Social Time for Babies and Their Wards

I took Paxton to toddler story time at the local library last week. There were oodles of babies of all baby ages there. It's supposed to be for kids under two years old, but big brothers and sisters dotted the room. Paxton loves kids, but he was overwhelmed by the sheer number. We were fifteen minutes late so we discreetly grabbed some carpet and settled in for storytime. The funny thing was that you could barely hear the woman reading over the chatter of little voices. It was really cute.

Between stories, the woman led the group in songs. I've never felt my fallibility as a mother more than when I was the only person in the room who didn't know the hand motions to "Row, Row, Row Your Boat". Was there some sort of handbook that they forgot to give me at the hospital? Is this on the Baby Einstein videos that I've resisted allowing Paxton to watch? I felt like I was in church, smiling uncomfortably while everyone joyfully belted out hymns that they've probably known since they were children and which I was hearing for the very first time as a woman in her 30s. Out of my element. At least I was familiar with Row, Row, Row Your Boat. I've even sang it to Paxton several times. The gibberish song with the chorus that says "I Like Books" was catchy, but wholely unfamiliar. It made Paxton laugh, though, and that's good enough for me. I get the idea that this Toddler Storytime is a regular social event for the parents, as well as the babies. Most people seemed to know each other. I hope to go again and Chris is all set to cut out of work for an early lunch so he can go with us. We love seeing Paxton in his element. Our whole life now joyfully revolves around making his life as fun as possible. Chris is turning 40 next weekend and he said that he'd rather do something fun with Paxton and me than have a party to celebrate his big day. I'm probably not going to let him off that easily. He has a gig next weekend, so we won't be able to celebrate until the next weekend, but I do want to get together some friends to have an informal party for him. And, of course, we'll make sure Paxton is a key factor in the celebration. Thanks to him, we have a lot to celebrate! :)

One last thing--Paxton doesn't quietly babble like most babies. He shrieks loudly enough to shatter glass. I seriously think I've had some hearing loss in the last week. I googled this new twist and found that it's common among babies Pax's age. They've discovered their ability to make a new sound and you can only hope that they'll soon get bored with it. I don't know--it's been months and he's still not bored with bouncing. On the contrary, he bounces more. I'm going to have my hands full with this little guy. We all are.