Small Town Living

Julia has her 2-year-old well visit at the pediatrician this morning. As I was getting us ready this morning, I realized that one of the wonderful things about now living in a small town rather than the big city we lived in until last winter is the fact that it now takes us 5 minutes, rather than 30, to get to the pediatrician. While this in and of itself is great--cutting out almost a full hour of travel time alone!--the reason it's so especially wonderful is that it means that I don't have to pack a boatload of provisions for every doctor appointment---snacks, sippy cups of water, multiple diapers, etc. Because we won't be gone all that long! I mean, even if Julia gets hungry for her snack while we're there, she can make it a few more minutes until we get home. I don't need to camp out in the waiting room doling out Cheerios and string cheese. And even if a diaper change is necessary, which is unlikely in the short time we'll be gone, surely there won't be ANOTHER diaper change needed after that before we get back home. It's liberating, in a way that only another parent of a baby/toddler can understand. Imagine when the new baby comes in August and we'll have to go to the pediatrician every few weeks---I may even be able to avoid the whole spend-an-extra-hour-at-the-doctor's-office-because-we-had-to-nurse scenario! (Can you imagine how THAT would work with a 2-year-old along for the trip?) I may actually be able to drive us the 3 miles home, and THEN nurse.

Simple pleasures, people!