Evening Walks

Ashley and I have found raising a kid (yes, only one) is very cyclical. There seem to be a lot of different phases, and just when we think we have it all sorted out, boom! Everything changes. Auburn (the dog) was simple compared to Bode. She's followed basically the same routine since she came out of her puppy phase--wake up, eat, see Mom and Dad off, nap for awhile, bark at things (hates the UPS truck), get excited when Mom and Dad return, go for a walk, eat, and wait for bed. Next day, same thing--wash, rinse, repeat. Bode definitely doesn't keep to the same schedule for more than a few months.

For instance, since ~February, we would come home from work, change, and go for a walk. Bode would be in his stroller. It took a few trips until we learned to bring a supply of grapes, Cheezits, and juice to keep Bode satisfied. This little routine seemed to work great...until recently (within the past week). Bode has decided he hates the stroller. He screams, yells, and kicks whenever we try to put him in the stroller (and yes, he's about the length where his little kicks are hitting the family jewels). We tried letting him walk. This works for about 3/4 of the way. Of course, he gets easily side-tracked. He'll bark back at dogs that bark at him (very cute). If he sees (or hears) an airplane, he has to stop, point, and say, "Ehprane." When he no longer sees it, he says, "Bye bye." And usually at some point, he'll decide he's done walking. He'll simply sit down and play with some pebbles. If I pick him up, he throws a dangerous tantrum (remember those little kicks), carrying on like Tiger Woods after a bad tee-shot (minus the f-bombs, of course). It's quite a scene--our neighbors found it humorous (jerks).

The other day, Ashley brought a camera on our little outing. Here are some action photos. First, we have Bode in a gunslinger pose. He's checking things out, making sure nothing is amiss. He's kinda like a neighborhood watch.Next, we have Bode walking. You can also see our house in the top left. We had the exterior painted about a month ago--not sure if you can tell the color was slightly changed.
Here's Bode checking out the fire-hydrant. With the barking at dogs and hydrant investigation, we're starting to wonder if he's part canine. Also, Bode's starting to show--he's about four months pregnant :-)At the end of the walk, we take a much needed break, and I impart some of my knowledge about the game of basketball. Bode is absorbing it like a (saturated) sponge.
I've explained he's expected to sign a lucrative NBA contract at age 20 to support his parents' life of leisure. His response? "Ehprane." I think the message didn't get through. Pleasant Thursday.