House hunting on the run
by Helen Young

My husband and I recently decided to buy a house. We were expecting our second baby, and our older child was a rambunctious two-year-old who needed plenty of room to run around.

One evening, we spotted a place that my husband thought looked perfect. I wasn't convinced. The house wasn't the style we had planned on, and it looked a bit too expensive. Still, I agreed to go for a tour, as long as my husband promised not to make an offer right away. When we walked in with our son, I noticed that the place did seem really nice. Then I noticed that no kid had ever been in the house before-vases of flowers and breakable knickknacks were everywhere.

Instantly, my son was off like a shot, ready to spill or destroy every fragile thing! My husband and the owners sat down to chat, while I raced to catch falling lamps, whisk bowls of dog water out of reach, and shove things back into drawers. As we flew past the living room, I yelled, "Looks great! We'll take it!" My only thought was to get out of there ASAP.

Fortunately, my hasty decision turned out to be the right one. We love our new house, and it's now fully child-proofed to boot!