A Screw Loose

I think I've been watching one too many Bob the Builder and Handy Manny episodes.

 

Yesterday I had the sudden urge to fix the awkward doorknob on Jax's bedroom door.  It was awkward because it turned to the left instead of to the right like normal doorknobs.  It's been that way since we moved in two years ago and someone...um, well, me...put the doorknob on wrong and we never bothered to fix it.  I thought it would be a fun way to kill some time with Jax, who is obsessed screwdrivers, and get something useful accomplished.

We did a really great job, and although I thought the screws looked a bit skewed, not exactly perfectly aligned horizontally like the others in the hallway, it worked.  So we said, "Hooray!" and went to have lunch.  Jax could even open and close it on his own, which may or not prove to be a good thing in the future.

Then it was naptime and I was pleased with having fixed the door because it used to make a loud click when I opened it and sometimes woke Jax up when he was Em's age.  Now it opened quietly and smoothly.  I was proud of myself and was excited to show Daddy when he got home.

Except that after Jax's nap, when he was calling me to come get him out of his crib, I tried the doorknob only to discover it was stuck.  And I mean stuck.  I couldn't twist the knob an inch and there was no way I was going to be able to finagle it without taking the screws out.  Thankfully, in my usual stellar aptitude at everything I do, I had left the side of the knob with the screws on the outside, unlike all the other doors, because honestly I hadn't noticed until it was already on, but then I figured it was a good thing to be able to break into a toddler's room if necessary.  Turned out, I was right.

Luckily, Jax thought it was very cool that I had to take the doorknob off again and kept yelling, "Screwdriver!" through the door.  I think if anything could have persuaded him to leap out of his crib, the promise of a job to do with a screwdriver would have been it.  He had his leg up and was definitely contemplating how to get out when I finally popped the knob and peeped through the hole.

Fixing the doorknob, take two!  Jax loved it just as much the second time around.  I had two screwdrivers handy, and he loved to point out the x on the Phillips head and no x on the flathead.

 

Don't ask me why he was just wearing socks and a diaper--seemed like the right thing to do at the time, I guess! Apparently the perfect ensemble for my little handyman.

Oh, and don't forget his hat.  He went into his room to get it himself!  Apparently he needed it so he could get the job done just right.

 

Thanks, Auntie Dawn for the great birthday present!

And just like my inspirations, Handy Manny and Bob the Builder, we got the job done and the doorknob is as good as new.  Can you believe it was such an ordeal for me to do one simple little job?

Don't answer that.