Edmund Ponders His Encounter with SnowTuesday, January 20th was a momentous occasion in many ways. Not only did the United States witness the inauguration of its first African-American president, but so did Edmund witness his first snowfall. I must add Edmund's mommy was shouting "hallelujah" over her four day weekend. I knew there was a strong possibility of snow, but I prepared to go in for work as usual. The last two years I have been disappointed by the promise of snow yielding to a melty slush and a trek to work. I thought that by not getting my hopes up I had a better chance of snow and cancellation of school--yes I know, faulty logic. Despite my illogical thinking, I still got my snow day.
After feeding and dressing Edmund I bundled him in his snowsuit, hat, and mittens to go see the wintry white stuff blanketing our front yard. Edmund was not thrilled with being bundled and was quite a bit fussy when we made our way out the door. His fussiness turned to confusion as he looked at the white world before him and then back at me. I showed him how he could stick his tongue out to catch a snowflake. To my amazement he even tried this childhood rite of passage a few times. I then helped Edmund touch the snow with his mittened hands. At this point he looked at his mommy as if she were crazy. "Why would you think I would want to touch this strange, cold stuff?", he seemed to ask. Thus our first foray into the snow came to an abrupt end.
Around 11:00 I settled Edmund down for a nap. It then occurred to me I could watch the inauguration live. I got about as far as former President Carter making his entrance before young Master Edmund awoke. I have been very good about sticking to my "no TV" rule for Edmund at our house, but after realizing that listening to the inauguration on the radio was not the same as watching it, I decided to make an exception. I figured it was important for my baby to see this historic occasion, an occasion he will not remember, but important nonetheless.
We made two more ventures out into the snow that Tuesday. On the second trip my baby again looked at me as if I were crazy. "Why would you bring me out here again, silly lady?" On the final trip Edmund sat in the snow while daddy videotaped the adventure. The below picture about sums up Edmund's thoughts on his first snow day.
Mommy Rescues Edmund After He Topples Over in the SnowAt Least He Was Cushioned
