And then our baby stands there, just stands there. So clearly upright, unbent, unencumbered (though he does seem to sway a little, but maybe this impression is misleading), that we can only marvel (no acrobatic stunt, no feat of physical prowess practiced a thousand times would astonish us more). It is (again) the perfection of the beginning. Perfect standing, without previous practice, just a few attempts that are more directed at determining the right moment and exploring the space. Not even the observation of our standing (as a model) is of any significance. With his standing, our baby has surprised us more than himself. He stands as if as a matter of course and seeks nothing less than our approval and our applause (though he has no objection to either). Then we notice that every time he stands, stands there, he is holding something in his hand (a wooden egg, a finger puppet, the screw top of a water bottle), but this, we notice, is a different theme (not entirely different, a connection with his standing does suggest itself), but if we were to look into it more closely, the moment of staying in a standing position (which the baby knows how to stretch interminably), the moment that precedes the step, that heralds it, or doesn’t, would escape us: Here, then, is where we stand.