Train Training

Last Tuesday, Baby Nate and Mommy boarded CalTrain for the first time.  When we kissed Jacob goodbye at the curb he was wailing, “I want go on choo choo train, I want go on choo choo train!”  But then switched to “I want Baby Nake, Baby Nake!” all the way to school.

Nathaniel was the perfect baby.  Not a peep.  And then, then there was the return trip.  He’s sleeping happily in the Ergo front carrier and I score a seat on the crowded train after shaming a man in a suit to move his drippy sandwich so I can sit down.  What a gentleman.  Never underestimate train shame.

Then he starts to chat me up.  Baby Nate hears my voice, wakes-up, gets totally overtired and overstimulated and screams his head off intermitently for what was undoubtedly an eternity.  It was now my turn… Oh the shame, the train shame.  I bolted from the train as I mentally calculated what kind of car we can afford if I eat only soup for lunch every day.  Nate’s Day 1 Train Grade: D

Yesterday, which was exactly one week later, I had worked-up enough courage to brave CalTrain again.  I spent the entire weekend trying to train train Baby Nake by carrying him around in the frontpack every day.  There were still several episodes of his “oh woe is me!” crying fits.  But I promised James I would give it the ol’ college try…

Nathaniel was the perfect baby.  Not a peep.  Then there was the return trip.  I even sat at the other end of the train… hoping that people are creatures of habit and therefore anyone from our Day 1 ride would most likely be at the other end of the train and therefore unable to silently be thinking, “I can’t believe that woman.  Why would she bring that screaming baby on the train… again?”  We almost made it home with a perfect record.  But somehow the train was delayed and around Palo Alto he woke-up.  There was a bit of fussing, but I was thinking of awarding him an A-.  Then the last ten minutes wiped out his dreams of acing CalTrain 101.  Nate’s Day 2 Train Grade: A Solid B

Today was Day 3.  Nathaniel was the perfect baby.  Both ways.  Nate’s Day 3 Train Grade: A

But I’m not holding my train shamed breath just yet…