Colonial Williamsburg

We currently live about 20 minutes from Colonial Williamsburg.  Unless you want to go in certain buildings, you can walk around the historic district for free which is one of our favorite Saturday activities.  We have walked miles down Duke of Gloucester Street which is often simply called DOG Street, partially due to the fact that everyone and their brother walks their dogs down it.  Finn said dog for the first time there, in fact!

I can't say that Finn appreciates any of the history no matter how many times I point to the statue of Thomas Jefferson in Merchant's Square and tell him to say hi to your ancestor.  Quite frankly, he's just there for the dogs and the college girls he makes eyes at from our table at the Cheese Shop.  I'm sure we'll take him back when he's older and he'll complain that a) it's hot and b) he's bored and c) why are there so many old people?

"Dogs!"

You can tell that spring is right around the corner.

He couldn't stay away from the gumballs today.

The first Saturday.

Finn arrived in this world via c-section at 5:41pm on a Saturday at the end of October.  October 30, 2010 to be exact and roughly 6 hours from Halloween.  I had been induced at 10am the previous morning, so I think that speaks for itself in terms of writing out any sort of birth story.  To be perfectly honest, other than his birth I don't remember much about that Saturday but it is our beginning.

Here is our family on our first Saturday.

Have you ever seen a baby more alert on his first day of life?

940 Saturdays

"There are only 940 Saturdays between a child's birth and her leaving for college."  This from the "Savor the Moments" article by Dr. Harley A. Rotbart in the March 2012 issue of Parents magazine really got my attention.  940 Saturdays.  That number seems so small to me.  940 chances to make memories.  940 days to revel in childhood.

Finn was born on a Saturday.  October 30, 2010.  The best Saturday of all Saturdays.  Together we experienced 9 Saturdays, including his birth day, in 2010 and 53 Saturdays in 2011.  We are already 7 Saturdays into 2012 for a total of 69 Saturdays with our little boy.  69.  That seems like close to 100 to me which seems painfully close to 940.  I can't help but wonder if we've made the best of those 69 so far.

I'm struck by what seems like a crazy idea.  What if I make a list of 940 things, ideas, activities, etc. to do on Saturdays before Finn goes to college?  Is that insane?  Some will be huge like stare down into the Grand Canyon.  Others will be routine like play a soccer game.  Most will be considered mundane like smelling flowers or lying in the grass and staring up at the clouds.  Isn't childhood composed of the mundane which seen through little eyes then becomes extraordinary?

In full disclosure, I have not actually counted out how many Saturdays there are between Finn's birth and going to college in the expected time frame of August 2029.  I will also have to double up some days since we are already 69 Saturdays into this.  The exact number is not what is important.