An Advocate of Baby Advancement

Autumn 

Nancy, ever the advocate of baby advancement, was sure that once this child got his balance, he would take off walking. She was training him to walk, actually, instead of waiting for him to do it on his own. 

I really did not know what I was going to do with these two. The baby was learning how to "goof off" from Nancy. He got a look on his face when he saw her that meant: "Come get me and let's do something adventurous." He had it in his baby head that somehow he could do anything when he was with her. If he got a glimpse of her during mid-week study at church, he knew he could get a seat on her lap, eat her keys freely and wriggle around at will. It was more fun sitting with Nancy than sitting with Mommy (and abiding by my strict church-house rules). During VBS Nancy was zooming him around the fellowship room on an empty food-cart, teaching him to love race-car driving. The howls coming out of that child when it was time to go home! 

 I wondered what it would be like when this child hit the "terrible twos" with Nancy. Would they both have to be taken out during church? 

Nancy came out twice to babysit while we worked up at the house on the drywall. Though we felt capable of hanging drywall ourselves, we called in PROS to do the taping and mudding. We learned a lot of tips from the pros to make our part easier, too. 

Putting screws in drywall was something most of us could do. 

In the meantime, Nancy was apparently not trusting my idea of PB&J for lunches, and she brought a full home-made meal of hot food (main and side dishes) and dessert to our little RV both times she came out. That was such a treat!

 After work on one of those days we took Nancy on a memorable hike out behind our hill. She put the baby on her back and set out across the hilly terrain towards the old stagecoach road. She actually remembered some of this scenery from a time when she had been out driving on country and back roads a lot, alone. That was during a terrible time in her life and it was the first time I had heard the story from her. I won't go into details, but just say that when we think we "have it bad" in life, we really don't compared to what others have been through.  Anyway, she wound up the story by saying that she begged God to take her, but He wouldn't do it. So she said "Lord, if you won't take me, then I'll do whatever you put in front of me." Then in characteristic Nancy fashion, she bubbled up and laughed and told us brightly, "It was like He said, 'Nancy I was just WAITING for you to say that!'"

And as we headed back up the hill to home, Nancy, ever the advocate of baby advancement, unloaded the baby and set him right down in the dirt. It was time that he learned to play in it while she took a rest. You can imagine how thrilled he was at that!