104 degrees in the shade

Well, Annika and I are back from our trip to Texas, trading 104 degrees for about 60 with drizzly fog. Sure was nice to have summer for a few days …

The visit was wonderful – we both missed her daddy, but we did have lots of time to just hang out with Grandmother H. and, of course, the birthday girl, great-grandmother Nean, and Kelly and Auntie L., Uncle J., and even my own uncle and aunt (who, when we all had dinner together on the square in Big D, watched Annika sit in her high chair for an hour and a half, happily chewing on things [the menu, her toys, a straw, some Cheerios, whatever], and said they wished they had recorded the entire dinner for purposes of showing it to their own grandkids as an example of how to behave in a restaurant! Heh.).

We were staying at our cousins’ place, which has A/C, and Annika had acres of new space to explore – different carpets, plants, toys, coffee tables, wood floors, couches – all the things she can use to play with, or hold onto standing up, or put in her mouth which she oughtn’t to. And that went double over at her great-grandparents’ house – such fun for her, such relentless watchfulness for me!

And there were some new developments, too – notably drinking from a straw (maybe we’ll skip the whole sippy cup thing, since she’s really not loving it, and use a cup with a top and a straw when she’s done with the bottle?), and her waving hi and bye-bye appropriately. When we got back, with Daddy’s help she added clapping! Good times all around.

Although, I tell you what – next time this baby flies, it’s gonna be with both parents. She’s strong, she’s mobile, and she is TOTALLY NOT TIRED NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT AND NOT GONNA SLEEP NO WAY NO HOW. Gaaaaaah! Yay for the bulkhead row and sympathetic seatmates, at least …