Off and Running

As little as 2 days ago, we had 3 bipeds in the house and 2 quadrupeds – the dog and the baby. Now, the baby is one of us -- HE’S WALKING!

I am equal parts proud and horrified. See, he’s only 10 mos. old. My older son walked at 10 mos., too. And went from walking to running practically overnight. Well, you know what comes after walking, right? FALLING. And tripping and split lips and chipped teeth and visits to the ER. Oh, joy.

So here’s how it happened: we were playing in the family room, and Riley pulled himself up on his big brother’s Bat Cave. (You know, Batman’s secret hideout? Duh.) Before I knew what was happening, the baby turned around and took 3 quick steps towards me. I started shrieking and Miles starting laughing and Riley looked confused and pleased at the same time.

We then spent the next 20 min. trying to make him walk again so I could capture it on film, which resulted in tears and hysterics and jealousy. Nice job, mom. Well, what do you want from me? It’s exciting stuff! Anyone who thinks they won’t be as thrilled about Baby #2’s milestones is wrong.

Besides, I missed Miles’ first steps. At the time it was traumatic, but like any good writer I turned that trauma into material. The result was an essay that appeared in A Cup of Comfort for New Mothers. Take that, mommy guilt!

I have to admit, I haven’t been quite as vigilant about recording my second child’s milestones. He rolled over at 4 mos. Or maybe 5 mos.? Started crawling at... um... Well, I KNOW he got his first tooth at 7 mos. Or was that Miles? First food? I’m going to go with sweet potatoes. Yeah, that sounds right.

Anyway, back to the walking. Seeing a tiny, bowlegged person in footy pajamas teetering around on 2 legs is an interesting experience. At first it seems strange and wrong, like a cat using a toilet. But at the same time, it’s adorable and hilarious – you can’t witness it and NOT crack a smile. And when you see how pleased with himself the baby is, it’s even better. Look, ma, no hands!

Here, just see for yourself:


And from another angle:


Admit it, it’s exciting. And it proves that my baby’s a genius. It took cavemen, what? Hundreds, thousands of years to learn to walk upright? (Hey, I took biology a loooong time ago.) Yet MY son mastered the skill in a mere 10 mos. Hmm, I wonder if cavemen had to worry about chipped teeth?

QUOTE O’ THE WEEK: My 3 ½ y.o. son Miles doesn’t like when I call him “cute.” He prefers “cool” or “awesome.” However, he recently made an exception: “I’m cute when I’m in my jammies and cool when I’m in my clothes, Mama.”