Goose Egg Part Deux

I have spent the past two weeks chasing Talan around the house, making sure he doesn't (a) hurt himself, (b) eat some random item he finds in a drawer, on the floor, or in a cabinet and (c) tear whatever he can get his hands on apart. Have I metioned how different boys are? I'm only now realizing how easy I had it with Reese. Piece of cake in comparison. When he was first on the move, I was able to give him a stern "no" and he'd listen (at least 90% of the time anyway). Now? No basically means "get there as fast as you can to do whatever it is she doesn't want me to do before she can catch me". The staircase has been a constant battle lately. He loves to rush over and get up as many as he can before I can catch him. Our staircase is set up to where finding a gate has been a real challenge. There is a wall on one side and railing on the other...only the railing starts on the second step. So he'd still get up a couple before it would stop him (in other words there is still potential for disaster). Yesterday he was on the move and in a rush to get to the stairs, laughing hysterically all the way, and was going a little too fast for his own good. He slipped and fell, head first, into the molding at the bottom of the steps. Instant mega-bump: Fortunately, he quickly recovered with a little help from frozen Nemo. He is into doing everything himself lately...... (Notice the fuzz on the back of his head. Poor kid is going to end up with jacked hair for sure.) Today a good friend of mine handed down some old gates. I was able to make dinner in peace for the first time in a long time this evening. The only problem is that poor Reese has to climb over them (there is no doorway) and with her itty bitty legs it's a lot of work. Until we come up with a better solution this will have to do! I'm exhausted.