Fire Marshal - 8/4/10

My address is a city address, but technically I don't live in the city. Therefore, the city fireworks restrictions don't apply to my neighborhood. Everyone in my neighborhood knows this, and takes full advantage for several days surrounding Independence Day. This practice was hair-raising when my son was afraid of the constant pop of firecrackers, but luckily now it's just nerve-wracking, waiting for the errant ember to set the house ablaze.
We were on vacation until July 3rd this year, and it was a stressful time for my son and I. As a parent, I realize my mistakes in hindsight: no naps, not enough playtime, not enough attention, no Mommy/Son quiet time, Mommy didn't leave enough room in her suitcase for patience. However, even in the best of circumstances, Bug is a handful, and his behavior was no less frustrating at the time. Add to that my husband had to extend his business trip for 3 more days, so it was just Bug and me, alone, for longer than I'd expected. I was simply worn out. Worn. Out. I was just ready for things to get back to normal, so I didn't plan on doing anything - not a single thing - on the 4th of July. If I'm being perfectly honest, July 4th is Husband's holiday - he usually plans our fireworks viewing. Given that he wasn't home, I especially wasn't motivated to go anywhere.
So we didn't. Bug and I slouched together on the couch as I introduced him to James and the Giant Peach (which, for days afterward, he would beg to watch again and again, and I secretly cheered each time). We watched the movie until Bug noticed the increasingly louder popping.
"What's that noise?" he asked me.
"Fireworks, buddy."
He runs to the window and marvels. The downstairs windows don't get the best views of the pyrotechnics going on, so we moved upstairs. I picked him up so he could see out of my bedroom window. Because these aren't professional fireworks shows, the displays can be sporadic, but they can also be quite impressive. We stood there for hours in the dark, mostly quiet but for a few naturally-curious-boy questions, oohing and aahing while I cuddled him, and enjoying how it was just the two of us slowed down in a calm, quiet moment.
The Independence Days before this one I would wonder, "Where is the fire marshal when you need one?" but this year I was only concerned with that stillness in the shared anticipation for the next big firework, and the excitement when we saw it, as I reconnected with my sweet baby boy. This was the vacation we needed.