Ethan was fascinated by his birthday balloons, even though they remained lofted out of reach for a week. Eventually, the helium escaped and they came down to his level. We knew then it was only a matter of time until Ethan learned one of a balloon’s distinctive properties. We were concerned that he would be traumatized by the sound, but the balloon was spongy enough to dampen it to just a Buo-sized pop.
