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Special Dash MomentsJeff's observations. First Laugh. December 13. Bath #2 with Jeff. Swishing Dash around in the water he does this little five huhuh breathy laugh. Leigh had been seeing him laugh for a while, but I hadn't. Mommy Awe. Friday night December 16. Leigh and I were in the middle of a "24" marathon (the TV series on DVD) and had just fed Dash who was lying lengthwise across her chest. He was looking up at her with utter awe. Looking all around her face with one of his big smiles, but with an emotional component I hadn't seen from him before or since. Something I've rarely seen ever. A joyous worship, without that ugly component of worship, that judgment of superiority/inferiority. A basking in the presence of the provider of all things good and beautiful. Rapture. Intense. First Time Jeff Makes Dash Laugh. Saturday December 12. A day hanging out in the TV room, too cold to go the beach. A good day. Dash had been smiling for weeks, it was pretty easy to make him smile on demand (unless he was busy crying). He was on my legs, head on my knees looking up. I was making faces at him. A head thrust and big goofy smile made him laugh and smile. Repeat about seven times. I like making strangers laugh. This was the first time for my boy.
Trust. December 11. Mom's out on an errand. Dash is pretty stinky. Dad decides to give Dash his first bath in the big bathtub (as opposed to the many (three) in his plastic "infant tub"). Now Dash wasn't particularly used to water yet (still isn't). Holding him on my lower thigh, I started easing him into the water. His eyes got real big looking down at the water and his arms drew up into cry-ready position. Not lifting his head away from the water, he raised those big blue eyes at me on the edge of panic. Big smile and cooing babbles from me and he gave the water a chance and had a lot of fun in the tub. It was a couple of days later before I realized that it was the trust/reassurance moment that stuck with me so deeply.
Mother and Child. A few weeks ago. I came to bed late, Leigh and Dash already asleep. Dash was in his little bed which sits between Leigh's side of the bed and mine. He was diagonal with his head to the left against Leigh's side of his bed. Leigh was asleep with her forehead against Dash's and with his hand in hers. I should have snapped a picture.
Fear. 7/19/08. He's 2 yrs. 9 months now. Swim Lessons. No Fear but No Can Swim yet. Bad combo. He's waiting on the steps in a very crowded training pool waiting for his instructor, Josh, who has two other kids he drags around the pool. Dash had fallen into the water before (see how) and gets knocked down when he's running in the ocean. Took our eyes off him for a few seconds (not sure how many) and when I looked again the top of his head was about six inches under and his fingertips about an inch. Unlike the hot tub incident, where he was surprised, here he had pretty good understanding of what was going on. While I was jumping for him I could see that he knew that he had to get his head up to breathe but he clearly didn't know how. You could see his face changing to fear. He swallowed some water but was fine in seconds. Me, however, I was messed up for a while longer.
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