A walk down memory lane

This past week has afforded me several opportunities for taking a little stroll down memory lane, in both a literal and figurative manner. Last week I found myself sidelined from running, yet again. Moreover, I was sidelined from doing basically anything involving moving the lower half of my body. Which is an unfortunate turn of events when you have a five-month old who likes to move all over the place. Without belaboring the point, I've been in a lot of pain due to what appears to be a complication that I experienced during pregnancy and has cropped up again. Basically my pubic bone is destabilized and not lining up properly, causing normally simple movements to be pretty darn painful. So, last week Henry and I stuck close to home for most days. But toward the end of the week as I became slightly more mobile, I took Henry out for a few walks in the morning. The route that we walked was the same loop I took him on during his first weeks and months with us. And walking that same route with Henry brought back a flood of memories, reflections, and then/now comparisons.
It's a short, but sweet walk. Short out of necessity, sweet for all that it did and does signify. The distance was important right after Henry was born, because I was almost always afraid that he would grow unhappy and require a speedy return home for some pressing need...food, diaper change, cuddling, who knew? This did happen several times when he was tiny. The walk back home always felt almost unbearable, listening to Henry cry for some reason that was mysterious to me. I was also hesitant to venture far from home in those days after having a Cesaerean section, as I was recovering from the surgery. Between then and now, Henry and I have grown comfortable walking further and further from home, and walking has become a very enjoyable activity for the two of us. I'm completely recovered from the C-section, and just need to kick this little bone issue that's hampering my now. Henry rarely becomes upset during walks, and if he does, I'm much more able to read what his need might be.
The walk includes one very critical stop: Dunkin' Donuts. In the initial days with our little buddy, lack of sleep necessitated frequent caffeine fixes. I've since transitioned from requiring caffeine fixes to enjoying decaf, since I typically (knock on wood) manage to get a decent, or at least sufficient, night of sleep. Simply walking into a coffee shop was also a small triumph for me after Henry was first born. Successful public outings were a rarity, and a treat. Now it's par for the course, and I rarely experience the presence of anxiety at the thought of taking him anywhere with me.
Our walks together also signified other small ways that I attempted to take care of myself with a new baby. Maybe it sounds counterintuitive, but walking provided respite and rest for me. It was a time when Henry was more likely than normal to be content, and napping peacefully. This meant I had my hands free (or, one hand free) to drink some water, eat a piece of fruit, and talk on the phone. And it was quiet. Yes, quiet. No crying baby. And I was free. No baby attached to me. Each time I went out with Henry, I did those simple things--every day acts that I couldn't seem to accomplish within the four walls of our home alone with Henry. Again, these are now mundane activities that don't require the effort of leaving the house with Henry in his stroller in order to achieve success...success at eating, drinking, and having an adult conversation.
While there are many wonderful aspects to those newborn days, I have to say, Henry is a lot more fun now. See below for just how much fun he is to feed.

The little guy desperately wants to feed himself, so mealtime becomes quite a messy affair.

Henry also has more fun with his little buddies. This weekend we had a barbeque with babies (plus moms and dads) that Henry and I first met when he was just five weeks old. Several months later, and the babies aren't so little anymore. We silly mommas attempted to take an updated photo of all the babes hanging out together on the ground. This was a lot easier a few months ago, when no one was rolling, creeping, or crawling with such enthusiasm. This time, we could hardly keep them still! And, they were not to happy about being asked to pose. Someday it will be pretty amusing to watch the kiddos grow at these get togethers. The first photo below is from May, the second was from this Sunday.