Without Daddy

Since MJ was in Los Angeles for a business trip until Wednesday, I decided to stay at my parents' house for a few days after Dane's baptism on Sunday.  That way CC and I could spend some time with my folks and my visiting grandfather, and we wouldn't have to go home to an empty house.

The visit was really nice.  As my dad said, he got a "movie" of CC instead of just a "snapshot."  My parents loved spending several straight days with CC and helping with her baths, diaper changes, naps, and playtime.  And it was heartwarming to see my grandfather, CC's grand-grandpere, making faces and funny noises at her to elicit laughs.

My parents gave CC a much-needed bath in their kitchen sink, which caused much laughter.   CC had never before experienced a spray nozzle!  But as usual, she tolerated the actual bath but didn't appreciate the after-bath-drying-and-dressing routine.

A few dramas during the visit:

- Rory managed to snatch an entire cob of corn out of the garbage can right under the noses of me and my dad.  I was on her in an instant, prying her jaws open to retrieve it, to no avail.  The cob was already entirely out of sight, swallowed whole.  It is just amazing how quickly she gulped it down!  Now I am worried about a possible bowel obstruction, and will be watching her like a hawk for the next week or so.  Sigh.  Dumb dog.

- The "low tire pressure" light went on in my car the day before I was scheduled to drive back home with CC.  My dad checked all four tires and discovered that one of them was very low and had a tear in the sidewall.  We took a quick trip to a tire shop, where they told us that the leak was slow and not an issue; the real problem was that the tires were basically bald.  After conferring with my dad, I decided to have them re-inflate my low tire and drive home anyway, and research/purchase new tires once I was back home.  Obviously CC and I made it home safely; I drove slowly the whole way and prayed for dry roads.

Other than those blood-pressure-raising incidents, the visit went really well.  CC was great, full of smiles and her cute cough-laughs.  She slept well in the pack 'n' play, kept to her fairly normal schedule, and didn't have any meltdowns.  She didn't give a rolling-over demonstration, but she sat in her bumbo seat frequently and impressed everyone with how well she could hold herself upright.

Oh ... and we celebrated my birthday.  Birthdays just don't seem important to me anymore, especially now that I can barely remember how old I am!  But here's a picture of us celebrating, with the delicious cake my mom made (yellow cake with custard and strawberry filling, and cream cheese frosting ... mmmmmm!).