It started with me getting to "sleep in" until 8 am. Then, a huge breakfast of bacon, almond flour pancakes, and eggs. My mom didn't make breakfast for us very often when we were kids; I was always jealous of the kids whose moms got up to cook for them. (My mom is not a morning person. I was the kid waking up her parents to make sure I got to school on time.) So I determined even then that I would make breakfasts for my family, and I love doing it.
After breakfast, we decided to take our Boston terrier, Marla, to the dog park. My relationship with Marla has been strained ever since the baby has come along. Not only am I suddenly very sensitive to smells (and she has a skin condition that makes her smell like a corpse anytime fresh air hits her) but also to sounds.
Do you have any idea the kind of awful sounds flat faced dogs will make?? Do ya??
My mom has a Boston, and he is wonderfully calm. Marla, not so much. She danced and jumps and tramples on your feet with her awful claws and makes you bleed. She has no regard for human life, especially not that of a babies. So she has spent much of the last 7 months or so either in the back yard or in her crate. Now that Liam is getting bigger, and he can hold his own with her, things are getting better.
Taking her to the dog park reminded me of why I liked her, and dogs in general, in the first place.
The park we went to was small but awesome. A stretch of beach had been fenced in for the dogs, so they were able to go in the water to play and fetch balls.
Marla likes to herd other dogs; she was OBSESSED with this dog.
These 3, 250 pound mastiffs were gentle giants. Just the kind of dog Liam needs. They were incredibly calm and chill.
It was only noon when we left the park, and the whole glorious day stretched ahead of us.
We decided to head downtown, since many of the restaurants there have outdoor seating and it was too hot to leave the dog in the car. Every Saturday, there is market there with vendors selling handcrafted items, local meats, etc, and I was excited to visit it. Lo and behold, they don't allow dogs, so we had to pass on it. We ended up eating lunch at one of our favorite places - Pita Pit. If there is one near you, and you have't tried it yet, do so. NOW. I fully endorse this brand, even though they are not paying me for it. Sadly.
At this point, Liam has been up for 5 hours without a nap. He usually doesn't go more than 3. So we loaded up and Liam fell asleep close to the house. I was totally high on the success of the day - ZERO meltdowns! and wanted to take advantage of the mood. So we ditched the dog at home and headed for the beach.
Let me just say, we go to the beach several times a week. I know Liam loves it. But yesterday was the first really WARM day we had, where people other than crazy surfers were getting in the water.
I took Liam up to a tidal pool that kids were splashing around in, and set him down to stand in front of it. He dipped a toe in, squealed in shock and jumped away... and then ran into the water to the have the time of his life. Lots of splashing, crawling, laughing, wet-sand-eating ensued.
Seeing Liam wrapped up in a towel wearing nothing but a diaper and eating a post-play snack made me realize what a person he is. He isn't just a baby anymore. We can do things with him, as a family, and have him involved. Our outings don't always have to be executed with gritting teeth and a screaming baby.
Life is, dare I say it, fun again!
In case you are wondering, that strange sea monster I found is a sea louse. I'd never seen one before; they look like alien bugs.
To sweeten the animal-sighting pot a bit more, check this out....
That, my friends, is what we call an osprey nest. Osprey's seem to be quite common around here. I seem them almost daily, and we pass two nests on the way to the beach.
At the end of a long, awesome day, Patrick and I cuddled up beneath our blanket fort in the living room with cupcakes, beer and cinnamon pretzels to watch Supernatural.
Perfection.
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