A day in the life

Today we ran through a large park where birds of many feathers sing out and show their colors. We ran off some crows from the path, they danced up into trees looming around, or up onto chain link fencing bordering a baseball diamond. Around the bend I saw a group of at least forty red-wing blackbirds. Jumping about the small prim poplars were numerous lone robins and bluebirds. Earlier this year goldfinches were populous in these same trees, they would sit in groups of a dozen in the peak of a tree and send a lone bird to spy upon our little group of the young one and the baby. Sitting in a picnic bench soaking up strawberries, persimmon, apples, or PB&J.

This day we were already fed. The young one snacked upon fruit and PB&J while papí stretched--trying to iron out a particularly tight muscle or two. Could be the coffee. Doctors won't own up to all the possibilities, but caffeine is a competetive inhibitor with calcium at nerve endings (Physiology 101) where calcium serves to 'reset' the nerve. Thus it stands to reason that when one is involved in activities where muscles need to 'reset' there could be adverse effects given the right/wrong dosage caffeine.


Cotton ball clouds alternated slowly with soft wisps in a blue sea above. The light was amber all morning. This has something to do with the region. We continued and ran around the park a couple of times, then papí put on his cleats and we brought out the balls and frisbee. The baby was sound asleep for the entire time as the young one and I kicked the balls and ran around. It is papí's pleasure to kick his soccer ball as far as he can. The young one lately is given to chasing after papí's ball, though he has several balls of his own. The frisbee is also lots of fun.

We are not yet to the pass-and-catch phase of all this. The relatively disorganized game allows the young one to stretch out his legs and papí to kick the ball as far as he can. During the soccer season some of the fields are drawn up with lines, and papí likes to kick corner kicks and from midfield towards the goal. Another great adult exercise is dribbling the ball the length of the field and back.

The young one draws papí close to explain where he is hiding balls and he also yells at me when I come upon his ball and kick it to another quadrant of the playing field. Sometimes our play is cooperative, sometimes I am challenging him to beat me to the ball/frisbee. In fact, that was the first name for our little sport: ball-frisbee. This arose from the summer when we would walk up with a little bag holding diaper bag, a ball, a frisbee, and drinks. Now I push a duallie stroller/jogger and I carry as many balls as I want in a duffel bag. Even if we don't end up using these, It is not a difficult addition to our equipment.

The baby awoke just as we tidied up, the young one seated on the stroller, his boots off. The baby began to stir from the folds of his swaddling blanket. He made a pucker-face, eyes closed, and began to coo. I have a thermos with hot water to heat Mrs. papí's express-milk. I have taken to keeping the bottle inside one of my half-liter travel mugs along with two ounces of hot water. The temperature maintains pretty well in there, and I can come back to the stroller and not have to fiddle around when baby goes from zero to needy in no time flat.