Patience Is A Big, Big Virtue

I don't have any pictures for this post - how I wish I did - but I felt it had to go up, anyway. Emma was just trooper tonight, as Tom and I completed the second half of the aforementioned secret mission. With wonderful input from friends and family, we deliberated for a few days about getting a new car. We weren't planning on a new, new car, necessarily, but at least a healthy upgrade from our current one, which recently reached the outer limit of its surprisingly short lifespan. So, tonight, we found ourselves at a local dealership until about 10:00 p.m., and poor Emma was just spent. She had already had a pretty full day, and this was a lot to ask of her. However, she persevered with the help of several cookies and other treats from the nice lady at reception, who also chased her around the dealership and tirelessly regaled the Baby Bee with a plethora of silly faces and peek-a-boo.

As my dear readers may know, a trip to the car dealership can be a tiring experience. Much like a marathon runner, you try to pace yourself as you're inundated with car choices, gregarious salesmen and mountains of paperwork, while keeping your eye on the prize: A shiny new toy that will depreciate faster than you can say financing. Emma grew mellower and mellower as the night progressed and, by the time we were in final negotiations, she was contentedly plucking at one of her toys and humming tunelessly. After three and a half hours at the dealership, victory was ours, and we headed home in high spirits and a delightfully air-conditioned climate. Bye, bye, old car! Thank you, Baby Bee, for being such a sport. :)

Good Friends

Last night, the Baby Bee and I joined Kaitlin and her mom, Stephanie, for ice cream after completing a secret mission (which I may disclose later, depending on the outcome). Truth be told, I think the girls were more interested in climbing their seats than eating ice cream, but they each got a few good bites in while contemplating their surroundings.

It is funny how toddlers will be in the same room or booth, even, but lead parallel lives, patently ignoring each other until they are suddenly very aware of one another. Emma bounced restlessly in her booster seat, while Katie danced in her seat and looked out the window. However, once they realized they could reach each other over the table, it was a whole new game. They leaned in for kisses and spoke in their secret language, probably discussing the best way to escape under our noses.

After revving their engines with a super-dose of sugar, they babbled excitedly and made hilarious faces, which Emma's Dad and I call the "powering up face." It's a bizarre baby phenomenon: Usually when eating, Emma will stop, ball her hands into the fists of fury and strain until her face turns bright red, all the while keeping a maniacal grin on her face. We can't help but burst into surprised laughter, wondering what in the world brings on these little episodes. Maybe it's a result of raising one's blood sugar. Could you imagine how entertaining restaurants would be if we all did that?

Precious Moments

One of our favorite places to go is the indoor play area at the local mall. Tucked away at the end of the mall, the play area is kind of its own world. When you're inside, you feel a bit like Alice after eating the side of the mushroom that makes her very small. All of the soft, spongy structures are cartoonishly over-sized for the wee ones to climb and play on safely. As you sit on the floor of the play area, you might find yourself dwarfed by a giant bird eating a worm, a towering pile of blocks or a stacking ring on steroids, while the kaleidoscope of colors makes you feel as though you have been transported to Rainbow Brite's secret headquarters.

The children are a whipped into a frenzy by the stimulating colors, sights and textures and careen around like whirling dervishes until they collapse in an exhausted, hungry heap. Not infrequently, a teary, shoeless child is whisked away by their parents for emergency lunchtime or naptime after an extended bout in the play area.

Occasionally, shoppers and other passersby will pause and watch the mayhem going on inside this bright and cheerful bubble. Their expressions are a bit wistful, making me wonder if they miss their own children, who may be long grown up and busy with their own lives, or are considering having a wee one of their own.

On this particular occasion, we went with friends new and old, and had a wonderful time. Emma enjoyed spending time with Baby Zoe, Emily and her brother Eli, and the intrepid Greyson, whose cheeks I just want to squeeze. Until next time!

First Ice Cream Cone!

I've noticed that the Baby Bee gets a lot of free things when we're out and about. One day, when we were at our friendly neighborhood Wal Mart, she was given two toys by two different ladies. Another time, at a market in California, a nice man at the checkout gave her a balloon. Emma loves getting gifts (what girl doesn't?), and graciously accepts all manner of trinkets, but nothing pleased her more than the ice cream cone she was given at the commissary the other day. Her eyes lit up like a pinball machine and she crowed exultantly at this strange and wonderful treat that she had never tried. I know, it is weird, isn't it? Somehow, in the last 17 and half months of experimenting with treats, I've neglected to give her an actual ice cream cone.
The commissary employees crowded around her expectantly, waiting to see her reaction. The Baby Bee studied the cone for a good five minutes and carefully tasted a little bit on the tip of her finger before deciding the cone was a go. Once she took the first bite, I'm afraid it was the beginning of a life-long love. Emma clutched the cone like it was a golden ticket and happily consumed the entire thing by the time we got home. I wish I had managed to snap a few pictures while we were in the store, but I did get a couple once we were outside. Thank you, nice commissary man, who was celebrating his birthday with a soft-serve machine that day and was kind enough to share with Emma.