A few more small baby milestones

AwesomeCloud walked his first more-or-less independent steps, bouncing from his uncle to his aunt and then later bouncing from me to the EI lady. He actually comes close to walking independently many times a day. He could do it if he had confidence and if he paid more attention to his balance. What brings him down is that he does not try to keep his balance often enough.

AwesomeCloud called me "Baba." It was the only time he has specifically attempted to call me anything. Usually when he wants me, he says, "Ahhhhhhh!"

His imitating skills are going up, up, up! Once, we were at the mall, hanging out by the little boat that bucks when you put two quarters in. He likes to spin the steering wheel, but I don't give it any quarters. There's a TV monitor on the mall ceiling near the Ride'em cars and boats and things, and every now and then, it plays an ad in which a woman squeals.

"Squeal!" went the woman while we sat on our immobile boat.

"Squeal!" imitated AwesomeCloud.

Later he meowed just like Riley. That was pretty cool.

This morning we went to a library playgroup, and AwesomeCloud kind of shared some balls. Sort of. It was close enough to sharing that we all said, "Awwww! How cute!"

At the end of lunchtime, he took his empty bowl and dragged it across his highchair tray with a slight dancing motion, while singing something close to "Dum de dum de dum." I laughed. He laughed. Then he started over and did it again.

I've been laughing very easily at things these days, thanks to him. He's just a jovial person. Not a jovial baby, but a jovial person. I'm convinced that he's an eternal optimist, who finds humor and beauty in the little things in life, who would so much rather be happy than scared, angry, or sad that he goes ahead and becomes happy.

Now I laugh when some little thing goes wrong, or if something is kinda cute and not all that significantly bad. Things that don't necessarily have to do with AwesomeCloud, like Riley dunking the tip of her tail into my tea. Or Riley pushing the basement door open when she's supposed to be confined down there.

Okay, I did not laugh this morning when I picked up AwesomeCloud and started to step over the wooden bench with him, and Riley jumped onto the bench and caused me to fall against the edge, banging up my shins very badly, after which I had to do an awkward turn to drop the baby while in terrible pain.

Actually, no, I laughed a little. I groaned a lot, but I was able to see the absurdity of the situation. And AwesomeCloud was unhurt.

On the bright side, we now have a baby gate! One that does not require screws, so I can put it in the doorway with bricks on one side! (Thank you, Mary!) Now all I have to do is replace the bench with the gate, and that particular accident will never happen again.

Anyway, we grow, and we learn, and we laugh. We laugh a little bit very frequently at very small things.