More for the baby book

Tonight Walter "read" his first book cover-to-cover. He wasn't actually reading, but he figured out the whole thing from memory and from the pictures. It was Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear. It's got a great rhythm to it, which helps with the toddler reading skills. "Brown bear, brown bear what do you see? I see a red bird looking at me." Etc. When he got to the black sheep page he took a little break to sing "Baa baa black sheep" in its entirety, before returning to the book.

Also, yesterday I held Walter and Sally in my lap and read to them.  After we'd been sitting together for a long time I looked down and noticed that Walter had, at some point, very quietly and gently taken baby Sally's hand in his. I didn't say anything about it, because it wasn't for me that he was doing it.  He loves his little sister even when I'm not looking.

Watching Walter, watching me

Sean caught a moment on camera tonight that calls for longer captioning. The photo is of Walter and my dearest Audrey.  They're dancing and singing along to Great Big Sea, "Donkey Riding." In the following frames Walter is looking at Auds and fully engaged with her.  Here, though, he's looking at me.

A couple of times this weekend I watched Walter watching me, and I could see from the look on his face that he was watching me be happy. I've been depressed lately ... it's a long story involving my gallbladder, of all things, and I'll write it out some other time.

I didn't realize how sad I'd been, and how good and remarkable it is to be happy. Not until I saw him see me. It made my heart ache for my sensitive little boy, and it made me glad for shared moments of joy and for friends like Auds and Curt who make those moments possible.

Tomorrow is Sally's first day at day care and I'm dreading it. But having this wonderful weekend helps. Tomorrow is a new adventure in a series of recent adventures, some of which have not been particularly fun (again, gallbladder.) Tonight, though, I'm going to bed feeling glad.