Summer fun for cheapskates

These summer days can get rather long and boring, so I've been trying to come up with fun things to do with Perrin. We're taking full advantage of our library's programs--story time on Thursday mornings plus special events throughout the week. But I still have lots of free time to fill.

Today I decided I wanted to take Perrin on a mommy/son date. But where to go? There are actually LOTS of things to do--if you have money to spend. The tricky thing is finding stuff to do for free. So I loaded him in the car and drove into North Little Rock, not exactly sure what we would end up doing. Then I spotted Petsmart. Perfect! I gave Perrin the unofficial tour and let him press his face against the rodents' glass homes (he liked the guinea pigs the best). He was also rather fascinated with the lizards and birds. Then we visited the aquarium. He even said "fish!" (Well, sort of. He actually said, "ish" but I knew what he meant.) By the look on his face, you would have thought we were at the zoo. He had a blast.

Next stop: the indoor amusement park! Also known as Toys-R-Us. Against my better mommy judgment, I let him loose in the store instead of putting him in a shopping cart. There were a few times I had to straighten up an aisle after he'd gone down it, but for the most part he was pretty good. He tickled Elmo and danced with Micky. He threw a ball at me. He test drove a car and rode a rocking bull. I could almost hear him thinking, "WHY exactly have you never taken me here before?"

We were pretty hot and thirsty, and it just happened to be happy hour at Sonic. I ordered a large cherry limeade and brought Perrin into the front seat with me while we were parked to help me drink it. He was far more interested in pushing the buttons on my radio, so we ended up listening to lots of static and a few pieces of country songs. But whatever, it was his date so I left it up to him.

After a quick stop by a park to go down the slide once or twice, we headed back home. And of course, he threw a screaming temper tantrum along the way. It's a good thing because our date surely wouldn't have been complete without that.

Looking back

With summer in full swing, I've been thinking a lot lately about what last summer was like for me. I was just starting to spread the news that I was pregnant. My jeans were getting tighter, I was throwing up nearly every morning, and February seemed like such a loooong time to wait for the baby to get here. At times, I actually really enjoyed being pregnant... but last summer was NOT one of those times. I remember one morning, I opened the fridge to find some breakfast and I saw a packet of ranch dressing. Then I turned around and hurled in the sink. Because of a stupid packet of ranch dressing! (By the way, I really like ranch dressing. Why it was so gross to me that morning, I'll never know. Pregnancy makes you weird... that's the only explanation).

Well, February came a lot sooner than I was expecting it to, and as much as pregnancy changed my life, nothing has changed my life as much as having a baby and taking care of him day in and day out. And as tough as morning sickness and first-trimester fatigue are, they are nothing compared to caring for an infant. So I have to say that this summer is even tougher than last summer.

It's strange to think about how much my life has changed in a year. But I'm glad it has. Perrin's sitting on my lap trying to help me type, and he's just so cute and sweet! Yeah, he's a lot of work. And sometimes he's cranky and irritating and won't go to sleep. And he poops a lot and spits up on my clothes and sometimes cries for no reason. But he's the best baby in the whole world. I even forgive him for making me throw up so much last year.

Summer fun

Given how much Perrin likes taking baths, my parents decided he needed a pool. So they went out and bought him one. I was imagining a tiny kiddie pool that I could barely fit my big toe in. But no--this is a mammoth kiddie pool: 8 feet in diameter and nearly 3 feet deep. They bought him a floatie too so I wouldn't have to hold him the whole time (but given the giganticness of the pool, I actually feel a little more comfortable holding him anyway).

We dipped Perrin's feet in it the first day, and he didn't like the cold water and immediately starting crying. So sad. But after just a couple days of the pool sitting out in the sun, it was a nice temperature, and we tested it out again. Perrin seemed to really like it! At least, he didn't cry this time.

Here he is, all cute in his floatie.