Turn, turn, turn

It finally turned chilly enough here that the electric fireplace (still quite a novelty for this girl who grew up with gas) has bumped the coffeemaker down to second in command on morning duty. We've traded in baseball for football, peaches for pumpkins, and flip-flops for fleeces. The sun is on flextime. Coughs and sniffles fill the air.

Fall has arrived. And with it, our baby's first cold. Following suit, DH caught it the day after. Hopefully he kicks it before he heads off to Alaska for work this week. The two are finally both napping, the kitchen is tidied, laundry whirring in the dryer. A moment of peace. A moment which, dear reader, I'm glad I get to share with you.

On Friday night, congested and crying so hard he threw up, Ben had me feeling like public enemy #1. After we got him cleaned, calmed and tucked back in for the night, I ran through the previous few days trying to pinpoint where and when Ben caught his little bug. As our circle expands in Seattle, Ben has the opportunity to socialize more often. Which is adorable, albeit a little messy. Babies are awfully forward, even on a first date. Fingers probe, saliva gets swapped, belongings are mouthed by all. Theirs is an equal-opportunity inquisitiveness.

I realized it doesn't matter how Ben got sick. There will be many more sniffles along the way. Heaven help us, there will be times we'll be wishing it was something as minor as a cold. But we can't stop Ben from exploring the world around him. It's important for him to spend time in new places, making friends. It's important for me to spend that time meeting friends, too. If we're lucky, Ben will get a tiny boost to his immunity with every bug. Until the next season.