Thursday, April 2, 2009
I guess the title of this post is misleading.
It's not like Ayize woke up yesterday morning having developed a bunch of athletic abilities overnight. They've been creeping up on me for weeks -- his desire to climb anything remotely dangerous; his addiction to sliding down anything, no matter how precarious the incline; his introduction to sneakers two weeks ago and his subsequent desire to RUN within just a few days of wearing them, etc. But April always seems like a time of new beginnings, so it's fitting that I would finally choose to open my eyes and face the music -- sigh! -- just as springtime begins its (kind of pathetic, given all the snow and cold) first blush.
So The Truth Is Out There: Ayize is not my tiny little wee babe anymore. He's turned into a rather feisty, fiercely independent, stunt-lovin' li'l daredevil. And my mission, which I have no choice but to accept, is to try to keep him in one piece until such time as he learns command of the English language and actually responds to my cries of "No!" and "Stop!" and "Don't!", usually hollered from a distance, as I race towards him, heart in my mouth, perpetually wondering, How the hell did he get all the way up on top of that ___ (fill in the noun) and is about to ___ (fill in the verb) when he was standing right here beside me just ___ (fill in the very small number) seconds ago? And oh my god -- "No, Ayize! Don't, please! Stop, honey!!" -- how will I ever explain this broken ___ (fill in the body part) to our friends and family???
At any rate, today was another excitement-filled day. We hit a makeup Gymboree class in the morning, where he ran UNDER the parachute in a fit of great excitement and before I could intercede, he blindly collided into the back of a little boy who was on the correct side of the parachute. That boy was fine, but Ayize got a bruise on his cheek, a bump on the bridge of his nose, and some swelling over his eye. But a few minutes later, he was back in fine form, racing around, clapping and smiling, and popping bubbles. Including one on a girl's face; if you watch carefully, you'll see him appear to bitch-slap her, and then a moment later, he bear-hugs her, as if such unwanted affection, and enough of it to make her fall down, will somehow make amends.
I got a brief respite during his one-hour nap this afternoon, and was happy to note that his face looked completely normal by the time he woke up. Wow! The human body never ceases to amaze me, now that I witness on a daily basis how much it must withstand. It's hard to imagine how our species has survived!
Off to the library, and another two hours of whamming and bamming, without too many thank you maams (no time for niceties, Ayize had havoc to wreak). Books were unshelved at an alarming rate, as were CDs. Diane's adorable Elliott provided a few moments of quiet reflection on Ayize's part, until something else would catch his eye, and then he would be off again. Towering block buildings came teetering down, and the glass panes of the playhouse suffered terribly at his hands as he decided to test the limits of his own forehead by banging his head again and again against them...softly, at first, and then harder and harder.
Surprisingly, the library remained in one piece until our departure, when the whole building surely heaved a collective sigh. But it was only 4:30, and we still had a long evening ahead of us, so we decided to stop by the park for a little fun before dinner.
At this point, Ayize was pretty much out of steam, so his antics were considerably toned down. But even at this dull roar, he managed to pull a few tricks out of his bag.
Video # 1 -- Okay, this is an old trick, but always fun to see. I still remember the first time he did a slide by himself. He was so dang proud of himself when he reached the bottom (rather unceremoniously, if I recall -- he kept going, right off the end, and landed on his duff in the woodchips), that he clapped for himself while grinning quite toothily. So these days, such a feat merits little fanfare. But today, he decided to add a few things into the mix. For starters, he clutched a bit of stick as if it was his personal totem. Funny stuff. Also, he stopped along the way to "kick it" (pun intended) and hang out for a bit on one of the steps. He also paused dramatically to drive the fire truck a few blocks. And then there's that goofy dance he does midway up the staircase. What the heck? Also, he gave an overly dramatic head shake "no" each time I asked him if he was coming down, just for comic effect. Okay, so he's not gonna bring down the house at a comedy club any time soon, but to me, his little jokes are hilarious, if only because each time he makes one, I am struck by this rather incongruous thought: "A little person! And I gave BIRTH to it?! Wowzas!"
Video # 2 -- Two weeks in hard-soled sneakers and he's mastering those bad boys. Check out the mad dash across the undulating bridge. Fancy footwork, eh?
Okay, I'll stop strutting around like the goofy, newbie, overly proud, first-time mama that I am, and try to remember that, like, they all do this stuff. Duh! Get over it!
(On second thought -- nah, maybe not. Ayize IS amazing! And there's no personal bias here or anything...!)
I guess the title of this post is misleading.
It's not like Ayize woke up yesterday morning having developed a bunch of athletic abilities overnight. They've been creeping up on me for weeks -- his desire to climb anything remotely dangerous; his addiction to sliding down anything, no matter how precarious the incline; his introduction to sneakers two weeks ago and his subsequent desire to RUN within just a few days of wearing them, etc. But April always seems like a time of new beginnings, so it's fitting that I would finally choose to open my eyes and face the music -- sigh! -- just as springtime begins its (kind of pathetic, given all the snow and cold) first blush.
So The Truth Is Out There: Ayize is not my tiny little wee babe anymore. He's turned into a rather feisty, fiercely independent, stunt-lovin' li'l daredevil. And my mission, which I have no choice but to accept, is to try to keep him in one piece until such time as he learns command of the English language and actually responds to my cries of "No!" and "Stop!" and "Don't!", usually hollered from a distance, as I race towards him, heart in my mouth, perpetually wondering, How the hell did he get all the way up on top of that ___ (fill in the noun) and is about to ___ (fill in the verb) when he was standing right here beside me just ___ (fill in the very small number) seconds ago? And oh my god -- "No, Ayize! Don't, please! Stop, honey!!" -- how will I ever explain this broken ___ (fill in the body part) to our friends and family???
At any rate, today was another excitement-filled day. We hit a makeup Gymboree class in the morning, where he ran UNDER the parachute in a fit of great excitement and before I could intercede, he blindly collided into the back of a little boy who was on the correct side of the parachute. That boy was fine, but Ayize got a bruise on his cheek, a bump on the bridge of his nose, and some swelling over his eye. But a few minutes later, he was back in fine form, racing around, clapping and smiling, and popping bubbles. Including one on a girl's face; if you watch carefully, you'll see him appear to bitch-slap her, and then a moment later, he bear-hugs her, as if such unwanted affection, and enough of it to make her fall down, will somehow make amends.
I got a brief respite during his one-hour nap this afternoon, and was happy to note that his face looked completely normal by the time he woke up. Wow! The human body never ceases to amaze me, now that I witness on a daily basis how much it must withstand. It's hard to imagine how our species has survived!
Off to the library, and another two hours of whamming and bamming, without too many thank you maams (no time for niceties, Ayize had havoc to wreak). Books were unshelved at an alarming rate, as were CDs. Diane's adorable Elliott provided a few moments of quiet reflection on Ayize's part, until something else would catch his eye, and then he would be off again. Towering block buildings came teetering down, and the glass panes of the playhouse suffered terribly at his hands as he decided to test the limits of his own forehead by banging his head again and again against them...softly, at first, and then harder and harder.
Surprisingly, the library remained in one piece until our departure, when the whole building surely heaved a collective sigh. But it was only 4:30, and we still had a long evening ahead of us, so we decided to stop by the park for a little fun before dinner.
At this point, Ayize was pretty much out of steam, so his antics were considerably toned down. But even at this dull roar, he managed to pull a few tricks out of his bag.
Video # 1 -- Okay, this is an old trick, but always fun to see. I still remember the first time he did a slide by himself. He was so dang proud of himself when he reached the bottom (rather unceremoniously, if I recall -- he kept going, right off the end, and landed on his duff in the woodchips), that he clapped for himself while grinning quite toothily. So these days, such a feat merits little fanfare. But today, he decided to add a few things into the mix. For starters, he clutched a bit of stick as if it was his personal totem. Funny stuff. Also, he stopped along the way to "kick it" (pun intended) and hang out for a bit on one of the steps. He also paused dramatically to drive the fire truck a few blocks. And then there's that goofy dance he does midway up the staircase. What the heck? Also, he gave an overly dramatic head shake "no" each time I asked him if he was coming down, just for comic effect. Okay, so he's not gonna bring down the house at a comedy club any time soon, but to me, his little jokes are hilarious, if only because each time he makes one, I am struck by this rather incongruous thought: "A little person! And I gave BIRTH to it?! Wowzas!"
Video # 2 -- Two weeks in hard-soled sneakers and he's mastering those bad boys. Check out the mad dash across the undulating bridge. Fancy footwork, eh?
Okay, I'll stop strutting around like the goofy, newbie, overly proud, first-time mama that I am, and try to remember that, like, they all do this stuff. Duh! Get over it!
(On second thought -- nah, maybe not. Ayize IS amazing! And there's no personal bias here or anything...!)
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