Sometime we keep Fizgig on his leash inside because it chills him out. Orion loves chasing Fizgig and grabbing the leash and swinging it around. This looks very cute, like that baby is going to take the dog for a walk. But one day Fizgig ran for something while Orion was holding the leash and Orion fell over. He did not cry or get hurt or get dragged and honestly it looked very funny. But it was really not cool and eventually when Orion is holding that red leash, it will end up in his mouth. I do clean the leash but there is really no way to sanitize it so we don't mind Orion holding the leash but take the leash away when it gets in his mouth.
In the mornings when we lay in bed, Orion crawls to the head of the bed. He climbs to his feet supported by our headboard and grabs the cord of the venetian blinds. He chews it and twirls it then shakes all the blinds. He does this while I supervise and remind myself that I need to learn baby CPR. isn't there a warning on venetian blinds or their cords which say they are a danger to children? Its not like I let him play with dry cleaner bags.
Just last week he discovered the light switch above his changing table. Changing him has become very difficult as he wants to roll over, crawl, and chew on the changing table. He found the light switch and was able to turn it off but it was a few days before he could turn it on. I would say off and he would turn it off then I would say on and he would turn it on, coincidence? But he became obsessed with the switch and we were forced to move the changing table. This is the first time a friend of his has moved away.
He is fascinated by the electrical outlets which are childproof. He does not spend much time investigating them and moves on to the apron strings that hang near by then heads for the water bowl, dog food bin, and trash can. He tries to pull himself up on everything including the recycling can but these efforts are discouraged. We have two cushy couches, a leather ottoman, a grey bench, a blue plastic stool, and a grey plastic hand chair that he can pull himself up on under supervision. He loves to test gravity and has taken a few Nestea plunges.
As he is teething, his love of chewing on metal has grown. I have not found any metal teethers and the metal baby spoons I own are from when I was a kid and who knows what could be in them as safety standards were not where they are today. When Orion crawls in the living room he hits a fork in the road and will either go right to chew on the chrome wheels of my modern black leather rocking chair or go left to play with the metal dog crates. He likes to swing the doors open and closed on the crates. He will chew on them as well as the food bowls that hang on the front. This is fine as long as Fizgig is not locked in his crate. That is the only time he will bark at the baby. I am waiting for the day when Orion crawls inside on of the crates. I will get my camera and take a few pictures before removing Orion from the crate. Yes, I do look forward to this photo op and do not want to stage this cuteurtunity.
Orion has discovered the door stop behind his bedroom door and the front door. The one behind the front door makes a much better "sprrrooonnngggg" sound. I like it when he plays with this as I can hear where he is and what he is doing. This gives me time to put the laundry away or use the bathroom. But if I don't hear that sound for a bit then I must investigate as he may be trying to pull himself up on the ceramic umbrella stand. I do worry that my husband might come home one day while the baby is behind the door.
I think Orion might grow up to be a drummer. He bangs on everything, chairs, the floor, the bathroom scale, the plastic calculator on the desk, my chest, and his daddy's bald head. But his favorite drum is a round Tupperware container filled with dog kibble. We keep this bribe jar by the couch as Fizgig is prone to a spot of fuckery and is very food motivated. Orion will bang away on this drum and eventually start to chew on its plastic lid. This we try to discourage as it must be dog food flavored by now. Maybe it is time I bust out the pots and pans for him to bang away on in the kitchen while I attempt to cook a meal for the first time in ages.
Why do all babies love remote controls and cell phones? He is forever going for these devices and we have 3 remote controls and 2 cell phones in the house. Often he will change the channel when I am watching something on the DVR. Orion is the only one who has gotten the picture in picture to work on our Google TV and I have no clue how he did it. I understand that cell phones are insanely dirty so I do try to keep it away from him. The remote is another matter, I am thinking of buying him one of his own to play with and not a toy version but the real thing.
I try to balance Orion's baby freedom with my don't touch that it will kill you impulse. I am a stay at home mom who does not have high expectations for what I want to accomplish in a day. My days are mostly spent chasing the baby, guarding him so that when he pulls himself up on the blue stool he will not fall to the left and crack his head on the bookshelf. There is apart of me that is afraid to leave him alone in his crib as I have seen him pull himself up then let go and fall back. And don't suggest crib bumpers, I know they make breathable version but he will eventually use it as a step to escape his baby jail.
I do miss the times when I could put him down and he would stay where I put him. Or when the farthest he could go was just to roll over once and had yet to figure out how to log roll around. Or even the good old days when he really liked being in his exersaucer. Now that he can crawl, it is all he really wants to do but he will hang out in his exersaucer on his own terms. He was 9 months old when he got his first boo boo from falling off the bed. I admit, I fell asleep for a second and woke up in time to see his legs go over the edge of the bed.
He will get hurt and I will try to prevent injury but I will not prevent him from exploring his world. I will be there to pick him up when he falls and kiss his boo boos when he cries.
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