Grand times

It's been WAY too long since my mom last visited -- probably two months. And in baby timelines, sooooo much happens in two months. Em's much more verbal and smiley and interactive -- the kind of stuff that melts the hearts of grandmas everywhere.

I took a half-day on Friday, and my mom, Em and I just hung out at my condo until Em took her afternoon nap. When she was done, we hit the Promenade for some shopping. Of course the majority of purchases were for Em. Baby Gap clearance deals get me every time, like this dress I picked up.
We were in one of my favorite little baby boutiques off the Promenade. My mom picked up a monkey rattle and asked Em, "Do you like this?" Em's eyes lit up and she reached out for it with both hands. My mom was SO excited and couldn't buy it for her fast enough. Little did my mom know at the time, but that's Em's latest skill. You can hold up a straw wrapper and she'll do the same thing. But who am I to deny a grandmother the chance to spoil her grandbaby? The monkey was soggy with Em's drool before we even got back to my place - the true badge of Em's adoration.

The next morning my mom helped us give Em her first real veggie - avocado! I'd say it went pretty well, even if Em disagrees.

A little while after breakfast, a bunch of birds started battling in the skies outside our balcony. A small bird tried to escape a crow and flew into our sliding glass door. It wasn't dead - THANKFULLY - but it did just sit there, looking around.

Brent and I squealed like little girls, and joked to my mom, "YOU get rid of it!" She nonchalantly replied, "OK," and headed out. As she slid open the screen door, the bird flew away! Phew! As much as Brent and I hate birds, we hope it ended up ok.

My mom took her superhero self and headed back to Visalia shortly thereafter. And Em is already looking forward to her next visit. Come back soon, Grandma!

That afternoon we went to Unique LA, a huge indy craftshow (250 vendors!) in Downtown LA, where our pal justJENN had a booth to sell her fun wares. Em decided to help her out.

Sunday was a mellow day, too. We had brunch with our friends, Christina and Dan. Later we took a nice, long walk to the grocery store. And as always, we just soaked up our little Em.

"No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behavior, and I'm not talking about the kids. Their behavior is always normal." - Bill Cosby