Expecting the Unexpected

Last week, the weather here was just horrible.  Rainy, windy, cold, then warm, then cold again.  We spent the entire week indoors.  Finally, on Friday, the sun came out and despite the cold, it was a beautiful day.  I had (or so I thought) a great idea.  

We hadn't walked to or from school in over a week.  (The photo at left shows our walk on a nice day in September.) Every morning, Will would ask if we could walk and I would have to console him as I explained why we couldn't.  On Friday, I bundled up Liam and we headed to school to surprise Will with a walk home.  As I entered Will's classroom, he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, reading and waiting for me.  He jumped up and gave me a hug as Will's little friends circled Liam in his carrier.  (Liam is like a rockstar at Will's school.)  Will said goodbye to everyone as we put on his coat and headed outside.

"Where's the caaaaarrrrr?", he whined, as he saw the stroller parked next to the door.

"There's no car.  We're walking home, honey."  I could sense the impending drama.  Here it comes.

"Nooooooooooooo.  I don't want toooooo."

He spent the rest of the walk whining and complaining and begging me to pick him up and carry him.  I continued to push the stroller home, as fast as I could, all the while planning the fastest way to get Will into bed for a much needed nap.  Much needed... for me that is.

Fortunately, the "unexpected" works both ways.

In the past, I've always recruited Bill to accompany us for Christmas pictures.  From getting Will washed and dressed, to getting his cowlicks glued down, to getting him to smile and cooperate... I always thought about 'safety in numbers' and two against one is always safe, right?  This year, once again, it was two against one, but this time the odds were not in my favor.  Rather than wait two weeks for an evening appointment, I scheduled the photos for a morning when Bill was at work.  

I expected Will to be uncooperative and Liam to be fussy.  I expected Will to refuse to wear the sweater and I expected Liam to cry or spit up on his outfit.  I expected Will to make silly faces or break a prop and I expected that Liam would need a bottle or a diaper change as soon as it was time for our appointment to begin.  What I got was, of course, the unexpected.  Will was great.  He was completely agreeable (before, during and after) and the photographer commented on how wonderful he was.  Liam was happy and he delivered smile after smile, completely on cue.  For weeks, the anxiety of this appointment had been building and ultimately, it went off without a hitch.  Here are some of the photos... 

These days are filled with highs and lows, successes and failures... and almost always, the unexpected.