Piggy-back maneuvers

Ben is obsessed with piggy-backs. This is part of his highly advanced miming technique, since his only regular spoken language is "eh, eh, eh..." ad nauseam. He leads us by hand to the steps, then gets behind us, reaching up. Yeah, we get it, buddy. You want a ride.

Recently he has also started tucking his hands between his chest and my back, just like he does sometimes when we carry him. This is clearly not acceptable form for a piggy-back ride, and I certainly wouldn't want it to lead to bullying at school, so I try to correct it - "no, you have to hold on..."

Tonight a little more strategery was needed on Ben's part, since he had a sippy cup of water in his hand. I offered to carry it for him, but was refused with a hearty "NAH!". Okkkay.

But he still has to hold on. I could almost see the gears turning in his little head, underneath that mop of hair. He was determined. Even after the ride had started, he was still trying to figure out how to hold the cup and me at the same time. It ended up wedged under his chin, with his thumb holding it in place, and maybe his other fingers grazing my shirt. Don't think that was going to break your fall much, kid, but whatever floats your boat.