The Beginning of Fear

The other evening, Keltan and I were in the front yard, between the driveway and the front porch.  I forget what i was doing, perhaps rolling up the hose, but I finished and started to walk up the steps.  Keltan was about 15 or 20 feet away.  It was dusk, with a little bit of light left, though not much.  Keltan realized that Daddy had left the spot where he was standing, and panicked.  He started fussing - not the little fuss of someone walking into a different room or putting him down.  No, this was an all-out "I'm out here alone in the dark in a great big world and I have no daddy here to protect me" type of cry.  I had to step back down and get him, and it took a couple of minutes to get him calmed down.  I had hopes that he wouldn't go through this phase, because previously he had not demonstrated any kind of fear about anything.  
Another instance he has exhibited some fear is with Raleigh.  Now, for anyone that doesn't know, Raleigh is our 75 pound lab/chow mix dog.  He is very docile, patient, and the sweetest dog you will ever meet.  He is only ferocious to those that meet him on the other side of the glass door as he charges it full speed with a crazy-loud bark.  That bark is the subject of this story.  Keltan likes to play chase, though he is not very good at the concept.  He will go running off through the kitchen as I follow on all fours.  About halfway through the kitchen, he forgets that he is supposed to be running, and turns around to chase me!  We will turn around and run back into the den, where I will attempt to dodge him, bowl through Raleigh who is most of the time blocking my path, and go into the kitchen.  Keltan will come running after me, laughing like crazy.  Of course, Rals thinks this is great fun, and wants to join.  His way of joining is barking with all his might, directly behind Keltan.  
Now, I wish I could describe the look on Keltan's face when this happens.  I want to capture it on film, but as these things go, the camera is never there when he does it, and when I have the camera, he doesn't do it.  But, his face will go from pure laughter to wide-eyed, pursed lips, and the most serious face you will ever find!  He kicks into high gear and chugs into my waiting arms full speed.  I grab him, give him a big hug, then we call Raleigh over and give him pettings.  Then we proceed to do it all over again.
He loves to be read to.  He brought me a book as I was sitting in his bedroom rocking chair a few nights ago.  We generally try to read 3-4 books each night before bed.  I think his favorite is a silly little book called "Pajama Time."  While reading this book, I do my best to imitate one Stanley Dickson - all the energy and excitement I can muster, and with little thought to being quiet.  I often imagine Dad reading this book to Keltan and think of the fun that could be observed.  Needless to say, I try to not end on this book.  I have to bring him back down with a book about the two nutbrown hares - "Guess How Much I Love You."  After I get him in bed, I ask the question "Why bother?  Shouldn't I just put him in our bed, since that is most likely where he will end up in 4 - 5 hours?"  That's right - he hates to sleep alone. Now and then, he will actually fall back asleep after crying and screaming for a few minutes, though most times he will scream and/or bang on his crib for a couple hours until Mommy finally can't take it anymore.  You know all that expert advice from the experts on child-raising?  Yeah, go ahead and throw the section on bedtime in the garbage.
Yesterday (sunday), we went to Rockwall to eat lunch and run an errand.  In between, we stopped at Lowe's to get some windows ordered.  Keltan was a little energetic (what a surprise!), so we found a rather deserted aisle (the bathroom vanity section), and I let him run up and down the aisle.  I think he logged over 2 trips to the moon during his time on the floor, but that still wasn't enough!  He was not very happy when I had to put him in the buggy, though I was able to keep him a little distracted with my NASCAR style driving - 2 wheel cornering, squealing wheels, motor sounds.  He thought, in fact, that it was quite funny.  While Mommy was checking out, I took him outside and let him wonder around in the outdoor grills display.  Quite the little handful, he is!  But I wouldn't trade it for anything in the whole entire world!