Thank Goodness Spring Is Back

Sorry I got on a roll there, blogging something like four days in a row, and then disappeared for a few days. You'll be thrilled to hear my absence from blogworld was due to busy-ness not sickness this time. This whole week has been go-go-go, and it's such a wonderful change. It feels great coming home at the end of the day totally exhausted but content. I like feeling exhausted from activity not illness.

Wednesday wasn't super busy, but Patrick and I did get out of the house for a short errand in the afternoon. We went to Babies R Us to pick up a few things for Thursday's anticipated outing. Of course we left the store with a few more things than were on our shopping list, but I restrained myself. It was great just being out, but on a relaxed schedule, not a doctor's schedule like Monday and Tuesday. I felt a little silly at first because I've grown so accustomed to talking to Patrick when it's just the two of us at home, and I ask him serious questions as though I expect him to hold a real conversation with me. I was doing that at the store too. I felt like I was talking to myself and that all the other moms with their little babies would be laughing at me. Then I realized that Patrick was talking back with me, even if I couldn't understand what he was saying. It would have been weirder if I let him jabber at me without acknowledging he was trying to get my attention. The only reason the other moms weren't talking to their kids was that their kids were little babies, unable to do much more than scream yet. It's great having an excuse for talking to myself finally!

Yesterday, Patrick and I got together with my friend Lauren, who is in town visiting her parents. She has a nearly-two-year-old son Will who came with her (I don't envy her making that flight alone with a two-year-old). It was so much fun hanging out with them. This was the first time in a really long time that Patrick had been around another kid anywhere near his own age. It was interesting watching them interact. Patrick wasn't nearly as timid or selfish as I thought he might be. We may have to work on the concept of personal space with him, though. His first instinct when he saw Will, just barely awake from his nap, was to toddle right up to him and start poking at the buttons on his shirt and grabbing at his pacifier (remember Patrick hasn't taken one since he was about six months old; he was curious what it even was). Will was a good sport about it, thank goodness, but I felt a little bad that he woke up from his nap to find another kid had invaded his grandparents' home, was playing with his toys, and wanted to grab his pacifier. Poor kid.

One of the big draws of going to visit Lauren--other than, you know, getting to hang out with a friend--is that her parents' house has a pool. Patrick and I got to go swimming for the first time this season. That's why we had to go to Babies R Us first; Patrick had obviously outgrown his swimsuit from last year (although not his swim diapers, oddly enough). The weather couldn't have cooperated better. It was gloriously warm and sunshiny without being hot. Between the warm sun and the warm water cascading into the pool from their adjacent spa, the water felt like bath water--just the way I like it. The boys had a lot of fun being carried around back and forth through the water, and Patrick squealed with delight every time he splashed us, which happened way too many times to remember during the afternoon. The best part is that despite being in direct sunlight for about an hour in the afternoon sun, none of us ended up sunburned. Usually it doesn't matter how much sunscreen I apply; I'm almost guaranteed to end up with at least a pink patch somewhere. I have yet to discover one on either Patrick or myself. I'm quite impressed with that cheap sunscreen.

Patrick played hard, both in the pool and out, and I was surprised that he managed to stay awake all the way until we got home. He didn't fuss at all when I put him straight down for a nap, though. He was an exhausted kid, probably just as worn out as I was. The exhaustion was completely worth it. We both had a blast yesterday.

Here are a few pictures from the afternoon. You'll notice that there are no swimming pictures. For one, it's difficult to take a picture when we were both holding kids. I also didn't want to get the camera wet; I'm just clumsy enough that I would have dropped it in the pool. Besides, both Lauren and I are pregnant and neither of us has a maternity bathing suit. We were making do with normal bathing suits, and at least in my case, it was bordering on obscene (think big ghost-white belly jutting out between the two pieces of what should be a sexy bikini). We had a good reason to be camera-shy until we made it back into normal clothes.

Patrick and Will just before swimming
A close-up of Patrick and his swimsuit (we got sandals to match)

Lauren and me--It was pure coincidence that we are dressed nearly as twins. By the way, she's about 25 weeks along with a little girl.

The four of us in the only picture where we were all facing the camera--too many distractions for the active boys