becoming social

Ari with new friends Allie and Paul:

This weekend was my first road trip with Ari…with just Ari.  We went down to Lake Anna, then up to Fairfax to celebrate the bridal showers of two fabulous women in our lives.  My darling daughter who absolutely hates the carseat rose to the occasion; with the exception of the 45 minutes on 495 that I spent with my right arm twisted backward, shoving a bottle into her mouth, she was either peacefully inquisitive or fast asleep.

There was not a shortage of experienced arms willing to take a turn holding Ari.  On the phone with John while pumping in the basement of the lake house  he asked, “So, where’s our girl?”  “Being held by people who are more skilled in this department than we are.”  It felt odd, though…not to have an infant attached.  And I still felt/feel like I’ve lost a bit of my ability to listen, like I’m unable to momentarily reclaim the part of my attention that’s keeping an ear out for my daughter’s squawks.  This is why (one of the reasons why) we’ll have a babysitter for the weddings this summer.

Also, I’m super proud of the gluten-free chocolate raspberry cake Jill and I made.  I ate it at the shower on Saturday…then at 3am when Ari and I were up…and then again for breakfast.  As documented by the picture, I did not make my own raspberry preserves for the cake.  F— that.  $2.95 Trader Joe’s preserves work just fine.