Surviving the Dreaded 1-Year-Old Shots
Vaccinations hopefully with Less Stress and More Smiles
This week marked a big milestone for Jasper. After all the celebrations over the past few weeks, we finally made it to his 1-year shots. Even though I know it’s good for him, it’s still an emotional experience for me and his grandma. We were both practically hiding our eyes, but the little guy is tough—he handled it like a champ. Huge relief, too, finding out he won’t need many extra shots before our trip to India.
Before the appointment on Friday, I read something interesting from The Daily Dad newsletter (one of my favorites). Ryan Holiday talked about teaching kids how to be alone and entertain themselves—not just with others. It’s something I hadn’t really thought about before, but I guess I’ve been doing it naturally. Just one of those “aha” moments. If you’re into thoughtful parenting insights, definitely check out his newsletter here: The Daily Dad.
After the craziness of the doctor’s appointment and a packed workday, my wife invited some guests over for pizza. Here’s where it gets wild—they had already eaten, brought other people along without asking, and even showed up with a dog we weren’t expecting (a not-so-friendly one, at that). I’m cool with animals, but instead of enjoying the evening, I spent three hours wrestling with Link, trying to keep the peace. And to top it off, their group included a walker and a wheelchair on our wood floors. Something tells me we won’t be repeating that anytime soon.
What’s your take on people bringing unexpected guests without asking? I get that it’s common in India—people just show up, and my mother-in-law didn’t think twice about it. But here in the U.S., especially where I live, it’s definitely expected to ask first.
Saturday was all about Jasper. We had our first playdate at some old stomping grounds, making new friends. My wife’s old university from her master’s program now has a brand-new playground for kids. We met up with some of her college friends and their two kids for snacks by the pond and fun on the jungle gym. It was a blast. Sure, getting out of the house with a little one can be stressful—especially with the relaxed, go-with-the-flow Indian lifestyle we’re trying to balance. But this outing was definitely worth the effort.
By Sunday, between the end-of-month grind at work and the rain rolling back in, we kept things low-key. A much-needed, laid-back day for Jasper.
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