push came to shove.
Not in a rush, and not with Cory in her arms.
She didn’t think there would’ve been any possibility of climbing with him even from the first when he’d been so thin. He was growing so rapidly now that she was having a hard time adjusting to his increasing size and weight. One would think, lifting him so many times a day, her strength would keep pace, but that wasn’t the case. It was harder and harder to lift him, harder to hold and carry him for any length of time. H e was getting stronger much faster than she was. He no longer lay still and passive. He lifted and held up his own head, wiggled and rolled over when she put him down, and tried to move as if he knew he could escape if only he could figure out how to use the arms and legs he could only flail ineffectually now.
He looked like a bobble head when he held up his head because he wasn’t quite strong enough to hold it steady. And when he tried to move, he looked like he was imitating a swimmer, but he was getting so strong so fast she thought it wouldn’t be long at all before he was sitting up by himself, and then racing around all over the place under his own steam.
Unfortunately, that could create even more problems for her, make it that much harder to protect him.
And none of that made any difference at all at this point.
On impulse, she snatched one of the curtains off the fake window as she started out the door with Cory. She’d seen women carrying babies around in a sort of sling. She doubted she could figure out how to form one with the curtain, but it was worth a try, because if she could she would have her arms free and at least stand a chance of climbing out of harm’s way.
Instead of crossing the yard to ‘visit’ with Consuelo as she usually did, after looking around cautiously, she examined the trees growing in her yard and headed for the one with the lowest growing branches.
Spreading the curtain on the ground, she settled Cory on it and planted her hands on her hips, studying the tree. She’d never climbed a tree before in her life. Her mother had hardly even let her out of the house--when she was really young because her mother was afraid she’d get hurt, or pick up germs. Later, her mother had kept her close because she just wasn’t physically able to chase her around the yard and as she grew older, because she was afraid a psycho would snatch her.
How hard could it be? Children climbed trees.
The first time she fell on her ass, Cory’s eyes widened for a split second and then he laughed.
Momentarily distracted by the sound, Bri turned to stare at him blankly for a split second before pleasure suffused her. Grinning like an idiot, she rolled over and crawled to him, pushing her face close to his and rubbing nose to nose. “Are you laughing at me, you bad old boy?” she demanded teasingly.
He stared back at her wide eyed for a moment and finally grinned up at her, boxing her face with his fists and then grabbing two fistfuls of hair and trying to bite her nose.
She disentangled his fingers from her hair, got up, dusted herself off, and surveyed the tree again. Grasping the branch firmly with one hand, she found a hold along the bark of the trunk with the other and tried to lift herself with her arms as she placed a foot against the trunk to push up. That time she almost managed to lift herself high enough to get a more secure hold before she slipped and fell.
Cory laughed as she pin-wheeled her arms trying to catch her balance, lost the battle, and sat backwards on the ground hard enough to jar every tooth in her head. She looked at him ruefully, but his giggle was infectious, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m glad you think this is so funny, Mr. Man.”
Getting to her feet once more, she studied the tree again and finally walked all the way around it looking for a better place to try. The third time, she tried grabbing the limb with both hands and walking up the trunk while she supported
Not in a rush, and not with Cory in her arms.
She didn’t think there would’ve been any possibility of climbing with him even from the first when he’d been so thin. He was growing so rapidly now that she was having a hard time adjusting to his increasing size and weight. One would think, lifting him so many times a day, her strength would keep pace, but that wasn’t the case. It was harder and harder to lift him, harder to hold and carry him for any length of time. H e was getting stronger much faster than she was. He no longer lay still and passive. He lifted and held up his own head, wiggled and rolled over when she put him down, and tried to move as if he knew he could escape if only he could figure out how to use the arms and legs he could only flail ineffectually now.
He looked like a bobble head when he held up his head because he wasn’t quite strong enough to hold it steady. And when he tried to move, he looked like he was imitating a swimmer, but he was getting so strong so fast she thought it wouldn’t be long at all before he was sitting up by himself, and then racing around all over the place under his own steam.
Unfortunately, that could create even more problems for her, make it that much harder to protect him.
And none of that made any difference at all at this point.
On impulse, she snatched one of the curtains off the fake window as she started out the door with Cory. She’d seen women carrying babies around in a sort of sling. She doubted she could figure out how to form one with the curtain, but it was worth a try, because if she could she would have her arms free and at least stand a chance of climbing out of harm’s way.
Instead of crossing the yard to ‘visit’ with Consuelo as she usually did, after looking around cautiously, she examined the trees growing in her yard and headed for the one with the lowest growing branches.
Spreading the curtain on the ground, she settled Cory on it and planted her hands on her hips, studying the tree. She’d never climbed a tree before in her life. Her mother had hardly even let her out of the house--when she was really young because her mother was afraid she’d get hurt, or pick up germs. Later, her mother had kept her close because she just wasn’t physically able to chase her around the yard and as she grew older, because she was afraid a psycho would snatch her.
How hard could it be? Children climbed trees.
The first time she fell on her ass, Cory’s eyes widened for a split second and then he laughed.
Momentarily distracted by the sound, Bri turned to stare at him blankly for a split second before pleasure suffused her. Grinning like an idiot, she rolled over and crawled to him, pushing her face close to his and rubbing nose to nose. “Are you laughing at me, you bad old boy?” she demanded teasingly.
He stared back at her wide eyed for a moment and finally grinned up at her, boxing her face with his fists and then grabbing two fistfuls of hair and trying to bite her nose.
She disentangled his fingers from her hair, got up, dusted herself off, and surveyed the tree again. Grasping the branch firmly with one hand, she found a hold along the bark of the trunk with the other and tried to lift herself with her arms as she placed a foot against the trunk to push up. That time she almost managed to lift herself high enough to get a more secure hold before she slipped and fell.
Cory laughed as she pin-wheeled her arms trying to catch her balance, lost the battle, and sat backwards on the ground hard enough to jar every tooth in her head. She looked at him ruefully, but his giggle was infectious, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m glad you think this is so funny, Mr. Man.”
Getting to her feet once more, she studied the tree again and finally walked all the way around it looking for a better place to try. The third time, she tried grabbing the limb with both hands and walking up the trunk while she supported
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