On a Wing and a Prayer

During the course of the day I mentally jot down all of the things I want to remember, that I want to tell you about, when I finally sit down to write it all out.  But today, the mental page that I wrote all my thoughts out on either got thrown away or blown away with the gusting wind, so I'm winging it.

It has been in the 30s this week, with the wind blowing and the evening sky as crisp, clear, and breathtaking as a thin sheet of ice.  We took a quick family walk around the big loop of our neighborhood, checking on 'Rad every few minutes to make sure he wasn't shivering out of his baby booties.  He was fast asleep, so I didn't feel too terrible that I didn't have any winter wear to put him in while we were out.  But lo and behold, when we got back to the house I noticed a package sitting just inside the front porch.  Big thanks to 'Rad's Auntie Tuesday for outfitting him with his first snow suit!

I freaking love this snow suit.  It's not only functional, but it has ears on the hood (you can see them if you look really closely at the second picture)!  Put ears on a piece of kids' clothing and I'm sold.  When we put him in it, 'Rad lay happily ensconced, graciously letting us coo and fawn over him before starting to fuss.  He'll grow to love that snowsuit.  I already do.

This came out really dark, but you should be able to hear Z and 'Rad conversing

It's a real juggling act for both Z and I to get quality time with Connor during the week.  It's even more difficult for us to both get alone time with him in the same evening.  Tonight though, we made it happen.  While I put dinner together, Z clucked and chatted with 'Rad, helping him sit up, racking up some tummy-time, and just being a dad with a new baby.  Their sounds were beautiful and made me feel so peaceful and happy.  It felt, for a minute, like we knew what we were doing and that we were completely confident in being parents.  Such a rare feeling but an incredibly important one, even if just for a fleeting moment.

Their voices were especially musical because we didn't have the tv on.  I don't consider us heavy tv watchers, but we usually have the boob tube on as background noise.  Sometimes we make a quick pit stop on the couch between errands while 'Rad snoozes.  Lately though, I've noticed 'Rads eyes drawn to the colors and pictures moving on the tv screen.  I try to make sure that he's can't see it, but he always finds a way to crane that little neck around and see what's playing.

It strikes fear in my heart when I see him trying to watch tv, but I have to admit that I'm not willing to completely cut it out of our evening routine.  Z and my routine, that is (tv doesn't figure into 'Rad's routine in the least).  Does doing what I need to do to be a relaxed version of myself make me a bad parent if it means my kid's first words will probably be "Sheldon," "Leonard," or "Raj"?  Ok, so it's not nearly that bad, honestly, the kid doesn't technically "watch" any tv at all, but I am concerned about how much draw the tv  has on his little peepers.  But, that's all up to me.