Monday, January 28, 2008

I don't care how we get there, as long as we get there

When Casey turned to me last night and said, "It's supposed to be in the 60's tomorrow!" I knew there was at least one thing I had to do, and that was take Miles on a walk. Or just take him outside, because it's been so cold and dreary lately! Any chance of sunshine means a chance of more smiles. (Incidentally, I'm wondering more and more if I am over-affected by seasonal stuff. I can get pretty down when it hasn't been sunny for a while, and then I feel so energized just by having sun stream through the windows!)

It's always much easier for me to make plans in the evening for the following day because I'm such a night owl. But when morning comes...I really have to talk myself into doing the things I want/need to do. I told Casey to take the pickup just in case Miles and I went out (the car seat stays in the car), all the while thinking to myself, "But first let me get some breakfast and then see how I feel." After eating breakfast -- and sharing part of it with Miles, the stinker -- I needed to prepare a new crockpot recipe for our evening meal (creamy red potato soup, yum!). After that was done...well, I could just see that what Miles needed was some time outdoors. What I needed was some time outdoors, and if tomorrow comes and it is gray and bitter cold once again I would regret not going out.

Sometimes (read: most times) it is a pain getting a toddler ready to go somewhere. Part of the reason is that you have to make sure they have a diaper that will hold for a while, you might have to put different or extra clothes on them (Miles was still in his footy jammies), snacks might be needed depending on what time you're going out and/or how long you'll be out, etc. And I don't even consider myself one who has to get lots of things together to go somewhere with him! Another thing is that, until your child can totally understand what's going on, he or she might not be as gung-ho as you are to get changed and get into the car. I can tell Miles until I'm blue in the face that we are going on a walk, but then all he wants to do is just go outside and go walking. He doesn't get the idea of driving to the walk park first. Well, he partly does, but there is an impatience factor in there. You get the idea.

We arrived at Lake Patsy, which is partially under some kind of construction, so part of it is blocked off. No prob, since the place is so big we just had to go a certain distance and then turn around and that was actually enough for me. I set Miles in his little fold-up seat in his wagon and buckled him in, then put his little knitted hat on his head (which was originally intended for Casey but it was my first attempt and didn't quite fit) and a blanket around his legs. This awesome wagon also comes equipped with cupholders, so I set his juice cup in one and handed him a small tupperware container half-filled with Goldfish. Is this kid spoiled or what? Really, though, I just want him to be comfy and enjoy the ride enough that I can get a good walk in myself. After all, this is not just about the kid. But oh, how I wished I'd had my camera with me! He looked so cute and funny all bundled up in there, especially with his little hat on his head while he ate his snacks and took sips of juice, turning to look around at all the trees and other scenery. I would check on him every so often, looking back and smiling, and several times he would respond with a little wave of his hand. All the changing, fussing, snack preparation, whining...it was all worth it in the end. Okay, maybe not the whining. The whining I can do without.

1 comment:

Leah Maria said...

I bet you are happy you went out yesterday! Today is such a dreary day. It was nice to see the sun shining for a change yesterday--it perks me up as well when I see the rays shining through.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...