It's a Date

Keith and I actually went out for Valentine's Day. It's pretty amazing, considering we didn't even really go on our first post-baby "date" until early December, when Eleanor was more than 5 months old. Then we went again at the end of January, when Keith's parents were visiting. And somehow we went out again 2 weeks later?!? If we're not careful, we might get used to hanging out, sans Eleanor, once a month or so.

When my older sister first offered to babysit for us in February, the possibilities seemed endless. Once we realized it would be on Valentine's Day, however, we immediately crossed dinner and a movie off our list. Or any other activity that could be construed as romantic in nature.

But in actuality, it took me a really long time to think of a few activities we might enjoy. It's so hard to think of regular, adult activities. I can't help myself from wondering, "How will I cart around a baby there? Will I have a place to change diapers? What about when it's naptime?"

Eventually, I settled on a winter sporting theme. The finalists were: a toboggan run, ice skating, or cross-country skiing. It all depended on the weather (lots of snow? cross-country skiing; pretty warm and sunny? tobogganing; frigid? indoor ice skating rink) and our mood that day.

It turned out to be a pretty nice day. Not too much snow, but a light dusting, some sun, and a temperature in the 30s. So we ended up ..... at the Western Reserve Historical Society Museum. Of course! Keith had run 18 miles that morning, and wasn't exactly feeling up to ice skating. Cross-country skiing was out due to the lack of snow (for the first time in over a month). And I had neglected to check out directions to the toboggan place—it was a 40-minute drive away. A little too far for our time frame.

So I learned that it's always good to have a back-up of your back-up of your back-up plan. After the museum, we stopped by a local coffee shop for hot drinks and enormous peanut butter cookies. It was a really nice afternoon filled with adult conversation and companionable silence. All the same .... there were diaper-changing stations, and Eleanor would have loved it. We might just have to take her along next time.