I’m the first to admit that I’ve been mighty spoiled in the baby behavior department thus far. As you’ve surely gathered from the photos and stories I’ve shared, Ry Ry is a very happy lad. Yes, there was the alien abduction/teething episode (sidenote: HE IS STILL TOOTHLESS. At 8 months! I’m beginning to fear that he may be doomed to a life of dentures or wooden teeth, although I suppose that would at least give him a go-to icebreaker to use upon meeting new people throughout his life: “My name is Ryan, and yes, these are wooden teeth. Would you like to feel them?”), but other than that, he rarely gives me any trouble. He’s easy to please and has liked everyone he’s ever met, so the notion that a new experience might not go over well really never crosses my mind.
What a silly, silly girl I am.
For the past six months, I’ve been strapping the baby in the jogging stroller and pounding the pavement (slowly and with a lot of walking breaks; I am a terrible runner and have shown shockingly little improvement despite my dedication) several times a week after work. It gets the job done — at least I’m doing something healthy — but it’s not enjoyable. It’s often so hot that I can barely make it down the driveway without a water break (granted, that could just be because I suck at running), and since we live in a city whose safety level I’d rate as “sketchy” (at best) in many areas, we always have to run the same boring-yet-safe path.
Desperate to find an alternative to doing endless laps around the local park, looking like a sweaty hog-beast and forcing myself to smile at the old wench who thinks my baby should be dressed in a snowsuit regardless of the temperature (seriously, she is ALWAYS there; I’m pretty sure she maintains a permanent perch on the picnic bench to oversee the attire of any passing children, prepared to swoop in with a pair of woolen mittens whenever necessary), I decided to check out my local 24 Hour Fitness. I did some research and visited their “kids club” daycare facility, which is staffed by some delightfully energetic college students and is chock full of an assortment of toys far cooler than anything we own at home. What a PERFECT solution! I signed up immediately, confident that the baby would LOOOOOOVE it and excited for the opportunity to do something other than jog, or at least do my jogging on a nice smooth treadmill without the blazing sun burning me alive.
The Baby Is Fine 