Baby-sitting, sushi and painting

We had a very nice weekend. On Friday night, we laid low and hung out together after a long week. On Saturday, I met a friend for lunch and then took her baby for a few hours so she could get a break. She and her husband have no family here, so she's only had about 2 days in the 6 months of Connor's life to re-energize. So I took Connor and ran some errands, including shopping for a gift for my coworker's baby shower next weekend.

The thing that surprised me about watching Connor was the sheer logistics. Everywhere we went, I had to think about how we were going to get around the store. He's able to sit up, so Kristi gave me a grocery cart cover/seat for him, along with a super light-weight Combi stroller (when I'm a mom, I have to have one of these things!). At some stores, a stroller made more sense, but Target required a grocery cart. I began to realize how simply attempting to get things done with a little one adds time and effort.

After running errands, I took Connor back to the apartment for a bottle. Holy crap, a 19 pound baby and a 2nd floor apartment don't mix. On days when I want a baby so badly my uterus aches and I think "a baby in an apartment wouldn't be so bad," I will now think back to Saturday and what a nightmare it would really be. Taking him for a walk along with Clover was interesting. I carried him downstairs, took Clover on a leash and went to the car. Then I realized I couldn't put either of them down since I'd left the car seat upstairs (and he can roll, so putting him on the seat wouldn't work). So I put Clover in the back seat and managed to open the super light Combi one-handed and get Connor in before Clover figured out how to climb over the back seat and get into the cargo space. We had a nice long walk with Connor singing and babbling most of the way, but putting the stroller back in the car was worse, since it required two hands. By the time I got us all back upstairs, I was exhausted. It was time to get Connor home for his dinner/bath/bed routine, so I loaded him all up and drove him home.

When I got home, Dan and I freshened up and headed out to look at paint samples. We originally planned to only be in our apartment for a few months, but when we realized how much we'd save over renting a house, we decided to stay another year. Since it's stark white and blah here, we agreed to paint some accent walls. After checking out color options, we went for dinner at RA Sushi. Delicious food, but that night we had awful service. I won't even get into it all, but it was very disappointing. I never ever complain, as I worked in restaurants in college and realize that things just happen, but I actually called the manager after we left. The manager apologized profusely and offered up complimentary appetizers and sushi rolls.

Today, we slept in - all four of us - and it was glorious. We went to Scott and Melissa's for Family Art Funday. I'd sketched out a gerber daisy on a canvas and got to start it. It was so great to have Melissa's help. Part of me was scared to paint something that looks like something in front of people - I prefer abstract painting and just playing with my hobby - but she was really awesome and gave me pointers and even showed me techniques so I could try them myself. Dan finished his cherry blossom branch and it looks awesome. He's got a little touching up to do and then I'll post a picture of it. It's truly an amazing work of art.

This evening I had to stack my cakes for class tomorrow - it may or may not have gone so well. One of my cakes started to break on me, and I'm crossing my fingers it will hold up. It's very frustrating to try to get the icing perfectly smooth with no crumbs. I know practice will make me better, but I want to be good at it now!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!