Discontent to stay inside

The transition to stay-at-home people has been tough. Our new neighborhood is not condusive to walking and our neighbors aren't very neighborly. I snap on my baby carrier most days and haul Dylan outside in search of any sign of life. I just don't get it. There must be at least one thousand living people amongst us in this complex but I have counted maybe 10 out and about in just under one month.These people seem too willing to stay locked up inside, presumably staring at the tube, all day everyday. It feels like we're living in a ghost town. What gives?

There is a small playground nearby and I have only seen one family use it. Where are all the other stay-at-home moms? We're in the suburbs for crying out loud. Take your babies outside! Anyway, that's my rant for today.

Yesterday I spotted a young mom with a baby who appeared to be about Dylan's age on an adjacent patio; A guestimate, the baby was "cruising" and standing well but not walking on her (his?) own. If you're imagining me peeping out the window with binoculars pressed to my face and a pad and pen in my hands scribbling latitude and longitude feverishly, you're not too far off. I'll admit I thought about marching right over to them with a big goofy, desperate grin and a bribe for friendship. I thought better of it. It's probably best not to sneak up on a mama bear and her cub.

Of course I'm exaggerating, but only a little. Dylan and I have been getting out of the house at least once a week to attend a playgroup so we're not as pathetic as I made it seem. This week we went to his buddy's Mickey Mouse themed 1st birthday party.

(Photo courtesy Julia McAndrew)

(Photo courtesy Julia McAndrew)

Later in the week we were so stir crazy that we decided to tag along with Thomas to the dentist. What fun! Seriously, it wasn't half bad. We each claimed our own LoveSac in the kiddie corner and Dylan played with an activity cube that was bigger than him and even kissed (see also: licked) the penguins that were painted on the wall.

Thomas on the other hand wants nothing more than to spend one full day per week couped up inside. It's astonishing how different our daily lives are right now. He's out in the field mist netting and being pecked by cardinals or monitoring rodent species in deep East Texas while Dylan and I are at home in the Dallas suburbs trying to make sense of Dr. Seuss and fighting pirates in the bath tub. At the end of the day though we've got our eye on the prize and the future we envision doesn't seem too far away.