Impending Storm.

I laughed my way through my first winter in Philadelphia. After growing up in Buffalo New York, and going to college in nearby Rochester, there was not much about snow that intimidated me. During my college years, I once used a screwdriver to pry ice off a friend's windsheild (her scraper was locked inside the car) because, lord help us, the liquor store was closing in 20 minutes. So, you can imagine my amusement when I experienced my first Mid-Atlantic freak-out over a snow-filled forecast. It absolutely boggled my mind that snow was a news story that occaisionally required breaking into an Oprah broadcast. Even more hilarious was the fact that a loaf wheat bread became leavaned gold when Glenn "Hurricane" Schwartz called for anything greater than two inches. The locals flock to a grocery store like pigs to a trough, even if the snowfall will be over and done with in twelve hours.
These days, however, I've come to appreciate all the hoopla that surrounds an impending storm. I enjoy the fact that Winter is more of an event versus an endless season. I now head to the grocery store with everyone else, and look out the window awaiting the first flakes. We didn't have that in Buffalo. Many years, it was snowing as we donned our Halloween costumes and finally thawed a week before Easter.
Lucky for me, Bob took a vacation day today. He had early morning teleconferences the past few days and wanted a chance to sleep in today. Somehow, little lady got the memo and slept a solid 10 (TEN!!) hours last night. It was perfect timing, as we had enough energy to get out of the house for a while before we are inevitably snowed in all weekend. We took a little trip to the new (insanely awesome and seriously huge) Whole Foods. We grabbed some new Born Free pacis for Kaia and breakfast for us. I had a faaaaaabbulous whole grain chocolate chip muffin and a coffee. We chatted for a while and got to enjoy each other's company. Afterward, we ran to DSW to see if we could find boots for me- as I want to assist in the shoveling activities. I happened upon some totally functional (and apparently in style, says my in-the-know husband) duck mocs. Since my feet are the size of a garden gnome's, the remaining size 6-only stock was marked down to a mere $36. I can't remember the last time I paid less than $40 for a pair of shoes.
In my pre-baby life, a day like today would have been ordinary, even boring. But having the immense responsibilities of being a parent makes the smallest things enjoyable. A muffin, functional shoes, a full night's sleep, a conversation with your husband. Even a snowstorm that promises to keep you inside all weekend. This is what they were talking about when they said having a baby changes everything.