Coming up for air

Yet another bout of silence on the blog. Oops. The initial phase of new motherhood is consuming, to say the least, both emotionally and in terms of time. The time just disappears.

The past few weeks have been particularly hectic as we spent seven days in Louisiana and then a weekend in Richmond for the wedding of a close friend (who I've known since I was three). This was the wedding of the infamous dress... the one I didn't know if I would be able to fit into post-pregnancy since I had to purchase it when I was only a month and a half away from birthing my big bean. The wedding was really beautiful, quite grand actually, as was the reception. I'm posting a few pictures, though not too many since I don't actually have permission from everyone I snapped shots of. Notice the ones of the little girl pictured; she is the daughter of S, my sister by another mother -- and father. Anywho, the little one put up a respectable resistance to wearing her dress shoes, though she lost in the end. That's the reasoning behind all the photos of her in the folding chair! That was where the showdown occurred.

I've thought several times over the past few weeks of happenings that would make interesting posts. I'll start with an abbreviated recounting of last Friday evening/night, the evening of B's wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, both of which I was to attend. The plan, a not to intelligent one of a new parent still adjusting to life with a little one, was for E to stay at the hotel to watch the Bean while I was at the rehearsal. E was to follow to the rehearsal dinner with the bean in tow. Though dinner would be late, I thought (now I'm embarrassed to write) that the Bean could sleep comfortably in his carrier while we ate. How silly (euphemism for utterly stupid).

As the rehearsal dinner wrapped up, I called E as planned to share with him the directions to the restaurant. Even Michael was screaming in the background. This is something he's taken to as of late when he gets really tired in the evening. You can blow out your back bouncing the little guy into snoozeville. So, I gathered from E and his tone of voice that it was a rocky evening back in Room 202 at The Linden Row. What to do. Luckily, I was in the car with a family that's been my family, though not by the technical definition, for over 30 years. I should say, to be more specific and to make sure I communicate the degree of their selflessness, that I was with the mother, father and sister of the bride. They offered me their car to drive back to the hotel. This meant the three of them had to squeeze into cars with other family members later that evening. I felt terribly guilty, but I didn't really have a choice. So, fastforward an hour. I'm walking back into the hotel room. The bean lay swaddled and sleeping at the foot of the bed. E was sprawled out close by.

We were starved. I hadn't eaten. E hadn't eaten. In fact, we missed a decadent and scrumptious dinner by all accounts. We were desperate. At that point, it was about 9:30 in the evening. And our hunger got the best of us. The Linden Row is a really lovely restored property in a part of town with few late evening eatery options within walking distance. The exception, according to hotel staff, was the Third Street Diner. Our empty stomachs drove us to gently place the Bean in his stroller and to set out on foot for the diner. At this point, little Even Michael, who was surely tired from all the traveling, was awake and in full charm mode. He was smiling and cooing and doing that baby pre-talk that amuses E and I to no end. No really. I'm serious. We don't get tired of it.

Back to my story. So, we're strolling with the baby to the diner, when just around the block from the entrance, we observe a conversation between a woman and a man who looked to be a little less than fully comfortable. We're quite sure a business transaction, of an illegal variety (kissy kissy), was in the works. We kept strolling. Ah. The Third Street Diner. It looked as if it could have been the setting for a shady meeting one might see in a movie, or read about in a book. We peeked in the window... we were unsure that it was a place that was appropriate to bring the Bean. I walked in and asked one of the waitresses, who, by the way, was standing beside one of three poker machines on the bar. Her answer, sure!

So, we dug in. I had a candy bar from the vending machine beside our table for dessert. (Delicious and nutricious.)

Check please!