One Shoe Off, And One Shoe On...

Brian has a new trick.

He loves to pull off his socks, shake them around for a few minutes, and then put them into his mouth. He chews on his socks until they're sopping wet, rendering them completely useless as footwear. He particularly enjoys this activity during long car rides. Inevitably, when we arrive at our destination and open the back door of the van, we discover a bare-footed Brian, waving his little piggie-toes in the air, while a damp sock hangs from the corner of his mouth.

During the warm, early-Fall days we have been blessed with recently, the sock-chewing was simply an annoying little habit. I began carrying an extra pair of socks in the diaper bag, and our laundry baskets were constantly full of tiny little white socks. But now that the cold weather is upon us, we quickly realized that we needed to put an end to Brian's sock-removing and sock-chewing. Yesterday morning, we walked to the bus stop in 35 degree temperatures, and it was a constant battle to keep Brian's little feet covered.

So today, after I collapsed into bed upon returning from an overnight nursing shift, Dan took Brian, Amy and Erin to the store to buy Brian his first pair of real shoes. When I came downstairs for lunch, Brian eagerly held up his little foot, and showed me his new brown loafers.



After 6 years of fancy "party shoes", pink light-up sneakers, and Hello Kitty slippers, there was something so fetching about these "boy shoes". They're miniature versions of the shoes his Daddy wears, and, coupled with his khaki pants and collared shirt, Brian appears so much older than an almost-one-year-old baby. He looks like a little boy. I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow, that tiny newborn that we met last November has morphed into a toddler. He might not be able to use his new shoes for walking by himself yet, but it won't be long now before he toddles off.

Just don't walk too far away yet, little Brian. You're my baby boy, and I need those cuddles and hugs that you love to give.

But when you do use those new shoes to walk away, Mommy will still be right here...with a clean pair of socks, just in case.