Changes

Last summer we thought we had it kinda figured out.  As soon as Jack would go to sleep, we would put him into his infant carseat and head to American Ice Company in the afternoon for a beer or head out to dinner in the evenings.  Jack went to a number of our favorite restaurants this way, blissfully sleeping while Mom and Dad had the allusion of "feeling like their old selves again".  All that has now changed.  Jack is walking.  And not just walking, he starts at a dead sprint and doesn't stop until he crashes into something or falls down.   (Truthfully, his balance is pretty good and he can go for a while, especially now that he figured out how to turn around.) It is absolutely terrifying to be in the kitchen doing something for a very quick minute, thinking Jack is playing in his room, to all of a sudden look up and see him sauntering in like he has known how to walk his entire life and this is nothing new.

This past Saturday, Michael and I wanted to attempt our old American Ice Company afternoon beer outing.  We packed up the diaper bag with all of the essentials - namely Goldfish crackers and puffs, and headed downstairs.  We stayed for a very quick beer before going directly to the playground where we saw every other toddler in our building with their parents.

I guess this is our "new selves" - parents of a very active toddler.  And lesson learned, next time we attempt the afternoon beer, it better be at a place that has a high chair for Jack's containment and sweet potato fries for Jack's entertainment.