A Good Sign

Today we hosted an old friend of my husband's. He and his wife delighted us with their 1 1/2 year old, Catherine. She was quite boisterous and chatty. Very expressive vocally and physically, despite not saying any intelligible. She was fun.

We spent some time in the backyard. She got a kick out of watching Curtis kick the ball and watching Cooper fetch it. I noticed Cooper keeping an eye on her and running up to her when she ventured into certain parts of the yard (keep in mind, he's taller). He would run along side her and put his mouth on her hands, lightly "mouthing", yet not biting. He would nose her in the shoulder and try and get in front of her. I soon realized that his brand new, 14" smoked bone was in the vicinity. We moved the bone and all was good. As Catherine moved up and down the stairs from the deck to the yard he would do the same thing. Again, we realized he must have something buried under the deck next to the steps. Due to her size, he approached her as a threat - yet did not respond that way to her parents - people unfamiliar to him.

It was interesting to watch Cooper around their daughter. He was quite interested in her diaper, licked hands and feet. Sniffed her ears and neck. She was very tolerant and not scared - quite impressive for such a young one. She would just giggle and squirm when he approached her.

As we try and gauge how Cooper will respond to our own child, it was interesting to watch his behavior around her. The slight, gentle - yet serious - warnings that something less gentle could happen - if we're not vigilant. It was interesting to watch - and I believe, a good sign.