Adventures in Strolling

Baby toes, ready for licking.

Jane and I have been doing our best to go for a stroll around the neighborhood most afternoons -- after work but before dinner. It's hot, but not as hot as it's going to get. I lather up baby toes with sunblock, snap a hat on her head and put her under the canopy of her stroller. Away we go.

Yesterday we met a lady walking her two dogs. One of the dogs loves babies and was at just the right height to lick some baby toes. Jane didn't mind at all! The only weird thing I guess was that the lady thought Jane was a boy. That rolled off our backs and we kept on moving, saying goodbye to our new puppy friends.

At the park, which I don't like walking to because there's no sidewalk for part of the way where three roads intersect, there was one other family there -- two little boys with their parents. The parents were under the pavilion on their iPhones while the boys, complete with un-ironic mohawks, ran around the play ground. We said hello as Jane and I entered the park, and we walked past their car -- a beat up hoopty with its windows down. It had an overpowering stench of dirt, cigarette smoke and other yuck.

I put Jane in a swing and she watched the boys going crazy. The woman ran to her car and grabbed a white towel, folded it up and put it in front of Jane in the swing seat to make her more comfortable. It's actually an ingenious idea, and I'll have to put a receiving blanket in the bottom of Jane's stroller to use the next time we hit the park.

I said thank you, but what I really wanted to say was "get that away from my daughter!" Since who knows where the towel had been and what it smelled like. NOT a very nice thought, and even in the moment I was ashamed of myself. I forced myself to at least act gracious, even though I didn't feel like being gracious at all.

We swang a while longer, Jane actually more comfortable with the towel but still not in love with swinging. Just as another family arrived -- a mom and two little kids -- the older boy already at the park whipped around a corner on a scooter and fell -- hitting his head. He burst into tears, but was OK. The little brother starts running toward him saying "Oh SHIT!" The parents make their way toward him too -- and it was awkward and funny because we were all already staring at the crying boy to make sure he was OK.

Just an example of little pitchers having big ears I guess.

Jane and I stayed a bit longer -- talking to the other mom whose 2 year old got on the swing next to Jane's and then headed back home, excited to tell Shawn about our adventures in strolling.