to barricade off the lamps and cords, but he was still squeezing by!) So, toward the end of last week, I was at my wits end ... it was 7:30pm, Brad and I had just finished dinner and Caed was hanging on our legs to get our attention as we finished eating (between this and chasing him from lamp to lamp and taking him away from the entertainment cabinet) ... I was exhausted! Brad and I came to the conclusion at that moment (thanks to suggestions from my mom) that Caed needed some boundaries, and we couldn't agree more.
Brad immediately scoured the Raleigh Craigslist and Amazon.com for good deals on super play yards. We had priced them out about a month ago, but didn't think they were totally necessary ... so we didn't get one. It may have been a good idea then! As I was on the phone with Erika to get the name of the brand they have (they use theirs outside while they're doing yard work), she mentioned that since they were heading out of town, we were welcome to use theirs for the week ... what a blessing!!! We drove over immediately and picked it up.

I couldn't advocate more for boundaries now. The "new" play area or cage (ha) is wonderful and Caed does really well with it. He's obviously not in it all the time, but when I'm in the kitchen cleaning up or getting a meal ready, it's perfect. He can just sit down or stand or scale the walls of the play area and play with his toys, and I don't have to worry about the things he's getting in to. Or, even when I'm eating my breakfast or he's finished with his dinner and we're not quite done yet, it's a great place for him to go to have his space. But even last night, we had about an hour to play before he went to bed, and the two of us (Brad's in California for work) just sat in there and played. We'd play together for a bit and then he'd venture off into the corner to play by himself. It's so wonderful and I don't have to constantly pull him away from the things he's not suppose to be in to or be on all-day "NO" patrol. This way, I can save my "no's" for the times when it's really important and as he gains a deeper understanding of what "no" means, and how he's suppose to listen and obey his parents, we'll be able to make greater strides and not get frustrated over the things that he doesn't quite get yet or that we can't figure out how to communicate yet.

Plus, I think the play yard, in addition to his morning reading time, will help him develop a sense of independence and reduce his "clingyness" in this stage of life right now.

By the way, Caed's wearing his new soccer jersey in the picture above that we got him the other day. I think it's sooo cute ... and he and Brad wore their white jerseys to church on Sunday. :)