My Routine

Hi,

I might have written about this before but for the story's' sake I am going to bring it up again. For as long as I can remember, I have gotten up in the morning, started the coffee (black) and wandered outside to retrieve the paper. I come back in and make myself some cereal or other breakfast item and sit down to read. Usually right after I finish the Sports Section, the coffee beeps and I put away the cereal I've already eaten and pour myself a cup of coffee to read the rest of the paper. I sip away as I read some of my favorites: Get Fuzzy; Sherman's Lagoon; and more recently, Baby Blues. So that was it, that's what I did.

Now that we have The Bo, I figured I would just do everything with a kid in my hand. For the first few months, not impossible. It was warm outside so I could carry him with me as I strolled to the driveway, and he would mostly be still and sleepy so I could kind of just one hand everything while I made the coffee, cereal etc.

FAST FORWARD to NOW:


Let's start from the beginning. When he wakes up now, he is WIDE awake, smiling, hungry, noisy and in need of a diaper change. After the diaper change I pick him up and head to the family room.
"Man, I need to get the paper." I think to myself as I stare at the frost on my car.
"Can't take the kid outside or he'll be cold." I realize.
"Quick! Strap him in his high chair and run outside as fast as you can before he realizes you aren't in front of him with a bottle of formula!" I decide.
So this is what I do. I run back into the house panting just in time to catch his eye so he knows I'm in the room. Before I can make my coffee, I have to make a bottle for Noah, no problem there. Luckily the kiddo can hold his own bottle so while he is polishing off his first 4 ounces, I get a chance to get my coffee and cereal. "Ahhh, I have this under control." I say.

Now comes the fun. Once he finishes his food he wants to hang out, and who wouldn't? He sits on my lap as I try and read the paper.

*Note, the coffee cup is in the kitchen still because like I said...he grabs things.

It all comes down to this, I think The Contra Costa Times is Noah's favorite thing in the world. They crunch, they make noise, and he can put the paper in his mouth and gum it to death. See below...


I usually end up giving him a section of the paper that I don't read(Classifieds,) and let him go to town while I read the other sections. Once he's calmed down a little I can sit him back in his chair or put him back down for a cat nap while I drink my coffee and keep reading.

Ahh needless to say, my morning routine has been compromised, but hey, I couldn't be happier about it.

Conor