If you are able

Please consider donating blood this Holiday Season. The Red Cross is in desperate need, as 25% of their supply comes from college and high school drives. With schools closed, their supply really shrinks.

My blood type is O-, which is the universal donor. I have been a donor since 1986. I was in college and there was a blood drive on campus. Being a melodramatic adolescent, I was waffling with whether or not to give, not really being thrilled about needles. Then someone ran up from the Student Union and told us the Challenger had exploded. That changed my mind, and I have been donating ever since. Being O- means I receive a call whenever they are in great need, and I did a few days ago. I went to donate yesterday, but my iron level was too low. That is the first time I had ever been deferred, and it was disappointing. So, I decided the best way to make it up was to spread the word. They gave me a list of foods to eat more of, and suggested I take a multivitamin. My plan is to work on that, and try again in 2 weeks.

Donated blood helps many people, not the least of which are those undergoing chemo and in need of transfusions. The whole process takes about an hour and is almost painless. You get to recline in a nice chair and watch TV. Plus cookies and juice afterward...what more could you ask for? See their website for more info and to locate a donation center in your area.

I hope I have inspired someone to help save a life today!

Maybe this will work......

Ok, so now Blogger is cooperating...here are some of Christmas morning.

Sophie "helping" Emily open a gift



Thanks, Uncle Jay, for my new friend

Daddy loved the new wallet Sophie gave him.

Michael REALLY wants to touch the tree!

Emily studies a bow

Magical Christmas

Christmas with children takes on a whole new meaning, and this year was no exception. I think at 5 Sophie really "got" it. Not only the magic of Santa, but the season of Advent, the waiting for Baby Jesus, and the joy when we did get to Mass on Christmas Eve, and there He was, in the manger in the stable. The wonder and joy on her face was priceless. Not that she was an angel during Mass by any means....but that's what animal crackers and Color Wonder markers are for.

Our neighbors Becky and Tom gave the kids an elf this year. Sophie named our elf Lily, and grew so attached to her that we had to write a letter to Santa to see if she could stay with us longer. He relented, and she can stay until New Year's Day. Terry and I have thoroughly enjoying hiding her every night, and hearing Sophie calling for her first thing in the morning.

Michael and Emily enjoyed Christmas morning as well. Finally, they were allowed into the room with that big sparkly tree! And the bows and paper that they got to play in....toddler heaven. Not that they actually opened any of their own gifts, big sister took care of that.

The rest of our Christmas was nice as well. On Christmas Eve, we went to Marilyn's for BuenaNoche, her traditional Cuban feast. It was wonderful, as usual. We left there in time to make 6pm Mass, and were able to get our normal seats, which was key. We sit on the end, near the wall, imperative for fast exits, and for allowing the babies to walk along the wall when they get cranky.

Christmas afternoon we had family to our house for dinner. It was nice to have both sets of in laws with us. My only regret: I forgot all about the cranberry relish Sophie and I had made 2 days before. I knew there was a good reason I always make up a menu and post it on the fridge. Lesson learned for next year.

Here are some pics of the festivities. I have one more roll of film to get developed, and then I will join the rest of the world as a digital camera owner!! Santa was kind enough to bring us one and I look forward to figuring it all out.

Sophie and Grandpa Maier at Marilyn's, Sophie and the other kids had their own table

I have been trying since last night to add more pictures to this post, but Blogger is not cooperating....will keep trying...Gotta go figure out the digital while the babes are asleep!

Drumroll, please....

Well today has been a banner day for us. Terry got his side of the garage cleaned out, and for the first time since July, his car is now parked in it. Pretty major stuff.

On my side of things, I have finally seen the dining room table that has been MIA since last Christmas. Yes, all the crap is off it, and now begins the task of trying to get the tablecloth clean. Don't faint Mom, but we will eat in the dining room on Christmas Day. No china or crystal, but we will be in the dining room. I just need to find a festive tablecloth to drape over the changing table that's in the corner and we will be all set.

In other news, Sophie experienced her first social setback today. Her friend Elizabeth had a pajama party for some school friends this morning, and Sophie wasn't able to go due to a low grade fever she was running. You would have thought I told her Christmas was cancelled. Full out tantrum the likes of which I haven't seen from her in a few years. She did get to stay in her own pajamas all day, and do some fun things like watch Rudolph and Charlie Brown Christmas. A banner TV day for her. Kathleen and Noah stopped over on their way home from the party to drop off her goodie bag, and Noah had made a picture for her while he was there. That cheered her up a good bit. Plus in the goodie bag was a snowman kit: two marshmallows, several pretzel sticks, gumdrops, raisins, and a chocolate kiss for the hat. She put it together rather quickly, and ate it rather quickly as well.

By tonight her temp was down, so hopefully, she is on the mend. It is my goal to actually make it to Mass this Christmas Eve. It seems every year, one of us is sick. We haven't been to Mass on Christmas since Sophie was 15 ms old. Keep your fingers crossed!

Out-takes and other things

I thought I would post some photos of the shots that didn't make it into our Christmas card. Actually, after the photo is over and done with is a great time to get candids. The kids are dressed, and pretty silly after having to sit still for so long. One of my favorite shots of my own family is all 8 (sorry Mike, you hadn't arrived yet) of us on the couch, in our pajamas. In the next picture, we are all in a big heap on the floor. I will have to see if Mom can dig it up, I would love to post it here.

We have been getting into the Christmas spirit. Sophie is done with school till January 8...yes, 3 whole weeks off of school! But it does allow us to do some fun stuff during the day. Today after dance she went to Helen's house to bake cookies with several other girls. I wasn't able to attend, but she told me they had a great time, and even managed to bring some cookies home with her. Tomorrow we are going to Lenox to ride the Pink Pig. This will be our first time taking part in this Atlanta tradition. Terry is able to come with us, so Mike and Emily will be going too. Then on Friday her friend Elizabeth is having a pj party (during the day) for her school friends. It is a drop off party, so I am looking forward to that....it will give me a chance to get some things wrapped.

Terry and I had a date night on Saturday afternoon/evening. We went down to Atlantic station and watched the snow, among other things. I had been to Ikea when it first opened, but none of the other shops had opened at that point. Now everything is open. It is really neat complex, lots of shops and restaurants, a luxury hotel and plenty of apartments and lofts. We did walk from Atlantic Station to Ikea. That was really the only store we shopped in. It is always interesting to check out their kitchens and other room displays. Even if you are not in the market, and we are not, it is good to get new ideas. We had dinner at Copeland's, and I ended up getting a free crab cake when the waiter brought the dinner portion instead of the appetizer portion that I had ordered. It made for a nice lunch the next day.

So that's about it for now from the Goulds.....here are the photos......

Two Princesses

Here is a photo of Sophie at her preschool's Thanksgiving Feast. She was given the name of "Princess Sunflower" on her headress. And that necklace she is wearing barely made it home in the car; it was made out of Froot Loops.
Emily got her first haircut right before Thanksgiving; I had to get rid of the baby mullet. She did great, was very excited to sit on my lap, and never flinched. Stuart gave me the first clipping of her hair....I now realize it is somewhere in my purse, wrapped in a tissue....

Giving Thanks

Those of you who know us personally know that this has been a tough year for our little family, to say the least. Things are finally turning around, and for this we are grateful. While we look forward to 2007, we take with us the lessons learned in 2006. Thanks to all of you who helped and supported us with your love and prayers during this past year. Thanksgiving had a special meaning for us this year. Here are my favorite photos of the day.

Now I Know Why

Dr Harrison asks at every well visit, "Do you have the number for Poison Control posted?"

Tonight after they ate dinner, I put Michael and Emily in the family room to play. The room is safe for them...or so I thought. One of their favorite things to do is to get up on the fireplace hearth. We have the edges padded, and they are good about navigating the step down, but still, when I catch them, I remove them. I went into the laundry room to check on a load of wash, and when I got back to the family room, here is what I saw: Both of them on the hearth, the screen that is screwed into the brick had been removed just enough for Michael to get in and scoop up a handful of granite. Our fireplace is gas (fake logs) and there is granite and some other material on the bottom of it. I didn't see him eat it, but his mouth was dirty. After sending Sophie outside to get Terry, who was mowing the lawn, I put Emily in the playpen and took Michael into the kitchen to wash his mouth out.

Terry came in and cleaned up the mess, and I calmly looked up the number for Poison Control. In case you ever need it, it is 1-800-222-1222. The woman who answered was very reasurring, telling me this happens all the time, and the material isn't toxic. She advised me to give him something to drink, and keep an eye on him for further symptoms.

He is fine, and is now fast asleep. And the number for Poison Control is posted inside the kitchen cabinet, right next to the fever thresholds, and Tylenol/Motrin dosages. And at the 15 month visit, I won't have to glibly lie when Dr. Harrison asks me once again, "And you have the number for Poison Control posted, right?"

In His Sister's Footsteps

Well, it didn't take Michael long to see that unless he stepped it up (literally), Emily would leave him in the dust. He has been walking holding our hands for about a week now, but today took his first solo steps. I can see he is going to soon pass Emily. Even though she has been walking solo longer, she really hasn't made great strides (again, literally). She still takes only 6 steps or so before reverting back to her faster mode of locomotion: crawling. But the improvement in Michael from this morning to tonight was amazing. He will be totally independent by the end of the week...just my prediction. For me, the walking is a welcome relief. The "sitting up and playing in one place" stage was nice, but crawling is a whole different game. They enjoy it, but I always felt I had to be on the lookout for the tiniest piece of whatever that would find it's way into their mouths. And in a house that is home to Polly Pocket , this happened almost daily. Even though Polly has been banished to Sophie's room for some time now, she always seems to leave behind a purse or shoe downstairs. I guess when you come with a billion accessories, it is hard to keep track of them all.

On that note, I did manage to purge 4 boxes of toys ( empty diaper cases, they hold a lot!) from our house this weekend. I told Sophie that in order for Santa to bring her new things for Christmas, we needed to decide what to donate. After some discussion about what donate meant and the idea that there were children who didn't have any toys at all, she really got into it. Even though she was willing, I still did some of the purging after her bedtime. Sometimes I feel the slightest twinge of guilt, but I have to say, never once have I been asked where an item is. Lucky for me "out of sight, out of mind" still applies to 5 year olds.

Stats and The Pumpkin Patch

All three kiddos had checkups last week, during the same appnt. Note to self: Even though all three have October birthdays, Sophie's appointment should be separate. 5 Goulds, 1 doctor and 1 nurse, plus a double stroller, make for a slightly crowded and confusing exam room!

Stats are as follows:

Sophie: 5 years
42 lbs. / 60th percentile
43 ins. / 55th percentile
Now I know I can say "No" when strangers ask me if she is tall for her age.

Michael: 1 year
19 lbs, 10 oz. / 7th percentile (yes, 7th, not 70th)
30 inches / 50th percentile

Emily: 1 year
19 lbs, 4 oz / 15th percentile
28 inches / 20th percentile

So, we have one long and lean, and one like a butterball. And just yesterday that butterball took her first solo steps. It was hilarious to watch. Today she can manage about 8-10 steps total before she sits down hard on the floor. But she is SO determined. Since this epiphany yesterday (i can walk without holding on!!) it is all she has wanted to do.

We went to the pumpkin patch at Sophie's school right before Halloween. My sister Mary and her son Dave (age 10) were visiting. Here are the pics........

New Math

Conversation overheard today between Sophie and Noah as they were playing with Michael and Emily's birthday present, The Ball Popper.

Noah: "Sophie, you have 3 balls and I only have 2, that's not fair!"

At this point, Sophie refuses to give up her 3rd ball, and I wait for it, knowing what will come next.

Noah comes running to tell me, I reply that I am SURE that he and Sophie can work it out, after all, they are both 5 now. And of course I have to throw in that if they can't play with the toy without arguing, I will have to put it away.

Noah thinks about this for about 2 seconds, runs back in to Sophie and says: "Let's take one ball away, that way, we will both have 2."

Sophie: "Yeah, that's a great idea, let's take one away."

So they do, and the game continues, with each having the same number of balls to play with.

Here is my question, since when do 5 year olds know what "take away" means? I can vividly remember learning subtraction, and it was with scary Sister Rosemary....in the 3rd grade!

Luckily for me, Terry is a math person, because I can see that I will be of little help past the 2nd or 3rd grade.

Kanga Zooooommmmm!

Sophie and Noah celebrated their 5th birthday at Kangazoom. The party was great fun, the kids had a blast on all the gigantic slides, and were red faced and wiped out when it was all over. My favorite part was the area in the middle for crawlers and walkers. I loved the sign that read"If you can run, you shouldn't be in here". Michael and Emily had so much fun climbing and playing on the soft blocks, and they were protected by a 2 foot barrier on all sides from the big kids. Basically a huge play pen for them. Here are some pics:

This was taken before the jumping began, don't worry, that is a skort Sophie is wearing!

Emily enjoying herself, although she was stuck there for a few minutes until I realized she didn't know how to get herself out.

Cowboy Mike.


Stack em up and knock em down....we did that a few times.

Cool cars to ride from the play area to the party room. Time for pizza and cake.

No Princesses for Sophie or Cars movie for Noah, they compromised and went with a Nemo cake.

5 candles each....that's a lot of breath required!

Impact

We have all received the chain emails, you know the ones I mean. They go on and on about how important each day is, how important it is to live like this is your last day. So often I read them and delete them.

Yesterday I received an email from the brother of a dear friend. Ellen was Sophie's speech therapist for 2 years. She is a wonderful person, and became like a member of our family. She is married, and has two children, a little boy who is almost 3, and a baby girl who is 9 ms old. The last time I saw her was right before she delivered her baby girl. She came to visit Sophie and to meet Michael and Emily. On Monday, Ellen's husband died quite suddenly and unexpectedly. He was 40 years old.

I attended his funeral today, and it was one of the most moving funeral services I have ever been to. The outpouring of love shown for this man amazed me. Through the eulogies given by his brother and father I came to know him in a different way. He was truely a man who wanted to give back to others. Ellen also wrote a letter to him to say goodbye, and her brother read it for her. She has always been an eloquent person, and this letter was no exception. It was written with grace and dignity, and most of all, love. Through her words we all saw how much her husband meant to her, and how much he will be missed.

I am not really sure what compelled me to blog about this. I guess because today was such a wakeup call for me, I wanted to share that. This I do know: today made me appreciate my husband and children in a way that I didn't yesterday.

A Year of Change

Michael and Emily celbrated their first birthday this past Saturday. It was a low key event, no party like when Sophie turned one. ( The injustice of being the 2nd and 3rd child) My sister Mary and her son Dave were visiting from NJ for a long weekend, so that in itself was a celebration. On Friday we all went to the Aquarium, and on Saturday we went to the pumpkin patch. Terry and Sophie carved their traditional Jack O Lanterns, and they came out great. The twins skipped their afternoon nap on Saturday, so they were asleep for the night at 6:30. We had to wait till Sunday for them to have their birthday cupcakes. A day late, but still just as good. I thought I would post some pics of the past year......a child's first year goes so fast, and this year went even faster.

After 11 days of bedrest at the "Northside Hilton", we are ready for delivery at 34 weeks.

At Northside, all twins must be delivered in the OR. Even though the same midwife was attending us, it was quite a different experience from Sophie. I think when we counted, there were 25 people present....no dim lights for this birth. Michael arrived first at 7:10. Emily decided to throw us a curve and went breech once she had room to move. Luckily, the perinatologist on call agreed to deliver her, so we were able to avoid a Ceasarean. She arrived at 7:20, a bit bruised, but perfectly healthy. In this picture, Michael is the one with the "A" on his hat. That was his position all along, Emily was Baby B. The best part about the delivery: not knowing the gender and being so surprised with a boy and a girl. As Terry told everyone, "We hit the jackpot, one of each."

They were tiny; here's Michael in the hospital next to my cell phone. At 4 lbs., 5 oz., and 17 inches long, even my old pro mother was a bit hesitant when changing his diaper. His arms were the width of Terry's thumb, it was really amazing.

Michael came home after 2 days, this is his first night home. I could palm his head in my hand....but what a cutie! Emily stayed in the NICU for a week. She was not in serious condition, but had "apnea of immaturity", which is a breathing problem. They did not want to send us home with two preemies, one on a breathing monitor, so she stayed until she was breathing steadily on her own. Terry was able to visit her every day, but I didn't see her for almost that whole week. I don't think I even changed her diaper until she was a week old...however, I have more than made up for it since!

Here's Emmy in the NICU. The box to the left and most of the wires were due to the hearing test they were administering. She failed her initial screen, so she had an ABR, which she then passed. The sunglasses were to protect her eyes from the bilirubin lights. It was very difficult to see your baby, so tiny and so poked and prodded. But when we looked around the NICU and realized that she was the only baby in an open isolette, we realized we were very fortunate. She was such a trooper, the nurses said she rarely cried or fussed and ate right on schedule. Nothing has changed there, she is an extremely content baby even now.

Exactly a week after Michael came home, Emily left the hospital as well. She regained her birth weight while in the hospital and came home at 4 lbs., 13 oz. Terry and I joked that we didn't have to pick up a baby the following week, did we??

Here they are today, two happy and healthy toddlers. So very different from each other, but so close to each other as well. We are truely blessed!

Aunt Joan and Miss Ruth

I was recently chastised about my lack of pictures of Aunt Joan on my blog. Of course, I would like to rectify this omission ASAP! And, while I am at it, I am throwing in a photo of Miss Ruth as well. Both are dear friends who also happen to love my kids, which is a great thing for all of us. Joan and Ruth came to Sophie's birthday dinner, and fun was had by all. Our friendships go back years....I have know Joan since I was in college, and Ruth and I were roomies in the early 90's....good times!

Sophie models her birthday boots from Aunt Joan

Lemon Meringue, Sophie and Miss Ruth

And the winner is.....

Emily! Today she took her first steps, walking to me, while I held her hands. Not totally on her own, but a far cry from cruising around furniture. For the past several days she has been standing independently, and has looked confused....should I try to take a step or not? So I sat on the floor in front of her and reached out my hands, she grabbed hold and was on her way. Michael at this point was trying desperately to climb into my lap, he was not happy to be left out. After clapping with/for Emily, I stood him up and held out my hands....he fell to his knees and crawled to me. Their birthday is on Saturday, maybe Emily will take her first solo steps by then. I am sure big brother will follow shortly.

Emily Clare

As I have said in earlier posts, Emily is an extrememly content baby. She plays well by herself; studying toys for minutes on end. She is happy to crawl around the kitchen, get under the table and walk from chair to chair. When she wakes from her nap or in the morning, you would never know it. It is Michael who yells for me to come in, Emily plays away while waiting patiently. It takes so little to amuse her; she finds everything fascinating. She is very much like Sophie was at that age. Sometimes, I feel like I have a tendency to overlook her at times, since she is so content, and doesn't require as much attention. And she is not the clingy type either, compared with her brother. However, in the past few weeks, I have noticed a big change in her. She is more apt to protest when Michael takes something from her, and will now seek me out and climb into my lap as if to say: "Protect me from my crazy siblings, Mommy!" Maybe she realizes she needs to get a bit more assertive to keep up with her big brother and sister. And maybe she will live up to her namesake, my sister Clare, after all!

The Birthday Girl

Just got the pics back from Sophie's bday celebration at home. Tomorrow is her party with Noah at KangaZoom. He turned 5 today and to celebrate, they played hooky from school. Kathleen's sister and children are visiting, so they all went to Burt's Pumpkin Farm, then to Amicalola Falls. Sophie had a great time, they got to pick out baby pumpkins, ride on a hayride, and walk up to the Falls. Next year Michael, Emily and I will join them.

Here is the birthday girl the day before....everyone needs to look good on their big day, right? Stuart, our favorite barber, has been cutting Sophie's hair since her first haircut at 15 ms. He also cuts Terry's hair. I only had my camera with me because I wanted him to give Emily a trim. She has all that fluff in the back (baby mullet) that drives me crazy. He told me I was being anal, and to enjoy her baby hair for awhile. Guess I will have to wait for Mary to visit to take care of it, I am not brave enough to do it myself.

Here's Sophie with Grandma and Grandpa Maier at her party. Thanks to Grandma for the delicious cake (Favorite chocolate cake with Swedish icing) and thanks to Grandpa for decorating it.

That one pesky candle took several tries to blow out, but Sophie didn't mind. The crown is from school.

Modeling her new dress from G'ma and G'pa. Hope Emily likes it as well!

5 Year Old Angst

Sophie turns 5 tomorrow. This is a HUGE deal, since she will get to bring snack (mom-made cupcakes) , show and tell, be the weather watcher and the line leader. Plus, her class will sing Happy Birthday, and she gets a crown to wear all day. The only downside? She is convinced that turning 5 means going to Kindergarten....immediately. As in, tomorrow she will leave Mt Zion and head off to Kindergarten. She brought this up a couple of days ago, and I explained to her that she would start Kindergarten next year. I guess when your concept of time is limited to the days of the week, this is hard to grasp. This morning I told her this was her last day as a 4 year old, and again she started the "I don't want to go to Kindergarten!" whine. So we had another chat about it, and I think now she gets it. She seemed comforted by the fact that for a whole 8 days, she will be 5 and Noah will still be 4. Nice, huh?

Mall Rats

Michael and Emily certainly have not spent the amount of time in the mall that Sophie did when she was their age. When I was expecting I thought:"How hard can it be? I'll still be able to get out and about." Well, considering that the fastest I have ever been able to get them both from the car and into the stroller is a full 11 minutes, I would say it is slightly different than traveling with one. I love my double stroller, but it is a bit involved to set up. Since it doesn't fit in the van unless it is partially disassembled, it is time consuming. But, it is comfortable for them, and high enough for me to push without getting back strain.....a must when you are 6 feet tall. All this aside, I made the trek to North Point last week. Michael and Emily were troopers. We did some shopping right off the bat, then went to the food court for lunch. When I leaned down to put Michael's bib on, I noticed a hanger in his lap; he was contentedly chewing on the handle. I pulled it out and realized it was a pair of shorts that he removed from The Children's Place! So, we strolled back over and after setting off the alarm upon re-entering the store, returned the shorts to the salesgirl. They were a 2T, I told him if he was going to steal, as least get the right size.

After lunch we ventured to the Children's Soft Play Area, and they had a blast. It was about 1:30 by this point, so it was mostly empty. Except for my new found friend Isabelle, who was 6 1/2 years old and was drawn to the twins like a moth to a flame. She could have been Sophie's older sister, they looked alike, and shared that same "outgoing" personality. When we left, she kissed the babies good bye, I told her she will make a great babysitter one day.

They were worn out after this, and had their bottles and fell asleep in the stroller. I actually went shopping.....for myself. Went shoppping as in tried on clothes. Can't remember the last time that happened. Thank goodness for handicapped dressing rooms, all 3 of us fit in one quite nicely. So, now that I know I can do it solo, a few more trips to the mall could be in our future.

Budding Artists

Sophie and Noah usually spend at least a couple of afternoons together each week. You would think after being together for 3-4 hours at school, they would bore easily. Not so. Put them together with some construction paper, markers, crayons and the all important tape and what do you get.......

Yes, that is bread and juice they are having for a snack. Sophie asked me for " a piece of bread please Mommy, nothing on it and not toasted, just plain." Of course, Noah was intrigued by this delicacy and had some too. It inspired him to create the bunny mask shown in the second photo. Trust me, he did it all by himself, the drawing, coloring, cutting out, and even the taping on of said mask. He is very creative and a talented artist as well. I know he is only about to turn 5, but his drawings actually look like what he says they are. For example, he draws a giraffe, I know immediately it is a giraffe. Any of the animals I attempt pretty much look the same. Sophie will say, "Oh, is that a dog Mommy? Or a pig, I can't tell."

On Friday I went all out and set up the easel in the basement so they could paint with the "real paints". Noah made a picture of all of the characters from Handy Manny. His next picture was all the characters from Winnie the Pooh. Sophie's side? Well, she painted some very colorful blobs. A chip off the old block. But the hilarious thing is, they each act like the other has just painted a masterpiece. An important part of sharing the easel is being able to hop over to the other side and lavish praise: "Wow Noah, I really like that, that is so cool!" "Sophie, your colors are so nice" It loses something in the translation, their enthusiasm for each other is really heartfelt and so genuine, I can't help but smile when I hear it.

11 months

Michael and Emily turned 11 months last week. Here are a few pics of their latest exploits.



Emily has now mastered balancing with one hand quite nicely. She can even reach in and get a toy out. This is a huge step, as taking them all out is a fascinating and time consuming task for her.

Another new skill: clapping hands. She really enjoys this, and does it at every opportunity. I was on the phone with my mother and happened to mention she has learned this. Upon hearing me say "Emily can clap hands now." she started doing it. Kind of a Pavlov's dog type of thing. Michael just learned this week to make the connection, for awhile he was swiping at air, it was pretty funny to watch. But his huge grin makes up for any lack of coordination!

And finally, fun in the playpen. Not only is it a great way to keep them contained briefly, but it serves as a gate from the family room to the kitchen, although Emily figured out this week how to push it out of the way. The first time she did that, she crawled right to me and started clapping for herself. I'm in trouble.....