So many firsts!

We went to the park today! Getting ready to go was far more drama than it needed to be, in my opinion. I have a double stroller, but I couldn’t figure out how to open it. So I set it against a wall and went to get the single stroller ~ but Caleb assumed that we just weren’t going or something. So he started dragging this ginormous stroller across the living room, shrieking like a teeny banshee. And HE hasn’t ridden in the stroller for months, but the second I tried to put Gavi in it, he threw another tantrum. So Caleb rode in the stroller and Gavi rode in his kangaroo pouch on Mommy’s chest.

Caleb stayed in the stroller until we got to the edge of the park, then I let him loose to chase birds and squirrels. Then at the playground, there were a bunch of little girls for him to play with ~ but for once, he just stared at them instead of joining them. He was unusually shy! There was one little girl who was two and a half who was doing the kind of things that Caleb usually does – scaring the pee out of her parents! I thought for sure that he would join her in her daredevil-y-ness, but no such luck.

On the way home, Caleb insisted on pushing the stroller. Since Gavi was still across my front, I let him. Caleb’s pushing of the stroller consists of pulling the handle down to his level, which raises the front wheels to an even higher level. Steering is tough because he’s only got two wheels on the ground and absolutely no way of seeing past the front. When I try to help steer or push he throws an unholy fit. I need to get a picture or video of it sometime, actually! Anyway, I was fine with that while we were in the park, but when we were crossing streets, I needed to help him steer and go a little faster. He actually threw himself down in the middle of the street to protest my helping. I grabbed him by the arm and dragged him the rest of the way across the first time. The second time, there were actually cars waiting on us to cross. SO humiliating! He got a pretty good smack for that one.

Part of both of our problems was that by the time we got home, we’d been gone for more than three hours. I was tired and thirsty, he was tired and thirsty, and Gavi was HUNGRY! It made for a cranky threesome.

Caleb will lay down with Gavi during tummy time, and when I put him on his back finally, Caleb rolls over. He will clock a lot of time patting Gavi on the back and saying “Shh” this year, too. It’s so fun.

As for me, I’ve been looking for silver linings in my facial situation. Honestly, I could do an infomercial for a cheap botox knockoff or something. If you drew a line down the middle of my face and compared them as a before and after shot, I could convince someone to use anti-aging meds – there are NO wrinkles on the left side of my face! When I raise my eyebrows, only the right one raises, and it wrinkles up my forehead something fierce. When I smile – no smile lines on the left side! C’mon, find joy in adversity!

Jonny and Caleb are dancing to Paula Abdul in the kitchen as I type this. Jonathan just joked that Caleb is “doomed to be a white boy,” because they’re clapping to the music. It’s so bouncy!