Pa-pa's Boy

This boy.

In a world that has now circled the sun in the oppressive, uncertain cosmos of pandemic, this little guy has wrapped us in the soothing light of laughter and love. It had been six years since our flurry of six grandkids arrived in a span of six years. Everyone was finally in school. I had sold my baby bed and high chair.

Although the pandemic has kept our families apart more than we would've liked, it has not kept us from bonding with this newest grandson during his baby months. But the neatest thing has been to watch him interact with Pa-pa, even as early as that first Christmas, when he was only three months old. From the very beginning, our little Packee has been (mostly) Pa-pa's boy.

Anytime Packee gets a look at Pa-pa, or hears his voice, he lurches out from whomever is holding him at the moment, reaching his little arms out for Pa-pa to take him. He demands a place on Pa-pa's lap to drive the pontoon or the golf cart. He gets a bead on Pa-pa and runs toward him as fast as his little legs will carry him. And one of his earliest words? "Pa-pa," of course.

As you might imagine, Pa-pa dearly loves everything about this. In time, he bonded with all the other kids as well, but it was usually when they were a bit older. These guys, on the other hand, have been bosom buddies since Packee was born.

Last Sept. 30, when Packee turned one year old, his family was quarantined, so we got to see him with the official chocolate cake only on FaceTime. 

But a couple weeks later we were able to again visit his family and take him a special present, made just for a one-year-old ready to go mobile.

At this writing Packee is just over sixteen months old. He is adding to his vocabulary every day, and is starting to like books, something I have been waiting patiently for. When I saw him last week, he was particularly fond of a farm animal book, complete with fur to rub and buttons to push for sound. His little high-pitched "doodle-doo" when we turn to the rooster page is the cutest thing I have ever heard. 

The long baby hair of the photos above is now trimmed into an official little-boy haircut. He is almost old enough to come and stay with me and Pa-pa for a few days. I am really looking forward to that. 

Of course, I may have to build up my muscles so that I can wrestle him away from Pa-pa once in a while. He may be Pa-pa's boy now, but I intend to see if I can work my way up to equal rank--or at least come in a close second. That would be fine with me.