Strolling

Troy has grown to love our daily walks together as much as I do. At least a half dozen times a day, he’ll go to where I keep the stroller, stand next to it, and start gesticulating to get my attention. He loves to stroll and watch life roll by. It’s fun to see his eyes wide open taking it all in. He’s so curious about the world...so much stimulation, so much to see. But by far, his favorite thing to see are the dogs. He will bounce in the stroller and point, saying, “ooh, ooh!” excitedly every time he sees someone walking a dog. And I have to acknowledge that I too see the dog before he'll stop.

And lately, he’ll turn back every so often to see if I’m still there. When he sees me through the mesh opening of his top, he’ll reach up his little hand. I’ll reach down and put my hand on the other side of the mesh, and he’ll grab my fingers and hold on. Down the sidewalk we'll go, rolling along, holding hands and just enjoying the fresh air and the warmth of the sun.

Often I'll talk to him as we go; explaining what he's seeing, how things work, or random and fun facts about the world. But sometimes, we just roll in silence, enjoying the company. If the silence stretches for too long, Troy will say, "dada?" without looking back. And I'll reply, "Yes, baby?" And then we're good again.