Barnabas Monkeypants

It has been really, really cold in Chicago the past few weeks, with several days of snow and slush (just to make it oh-so-much more pleasant) that have made life quite difficult. Because of this, we really haven’t taken Henry out of the house much other than a trip to the doctor’s on Wednesday.

This isn’t so terrible for Henry because, well, inside or out, he’s pretty much happy either way (and we have a vitamin supplement we give him so compensate for his lack of sunshine). For Kristen and I, on the other hand, it can get a bit claustrophobic. Last week when I was home Monday through Wednesday, I didn’t leave the house any of those days. Think about that: I didn’t leave the house. Next thing you know, I’m going to be one of those shut-ins with 8 years of newspapers stacked up in the living room and tin foil covering the windows.

It’s difficult because, while any time we take Henry outside, he’s properly bundled and we don’t fear frostbite, we’d also rather not take the chance of him getting sick. So, we stay inside and think about that move to San Diego.

So other than the bitter cold that has taken control of our lives, what have we learned this week?

We learned that as much as Kristen and I enjoyed having a visit from my cousin and her husband, we’re very sad that the trip my sister and her husband were planning on making this weekend will have to be rescheduled. Some family issues have forced a delay until January or February, and both Kristen and I (and Henry, because although he hasn’t actually said anything, we all know how empathetic he is) hope everything works out for the best.

We learned that Henry has grown out some of my favorite outfits. No more striped sweat pants. No more raccoon pajamas. No more sleeveless monkey jumper. This is devestating to me for a couple of reasons. First off, I’m one of the cheapest people on the planet, so while I love having and looking at cute baby clothes, I’m not so fond of actually buying them. Second, I like the idea of having clothing long-term. Okay, not only do I like the idea, I like having clothes for a long time. I think I have some underpants from college. I like that some sweaters of mine are nice and soft and full of holes. I like that my jeans have molded into the lumpy shape of my body (I’m sure that’s an image none of you want in your heads). And I don’t know when Henry will get that same well-worn feeling.

We learned that while having a video camera is great, you always have to be on the ready to catch the perfect moment. Unfortunately that perfect moment is usually just that… a moment. We must learn to be on the ready, or we’ll miss the first time Henry decides to do something as exciting as, say, “Dada” or “Mama.” Gotta catch that.

And we learned that Henry’s newest trick is quite possibly the best ever. This past week, after he wakes up from a nap, groggy but happy, you can pick him up, hold him close to you, and he’ll wrap his arms around your neck and lean his head against your shoulder. Best. Week. Ever.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 11th, 2008 at 10:55 pm and is filed under What We've Learned. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.