Baby mittens...

Another slow Monday. The baby gets constant fawning on the weekends these days, and on the weekdays I give him space. Today mostly he slept, but we spent much time talking and joking.

Papí took to bed late last night, so the boy was heaven sent for the day. He slept after each feeding in the morning, and we both took to fun and games as the day progressed. He likes to stand around and even walk with some help around his waist.

His eyes beam with pride as he stands there or rocks back and forth. This lasts for enough time for him to wag his head about and to show his bright expression back and forth a few times. After a while one of his legs starts to stamp if he is standing still; his walking instinct, if there is such a thing, kicks in.

If this all comes about after his eating, then a burp is not far behind. The boy knows to demand vigorous exercise when he needs to pass his burps and farts alike. But once he burps you must be aware of what tumbles out thereafter. As long as I keep a handy wiper and have him stand after eating he gives me predictable results. Using any other method to get at his burps cannot guarantee the solids will follow in a timely manner.

Most important: he loves to stand and to survey the room. After a while of this, if he is anxious---usually he squeals during the exertion when it is so---then his destination becomes nap time. As when I fed him this morning.

Other times he becomes more impetuous and rowdy, and it is time for him to take it to another gear. These are the times when he will enjoy climbing onto papí's shoulder and here one must remember that the boy often uses this to expel some gases (be warned). Other exercises include climbing my raised knees while I am seated on the bed, or crawling free of help.

The latter does not now net the boy any distance, and if it begins when he is on an upward incline he is apt to slip backwards. But it helps him to work up a sweat and he screams like a little warrior. After a while this high exertion leads to nap time as well.

Often I think about when the first time will arrive that the boy actually goes forward. One reads news accounts of babies getting into accidents of a horrific nature (I will not detail any of that here), and thinks it must arise out of the sense of false security that the baby never moved an inch before.

One day the baby discovers how to move, and neglectful parents forgot to put the baby into a place where this eventuality could lead to a safe outcome. Even though it is an wondrous happy time, I must still consider possible dangers. I feel it comes with the job.

In this way no dangerous or dreadful happenings on a slow-motion Monday.