New Trick

Yes I know, you’d think my new gig would allow for puh-lenty of blog time, but it’s not the case. My boss is very demanding. She’s also very cute so I don’t mind it too much.  Enough excuses - let’s get down to business.

We’ve had quite an action packed week. We spent Easter weekend up at my parents with the whole family. The New Orleans Fagans were in town too, so SB got to meet her beautiful and talented cousins Ryan and Marketa and her Aunt Sarka for the first time. She thought everyone was lots of fun. We celebrated my Dad’s 75th birthday…well, started the celebration at least. His official b-day is next week. Stay tuned for a tribute post in honor of his big day. During the weekend we had baby’s first breakfast out at Mike’s on Main in Hendersonville. SB loved the ceiling fans, the 50’s music playing in the jukebox, and the waitresses making a big fuss over her. She’s starting to warm up to her public. She’s got that coy I’ll smile at you but quickly look away thing down pat. Boys, watch out. She’ll be a heartbreaker. We made it through almost all of Easter morning Mass until I got a whiff of her booty at communion time and thought it would be best to retreat for a quick change. No Easter Lily or burning incense could cover that up. She made another social appearance at brunch before we had to pack up and head back to Charlotte.

The only damper on the weekend was that SB got her first sniffle. Apparently the poor baby has inherited her momma’s pollen allergies. I know a little runny nose is nothing in the grand scheme of things but it sure does make your heart bleed when your baby is uncomfortable. She had a tough time sleeping Sunday night but she is doing much better now. We hunkered down in the house pretty much all week until the rain washed away some of the green mess and cooled things down to a more bearable temperature. I know we live in the South, however, 90 degrees the first week in April is a bit much. We had our air conditioner serviced on Thursday to the tune of 643 bucks. It better feel like the arctic tundra in our house this summer for that kind of cash. The guy had to clean out our coil; apparently it was clogged up mostly with dog hair. [Note to self: do not brush out the dogs right next to the air conditioning unit.]  Despite forking over that big check, we scraped together enough nickels to head over to Fiamma for our friend Natalie’s moving back to Atlanta farewell dinner. (Hey Natalie, you made the blog again!) It was baby’s first trip to this glorious restaurant and despite the crowd, the staff made a big fuss over her debut. I may have mentioned once or twice how much we love this place. SB thought it was spectacular! She was fascinated by the kitchen and the people buzzing by. She squealed with delight when the server refilled our water glasses. She got a taste of Daddy’s sorbet and Mommy’s avocado. She partied for 2 ½ hours, well into her bedtime, without so much as a frown. It appears we have a social butterfly on our hands. We had a lovely time with our friends, although we will miss you Natalie and Mike. Kurt won’t know what to do without Mike’s special ribs this summer. I guess we’ll have to make a road trip one of these days…

To top off our week, drum roll please…..Sarah Beth greeted us this morning SITTING UP in her crib. All by herself. She was so proud, laughing and smiling at her accomplishment. The best thing about it was, I was there to see her. Kurt too since he worked from home today. If I had been working, I probably would have missed that milestone. But instead, I could pick her up and congratulate her with hugs and kisses and sit on the floor with her, clapping and cheering when she did it again, followed by a call to Grandma who also clapped and cheered. So if you’re wondering how I’m enjoying being a full-time mommy, there’s your answer. It’s not easy, taking care of baby and getting all the other stuff done that needs doing, while trying to start up a photography business and do some writing on the side. But the rewards far outweigh any paycheck I could receive. Sarah Beth is happy. I’m happy. Kurt is happy. We have a relatively clean house, clean laundry, groceries in the cupboard, and dinner on the table most nights. We may not take an extravagant vacation anytime soon or live in a big fancy house but there is so much joy in our lives right now we don’t even notice.

Life is good.