Being a pictorial account of one toddler's journey through the mental minefield of a debilitating phobia.
(You may well end up in tears too!)
The morning started innocently enough. Pyjama-clad, Declan showed his fraternal love in a manner most unabashed.
After his nap, Dex was ready to face the outside world: replete with bugs and twigs and pine cones and other fearsome stuff. We began on the driveway, in the 'Asian Squat' position, toying with inorganic debris; getting ready to make the step to the allegedly more volatile - and deadly - organic debris.
(Please note that a person MUST be either under 5 or over 75 in order to get away with wearing velcro shoes.)
Here we can see our driveway fully a half block in the distance. The only time Dex looked up was to stare accusingly at his father for not picking him up. He was on tip-toes the entire time. My finger nearly lost circulation.
It was shortly after this point, when we had walked over two whole blocks, that the errant breeze I mentioned in a previous post gently jostled an erstwhile languorous pine cone, causing it to stir in a most threatening manner. Declan, emotionally spent, got a shoulder ride home and dribbled juice on his dad's ear.
For dinner, as a reward for doing so well on his first phobia-reducing outing, we went out and got some Wendy's fast food. Dex likes the chicken nuggets and, oddly, Amy's caesar salad. (Mostly for the croutons.) Sadly, he was having a hard time spearing a wayward leaf of romaine, which truly is the reason for his lachrymose mug.
FIN
My kids (5 and 2) love Ceasar salad. At that age you couldn't get me near it.
He is such a sweetie. Your boys are gorgeous.
Posted by: TerriTorial | Sunday, 23 April 2006 at 06:52 AM
Baby steps, indeed.
Posted by: Paula | Sunday, 23 April 2006 at 07:22 AM
Well done, Simon. Baby steps is the way. That sweet little boy's got a good dad. Reminds me of the time Max developed a fear of the shower head. I'll write about that some time.
In your future, if all goes well: fear that one's body will (at some unpredictable moment over which one has no control) be sucked down the drain with the bath water! Good times.
Posted by: marian | Sunday, 23 April 2006 at 08:29 AM
Very emotional post from the heart-swelling photo of the Bro' Buss, clear through to the
Saladilemma. I was right with you and felt the pain. Ah, the joys of parenthood... Hold on tight though, it's so very fleeting...
Posted by: Linda | Sunday, 23 April 2006 at 11:04 AM
In this house we like to dip baby carrots in caesar dressing. Jake will eat my caesar salad, but give him a teaspoon of dressing with a stack of carrots to dip and he'll ignore pizza.
He's so my child.
I love the picture with the tears balanced on his cheek. So sad. So adorable.
Posted by: Kristen | Sunday, 23 April 2006 at 11:51 AM
I have no advice, since Ben's not there yet, but I do thank you for the warning!
Posted by: Tasha | Sunday, 23 April 2006 at 04:23 PM
Nice photo diary, and of course some swell text along with it. Glad to hear you have Wendy's up north, for those times when fast-food is unavoidable.
Posted by: Mark | Sunday, 23 April 2006 at 07:58 PM
Almost forgot. Nice still shots from the new digicam. I was starting to wonder if we'd only see its videos.
Posted by: Mark | Sunday, 23 April 2006 at 08:00 PM