snow day

Jan 18

Posted by: Rachel in: blog, caleb isaiah, memories, parenting

I imagine at some point in a few years, you will be excited about snow, and the prospect of being out of school for the day. You’ll probably try to sled in it, even though we haven’t had enough snow for sled use in North Carolina in years. There will be snowmans to build and snow angels to make and snow balls to throw. Hot chocolate to drink and soup to eat, I imagine it just like that Campbell’s Soup commercial were the snowman melts into a little boy as he eats his soup.

But for now, you are less than impressed. I thought you would at least be interested to walk around and kick your feet. Not so much. First thing this morning, I dressed you in windbreaker pants that are flannel lined, a onesie, and a lot sleeve shirt on top. Then came two pairs of socks, shoes, a coat that is bigger than you, gloves, and a hat that covers your ears and velcros under your chin.

You seemed okay with all of this inside. You stepped out onto the deck and started to tottle off. Then you realized…something was different. Something indeed. You stopped in your tracks….looked at your tracks…and then at your shoes. You promptly toppled over from all of the clothing.. I helped you back up and began snapping pictures. You brushed your gloves together and wrinkled your nose. I waited anxiously at the bottom of the steps, snapping pictures. But there you stood, your feet planted firmly. So I went to help you navigate the steps with your extra bulk of clothing.

We reached the grass. You stopped. You wouldn’t move. Slowly things took a turn for the worse. You started waving your arms up and down like a bird, and then you started to whimper. Whimpering quickly turned to crying, and added tears shortly there after. You little feet were frozen to that very spot, afraid to move any further into the white unknown. It was green the day before, and the day before that, and the day before that….why in the world was it now white. And it was getting all over you. After shooting a few pictures of you fussing, I decided it was turning cruel.

I scooped you up in a heroic rescue attempt, as you continued to cry. Your eyes were full and watery as I sat you on the dryer. I thought surely the snow had just gone straight through your shoes and two layers of socks to your toes, and you must have had the beginning stages of frostbite. Okay, not really, but that was how you acted. You just kept looking at your feet as if you were in immense pain. But I found your little socks, both layers I might add, to be dry as a bone. I unbundled you, and sent you back inside, where you curled up on the couch with Charley and your paci, happy to be back in the warmth. Maybe next year…..