Father's Day is over, so I can say this now

Just in case you ever find yourself to be a new father of a melon-headed infant, with a wife who has not known more than six hours of uninterrupted sleep in four months and fourteen days, TURN YOUR EAR THIS-A-WAY, YOUNG: When you arrive home from Job One, en route to Job Two, possibly to be awakened later by a pager for Job Three, please just take heart in the knowledge that you are appreciated. That even when your wife's eyes, at half-mast, greet you with a lukewarm hello and a repeated request for you to just change this diaper so she doesn't have to, she really is happy to see you, not only because you possess opposing thumbs for the changing of diapers, but because you're her co-captain, even if you're often working to keep the sails from ripping off the mast in the wake of gale winds, and she is squarely stationed on the poop deck 24-7. in her heart, she's so happy to see you, she thinks you're so wonderful and that you excel at being cute almost all the time. And every so often, she'll appreciate you telling her that she is one gorgeous schnitzel on a stick. Or something equally inspiring.

On Vacationing with Baby Girl

We have returned from our tour with the ROCKSTAR, aka Baby Girl in which Lovey Loverpants and I were total roadies, seamstresses for the band, if you will, and that little dahlin' gave many an encore performance wherever she went. The tour covered:

4 states 3 sets of grandparents 1 college reunion 1 wedding Many new friends

Because life is ironic and too poignant for words, the part of the week I was dreading most actually reserves its spot as Most Treasured Memory from our first family vacation. I hadn't seen my Nana in 3 years, largely because I am the queen of [chicken]hearts. The last time I saw her, she was lucid and hilarious and just meeting my fiance, Lovey Loverpants, for the first time. After that, quite rapidly, her ninety-two year-old memory started to evaporate. I was scared. I let everyone else visit her. I stood cowardly in the shadows, preserving my memories of her forever, circa 2005.

She now lives with my Uncle Drive-by. (We call him Drive-by because of some very medieval events that merited it). Nana is so happy with Drive-by. She has dementia and she has happiness at the same time. Thus, introducing her to Baby Girl was bittersweet. She was so touched to lay eyes on this sanguine little doll. She had no idea it was her first great grandchild. It gave me so much pride and joy to share this blessing with my grandmother. I called her Nana and she didn't ask why.

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Nana, Baby Girl, C'est Moi

Nana, Uncle Drive-by, Lovey Loverpants with Baby Girl

The Importance of Yard Sports in Friendship

If you aren't already friends with Adrian and Sharon, you should try to be. They're lovely people. Or perhaps consider petitioning them to adopt you. Because why just be their mates when you can be their dependents? I'm not eligible, since I already have a dependent myself - who, by the way, missed the memo today that IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT HER - and so I'm just grateful for their friendship. Sharon is one of John's schoolmates from social work school, otherwise known as The Institution Where Do-Gooding is Degree-Granting, and she is a real hoot. It is clear to me why she is a social worker, because her heart is the size of a moonbounce. Adrian is her husband and he is very kind and this is important when he is granting you the seventeenth mulligan in croquet. They had us over for lunch today, and their hospitality was unmatched. It occurs to me that good friends call you over for lunch, but great friends say, Here, Here is my countertop, please, go change your small little suck monkey's stinky rump on top of it. Need help?

We hope we see Sharon and Adrian again, soon. In the meantime, we will enjoy these pictures of them, one of which features Sharon and I have not yet received clearance from her lawyer to post it, so please understand if this picture is later removed. I think it's adorable to boot.

Ladies Who Lunch

If you're good, I'll share with you the recipe for that delicious cheese appetizer.

Sharon:  "Adrian, you look like the baby."