Milestones - Benedict Cumberbatch (Daddybatch Fluff!)

On the move -- 9 months

9 months

"Eloise, NO!" Benedict said firmly. Her pace slowed, but she didn't stop her determined crawl toward the doorway. Benedict set his book down and stood up, crossing the lounge in a couple of easy strides. He towered over his daughter, who looked up at him with big eyes.

"You are a terror," Benedict declared bending down and sweeping her up into his arms. "A little ginger ninja" he grinned, burying his face in her stomach as she wriggled, eager to get back onto the floor to continue exploring. "The stairs are a dangerous place for someone like you."

He kicked the door to, and took his daughter as far away across the room as possible from the death trap she seemed so fascinated with. He sat down cross legged on the floor, depositing Eloise squarely on her bottom opposite him. She held her balance in a sitting position for a second, before planting her hands down and launching forward on hands and knees.

"Not so fast, you," Ben grabbed her around the waist and put her back on her bottom. She gazed at him and yelled "AAH" before shoving her hand in her mouth and chewing gummily.

"How about we play your favourite game?" Benedict leaned forward and covered his face with his hands. "Oh no, Ellie-belly, where's Daddy gone?"

Eloise's sticky hand thumped Ben's arm and she hollered at him. "BAA!" When this didn't achieve the desired result of revealing Daddy's face, she turned the volume up: "BAA-BAAA-BAA-BAA!"

Ben gasped theatrically as he moved his hands. "Look who it is!" 

Eloise squealed excitedly, kicking her feet and nearly toppling over backwards in the process. Ben tickled her chin and she burst into a drooling giggle. As soon as he stopped, her grin faded to a look of concentration and she was once again propelling herself forward at speed toward the door.

"You have the attention span of a goldfish, child." Ben followed her on all fours. 

"BAA" she agreed solemnly. Just as she reached the door, she was once again foiled by Ben's arms around her. "AaaaAAAHH!" she shrieked irritably.

"Fine. You win, ginger ninja," he scooped her up again and took her back toward the sofa. Stopping just next to the sofa, he knelt down, standing Eloise on her feet next to the edge of the sofa cushions. She wobbled unsteadily on her feet and grasped the arm of the sofa. She managed a couple of vaguely co-ordinated steps before falling backward, quickly caught by her father's hands. Undeterred, she pulled herself to standing again and managed another couple of steps with the assistance of Daddy and sofa.

"Let's see if we can't have you walking before Alex was... Not that it's a competition, of course. But look at you go!" Ben clapped encouragingly.

Eloise had successfully made it to the other end of the sofa and was looking keenly around for her next hand hold. Dropping to a crawl, she headed to the coffee table and pulled herself to a stand. She looked uncertainly at Benedict as he moved a hand to support her back. "AH-BA!" She drummed a fist on the table.

"AH-BA!" she repeated more urgently.

"What do you want?"

Eloise's bottom lip trembled, a sure sign of an immenient tantrum. "What?" Benedict repeated curiously. She looked at him, her pale blue eyes shining with tears.

"Ohhhhh, that's who you want," Benedict reached forward and retrieved the plush butterfly from the other side of the coffee table. He handed it to his daughter, and instantly the tears were gone. "AHH-AH-AH-AH."

She sat down with a heavy thud, and shoved one of the butterfly's rather well-loved wings into her mouth. Benedict settled on the sofa and picked up his book again. Eloise took the toy out of her mouth, her interest already lost, and crawled over to where she'd previously discarded her plastic sippy cup. Despite the non-spill design of the cup, within moments she was a damp, drooly mess of juice.

Benedict appraised her from his spot on the sofa and sighed affectionately.  "Three costume changes in two hours really is excessive, you know. Even in Hamlet there are only two," he wittered away to her. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up... again."