The Walking Baby

Today has been an eventful day.  A little too eventful.  It didn't start out that way.  I got Sadie dressed this morning and decided to try out my latest experiment.  Baby wearing.  I bought five yards of stretchy jersey cotton and carefully studied the Baby Wearing website that I found yesterday.  I had tried out a couple of the ways to wear your baby yesterday and Sadie had giggled uncontrollably.  This morning I decided to see if I could remember what I'd learned.  

I hoisted Sadie up onto my back, by myself this time and managed to flip the fabric this way and that (it's five yards long and can be a bit unruly at times) until she was securely strapped onto my back.  She giggled hysterically throughout the process and was finally snug and safe on my back.  I have to say that I'm very impressed with the comfort of the different wraps that I tried out.  I wore Sadie for about two hours today and it didn't hurt my shoulders at all.  

After a nap we headed into town with Nani and went to the park.  Sadie bravely crawled through a bright aquamarine play ground tunnel that was about three feet long, from Nani to Mommy and then swung on the swings.  It was getting hot, so we headed home.

Once we got in the house, Sadie went to work playing with her toys.  After making sure that they were all still there (she acts like they're going to disappear every time we leave the house) she went over to the couch and stood up.  A pile of about six baby board books were on the couch and she removed these one at a time and then looked at Grumpa.  I was relaxing in the recliner when she did it and I looked up just in time to see her grab on to the side of Grumpa's chair.  Grumpa had a shocked look on his face when he told me what had happened.

She had walked.  She let go of the couch and walked, two wobbly steps, over to where he was sitting.  

We were still celebrating the milestone when she crawled into the kitchen.  I followed her, expecting her to head over to her magazine pile.  Instead she made her way over to the battery charger where the camera batteries were charging.  When I bent over to take it away from her she let it go.  I relaxed and she sprang, throwing herself forward and slamming her eye into the charger.  Black eye number one.  There was an instant welt and swelling that has since blossomed into a shiner.  

Ten minutes later she calmed down and I set her back on the floor.  She took off, back into the kitchen and I followed her again, watching more carefully this time.  Her magazine's are on a low ledge on a table in the kitchen and she regularly retrieves them while someone sits by and watches.  She can play for almost an hour, completely entranced in the task of shredding little bits of magazine paper.  I had removed the charger and replaced it with outlet covers.  She was safe and sound.  

Until... she raised herself up on her knees, looking around for a new magazine.  Suddenly and without warning she let go with both hands.  This very bad judgement call resulted in a second black eye.  

After that I put her back on my back, deciding that a walk outside in the nice warm sun (with a sun hat of course) was just what she needed, to stop the hysterics.  Grumpa was working with the horses and that would certainly stop the crying and bring smiles.  

We walked down to the round pen and stood for a few minutes before we saw them.  Our neighbors.  Completely naked.  Standing next to the river.  

On the list of things that I never want to see, this is rather high.  If you had asked me beforehand what was on the list I probably wouldn't have thought it up, but it's on there now, somewhere near the top.  

It wasn't like they were in their backyard.  Oh no, their backyard is half a mile away.  They have to walk half a mile, past our neighbor's house, my grandparent's house, my parent's house and our cabin to get to the river, which is also next to one of our tiny towns busiest roads.  It is not private at all!  

Yuck!  I guess this is what we get for living so close to Humboldt County.  

Anyways...  Sadie hasn't tried to walk again since her little tiny steps a few hours ago, and I'm wondering if it was a one time thing for right now, or if she's about to be tearing around the house...  I'm not sure if I'm ready for my not-yet-ten-month-old to be walking!