Newstocks

One small step

When he was born, Aidan was pretty much immobile.

First, he learned to lift his head – just a little, initially, then more and more. Next, he figured out how to roll over and sit up. Then he began to crawl – hesitantly at first, then more confidently. Then he discovered how to pull himself into a standing position. Next, he began to stagger along while holding onto the furniture, or when someone held both his hands and walked with him.

Several weeks ago, Aidan started walking when only one of his hands was being held. He also started standing unsupported for a few seconds, sometimes longer if he was distracted and didn’t realise what he was doing. At first, he would drop quickly back down on his bum. More recently, his descents have been more controlled. The other day he did a good impression of a ballet dancer, slowly bending his knees outwards as he went from standing to squatting, then straightening them again as he stood back up.

Yesterday, he hit the final milestone, taking his first step forward unassisted. He did it once with granny, then again with mummy, then twice with me. Taking Aidan’s hand in mine, we began to walk down the hall, then I counted down from three and let go. Aidan stopped, standing unsupported, then took one step forward. After the applause and cheers died down, he slowly sat down.

Going from that first step to running down the hall is now just a matter of degree, it seems to me. Time for me to start growing those eyes in the back of my head.

“Ca–!”

I think Aidan’s first word is going to be “cat”.

He occasionally mutters “mumumum”, but does so indiscriminately. The chance of him saying “dad” seems as remote as ever. But whenever Aidan sees one of our three cats – Dark, Stormy or Black – the reaction is immediate.

“C–! C–! C–!” he’ll stammer, or occasionally, “Ca–! Ca–! Ca–!”. He hasn’t quite managed to put the final “t” on the end, yet. But I’m sure it can’t be much longer before he does.

It’s not surprising, as Aidan absolutely loves our cats. The feeling isn’t always reciprocated, however, largely due to Aidan’s tendency to grab a fistful of fur or an ear whenever one of the cats let him get close enough.

A couple of weeks ago Aidan was stood wobbily next to one of the kitchen cupboards when Dark brushed past him. Excitedly, Aidan grabbed Dark’s tail, hard. With a yowl, Dark raced off, pulling Aidan with him, who whacked his head against the cupboard as he fell.

Aidan has been a little more cautious since then, but it didn’t stop him cornering Dark in the bookcase the other morning, while the cat was trying to take a nap. Aidan ended up with a couple of claw marks on his head for that mistake. Surprisingly, that was the first time any of the cats had actually taken a pop at him. Generally, they’re amazingly tolerant of his rough treatment.

Perhaps I should try to teach him the word “gentle” next.

Broom boy

Aidan is peculiarly fascinated with brooms. It began when he started using the broom out at granny’s to help him walk (with one of us holding it to keep it upright), but now whenever he sees one, he has to have it or the tears quickly follow. He’ll amuse himself for ages sitting near the end of the pole and passing it back and forth over his head.

Actually, any implement on the end of a long pole seems to hold a similar attraction. The other day while we were having lunch at Barr’s Park, he was just as intrigued by the rake one of the gardeners was using as he was by his broom.

Who needs toys when everyday items are as exciting as this?

Forward-facing

A week or so ago we realised that Aidan was getting too big for his old, rear-facing car seat, so we had to replace it with a new, forward-facing one. It’s black and burgundy and looks very sporty.

Installation was straightforward once I figured out the crappy diagrams in the manual, although we’ve had to leave the tether strap from the top of the seat unattached. The anchor point in our Liana is right next to the place where the boot latches, so with the strap attached we wouldn’t be able to get the stroller in. Yeah, great design, Suzuki. The base of the seat is strapped in good and tight, however, and I figure that with the speeds that we drive at in Bermuda, it’s no biggie.

Aidan hated his new seat the first time he rode in it, but he’s now used to it. I thought he’d find it much harder to fall asleep in than when he was facing backwards, but thankfully that’s proven not to be the case. The only problem is when he decides that he doesn’t want to get in and does his “arch-my-back-and-go-rigid” trick. Previously, he couldn’t really go anywhere, but now he can slide down into the gap between the front and back seats, which makes the struggle to strap him in just that little bit more difficult.

Calling a spade a spade

Efforts continue to teach Aidan to say “dad”.

Me (patting chest): “Dad! Dad! Dadadadada. Dad!”

Aidan: (blank look)

Me: “Dadadadadadadad!”

Aidan (catching on): “Geek!”

Me: “No! Dad! Dadadadad!”

Aidan (grinning broadly): “Geek! Geek!”

Satisfied at his ability to identify his father, Aidan then crawls off, happily exclaiming “Geek! Geek!” as he goes.