First Ice Cream Cone

PHOTOS TO COME IF WE CAN TRANSFER THE PHOTOS OFF OF MY CELL PHONE CAMERA; THERE SEEMS TO BE A MALFUNCTION.

I am feeling particularly grateful today to get to stay home full time with John and future children. I was running an errand, toddler tagging along as usual, when I stopped into Bruster's Ice Cream where I ordered a single scoop, presuming I would share it with John. The woman behind the counter offered John a "baby cone"--a little cone with about one ounce of ice cream, which is free--so I accepted it.

Before I knew it, John was trying to eat his first ice cream cone (ice cream in an actual cone versus a bowl with me spoon-feeding him). We sat in the sun at an outdoor table beneath an umbrella and John made an absolute mess of himself (of course, I had ordered chocolate). He had the most fun and after he had polished off his cone, he signed for MORE.

As I sat there, I thought how glad I was that his first ice cream cone wasn't had on a field trip with his daycare center. Thanks to my husband's support (philosophical and financial) that we would do everything possible to avoid putting our children into paid care outside the home, even if our financial circumstances were dramatically reduced, I've been there for every first John has ever had. I've been there when I'm washing dishes while music is playing and suddenly my baby and I start waltzing around the room, having fun. I've been there every time he's been sick or tired from a rough night or just cranky for mysterious toddler reasons. I've never had to leave him unhappy with paid caregivers. And I've been there for countless times when I'm exhausted, aggravated, irritated, and think I can't take another moment or provide any more care giving, lest I go insane. I'm very grateful to my husband for sharing this goal!

I have a friendly acquaintance--who gave up her law career to stay home with her children--whose littlest son was diagnosed with leukemia a few months ago at age two. I remember getting that email from her one day when her son was first rushed to the hospital and she was told, "I don't know if he is going to be okay." Those kind of things hitting close to home make a parent think. We all feel sure that we will predecease our children, but if something tragic were to happen to John, I would be forever grateful that I got to spend all this time with him.

After John and I got home today, I recounted our adventure back to John, which is something I've recently begun doing. "We had so much fun today. We went in the vroom vroom to the ice cream store. And then you ate an ice cream cone and it was so yummy! Then we got back into the vroom vroom and went to another store. And that's where you told the nice lady 'bye bye!' And then we drove in the vroom vroom and came home to see Daddy!"

John kept piping in to my story, saying, "Cone! Yum! CONE! YUM!" And I felt so grateful to be there to share that spontaneous baby moment with that "baby cone," which I don't think is a small matter at all.

Thanks, honey.