It’s something new every day, an adventure and a whirlwind tour through Babyland that I don’t want to miss.

Little things that I took for granted, intricacies that didn’t matter too much, now seem to take center stage with everything.   For example, my dog, she’s always had this one chicken that she likes to sling around as she practices her typical hunter instincts of breaking its neck.   I used to watch her and occasionally would laugh about it, but then it became a routine and sometimes mundane so my attention began to turn elsewhere.

Now let’s mix Davey into the equation.  I’ll do my best to offer up a visualization that will not only make you smile, but perhaps even illicit a bit of a chuckle, a true test of my writing skills.

Tonight, after we arrived home from daycare, I put Davey in his Jumperoo which is nothing more than a glorified baby walker from the days of my childhood with the exception that the Jumperoo is stationary.   There are three arms that hook onto the tray, suspending it and the seat in mid-air.  Inside these arms are bungees that are adjusted just to the point of Davey’s toes touching the ground. 

Most nights he’s placed in the Jumperoo and he jumps around, making oohs and aahs with an adorable coo thrown in there as well.   He watches me and his daddy intently, an occasional smile crossing his face.   His little head bobbles along while his arms are stretched out to the sides grasping for whatever toy is on the tray.   Occasionally, Dixie will come over and try to lick his face before slowly backing away and at that point Dixie will climb onto her bed and completely ignore her brother.

Tonight; however, was a different story as Dixie decided to play attack dog with her chicken toy, who we’ve joyfully named Cocky (that’s for all of you South Carolina fans out there), and Davey continued to bounce around, but with his eyes focusing on Dixie and all of her glory.   I watched Davey as he intently kept his eyes on Dixie.   Up and down, up and down, he went.   Side-to-side went Dixie’s head as she slung her chicken around.   Davey’s feet danced along as he continued to jump, his eyes unblinking and his mouth open, drool coming down the side.   Dixie would take a break, the chicken dangling from her mouth, its head on one side and the legs and torso on the other.   She snorted like a horse and then turned to face Davey, who took one long unblinking look at Dixie before throwing his head back and with a cacophony of sounds starts laughing as he continues to jump up and down.

Dixie stared at Davey for a few moments looking a bit bewildered at the hysterically laughing baby who still has his head thrown back as he laughs and jumps up and down.   Finally she took a deep breath and started slinging the chicken around once again and we’re back to the same old, same old. 

I wonder what goes on in Davey’s head when he sees his sister acting ridiculous.  Is she like a toy to him or a live action super hero?   And what about Dixie?   I’ve wondered for years what she thinks and what she sees through her eyes.   I can’t wait until I have 12 hours a day to watch the two of them, to see what sort of mischief they get into, to watch their interactions with each other.   I suppose it’s the little things as well as the bouncing babies and playful dogs that makes life smile.