new developments and home decor

OK... so Sean has decided that he wants to crawl.  I KNOW!!!  He is able to get up on all fours and then does this lurch, rock, lurch, slither sort of inching along commando crawling thing.  I came back from the bathroom to find him gnawing on the leg of a dining room chair.  I left him on a blanket with lots of  baby approved items to keep his interest and 6 feet away from the nearest hazard. Obviously those items have lost their appeal and he has moved on to bigger and better things.  He is now a double threat... mobile with teeth...a force to be reckoned with.  We are in such trouble.  It is clear that he wants to be a big boy... he is no longer thrilled with the rattles and baby teething toys...no, he want the TV remote, the phone and all other toys that are composed of small parts not approved for those under the age of 3. It is also beyond me why he wrinkles his nose up at yummy applesauce and peaches send a shiver through his entire body but he will gladly sink his chops into a box of baby wipes, a shoe or edge of a cardboard box with utter joy.  For now he is still slow moving... I have that going for me... but he is gaining momentum and it is only a matter of time before he debunks everything I thought I knew about child-proofing a home.  Since we have an open floor plan now he has access to everything... for example we can't just put a gate up going into the kitchen.  I need to find new places for Sam's medical equipment and keep on Andrew to keep his small Lego pieces out of reach.  

It is also clear to me that my dreams of having a nicely decorated (I am serious... if anyone knows Nate from the Oparah Show... please give him my address), clean and well organized house are just that... dreams.  For now I will settle for our current decor which is best categorized as classic Hasbro with a dash of retro dinosaur and a mix of modern medical.  The native wall markings that are constantly being updated are all the rave these days are are sure to become the next big thing in home decor.  I have found that matchbox cars and other hard objects make the most interesting marks... nothing says FAB-U-LOUS like a gouge in wall (crayons and other removable marks are for amateurs).  And Sam worked really hard to add a touch of flare to our otherwise boring Ikea furniture.... that boy has a knack for distressing. Some people pay a lot of money for this sort of thing and how lucky are we that we have a furniture distressing savant right here in our own home who is willing to work just for the sheer joy of the work itself.  Ya... I'm spoiled.  And when you come to my house please note that the general disarray is an intentional part of the overall appeal and brings a bit of unity to our eclectic decorating style.  We worked really hard to achieve this level of Unkept Chik.