An Experiment . . .

You're thinking: "How is two little girls, sitting on a kitchen floor an experiment? They're not even wearing pants!!"

We usually don't let W and R "hang out" in the kitchen. Their presence in the kitchen is usually being escorted to/from a high chair or being strapped in a high chair. The doorway into the dining room is a large open archway and the doors to the hallway are just a swinging door. Basically, there is no way to keep them in the kitchen. And the key to parenting twins is containment.

When we're at home, W and R spend most of their time in our living room, which is highly childproofed and gated off from the rest of the house. But, in recent weeks, we can't really leave them alone in the living room for even 10 seconds or else they start to climb furniture, stack pillows to climb over the baby gate, climb on the radiator to climb on the coffee table to look out the window or otherwise try to improve their vertical position.

So, can't take 'em in the kitchen, can't leave 'em in the living room . . . This makes it hard to do things like cook. Or put away dishes. Or complete other tasks which must take place in the kitchen. Hence, an experiment.

Mommy cooked dinner while W and R played in the floor of the kitchen. Without being contained. They really behaved very well for almost an hour, making no attempt to wander off to climb random pieces of furniture, poke the dog, eat paper, etc. They were quite entertained by bowls, spoons and a dust buster. Mommy even finished cooking and sat at the table and read a magazine, reveling in the good behavior. It was all going so well . . .

Then Baby V had an explosion of sorts, bringing experiment time to a rather nasty and rapid close. We'll try again another day.