APL In The AM

This morning I woke up at 4-something AM for unknown reasons. APL may have muttered something in his sleep, as he often does. Or maybe I heard a neighbor's cat and thought it was APL, as sometimes happens. Icould not fall back to sleep so, at about 5:00 AM, I went downstairs and turned on my computer. I examined the state of the world: severe economic crisis, stock market tanking, Treasury Secretary Paulson seeming to have no idea what to do, expected long recession, possible significant worsening over the coming months... Depressing but not much different than what we have been reading over the last few months. I wrote a few emails, sent out a video of Ben Stein ridiculing Peter Schiff for predicting economic calamity a couple of years ago, and caught up on some reading.

At 6:06 I heard a coo come from APL's room. Ah, the coo. Occasionally, APL wakes up and starts crying. That is not pleasant. These days, thankfully, he usually he wakes up happy and playful and all smiles. He was in a particularly good space today. I had a choice: I could either let him play in his crib for a bit; or I could go straight up there and enjoy his happy time. I chose the latter.

I made my way up the stairs and quietly opened his door. There he was, standing in his crib, holding the rail and playing. Truly adorable. I walked over to the little guy and he gave me a big smile. I put my hands out in front of him. He stared at them for a moment, smiled again, and then reached for me. I lifted him slowly out of his crib and hugged him.

APL is amazing first thing in the morning. And this morning he was particularly wonderful. He lay in my arms for a little while, clearly still not quite fully awake. He then pushed off my chest and looked at me curiously. I said hello to him. He immediately grabbed my mouth as if he was trying to catch my words, or feel how I was forming them, or maybe he just noticed that I had a mouth.

I took him downstairs and we played. He is in nonstop investigation mode. He is obviously going to be a great explorer. Mind you, learning to walk and an introduction to "the toilet" will be good first steps in that direction.