Tonight was Red Lobster

Paul and I have been dreaming of seafood for a while now but waiting for the right opportunity to come up. Our busy anniversary came and went with a lot of wonderful things (and heavenly malts) but it wasn't the right time for a sit-down meal so we saved that for another time. Today was it.

Paul worked a loooooong shift today and came home starving. I, as usual, forgot to eat and hadn't had anything since breakfast when we headed out at 4 o'clock. Mercy, I was hungry! As usual when your tummy overtakes your brain, our conversations kept turning to food which made the wait for our table less endurable than usual. Hannah, however, was happy looking at the lobsters behind the glass and making friends with the man who sat beside me. I was shocked to find out that this youngish looking father was also a GRANDFATHER and a GREAT-GRANDFATHER!! I wanted to know his secret... He was really playful with Hannah and she loved the attention. Around the time that Paul told me his stomach was eating itself (as was mine...) our table was finally called.

Our cute waitress (five months pregnant though you really couldn't tell) seated us right next to a huge aquarium. That was very helpful for Hannah although she seemed more interested with the plastic fish on either side. It was funny watching her go crazy for those. I, however, really liked watching the beautiful bright blue fish as they swam back and forth. Fish have such a calming effect and are very soothing to watch. I think Red Lobster has created a great atmosphere and was impressed again with their decor. What a fun place.

Hannah was ready for a nap (this week was Education Week at BYU, so our routine is completely off) but as we were thinking with our stomachs when we left, we thought this would be a quick trip. Right. Saturday night at a popular restaurant = long wait. long wait. long wait. Really though, it wasn't that bad. It wasn't until our food came that she really started getting antsy. We kept her happy with french fries and soda crackers until I finally slipped out the the car to feed her. This baby really loves to nurse. But she was mostly tired and that wasn't the fix. So we asked for boxes and got ready to go. I was able to clean off the coconut shrimp & pina colada sauce that Paul couldn't finish (yes, I totally out-ate my husband) and still ordered dessert to go. I couldn't get over how heavenly the shrimp was. Mmmmm. I can still taste it. And that, was eating out with a busy 9-month old baby. Not easy, not bad, entertaining and exhausting, but so fun. I love being a mama. And I love that being a mama can still include dates with a hot guy & yummy seafood.

Happy Weekend!!!

Nurse-Maid's Elbow

A week (and just a few hours) ago, Hannah made her first appearance in the ER. Luckily for her mama, it was a fairly minor injury that did not include BLOOD of any kind (internal/external....I'm not talking different kinds of blood...) I am thankful for that little mercy. But it was still traumatic in the moment and I nearly cried hot tears with my daughter all the way to the hospital and back (grateful ones the second time around). She had a slight dislocation titled Nurse Maid's Elbow that is very common in babies & toddlers. It was caused when someone accidentally pulled too hard on her arm while picking her up. The awesome doctor who fixed her **in about ten seconds flat** emphasized that it was a common accident, but this only slightly eased my self-blame (I wasn't the one who did it - I am just a guilt-ridden mother) as I still felt I should have prevented it. 

Even a week later, I swell with gratitude re-telling the story as I am thankful it wasn't worse. God is kind and He truly blessed us that night.

This is my awesome brother Jacob who was my rock during the ordeal. Paul had a graveyard shift that night and missed out on the whole experience (thank you Shealee for lending him to me!)

I have never felt so blessed and dare I say, spoiled? at the hospital. It was a strangely QUIET evening and we were ushered right in without a wait. Neither my brother or I have ever seen the waiting room so empty. I am counting my blessings. And thanking Dr. Jemmett and our stellar nurse Lori. And a loving Father in Heaven.

As Ma Ingalls always said, "All's well that ends well."

Ben

Today was one of those Mondays. I couldn't seem to figure out why it was s-t-r-u-g-g-l-i-n-g along, but we both just kind of existed today. Nothing super productive got done (except keeping my most important priority alive and *mostly* happy....it was a hard day). Hannah was fussy for no apparent reason and needed to be held (she always does, but even more than always) and Paul is out of town. Maybe the two are related. She sure adores her daddy and lit up when she heard his voice on the phone. She's such a doll. Anyway, we just kind of rode the waves today. Neither of us got out of our pajamas. All day. So when she really wanted to go outside this evening, I hardly even thought about us trekking off in our pj's. OK, so mine probably just looked like workout clothes, but still not what I usually wear outside my home.

Anyway, Hannah LOVES her some swing-time, so as we let the sun settle behind West Mountain, I pushed my girl to and fro and made small talk with a cute family until they left. It was cute that when we were talking about our kids' names, we realized that their daugher's name (Grace) was on our list and Hannah was on theirs. They both mean the same thing, you know. Beautiful names.

Anyway, shortly after the cute family left, we were joined by a lone boy, Ben, who opened up and told me much about his life. He is eight years old, and basically lives "in lots of places." His parents are split up, and while he lives with his mother in Pennsylvania most of the year, he spends his summer and holidays with his dad. He talked about how "kids without parents" eat free on airplanes and how he flies out with his brother. We talked about school and how his mom used to be a doctor. We talked about everything and when I started to feel it was getting late, I asked who was with him. "Just me" he said, explaining that his dad had dropped him off and that he comes all the time. Eight years old and a "long walk" home alone. I kept him talking and learned about his patched up family of siblings and step-siblings, his mother's three marriages, places he had lived, his friends, etc. and how his mom is remarried but his dad "probably never will." Call me nosy, but I wanted to know more about his dad. "Does your dad date?" I asked carefully. "Well, he would rather date a man than a girl," he told me, laughing nervously. "My dad is basically gay." My heart sank and I looked at this beautiful child (sorry, this handsome kid who is tough and plays tackle football....) and I felt for him and all of the hurt and confusion he has dealt with at this young age. I can only imagine the kind of marriage his parents had before they split knowing how much friction different sexual orientations would cause in a relationship. He mentioned that his step dad can be "pretty mean" and that his real dad is nice most of the time, though the look on his face said so much. I wished I could take this boy home with me and give him a stable, secure home with a family that wasn't going anywhere. How is he going to find stability in this life when all around him is complete chaos? We said our goodbyes and he stayed on the playground. I could tell he wasn't anxious to go back to his dad's. As we slowly walked back home, I kept thinking of little Ben and how much I wanted to help him. I tried to think of something I could do, but the only answer I could come up with was to pray. So I pray for Ben and will continue to as often as I can. And we will hopefully run into him again while he is here because I think he liked us. And I know we like him.