Too Close for Comfort

The high chair has usually been a safe place. A place where I know I can leave Bradley while I take care of something, and I know he won't get into trouble. He's not going to find something on the floor to put in his mouth, he's away from the frequent trampling of Kaleb, and he's not sneaking up the stairs. The high chair is a safe place.

So one morning, I put Bradley in his chair, and then I took the two older boys upstairs to comb their hair and brush their teeth for school. I could hear Bradley whining, but I figured he just wanted out, but would have to sit and wait. So I finished with Jaden and then sent him down to check on Bradley. I could hear Jaden talking to him, so I didn't worry. I finished with Kaleb and starting walking down the stairs. I have a view of Bradley's high chair from the middle of my stairs. This is what I saw:


An empty chair. I just froze. I didn't take another step down the stairs.
"Jaden?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you take Bradley out of his chair?"
"No."
"Where is he?"
"I don't know."
I slowly made my way down the rest of the stairs, and as my view of kitchen became wider, I gasped as I saw this:


"Oh my gosh!" I yelled as I ran over to him. I couldn't believe he had wriggled completely out of his seat belt, climbed out of his seat and ONTO the counter... without falling.

Charles has recently replaced the wood laminate flooring in the kitchen with tile. I learned a good lesson about how much harder the tile is. I used to think Correlle dishes were practically indestructable. I had dropped them so many times before, and nothing had ever happened. Well, I dropped a bowl from only about 2 feet off the ground right after we got the tile, and the thing shattered. The biggest piece remaining was smaller than a dime. I am SO grateful that Bradley didn't fall off that counter.

On a lighter note, it snowed and the boys were very anxious to get out and shovel, even if it meant shoveling the grass.


But Bradley was feeling a little left out, and wanted to be out there with everyone. So Charles bundled him up and took him along.