Sam's long day of Performing Arts and Burger King

We had a long day. Husband and I taught a Shakespeare workshop at a high school in Rock Hill (ask me anything about line scansioning), and since we didn't have anyone to watch the boy, we just took him along with us. This meant leaving our house at 11:00 this morning, boy in tow, and not returning home until 11:00 this evening after Funny Girl rehearsal and improv. Good times. Sam was actually surprisingly good. I think it's because he napped all the way to Rock Hill, then all the way back. He also got lots of attention, and a lot of it was from teenage girls, who he can't get enough of. Also, we let him be king, which was really just a formality, as he has held the title since day one anyway.

We don't spend a lot of time in fast-food establishments, mostly because we gave up all things fried for Lent, so it was a pretty big deal for Sam, even though he enjoyed green beans and pureed beef instead of chicken nuggets and fries. I, not wanting to break my Lenten discipline, wisely ate pie for lunch. Somewhere, angels are polishing my halo.

I was really surprised with how well he rolled with the punches today. He was laid-back, mostly cheery, and made people love him. He stood up by himself for a good bit, drank some apple juice, and was pretty good during Funny Girl rehearsal. He's in two musical numbers, and is handling the spotlight remarkably well. Here's what I figure: Husband is in the show. I'm in the show. We can either leave Sam with a different babysitter every night, or we can let him be in the show, too. He looks good on stage. But what I love is that we haven't radically changed our lifestyle because we have a baby. Sure, we go to fewer parties, never see any movies in the theater, and we're more careful with our language, but for the most part, we're still doing the things we love to do. And we're not just leaving him out of it, either. Sure, it would be easier to leave him with a sitter, or put him in day care, but I love it that he will grow up around great actors, beautiful music, and he will know how to properly deliver a Shakespearean monologue. Very important skills for a child to learn.

At the end of the day, I felt a little bit guilty for carting Sam around everywhere. But then I tally up the scoreboard: he ate three meals and two snacks, had two naps, met some new friends, and properly performed all his "choreography" (he gets carried around by a girl who waltzes with him, so he doesn't actually do any work, but he smiles beautifully).

I am exhausted. And I'll be singing the song "Henry Street" in my sleep tonight. So, I think, will Sam. Long live the Burger King.