Do not get in my face!

babiesI’m not a big Baby Person. I mean that I don’t go all squishy inside every time I see some random baby and try to overwhelm said baby with in-your-face goo-goo eyes and high-pitched baby talk about how cute they are, etc. I absolutely adored my own baby children. I think that’s normal. I mean isn’t that how babies survive their infancy? But I didn’t goo-goo eye or baby talk them so why would I do it to someone else’s baby?

Your baby? I’d love to meet your baby. I might even like to hold your baby for a minute or so. Or longer if it’s obvious that you need me to look after it for a while. I certainly wouldn’t ever hurt a baby. I am trustworthy on that score. But I regard babies in general as human beings with unique personalities who are trying to sort out an absolutely overwhelming amount of information and I don’t want to add to that. At the earliest stages of infancy they are bonding with those who are closest to them (nurturing parents and other relatives in the best case). Of course they eventually need to learn how to deal with other people but what good does it do a baby to have some random stranger (like me) get up in their face and make weird faces and shrill noises, etc.? I am pretty sure I didn’t like that kind of thing when I was a baby and yes I remember things from very early in my life albeit most of those memories are vague.

mousewalkThat said, I am enjoying the heck out of watching Beqet (name intentionally misspelled) next door as she grows into toddlerhood. She is going on 18 months now and, although I talk to her parents frequently as we traverse the neighborhood, I don’t force myself upon Beqet at all. Sunday morning I walked over to the Plum Market and as I walked through Zingerman’s coffee shop there I noticed a small child holding on to a Leopard next to a man at a table. I was focused on the Leopard because something about the way she was holding it signified to me that it might be an Important Companion, you know, like a *mouse*? After I had passed their table something made me look back and wouldn’t you know it was Beqet and her dad. They were eating some sort of hybrid croissant/donut thingy. I had already had breakfast but maybe I should try one.

Anyway, I love watching children get vertical under their own power and take their first steps and that’s what Beqet did earlier this summer and I have enjoyed watching her. The second pic is of my baby Mouse early in her walking days. Beqet is a little older and farther along than Mouse was in the pic but this stage is fun. And then they can run (Beqet is getting there) and eventually ride bikes and, uh, drive automotive vee-hickles, and that’s as far as I will go with that tonight.

Gratuitous photo of the old Landfill Chitchen way back when.

2 Responses to “Do not get in my face!”

  1. Margaret Says:

    I find babies fascinating, but am not always into holding them or making a fuss. I’m not even sure I want grandchildren any more. We’ll see, I guess. 🙂

  2. Pooh Says:

    That first photo is somewhat disturbing, IMHO.