The Cutest Babies in the World
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| Sweet Owen with Mr. Bun at secret breakfast |
When sweet baby Maggie was about two months old, I took a trip to the Pacific Northwest to hold her, snuggle her, and help my sister. Here's the skinny:
Day 1
I flew into Portland, Oregon, and caught a quick Uber out to my sister's new house. She lives in a beautiful, new planned community in the city suburbs. I swept in and was able to love small people (both the new baby and her older brother, Owen) almost immediately. Oh, y'all. It's easy to forget how tiny new babies are, with their open faces, itty bitty fingers, and almost non-existent toenails. So small, so soft, and so, so precious. I also got to hear all about how life was going for Owen, who was glad to have another grown up to talk to! Heh.
Because Jesus loves me, Clayton, one of our mutual friends from our growing up years, was also in town for one more night! So, myself, Grace, and Clayton decided we'd go out to dinner that night. We made our way to Clyde Common for a night of deliciousness. We started with the charcuterie board and moved on to wine, entrees, and other general wonderfulness. Clayton is an absolute hoot, and I loved spending time with he and Grace. There is something special about friendships with the people who knew you when you were young that is impossible to replicate with relationships you build later in life. There's such history and ease. We cackled like hens!
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| By the time our tasting at Apolloni Vineyards was complete, Maggie was asleep! |
After dinner, we walked about a bit, even visiting a rooftop bar briefly to take in views. Then, as she was thoroughly tired after a day of baby-wrangling, we took my sister home. I got to sleep with a cute, cuddly 4-year-old that night, and he is the BEST snuggler!
Day 2
The next morning, Owen and I sneaked out of the house early to hit the grocery store and get brunch supplies. (We may have also purchased some dinosaur toys.) We came back to the house with tons of goodies and set to work, making slow-cooked eggs, roasted asparagus, a gorgeous fruit salad, strawberry butter, thick slices of toast, and lots of strong coffee.
When the house woke up a little later, we presented the fruits of our labors to a grateful audience. After soaking up the relaxation of it all for a bit, Owen and I decided to take a walk to the park. The neighborhood my sister lives in is so smartly planned. There are parks, a community pool, plenty of green spaces, and even schools, all within walking distance. It's so convenient, and the neighborhood is meticulously maintained.
Later that day, we bid adieu to sweet Clayton (Sob!), and I got down to helping out with the very small person who had recently made her debut. In all honesty, I'd forgotten a little about how to soothe a screaming newborn. You'd be surprised how quickly it all comes back, though! Swaddling, pacifiers, lots of bouncing and shushing and smooches. This early in her development, she could absolutely not abide the swing. She wanted to be held and fussed over, which I was only too happy to do! Diaper changes, the occasional bottle (as we were focused on breast feeding), but mostly just sweet love! I'd take her outside to the porch so she could see the trees, grass, and blue sky. I sang songs and kissed the top of her itty bitty head. Absolute heaven.
We had a quiet dinner in that night.
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| Grace and Owen couldn't resist the photo ops at Blue Heron French Cheese Company! |
One of the problems Grace was sometimes having was that Owen woke early and was raring to go each day, often waking up both she and Maggie when they were still peacefully sleeping after a long night. On day 3, Owen and I circumvented this issue with secret breakfast. When my son Clay was little, we used to do the same thing. Hubs would want to sleep in on the weekends, but small people can be rather loud and excited when they wake up. So I would get Clay in the car and let him pick the place we'd go for a leisurely "secret breakfast" from dad.
Owen loved the idea, and off we went for secret breakfast at Biscuits Cafe. (We even brought Mr. Bun, his stuffed rabbit, who certainly did NOT want to be excluded from the fun.) He proceeded to charm every waitress in the restaurant and eat tons of pancakes and syrup. When we got close to leaving, we ordered Grace some biscuits and gravy to go, so she could have a lovely breakfast when she awoke, as well.
When Grace heard I was coming to town to visit, she saw it as an opportunity (with a third adult) to get out of the house more. I enthusiastically agreed, and we'd decided to spend a couple of nights at Rockaway Beach during my visit. We headed out on day 3, after we'd had a chance to get everyone breakfasted and ready to go.
We learned quickly that Maggie hated her car seat. Wisely, however, we'd anticipated such, so we'd identified a couple of places to pull over and take a break from the car during our trip. Our first stop was Apolloni Vineyards, which the internet had deemed "family friendly." We got Maggie changed and fed while Owen played with the toys in the family area that the vineyard had so thoughtfully provided. Then, while Maggie stretched out a bit, we enjoyed a wine tasting accompanied by purchased snacks (a cheese and fruit board, followed by gourmet chocolates - even Owen was impressed). We chatted with the staff and other guests, enjoyed our wine and nibbles, and just took a quick break from the road. Before leaving, we purchased a bottle or two of wine for the beach.
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| Our stretch of beach in Rockaway! The beach house we rented had great views! |
Once Maggie was again snoozing peacefully, we got back in the car. We began driving through dairy country - wide fields of green, dotted by happy cows munching on grass. We made it another good leg of the trip before she made it known she was ready for another break. This time, we pulled over at Blue Heron French Cheese Company in Tillamook. (We briefly considered the Tillamook Creamery, but we reconsidered when we saw the crowds there! Eeeek!)
Blue Heron ended up being perfect for us. After getting Maggie situated again, we enjoyed a cheese tasting and browsed the shop (more nibbles for the beach). Then, we sampled some of the ice cream they make on site (a favorite of Owen) and spent some time at the fun photo-ops outside. They had tractors, cut-outs, etc. After this quick break, it was back on the road.
This time, we made it all the way to our beach cottage before Maggie started getting cranky. We were able to unpack and get settled. We had a 3-bedroom that fronted the beach, and the views from the family room's glass doors were fantastic!
A bit later, Ryan (Grace's husband) arrived, and he and Grace made a quick trip out to the grocery store. We had a lovely dinner in that night.
More to come . . .
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