All ethical debates aside (this is not THAT kind of entry), when does a baby become a person? Sure I honestly believe that a fetus in the womb is a person, but I guess what I mean is...when does a baby wander into PERSONHOOD in his own right; a person who can communicate his needs, express his emotions, use some words, feed himself, begin to navigate his own world. When do we stop thinking of him as a baby? For me, it's all about shoes. Purchasing Duncan's first pair of shoes was an acknowledgment that he had become the kind of little guy who had places to go and things to do, and from that time forward, he would need some kind of garment (hmm, a shoe?) to adorn and protect his feet as he marched forth into the world. We took him shortly before his first birthday because he was toddling fairly enthusiastically at that point. He spent his birthday party and a few weeks of those early days walking like Frankenstein, lifting the heavy shoes and often tripping over their toes.
During our recent vacation (see the Overflow entries below), we took Duncan shopping for the kinds of shoes and clothes that are worn by two year olds (i.e., size 2T since he had outgrown his 18-24 month old clothes; size 6 1/2 shoe, which is annoying because who knows how quickly he'll need a 7). It was an all day affair with compulsive lists and a budget, The Children's Place, Gymboree, Old Navy, and Stride Rite. Jamie and I had fun (shoppers that we are), and Duncan tolerated us until lunch time and then became vaguely dismissive. We went home, washed and folded all his new clothes, organized them in his dresser, and commenced rolling up sleeves and cuffs (because, of course the 2T's are as much too big as the 18-24's are small). It was probably not that exciting to anyone but Jamie and me (thanks for bearing with me here).
But here's the thing...we did a lot of other things during vacation (see birthday entries). We saw a lot of people, went for walks, played on the playground, read a lot of books, did some art work, played with PlayFoam. On Monday, Duncan went back to daycare, and Denise exclaimed "Duncan! Where have you been?" He looked down, remarked "SHOES!," and picked up his feet to show them off. He will always be my baby, but for him, the shoes are a big boy statement.
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