Cold Cheeks and Curiosity

I'm not sure when the first official day of fall was, but it's obvious now that summer's over. Last night when we took our walk, I had to put a hoodie, a hat, and mittens on Mason, plus cover him up with a blanket. His little cheeks still managed to get cold. It was windy too, and I noticed for the first time that the leaves are starting to change color. It felt like it could snow, and I wondered if we'd just skip fall and move right along to winter. Kind of a depressing thought, actually.

I guess I feel like I missed a lot of the summer. For the first month after Mason was born, I didn't even like to leave the house with him, for fear that he'd poop all over himself or that I'd have to (gasp!) feed him in public. Somehow, before I knew it, it was July, and I made it a point to get out of the house more often. Still, summer didn't feel like summer usually does. That feeling of relief and relaxation that I used to get because school was out and I had virtually nothing to do for three whole months wasn't there because I had a new job to do that was ten times harder (although much more fun) than school ever has been.

I really wanted to take Mason to the beach this year, but I didn't get to. Hopefully there'll be a trip to California in January or so, and most definitely a beach trip next summer, when he'll be able to enjoy it a little more. But for now, I'm trying to enjoy these last few sunny days with Mason. Here he is this afternoon, soaking up the sunshine.

I can't get over how curious he's starting to become. He doesn't want to take a nap because there's too much to do; I'm sure he's afraid he's going to miss something. It's hard to even get his picture, because he's looking all over the place, squealing at the neighbor's dog, or staring down at the mailman. I hate winter, but I can't wait to see the look on Mason's face when he sees his first snowfall.