Down around the hole in the ground

We went to a park today for the for the first time. Or, I should say, we had an abortive trip to a park today that ended in near disaster!

We appeared to be all prepared: we had sunscreen, hat, stroller, back up bottle, towel in case the swings were dirty, etc. We walked to a park near our house that I remembered had baby bucket swings. It was close by but still a little stroll, so it was a perfect choice. Or so I thought.

Getting there was fine. It was overcast so while it wasn't exactly cool (this is SC in July--let's be real), it wasn't overpowering. J likes sitting in the stroller like a big boy, without his infant carrier (which we are phasing out anyway, because, well, he's HUGE and looks and feels like a big boy already). We had a great time walking over, chatting and enjoying the change in scenery.

And the swings looked ideal: two baby swings and all kinds of jungle gym equipment (for later). And J fit right into one, though he wasn't totally convinced this was a good idea. He smiled on the upswing, but, as he came back to me (I was in front for moral support), he would grunt and look a little wild. But he got increasingly comfortable with the whole idea and perhaps would have enjoyed the outing if I hadn't put a stop to things after approximately 90 seconds. Because this set of swings was cordoned off by a rubber enclosure filled with bark or wood chips. And those chips were filled, FILLED with LITERALLY thousands of mosquitos.

How do I know there were thousands? Because I got 12, count them, 12 bites in those 90 seconds, and I did the math. I was so afraid that J would get bitten that I rushed him off the swing, back to the stroller, and out of the park as quickly as possible. I have awful reactions to bug bites and didn't want to find out if he has inherited this tendency from me. We strolled back home and J fell asleep in the stroller, so I sat on the porch and rocked him to prolong his nap, which was a perfect set-up...until the fire ants started biting my feet. Sheesh!

So I called it quits and our trip ended. Next time we'll bring insect repellant and...ant poison? Wow, and I thought my diaper bag was already getting too heavy!