Sunny day sushi

Enjoying a sunny day having some sushi with Ava. Rice and veggies for her. She's a great eater.

We followed this up with a short stint at a Queen Anne wading pool that featured a lifeguard playing classic Motown and dance hits from the 80s. I walked Ava for several laps around the pool (she's still practicing the whole "walking" thing) and she shimmied to the music whenever we paused. Like her dad, she's quite the music connoisseur. Me and my mom claim credit for the dancing ability. :-)

We wrapped up the night with a first-ever parents solo night out, courtesy of J.'s parents. It was a little harrowing for them: Ava doesn't see them as much as we'd like so she was NOT happy to be left.

J.'s mom said she tried leaving Ava on the couch for a little Cry It Out effort. Ha! Good luck. She's got lungs like an Aida in training. Finally, her screaming was reaching such a fevered pitch, they closed all the doors and windows so the neighbors wouldn't think the worst was underway inside! After a quick call to Ava's baby-whisperer Aunt Bern, J.'s mom turned on some dance music, which calmed Ava right down and had her shaking and grooving her little diapered tush and torso to the beat. She followed it up by letting the no-longer screaming Ava drift off to sleep on her chest, which is where we found her when we returned.

Conversely, while keeping our cell phones within view for potential calls about Ava, we had a lovely hour and a half to ourselves to chat and laugh over dinner without once retrieving napkins, silverware or stray food from the floor, followed by a leisurely walk around the nearby shops and restaurants enjoying the warm summer evening.

We definitely need to do that more often. With a few days to recover, I think J's mom and stepdad will be up for another visit again too.