A Good Baby

Thumper got his nickname because of his unusually strong legs: first in utero, always kicking, kicking, kicking, then as a newborn, and it's still the first thing doctors and nurses comment on to this day.  But it also suited his personality: constantly moving, bouncing, high-energy.  In recent months he's finally started to get a bit more snuggly, but if he sits too long, or gets held too tight, he reacts like a cat being bathed.  He has a cousin the same age who is nearly his complete opposite, so that contrast made his wiggliness all the more noticeable.

However, you'd never know this about him to see him in public.  Whether in Ergo or stroller, he's much more still and reserved, compounded recently by the shy phase he's entered.  Some days when we get home from running errands I swear I see him breathe a sigh of relief, so I can't tell if it's because he's out of his element or just interested in the world around him.  At any rate, it's easy for me to forget that others don't see him the way I do.

Everyone likes to comment on babies, and I get tons of small talk about Thumper.  But I was surprised when the comments turned into, "He's so quiet."  "So laid-back."  "Such a good, quiet baby."

I have no idea what to say in these situations, for several reasons.  First, it throws me because I do not think of Thumper as quiet or laid-back.  Not stressed or stressful, but not docile, either.  But also, it's clearly meant as a compliment - he's quiet, he's "good."

So I have no idea what to say.  The first few times I was so surprised I blurted out something like, "Oh, you don't see him at home!  He's all action there."  But then it sounds like I'm disagreeing that he's a "good baby."  Of course I think he's the best baby.

But then I also sort of disagree with the notion of a "good baby."  As opposed to what?  He's a baby, a person, with his natural tendencies toward this or that and at this point none of them are negative.  Am I supposed to be saying "thank you" to this assessment that he's "good?"  Even if you consider his tendency to be quieter out in public being "well-behaved," it's not through anything I've done, or because he has some sense of propriety - he's just distracted or unsure.  So am I supposed to be taking credit for this "good behavior"?  Good behavior that sometimes even looks like discomfort to me?

Then again, maybe it's just all my own awkwardness.  I'm similarly unsure what to say when someone comments on his looks.  Again, "Thanks" sounds like I'm taking credit, when frankly he's cuter than either me or the Yeti.  Usually I say something like, "I agree, but I'm biased," which is probably what I'll stick with on the "good" comments too.  Because I do agree, he is a good baby.  Whatever a good baby is.  Quiet or shrieking like a pterodactyl.  He's the best.