Flavors of Nature

Works been pretty slow for me the past month but has brought with it the bright side of being able to spend more time with Dylan. We took some time away to Big Bear. Marci and I were amazed at how different our visit was this time versus our last visit in late February. Not only the lack of snow, but it was only 5 months ago Dylan wasn't able to crawl let alone walk (which is not up to a very unstable trot). The last trip was a lot of fun because it was the first time I was able to get Dylan to laugh. It took some snow, a kick, and some brilliant comedic timing on my part. Thankfully, I've heard a lot more laughing since then.

All of the other times we've been to Big Bear Dylan had always needed to be held, but now that he's walking he's also exploring. It's crazy fun to watch him interact with stuff he's seen just for the first time. Every large bushel of grass is a

maze, every gate door is a puzzle, and every creature must be chased with a resounding "Jaavaa", every rock a phone he can use

to call his grandma....

The tough part is letting him interact within even a semi-controlled environment knowing that every spider web, rock, acorn, bark, and unidentifiable ground cover has the potential of being consumed. We do feed him, but he's like the guy on the show "Culinary Adventures"; he's not afraid to taste a rock to see how it might enhance the flavor of leaves. Being a kid before I recognize a lot of the experiences are good to have and help him classify and identify the best methods to interact with the world. But I remember distinctly that there was not way I was going to put a rock in my mouth unless it was dipped in chocolate first (the same holds true today). We're also finding another challenge of being parents is having to lose sight of a fully awake baby for the first time. Having him running around outside to pick up twigs and pine cones may sound like an easy thing but it's tough even lose site for a few seconds. It's both rewarding and traumatizing. I'm sure it's good for his Independence. Gives him the chance to see the world on his own. He doesn't need his silly parents monitoring every move. That is, until his desire for Independence results in a black eye and a lot of crying! Ahh sweet gravity bringing my baby back!

I guess it's tough to tell when you're 17 months if you might be big enough to go down a step big boy style or play it safe and do the baby back down maneuver. I think he'll wait until he's 18 months before he tries again.