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Lately

Summer Lovin’

That stinky rain is back and we were just starting to feel like Summer is really, truly around the corner. So it goes in the PNW, so it goes. Our little tribe has been bustling around trying to enjoy as much of the sun as possible. Maggie busted out some of her water toys and Syd got to lounge in the green grass.

I can’t begin to describe how excited I am for summer to arrive. I hardly remember being outside last year at all, I think I was still in “I-have-a-new-baby-I- am–utterly-exhasted” mode. We’ve already spread out the quilt outside a few times and just last week Maggie spent a good portion of the time splashing in a bucket of water and hauling rocks. My dad would be proud at her ability to haul rocks, maybe he’ll give her some work next time he needs a hand.

Sleep Jollies and Friends Visiting

The other day Maggie was laughing so hard when I would act like I was going to eat her finger, that I called my mom just so she could listen to Mags bust up. Lately Maggie has been getting The Tired Jollies and starts cracking up right before she conks out for the night.  It is very hard not to laugh when she is laughing and not tickle her in her teeny, tiny arm pits….so we do and laugh right along with her. We think/hope she is getting better at sleeping, but I’m done guessing about anything sleep related.

Joe and Claire stopped by on Easter Sunday to drop off a birthday gift for Maggie and as you can see Maggie feels a bit better about Joe now in comparison to a few months ago. Is it mean that I like the picture of her crying because that is EXACTLY what she looks like when she is Square Mouthing?

Anyhow, they gave her a Raggedy Ann doll, which is perfect, and Joe kept telling Maggie that if she ever draws a self-portrait she can just look at the doll. I think Raggedy Ann dyes her her though, Maggie is a natural.

Kara also stopped by to help Maggie celebrate her first year and they spent some time reading books outside and poking each other. I’ve droned on and on about how loved Maggie is by so many people, but it is so true. Her life is full of people that love her and are interested in her.  My brother stopped on his way to Portland to smooch on her and play a silly ice cream game too. It seems like our world is full of people being too busy, typing on their iPhone, not living in the moment. It saddens me.

BUT

I love that when people stop by and take time out of their lives to see Maggie (and Barry, Syd & me too) they are very present in the moment and focused on her.

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Vegas, Baby.

We hopped on a plane on Monday to come to Las Vegas to accompany Barry at a Nerd Conference that he is attending. As Barry’s brother put it, we’re taking Maggie to Vegas about 20 years too early. It’s true, that babies aren’t really in abundance on the casino floor. Barry was able to meet up with us during his lunch break yesterday to go swimming, that just isn’t an option back home.

Yesterday was a double-dip type of day, as Maggie and I had two long sessions in the pool flouncing around. There are high winds here and Maggie’s hair has been completely out of control. On our elevator ride up to our room, after the aforementioned dip in the pool, we found ourselves riding with three older gentlemen that most likely were attending the same Nerd Conference as Barry. The three men couldn’t help but comment on Maggie’s hair. This is how it went down:

Gentleman #1: Oh, hey Girlfriend!

Me: [awkwardly smiling and wondering if he was talking to me or Maggie]

Gentleman #2: Girlfriend has some curl! Was she at the pool today?

Me: [realizing that ‘Girlfriend’ was Maggie, relaxes a bit] Yeah, we’re just coming back from our second visit.

Gentleman #3:  Is that a perm?

Me: No, it just does this.

Gentleman #1: Oh, Girlfriend.

The lesson that I’ve learned here in Vegas this time around with a baby is that there are very, very funny people here and Maggie attracts the best of them. She has really been wanting to walk all by herself and greet anyone that walks by.

Mags and I have had a few off-strip adventures, some of which were eventful and some that were just ho-hum. Last night, after Barry was done Nerd Conferencing, (I love that term, feel free to use it in your own life when necessary) we headed to Old Downtown to watch the Freemont Lights.

Barry said that he felt like he was at the Puyallup Fair or something along those lines, which was funny because I’m pretty sure that Elvis and Superman don’t hang out at The Puyallup or that Kiss, the band, is just walking around and Darth Vader is so willing to share his light saber.

My camera died so I didn’t get to document all the craziness that was Fremont Street, you can either choose to be grateful or sad. I probably didn’t need a picture of Elvis talking to Superman, so I’m a bit grateful.

Not to make those of you in the PNW jealous….but we’re headed off to the pool. Yee-haw!!