I’m so enthralled with my baby. It’s so amazing to watch him grow and develop, little by little, every day. When I go about my business, doing everyday things like folding laundry or making coffee, I have to remind myself that everything he does is new. Not new in the sense that he’s never seen me do something before, or he has a new book. I mean NEW. New as in he has never done any of this before. He’s brand new to the world. Sure, he’s five months old, but what is five months in the grand scheme of things? Nothing. It’s a blip on the chart of life.
My husband and I have noticed a profound difference in his behavior over the last two weeks or so. It’s like he’s awake. All of a sudden he has an understanding of the world around him. Granted it’s a very vague understanding, but it’s comprehension nonetheless. When the kitties are on the floor next to him, he reaches out to touch them. When he wakes up from his nap and I pick him up, he reaches out to touch his elephant mobile. We’ve made it a bit of a game and when he grabs onto one of the dangling letters that spell out B-A-B-Y, I cheer him on and tell him he’s done such a great job. He smiles and giggles and then I remind him how to “let go” so we can go change his diaper.
He’s gone on several walks since he’s been born, but only two of the walks have occurred since this “awakening”. Obviously he is not walking yet, but I still like to dress him up in his little waterproof boots and coat. I’ve been told by many people that the Bobux range of waterproof shoes are the best, so I thought I would just pass that on. At first, I thought he was going to love going on walks outside. But during our first walk, he kept kicking and squirming in his stroller. At first I attributed his discomfort with being in a “big boy” stroller. It really made me start to wonder what is the best stroller for him to be in? Since I have no idea, I wanted to see if he could fit in it comfortably since he is already outgrowing his infant carrier. But I started thinking about his recent awakening and how maybe he was just scared and overstimulated.
So I put myself in his shoes. It was a little brisk, the sun was out and there were cars driving down the road. He’s been kept indoors (except for a few outings here and there) almost the entire winter, so the chill in the air was probably pretty cold to him. Not to mention that the wind in his face must have scared him. Then I considered the sun. He hasn’t been out in the sun since he was just a tiny pea, fresh out of the pod. Ever since he was a month old, it’s been cold, gray and gloomy. So no wonder why he gets antsy and cranky when he’s in the sun. He doesn’t know what it is! And the cars… oh my. They must have scared him to death. Giant blocks of steel on wheels barreling down the road at a whopping 30 miles per hour. It scared me and I drive one of those things.
We went for a second walk yesterday and he did much better. He still wasn’t thrilled with the sun being in his face, but neither was I.
Aside from the scary walks we’ve been taking, the three of us ran some errands yesterday. We went to a couple of furniture stores to scope out local competition for our new business, Side Door Interiors.* During one of our stops, my husband decided to carry the baby instead of strollering him. It was amazing to see baby boy taking in all of the sights of this new environment. My husband and I had never been there before either, but the baby had never seen anything like it before in his life. His eyes were wide with wonder and uncertainty as his father carried him around, stopping to look at beds and dressers and wall hangings.
I love watching my little boy learn about his new world. I can read him the same book, over and over again, and it will still be new to him for some time. So now when I do normal, everyday and somewhat boring things, I will look at it from his perspective. I will remember that life is unexpected, interesting. It is fun and exciting, and sometimes scary. I am thankful for my little boy and the lessons that I have had the privilege to learn from his awakening. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
*In case you don’t already know, my husband and I recently delved into the world of furniture sales with a new website. Check out Side Door Interiors online at http://www.sidedoorinteriors.com and let us know how we can help you!
