In news of things that were much harder than they ever should have been, we installed a baby-gate at the top of the stairs today. Funny, when in the store deciding which one of these lovely temporary prison walls I was going to purchase, I don't remember seeing any displays installed in actual homelike situations. For instance, the particular model I purchased was set up in the store installed between two braced boards. However, it became very obvious once we began our installation process that apparently they didn't build my staircase using two flat, strong, perfectly distanced boards. They decided to put a pseudo-sturdy banister on one side and hand rails that leave an 1/8th of an inch too little room for a gate on the other. Luckily for me, I had Meggan's amply skilled dad helping me with this project. So, with my thorough investigation of which gate would be best suited for needs and his handyman skills, we showed that gate who was boss. Once we had it installed, inspected, and tested, we called Meggan to come see what the men in her life had proudly accomplished. She opened and closed the gate two or three times.....and then the whole thing fell off the hinges. Yeah....that didn't happen in the store model either. We did eventually get it up and functioning fairly smoothly. Is it 100% perfect? No. But, it will keep a certain tiny bundle of motion safe from her own curiosity.