My living room has become inundated with brightly colored blocks, an entire collection of Dr. Seuss books, and variety of toys that make noise even if you just look at them. This is not including my dog’s emotional support teddy bear that is the size of a large toddler or the countless number of other dog toys that we’ve accumulated from our BarkBox subscription. I can’t walk to the couch with a glass of wine without stepping on something that squeaks or recites the alphabet.

Since he’s started crawling, Beau’s line of sight has expanded and many of my low lying house decorations are now rendered in the danger zone. My book shelf is becoming more and more bare by the day and I’ve considered removing the coffee table all together, because all it seems to do is invite trouble.

My shower is starting to resemble the living room on a smaller scale. Some of those brightly colored blocks have found their way into the bath along with a rubber ducky and a waterproof xylophone. You’ve got to be kidding me. Why does my kid need toys that make noise in the bath too? I realized I took my husband’s three in one body wash for granted, when I was forced to share my shower caddy with Beau’s bath stuff. Of course he needs normal soap for day time baths and lavender soap for nighttime, (like that makes any difference). And even though Beau has less hair on his head than both of my eyebrows combined, he needs his own shampoo. We recently put a little whale over our bath spout for safety purposes, which so far all it’s done is further reinforce that this house is no longer run by adults.

My car now has presets to stations that play kid friendly music. There’s small toys in just about every nook and cranny and I don’t leave anywhere without my shopping cart cover. I wouldn’t say I have a full on mom mobile quite yet, but we are a few stale McDonald’s French fries and a sticker family away from approaching that status.

Everyday I am reminded that my life is no longer just mine anymore. Beau’s stuff has taken over our house, but I find comfort in these things as they emit so much innocence and nostalgia. Having baby things around the house reminds me of my childhood and brings me back to a time when life was simple. I embrace my messy living room and the juvenility of the shower because they serve as a reminder that I’m exactly where I want to be.