sidewalk scribbling

Babies (from my extensive experience of raising just one for approximately eight months), it seems, are naturally joyous creatures. On the rare occasions when I wake up before Zain, I get to see how he wakes up... a yawn, a stretch that couldn't be cuter if it was done by a big eyed Pixar cartoon - and within fifteen seconds he is wide awake and absolutely delighted. It doesn't matter if it's dark and dreary outside, or cold, or whether he had a bad night. It is a new day and he can bring his stocky legs all the way up and taste his toes, and what could be more wonderful than that? From the misty eyed bewilderment of a newborn to the studious gazing and tentative touching of a 3 month old, Zain, at almost 8 months, is now constantly leaping and stretching for anything and everything like an overzealous acrobat or new yoga enthusiast. Everything is exciting and inviting and mesmerising, things we don't notice anymore, like the cloudy vapours escaping the kettle, or