I didn't even use a pattern for the pants, just traced a pair that fit. I did make a nice, big hem, though, so I hope Sierra will be able to wear these for awhile.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Frog jammies
It's been awhile since Sierra picked out some flannel at the fabric store for some pajamas. Of course, she couldn't settle on just one fabric, so I have "monkey jammies" waiting in the wings. But the frog jammies are finished. The pattern (Simplicity 2823) I used was sized for size 4-adult, so I had to size it down just a little bit. I also made the top with short sleeves instead of long sleeves since we are heading into warmer months and my girl "sleeps hot" anyway.
I didn't even use a pattern for the pants, just traced a pair that fit. I did make a nice, big hem, though, so I hope Sierra will be able to wear these for awhile.
I didn't even use a pattern for the pants, just traced a pair that fit. I did make a nice, big hem, though, so I hope Sierra will be able to wear these for awhile.
Monday, March 28, 2011
March
March is a strange month. It was 29 degrees when I woke up this morning. Currently, it's 51. And it's not just the swings within a day that can keep you reeling. It's the swings day to day. A few days ago, the girls and I took a little walk to where some daffodils were in bloom because I wanted to get some spring photos of them. They didn't turn out as well as I had hoped because Kaia wasn't in her usual smile-y mode and Sierra ... well, it's difficult to get a posed shot of Sierra because ...
Do you see her? Look closely in the bottom left of the photo. Pink pants. Running.
I did manage a few workable shots.
Here are those same daffodils yesterday morning.
The snow was, of course, gone by the afternoon. And the daffodils seems to be no worse for wear. (I should probably change my blog background soon.)
Do you see her? Look closely in the bottom left of the photo. Pink pants. Running.
I did manage a few workable shots.
Here are those same daffodils yesterday morning.
The snow was, of course, gone by the afternoon. And the daffodils seems to be no worse for wear. (I should probably change my blog background soon.)
Race report: Charlottesville 10 Miler
I was woefully undertrained for this race. And I knew it. And you know what? That's okay. I was aware of that going in and so I had realistic expectations. As a result, I was pleasantly surprised by my finish.
The Charlottesville 10 Miler is a pretty big race, with over 2200 finishers this year. I have wanted to run this race since we moved here, but the first year, the race was the same day as Woodberry's big invitational track meet, so I was working and last year I was pregnant and not running. So this year was it, despite the enormous lack of long runs among any training runs I'm able to fit in at all. I knew I was fit enough to finish the race without trouble, I just doubted I could finish it very fast. I suppose "fast" is all relative, though.
I was chatting with Jason about the race, saying I thought that I could run a pace somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00 miles. Then he commented that a 10-miler at 9:00 pace would be almost the same finishing time as my fastest half marathon (3.1 miles farther in 1:32:32, for the record). Well, that's just ridiculous, so I knew I had to run faster than that. My "A Goal" was 8:00-pace, but my first 5 miles were sub-8:00, some of them well under 8:00. After the 1/2 point, though, things got a little rocky. This is where a few long runs would have really benefited me. I just didn't have the stamina to maintain my pace in the later miles. The next 4 miles were all over 8:00, though I think the slowest of them was only 8:12 or so by my watch. I actually did a pretty good job staying relaxed and smooth and I had a little left to get another sub-8:00 mile for the last mile. It also helped that I happened to be running near a dude that was pacing/coaching a girl. He was giving her all kinds of good tips while she was running, so that helped me keep my head where it needed to be.
I ended up finishing in 1:17:46, a 7:47 pace. I was 96th out of 1249 female finishers and 393 out of 2234 overall.
The course was rolling hills for the most part, and according to what I read, the downhill finish was new this year. The race started on the campus of the University of Virginia and then made a big turn and headed onto the Charlottesville Downtown Mall. We ran the length of the Downtown Mall and then did a loop in the neighborhoods on the other side. We returned down the mall, and then through some more neighborhoods, finishing running north on US-29.
The weather was perfect for distance running, with a start in the high 30s, and I would love to see how fast I could run this race with some more earnest training.
The Charlottesville 10 Miler is a pretty big race, with over 2200 finishers this year. I have wanted to run this race since we moved here, but the first year, the race was the same day as Woodberry's big invitational track meet, so I was working and last year I was pregnant and not running. So this year was it, despite the enormous lack of long runs among any training runs I'm able to fit in at all. I knew I was fit enough to finish the race without trouble, I just doubted I could finish it very fast. I suppose "fast" is all relative, though.
I was chatting with Jason about the race, saying I thought that I could run a pace somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00 miles. Then he commented that a 10-miler at 9:00 pace would be almost the same finishing time as my fastest half marathon (3.1 miles farther in 1:32:32, for the record). Well, that's just ridiculous, so I knew I had to run faster than that. My "A Goal" was 8:00-pace, but my first 5 miles were sub-8:00, some of them well under 8:00. After the 1/2 point, though, things got a little rocky. This is where a few long runs would have really benefited me. I just didn't have the stamina to maintain my pace in the later miles. The next 4 miles were all over 8:00, though I think the slowest of them was only 8:12 or so by my watch. I actually did a pretty good job staying relaxed and smooth and I had a little left to get another sub-8:00 mile for the last mile. It also helped that I happened to be running near a dude that was pacing/coaching a girl. He was giving her all kinds of good tips while she was running, so that helped me keep my head where it needed to be.
I ended up finishing in 1:17:46, a 7:47 pace. I was 96th out of 1249 female finishers and 393 out of 2234 overall.
The course was rolling hills for the most part, and according to what I read, the downhill finish was new this year. The race started on the campus of the University of Virginia and then made a big turn and headed onto the Charlottesville Downtown Mall. We ran the length of the Downtown Mall and then did a loop in the neighborhoods on the other side. We returned down the mall, and then through some more neighborhoods, finishing running north on US-29.
The weather was perfect for distance running, with a start in the high 30s, and I would love to see how fast I could run this race with some more earnest training.
Daddy-daughter time
Sometimes I have a picture that doesn't really have a story to go with it, so it doesn't get posted to the blog. But sometimes, I have a picture that I love that is a story in and of itself.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Standing up for yourself
Kaia is standing up for herself. Or, rather, she's standing up BY herself. I'm barely used to the idea of her crawling, and now suddenly, she grabbing on to things and pulling herself up to standing. Slow down, baby girl, slow down. I seriously feel like Kaia's time as a baby is just screaming past and I just want to yell, "STOP!" But, she can't stop. She has to go, go, go. She's got that big sister to keep up with, afterall.
Babies, babies
Once upon a time, I wrote about the baby boom I was noticing around Sierra’s birth. It seemed like everywhere I turned, a friend or acquaintance was having a baby. I was surrounded by delicious newborn squishiness.
Well, here we go again. Let’s start with the faculty kids at Woodberry Forest. There are TWELVE children within 18 months of one another that are Sierra’s age (6 months older to 13 months younger). After that, there is a 1-year gap. Then, this past July, Reiss was born. Kaia showed up in August. Greta and Jack were born a week apart in September. Kyra came in December. Last week, Maggie and Peyton were born a day and a half apart. Next up, Sarah and Raph’s baby BOY in July, and Scott and Ping are due with their 2nd child in September. Phew!
Then there are my friends from college, the girls I ran cross country with. Kaia was the first of that group, but by the time she reaches her first birthday, she will have 5 little runner friends (that I know of, perhaps there are others I don’t know about). So, here’s a shout-out to Jen, Jessica, Nicole, Amy, and Suzanne. Yay babies!
My best friend growing up has a daughter that is 3 months older than Sierra … and a son that is 3 months older than Kaia (hi Kelley). Four friends from Pomfret that had their first children around the time Sierra was born have had or are expecting their second (hello to Liz, Beth, Jessica, and Tran).
Are there more? Most certainly, but my brain is getting a little squishy trying to remember all the squishy babies. It is, clearly, “that time” of my life. It’s wonderful and exciting and still surprising to be surrounded by so many little ones. Congratulations to everyone who is expecting or has recently welcomed a new addition!!
Well, here we go again. Let’s start with the faculty kids at Woodberry Forest. There are TWELVE children within 18 months of one another that are Sierra’s age (6 months older to 13 months younger). After that, there is a 1-year gap. Then, this past July, Reiss was born. Kaia showed up in August. Greta and Jack were born a week apart in September. Kyra came in December. Last week, Maggie and Peyton were born a day and a half apart. Next up, Sarah and Raph’s baby BOY in July, and Scott and Ping are due with their 2nd child in September. Phew!
Then there are my friends from college, the girls I ran cross country with. Kaia was the first of that group, but by the time she reaches her first birthday, she will have 5 little runner friends (that I know of, perhaps there are others I don’t know about). So, here’s a shout-out to Jen, Jessica, Nicole, Amy, and Suzanne. Yay babies!
My best friend growing up has a daughter that is 3 months older than Sierra … and a son that is 3 months older than Kaia (hi Kelley). Four friends from Pomfret that had their first children around the time Sierra was born have had or are expecting their second (hello to Liz, Beth, Jessica, and Tran).
Are there more? Most certainly, but my brain is getting a little squishy trying to remember all the squishy babies. It is, clearly, “that time” of my life. It’s wonderful and exciting and still surprising to be surrounded by so many little ones. Congratulations to everyone who is expecting or has recently welcomed a new addition!!
Aaaaand … one more mei tai
This one deserves its own post because it was quite the labor of love. Jason has been wanting me to make him a “man mei tai” for some time (for some reason, he doesn’t like wearing flowers, weird). His desire was a St. Louis Blues mei tai, but as it turns out, St. Louis Blues fabric is impossible to find. Really. Impossible. I don’t think they make it, unless you want fleece, which doesn’t really work for a mei tai.
Anyway, Jason thinks the Blues’ “third jersey” is pretty cool, so I made a mei tai modeled after that jersey. I figured my options were either to appliqué the large emblem in the center (holy geez! That’s a lot of stitching for an appliqué) or do a freezer paper stencil, like the tutorial on Dana’s blog, Made. The only difference was that I had to layer FIVE freezer paper stencils, one for each color in the logo/emblem (blue, dark gold, light gold, dark gray, light gray; there’s also white, but that was the color of my background).
Step 1. Print off and enlarge the image you want to use
Step 2. Trace the image on the rough side of freezer paper. Since this was going to be my stencil, I had to trace only one color at a time (oh, and my photocopy was in black and white), so I ended up with five different stencils
Step 3. Cut out the portions of the stencils that will be each color with a utility knife. Oh, the tedium! All those letters! And I had to save the middle portion of the letters because I didn’t want that to be painted.
Step 4. Place the first stencil on the fabric, waxy side down, and iron in place.
Step 5. Use a paint brush and permanent fabric paint to add color to the image. Dana’s tutorial says to use the “matte” fabric paint. I didn’t remember that when I bought my fabric paint, so I used Tulip slick, and it worked fine, there are just some strange shiny spots in a few places.
Step 6. After the first color dries, repeat step 4 and 5 with stencil 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The problem here is that I made the stencils and since I am human, they didn’t line up exactly. There were some sloppy spots. The overlap of color was most noticeable around the lettering, which was white, outlined by gold, on blue background. So, after I had finished all the colors, I went back and touched up the blue a bit.
Now it was on to making the actually front of the carrier. I cut out my freezer paper stenciled fabric, and appliquéd around the circle to attach it to some navy canvas. I added gold and white stripes of canvas to the bottom of the carrier to imitate the jersey (turns out, you can’t really see them when the carrier is being worn because a child is sitting there, but I know they are there and so does Jason).
At the top of the carrier, I cut a slit down the middle, and added some facing, then flipped it behind to give the slit a nice, smooth finish. I then used an eyelet tool to add the eyelets for the lace-up front. I left the top open so that the sleeping hood of the mei tai can be tucked behind when not in use.
Phew! Like I said, labor of love.
(Does it look like the Blues' third jersey?)
Anyway, Jason thinks the Blues’ “third jersey” is pretty cool, so I made a mei tai modeled after that jersey. I figured my options were either to appliqué the large emblem in the center (holy geez! That’s a lot of stitching for an appliqué) or do a freezer paper stencil, like the tutorial on Dana’s blog, Made. The only difference was that I had to layer FIVE freezer paper stencils, one for each color in the logo/emblem (blue, dark gold, light gold, dark gray, light gray; there’s also white, but that was the color of my background).
Step 1. Print off and enlarge the image you want to use
Step 2. Trace the image on the rough side of freezer paper. Since this was going to be my stencil, I had to trace only one color at a time (oh, and my photocopy was in black and white), so I ended up with five different stencils
Step 3. Cut out the portions of the stencils that will be each color with a utility knife. Oh, the tedium! All those letters! And I had to save the middle portion of the letters because I didn’t want that to be painted.
Step 4. Place the first stencil on the fabric, waxy side down, and iron in place.
Step 5. Use a paint brush and permanent fabric paint to add color to the image. Dana’s tutorial says to use the “matte” fabric paint. I didn’t remember that when I bought my fabric paint, so I used Tulip slick, and it worked fine, there are just some strange shiny spots in a few places.
Step 6. After the first color dries, repeat step 4 and 5 with stencil 2, 3, 4, and 5.
The problem here is that I made the stencils and since I am human, they didn’t line up exactly. There were some sloppy spots. The overlap of color was most noticeable around the lettering, which was white, outlined by gold, on blue background. So, after I had finished all the colors, I went back and touched up the blue a bit.
Now it was on to making the actually front of the carrier. I cut out my freezer paper stenciled fabric, and appliquéd around the circle to attach it to some navy canvas. I added gold and white stripes of canvas to the bottom of the carrier to imitate the jersey (turns out, you can’t really see them when the carrier is being worn because a child is sitting there, but I know they are there and so does Jason).
At the top of the carrier, I cut a slit down the middle, and added some facing, then flipped it behind to give the slit a nice, smooth finish. I then used an eyelet tool to add the eyelets for the lace-up front. I left the top open so that the sleeping hood of the mei tai can be tucked behind when not in use.
Phew! Like I said, labor of love.
(Does it look like the Blues' third jersey?)
More mei tais
More babies means more mei tais.
When I went to Samphas’s baby shower, I made a tiny model mei tai and put it on a teddy bear. I told her that it represented the real carrier I was going to make for her baby. Well, even though baby Kyra arrived in December, it took me a while to get Samphas over to choose some fabric. She picked this Michael miller Beatrice Bloom fabric and I put some purple with some sparkles in it that I’ve had for awhile on the back.
My friend, Jen, had her first baby in January. She picked out this Amy Butler fabric online and I used a yummy-soft no-wale corduroy for the straps. I did an appliqué on the hood, and comparing that with one of the first appliqués I did really demonstrated how far I've come with that technique. I'm very pleased with how this turned out. I avoided pink and flowers on the reverse and kept it all green in case Jen's hubby wants to wear baby but not pink flowers.
I managed to get the carrier finished in time to see Jen and meet baby Addison at Suz’s wedding in Seattle. Hoorah!
(I had just completed my mei tai list, but now I think I have four more. It’s great, though, I love making them, and since I couldn’t go into business, it’s a good thing my friends keep having babies.)
When I went to Samphas’s baby shower, I made a tiny model mei tai and put it on a teddy bear. I told her that it represented the real carrier I was going to make for her baby. Well, even though baby Kyra arrived in December, it took me a while to get Samphas over to choose some fabric. She picked this Michael miller Beatrice Bloom fabric and I put some purple with some sparkles in it that I’ve had for awhile on the back.
My friend, Jen, had her first baby in January. She picked out this Amy Butler fabric online and I used a yummy-soft no-wale corduroy for the straps. I did an appliqué on the hood, and comparing that with one of the first appliqués I did really demonstrated how far I've come with that technique. I'm very pleased with how this turned out. I avoided pink and flowers on the reverse and kept it all green in case Jen's hubby wants to wear baby but not pink flowers.
I managed to get the carrier finished in time to see Jen and meet baby Addison at Suz’s wedding in Seattle. Hoorah!
(I had just completed my mei tai list, but now I think I have four more. It’s great, though, I love making them, and since I couldn’t go into business, it’s a good thing my friends keep having babies.)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sunny Seattle
Okay, so you don’t usually think of the Pacific Northwest as sunny, and I certainly was expecting rainy weather for my trip to Seattle in March. Remarkably, the weather was actually relatively awesome while we were there. It was a bit sprinkle-y when I arrived on Thursday evening, and there was a light rain for much of the day Friday (but it didn’t stop us!). However, the weather was actually really lovely for Suz and Mike’s wedding Saturday and that trend continued for our last day in town Sunday.
If you think that one day of donuts is enough, you would be wrong. Jen, Amy and I decided that we would head back to Top Pots for donuts Sunday morning (hey, we were on vacation!). I had an enormous apple fritter that was just to die for.
While we were at the donut shop, Suzanne sent a text that she was in the lobby of her hotel (a couple blocks from ours) having breakfast. After a quick baby pit stop back at our room, we headed over there. It was really great because we actually got the chance to sit and chat with Suzanne and Mike for a bit.
My sister Jennifer (not to be confused with my roommate Jen) was planning on camping in the area so we could hang out Sunday. She decided against that, but was still going to drive up Sunday morning. Since I didn’t know what time she was going to arrive, we decided to go back to Pike Place Market and I would just meet her there later. Our group had grown to include another former cross country teammate, Leah, and her husband, as well as several of Jen’s (not Jennifer’s) friends from Portland. We found a brew pub and all settled in for some food and beers. I shared a salad and crab chowder (yum!) with Jen and had a nice, dark stout.
Jennifer and her boyfriend, Tyler, found us around 2:30 and after enjoying a brew themselves, I left to wander around with them for a bit, agreeing to meet my roommies back at our rental car later. We walked through the market again, but didn’t stay long. It was way more crowded than it had been on Friday (no rain + the weekend, I suppose) so it was tough to move in there. We wandered into some of the stores along the street near the market and I found some things to bring home for Jason and Sierra.
We parted ways briefly so that I could head back with Jen and Amy, and then Jennifer and Tyler met me a bit later at the hotel. We hung out in the lobby while Jen was at dinner with her friends so that we could give Amy some (I’m sure much needed) peace and quiet and then joined her later to order some pizza for dinner. We chose the pizza place because they had good prices and a varied menu, but I really enjoyed the goat cheese and roasted red pepper pizza Amy and I shared.
(Can you tell we're sisters?)
I was up before 5 on Monday morning and Amy kindly agreed to take me to the airport. Kaia was a wonderful traveler for the first (long) flight from Seattle to New York, but the second leg was delayed and delayed again, and I think baby girl had just had enough, which resulted in a minor meltdown on the way back to Virginia. We drove through a terrible storm on the way home, but I was really happy to be sleeping in my own bed again.
If you think that one day of donuts is enough, you would be wrong. Jen, Amy and I decided that we would head back to Top Pots for donuts Sunday morning (hey, we were on vacation!). I had an enormous apple fritter that was just to die for.
While we were at the donut shop, Suzanne sent a text that she was in the lobby of her hotel (a couple blocks from ours) having breakfast. After a quick baby pit stop back at our room, we headed over there. It was really great because we actually got the chance to sit and chat with Suzanne and Mike for a bit.
My sister Jennifer (not to be confused with my roommate Jen) was planning on camping in the area so we could hang out Sunday. She decided against that, but was still going to drive up Sunday morning. Since I didn’t know what time she was going to arrive, we decided to go back to Pike Place Market and I would just meet her there later. Our group had grown to include another former cross country teammate, Leah, and her husband, as well as several of Jen’s (not Jennifer’s) friends from Portland. We found a brew pub and all settled in for some food and beers. I shared a salad and crab chowder (yum!) with Jen and had a nice, dark stout.
Jennifer and her boyfriend, Tyler, found us around 2:30 and after enjoying a brew themselves, I left to wander around with them for a bit, agreeing to meet my roommies back at our rental car later. We walked through the market again, but didn’t stay long. It was way more crowded than it had been on Friday (no rain + the weekend, I suppose) so it was tough to move in there. We wandered into some of the stores along the street near the market and I found some things to bring home for Jason and Sierra.
We parted ways briefly so that I could head back with Jen and Amy, and then Jennifer and Tyler met me a bit later at the hotel. We hung out in the lobby while Jen was at dinner with her friends so that we could give Amy some (I’m sure much needed) peace and quiet and then joined her later to order some pizza for dinner. We chose the pizza place because they had good prices and a varied menu, but I really enjoyed the goat cheese and roasted red pepper pizza Amy and I shared.
(Can you tell we're sisters?)
I was up before 5 on Monday morning and Amy kindly agreed to take me to the airport. Kaia was a wonderful traveler for the first (long) flight from Seattle to New York, but the second leg was delayed and delayed again, and I think baby girl had just had enough, which resulted in a minor meltdown on the way back to Virginia. We drove through a terrible storm on the way home, but I was really happy to be sleeping in my own bed again.
Wedding Day
Saturday was Suzanne and Mike’s wedding, but since the wedding wasn’t until the afternoon, we had plenty of time to occupy ourselves beforehand.
Babies again decided that we would be getting up early, so once we got ourselves together, we headed out for a short walk to Top Pots, a donut place that Suzanne and Mike had suggested we try. I’m so glad they did. This place was amazing and the donuts were H.U.G.E. Seriously. This is an old-fashioned maple frosted donut on top of a Bavarian cream filled. Holy sugar overload! Breakfast? Sure, but it’s really a big, fat dessert masquerading as breakfast (and I have no problem with that).
We had a view of the Space Needle on our walk back to the hotel, where we regrouped, fed and changed babies, and then got ready to walk to REI.
I love REI, it’s one of my most favorite stores, and we were pretty sure this was the flagship store. It was enormous. So, here’s this outdoor gear store, in the middle of a major city and there’s a hiking trail with a waterfall leading up to the entrance to the store. Inside, there was 3-story rock climbing feature, stone fireplace, and when I asked where I could find a vest for my toddler, I was told it was upstairs “by the play area and restaurant.” I did manage to buy that vest for my toddler (so cute) and probably could have spent a lot more time browsing (and buying, if only I had unlimited disposable income), but we had to head back so that Jen would have enough time to get ready for her wedding party commitments.
Before Jen and Addison left, we got some pictures of the babies all dressed up for the wedding.
Jen headed out and Amy and I walked to Whole Foods (Amy was awesome, 30 weeks pregnant and walked all over the place that morning) to buy some lunch and plane snacks. I went a touch overboard on the by-the-pound food bar at Whole Foods, but it was delicious.
(side story: I had Kaia in a wrap on my back, and she had wiggled her arms out the top while we were eating. Since it was a little chilly, I wanted her all in the wrap for our walk home. I paused outside Whole Foods to partially untie and tuck her back in, and I suddenly felt a lot of eyes on me. I glanced over and noticed that I was being watched by several people who were at the outdoor eating area. One woman stopped on the street near me and just stared. I don’t mind, I realize that seeing a woman with a baby tied on her back is a rare sight, but it’s a little funny to me how obvious some people about their staring.)
---
The wedding was beautiful, and Suzanne (of course) looked amazing.
I saw part of the wedding from the church and the rest from the child area. Kaia was getting a bit fussy, and I thought, she would go to sleep. She didn’t, but it’s good that I made an exit because shortly after that, she started squealing and growling. Maybe she was just trying to talk to Gayle, who was up there with Jen’s babe while Jen was in the wedding.
There were a couple of hours between the wedding and the reception, so Amy and I decided to go get a cupcake. Our first attempt to find the cupcake place was unsuccessful, and before we could find where we were supposed to be, Kaia had a major meltdown in the back of the car, so bad that we had to stop so I could get her out of the carseat and calm her down. We arrived at Cupcake Royale and made our choices (chocolate coconut for me, and salted caramel for Amy). The flavor of the month was maple whiskey bacon; it had bacon sprinkles on top!
The reception was in a lovely location, overlooking the water.
That evening, as I was dancing with some friends, two of us with infants, and two of whom are pregnant, I was struck by how very different this was from dancing with the same women 10 years ago when we were in college. Life marches on.
Congratulations to Suz and Mike!
Babies again decided that we would be getting up early, so once we got ourselves together, we headed out for a short walk to Top Pots, a donut place that Suzanne and Mike had suggested we try. I’m so glad they did. This place was amazing and the donuts were H.U.G.E. Seriously. This is an old-fashioned maple frosted donut on top of a Bavarian cream filled. Holy sugar overload! Breakfast? Sure, but it’s really a big, fat dessert masquerading as breakfast (and I have no problem with that).
We had a view of the Space Needle on our walk back to the hotel, where we regrouped, fed and changed babies, and then got ready to walk to REI.
I love REI, it’s one of my most favorite stores, and we were pretty sure this was the flagship store. It was enormous. So, here’s this outdoor gear store, in the middle of a major city and there’s a hiking trail with a waterfall leading up to the entrance to the store. Inside, there was 3-story rock climbing feature, stone fireplace, and when I asked where I could find a vest for my toddler, I was told it was upstairs “by the play area and restaurant.” I did manage to buy that vest for my toddler (so cute) and probably could have spent a lot more time browsing (and buying, if only I had unlimited disposable income), but we had to head back so that Jen would have enough time to get ready for her wedding party commitments.
Before Jen and Addison left, we got some pictures of the babies all dressed up for the wedding.
Jen headed out and Amy and I walked to Whole Foods (Amy was awesome, 30 weeks pregnant and walked all over the place that morning) to buy some lunch and plane snacks. I went a touch overboard on the by-the-pound food bar at Whole Foods, but it was delicious.
(side story: I had Kaia in a wrap on my back, and she had wiggled her arms out the top while we were eating. Since it was a little chilly, I wanted her all in the wrap for our walk home. I paused outside Whole Foods to partially untie and tuck her back in, and I suddenly felt a lot of eyes on me. I glanced over and noticed that I was being watched by several people who were at the outdoor eating area. One woman stopped on the street near me and just stared. I don’t mind, I realize that seeing a woman with a baby tied on her back is a rare sight, but it’s a little funny to me how obvious some people about their staring.)
---
The wedding was beautiful, and Suzanne (of course) looked amazing.
I saw part of the wedding from the church and the rest from the child area. Kaia was getting a bit fussy, and I thought, she would go to sleep. She didn’t, but it’s good that I made an exit because shortly after that, she started squealing and growling. Maybe she was just trying to talk to Gayle, who was up there with Jen’s babe while Jen was in the wedding.
There were a couple of hours between the wedding and the reception, so Amy and I decided to go get a cupcake. Our first attempt to find the cupcake place was unsuccessful, and before we could find where we were supposed to be, Kaia had a major meltdown in the back of the car, so bad that we had to stop so I could get her out of the carseat and calm her down. We arrived at Cupcake Royale and made our choices (chocolate coconut for me, and salted caramel for Amy). The flavor of the month was maple whiskey bacon; it had bacon sprinkles on top!
The reception was in a lovely location, overlooking the water.
That evening, as I was dancing with some friends, two of us with infants, and two of whom are pregnant, I was struck by how very different this was from dancing with the same women 10 years ago when we were in college. Life marches on.
Congratulations to Suz and Mike!
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