He's standing?

Oy...  Turtle stood for the first time.  He does have to support himself, but he does stand.  He just started crawling and this whole standing thing is a little soon for me.  I just to the ground level childproofed.  Now I have to move up the schedule.  Pretty soon he'll be jumping to touch the door jamb. 

I noticed, as he held on to me and stood at his music class that Turtle is a very large infant.  He's the youngest at 10 months.  A baby who is 15 months and walking was a good few inches shorter and about probably 5 pounds lighter. 

What the what?

My child's a giant.

And he's rising to his feet.

today's moment

My wife and I are firm believers in co-sleeping.  Turtle slept in our bed much of his first three months and by month five he was happily sleeping in his own crib with the occasional night with us.  We made sure he knew that his crib was not only a safe place to sleep, but also a happy place to play, explore, stare at his mobile and squawk.  This weekend, he woke with a start in the middle of the night and we knew, as usual, we could walk with him for half an hour and get him back down or we could slip him between us and we'd all be asleep in minutes.

We chose the sleep.

Then something interesting happened.

Our ever so territorial cat, who has shown signs of displacement - especially in our bed - climbed up between us and decided to rest her front paws and head on Turtle's lap.  I realized that he was actually awake.  It was about three a.m. and he was just laying there, staring at the light through the blinds and as the cat settled in, he just gently began to pet her head and play with her ear.

Our cat simply lay there, purring.  If you have ever met her, you know this is highly out of character.  There is a small metal sign on our front door that reads, "Attention:  Chat Feroce."  That should sum it up for you.

And yet, here was my 9 month old, quietly soothing the savage beast in the middle of the night.  One exploring, the other ever so patient.

My wife has inspired me

My wife is doing a year of grace.  I have decided it's a great idea and may help me write more often... and I tend to be on a constant rage against the injustices of the world and I hold my personal moments of grace close to my chest and dear.  That needs to change.

In the last month my son has learned to crawl, communicates with me better than I could possibly imagine, has taken to jumping for joy when his mother comes home, sleeps, and makes my life a joy... My wife and I have rediscovered each other - something indescribably important for a couple with their first child. 

So, I will share my moments of grace with you.  That may help me actually put more here as well.