Julian is a fantastic juggler, which his and MCs baby(or pets) LOVE, and MC learns how to juggle as well
Julian struggles through learning how to juggle to entertain baby (or pets) and breaks several things in the process.
Inspired by the fact that my partner can juggle, and quite well. I am significantly less coordinated, but our son absolutely loves watching juggling, and will walk up to me with a few round objects (usually balls but sometimes other things) and pretend to toss them in the air. He will then shove them into my hands and sign "please" until I try my best and inevitably fail. I've gotten better though.
That said, have a little scene-
It was too early. Of course, Julian didn't mind getting up with the baby on his days, he worked so late into the night that he didnt get to spend a lot of quality time with his boy. And MC had spent much of the first year up and down through the nights until the baby had been weaned and started sleeping through the night. Sleep was an easy thing to sacrifice when he thought about it, he had lost sleep for worse reasons. Somehow, though, it was still a challenge to make coffee. His hands were shaky in the morning, his grip weak until he moved around a little and did some stretches for his wrists. His son sat on the floor rolling a ball around. Julian sat beside him, waiting for his coffee to brew.
"Hey, little bear," he whispered into the mop of his son's soft hair. "Whatcha doin'?"
The baby stood and walked away. A toddler now, really. The first year felt so long through crying and sleepless nights and feedings every two hours, but looking back it felt like it was still barely a drop of time. The boy brought back another ball, picked up the first, and pushed them into his father's hands.
"Da." Assertive. Not a question, a demand. Julian took the toys but raised an eyebrow.
"That's not how you ask."
The boy made a circle on his chest with his palm, signed lazily, 'please'.
"You dont really want me to do this, you know I cant. Not like mama."
"Buddy I'll end up breaking something."
His son took the balls, threw them in the air, "Daaaaa!" He retrieved them and pushed them back into Julian's hands.
"Okay, little bear, but don't say I didnt warn you."
Julian began tossing one ball into the air, catching it each time but sometimes only barely. These weren't juggling balls, the two balls weren't even the same weight or size. But his baby clapped and laughed, and how could Julian stop now? He began tossing the other ball, just up and down, in his other hand. A bit more challenging but he managed. This pulled a squeal from the baby, encouraging Julian further.
"Okay, buddy, are you ready? Watch this!"
For three passes, the balls rose and fell, though Julian had to watch them carefully, and almost dropped them each time, landing in opposite hands. On the fourth pass, the heavier ball went it's own way, flying up and away from Julian's hand, straight for the fresh, just-finished mug of steaming hot coffee. For a moment time moved in patient ticks, a lazy clock pausing between each tock. Then, all at one, Julian had swooped up his son just before the mug fell, shattered, and spilled hot coffee across the floor in a spreading splash. After a beat in his father's arms, Julian's baby squealed and clapped, grinning wide, and signed 'please' again over and over.
Julian just stood there, bare feet in a quickly cooling puddle of coffee, holding his son to his shoulder, up and away from his mistake. But the boy was thrilled by the event. He turned incredulous eyes to his son.
"Your sense of danger is worse than your mothers'," he chuckled nervously, tears cracking his voice. A look of confusion passed over his sons face, then concern. Was that concern? Hard to read a baby's expressions- while Julian was musing, the boy wrapped his chubby arms around his daddy's face, hugging his head to his baby-belly. After a few gentle smacks of his chubby hand, he let go of his father.
"That's right, little bear. I'm your Da."
