Creepy Crawly
Ah, for the days of an immobile baby. Paul and I were just remembering what it was like when we went into Lux's room and she was lying on her back in her crib, exactly where we had placed her hours earlier. Or we could put her down on the floor for a moment while we went to the bathroom, got the mail, took out the garbage, made lunch. Now when we go into her room she is sitting (or standing) in the crib, waiting for us. And if we leave her alone on the floor we risk finding her in a different room altogether, most likely eating the cat's food.It only took Lux a few days to figure out how to climb stairs, so the steps leading to the breakfast nook, and those to the kitchen, are no longer protection. However, because our weird house has no symmetry, baby gates are almost impossible to use. Thankfully, we are creative. We bought a new (drool-proof) couch and wondered what to do with the old one, but quickly realized that the old sofa cushions make handy and soft baby barriers. Now the family room looks like we are building a fort, but we have managed to protect the bookshelves, the home theater and, yes, the cat's food. Lux does her best to circumnavigate the roadblocks we've placed, but so far they are standing firm.
Unfortunately for her, Lux tends to be a bit fearless. This means that while she can climb up stairs safely, she thinks nothing of throwing herself off them headfirst when she wants to go down. (Do keep in mind we are talking about a flight two steps high. We aren't quite the world's worst parents.) Paul and I have been very carefully trying to teach Lux the benefit of backing down the stairs (less crying, fewer smashed faces), and she has at least been pausing and seems to be considering our advice now. But even without counting minor stair mishaps, Lux has about one good conk every few days. As soon as one bruise fades, another is made. There are days she looks a bit like a prize fighter. Or, given the way she has been tackling the cat, maybe a pro wrestler.
Lux graduated from swim class last weekend and has a few weeks off before she starts up the next session of lessons. She is all registered to continue music class, where she is beginning to do more than just chew on the instruments, though a good deal of what she touches still ends up in the slobber bin. And now that the weather is warming up, there are lots more things to do. Yesterday we went to the zoo with Liam and Katherine. We got up close views of the cheetahs, elephants, pandas, gorillas and other animals. And Liam and Lux held hands, although I think they are a bit young to be going steady. Lux cried a lot because she still prefers to be carried rather than pushed in her very comfortable, very expensive stroller. Still, the day was a success, and she came home and took a long nap, thank heavens. We are trying to convince her that two longer naps a day is preferable to three very short ones. We may be making some headway.
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