One-track mind

The walking obsession continues. Liam wakes up in the morning, gets dressed, eats breakfast, and then he makes a beeline for the hippo so he can do laps around the house. Same thing at night when we come home from Cindy’s – it’s as if none of his other toys even exist anymore. At night this is a good thing; he will happily walk laps around the house for half an hour while I make dinner. There is even a cargo area of sorts inside the hippo, which has recently been discovered. Now as Liam walks his laps, he collects things as he goes: a sock, a stuffed animal, a book… he looks like a homeless man pushing all his worldly belongings along in a shopping cart. His skills have improved dramatically; he used to get stuck in the corners and behind the furniture, which would lead to screaming, but now he is a pro at backing up and swinging the hippo around corners and maneuvering past any type of obstacle. I worry a bit that he enjoys using the hippo almost too much, so that there is very little incentive for him to learn to walk on his own. If I try to take his hand and help him without the hippo, he gives me an earful, so I don’t push the issue. Even if the hippo delays things a bit, I’m sure he will be running around on his own soon.