q.u.i.e.t. spells trouble (usually)

I'm sure most parents of little ones have learned this lesson. Most likely, the hard way. I remember all too well when my girls taught me that their silence was a sign of mischief brewing. The first incident occurred shortly after all three became mobile, crawling around the family room with a new sense of wonder. I was camped out on the couch, working on my laptop while the girls "played" nicely with each other. I made note of the fact that they were out of sight behind a chair.

Just when I decided that the girls were being too quiet, Allie knocked over a cup of water that Rich had left on the window sill. No one was injured in the incident but Anna's pants were soaking wet. I remember saying to Rich, "Warning - the window sills are no longer safe."

And then there was the night that I felt sick so I curled up on the couch while Rich delivered the girls to the family room after their dinner. They were still crawling, not walking. I didn't realize that one of the gates was left open. Just when I decided that the girls were being too quiet, I heard the slap, slap, slap of tiny hands on the hallway floor.

It's automatic now for me to check on the girls when I don't hear them. Even if I have just checked on them. While Grammy was cleaning up the kitchen last week, Allie snatched Grammy's cell phone off of the side table and decided to connect to the internet, running up $1.98 of charges on Grammy's phone bill.

Lesson learned!