Magnetic Shoes

Not long ago, we celebrated Bab-E Brother's ambulatory status!

And with that new-found mobility, it was time to upgrade Bab-E Brother's footwear from bare feet to shoes.

The results have been, well...funny....to say the least. He's quite the sight.

He doesn't mind at all when we put the shoes on him, and he doesn't try to kick them off when you carry him around.

But if you put him down while he's wearing shoes he stands there immobile...frozen...paralyzed.

"Hey, whaddya tryin' to weigh me down with these darn things? It's hard enough for me to walk without them."

It's like his feet are stuck to the ground by powerful magnets.

It's amusing what we take for granted--like walking in shoes--because it's so novel to him and, relatively speaking, such a big difference. I mean, sure, the shoes add some weight to his feet, which he's not used to, but it's not like he weighs 20 pounds and is wearing 2-pound shoes.

And it gets funnier if he sees a desirable object. He leans forward as far as he can, luging desperately, trying to reach for it, without moving his feet even a millimeter, until eventually he falls foward. Timber!

Once the magnets have relased their "death grip", he then just crawls like mad for it. The relief on his face and in his body language is palpable.

They say don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes. I strongly suggest that you don't judge Bab-E Brother. He's not walking in shoes any time soon, and so that mile would take you an awfully long time.

See you on Friday,
Busy-Dad-E