Memorial Memories

We had an extremely busy, but fun, Memorial Day Weekend! I had a somewhat odd and frustrating day Friday, which included 2 trips to Shirley and Ray's to drop off/pick up Payson due to a trip to the doctor necessitated by a swollen, red eye from a Wednesday bug bite, a visit from our local water utility to upgrade our meter, and 3 hours of cleaning at our apartment building. What a great way to spend my vacation time! Luckily it helped us get a jump on getting one of our apartments ready for a new tenant (or at least we felt like we did).

Saturday morning we finally met up with our friends the Kramers who we met through our childbirth education classes. Lisa and I were the ones who had done a lot of reading and asked tons of questions (a.k.a. pregnant dorks), so we naturally gravitated towards each other. We've been trying to get together with them for a long time, but Payson's Friday puke sessions kept putting a damper on our plans. We met them at a fantastic playground in Westbrook at Riverbank Park - it even had a little playground perfect for toddlers (although the girls seemed to enjoy the bigger playground more).

Here's some shots of our adventure:

Wheee! We started on the baby swings, which no one could fall out of.

We moved towards the ADA swings - hard to slip out of, or at least, if you're watching, you can catch your kid as they slide forward.

Need I reiterate Payson's really not a baby anymore? Also note the woodchips beneath, which no one needed, but it was comforting nonetheless.

Lisa snapped this picture of Payson, and I have to say it is one of my all-time favorites (and yes, I made those muffins on Saturday morning! I forgot to add sugar and they tasted wicked bland, but hey, I actually BAKED something!)

Matt stayed with Payson for her lunch/nap, so Zoe and I hit the trails on the Portland Water District land for a 45 minute trail run, which was GREAT. Saturday afternoon Matt tried to get a jump on the apartment stuff, so Payson and I ran some errands and visited Matt's Nanie, who is surprising us all with her independence and strength since Grampy's passing. Then we headed home and loaded the sand into Payson's "new" sandbox. Payson was really into it! I thought - Great, I'll be able to get some gardening/weeding done tomorrow because Payson will be occupied for awhile. I'll never learn - don't let her play with something new because the novelty wears off quickly!!! The next day she barely looked at the sandbox.

Payson's "smile-on-command" has now turned into this - a little frightening, but still cute, and very funny! If you need to be reminded of her natural cuteness, scroll back up to the muffin picture.

Sunday we plugged away at the garden while Matt continued the apartment work (the building is for sale - any takers?). At first I thought it was a lost cause, but then Payson started "helping" me and playing in the really big "sandbox." Look at her weeding!

At first glance, it looks like P's enjoying herself by giving me a hand. She even has her own trowel and wheelbarrow.

But if you zoom in...

"What the heck are we doing, mom? I thought this was supposed to be fun! I'm not really sure I like this 'gardening' stuff..."

I made a surprising discovery at lunch:

If you look really closely, you'll notice a duck formed by milk - it's above the prune chunk on the bottom left. We didn't make this, it just "appeared" in the chaos of a toddler having a messy lunch, and I was astute enough to notice it before Payson slung her plate through it and turned it into a milk blob. Isn't it amazing!? Weigh in: can I make any money off of this picture? I think it's equally impressive as the Mona Lisa grilled cheese or whatever that was.

Now, stop rolling your eyes and wondering if motherhood has reduced me to some crazy person seeing things. Look again - it really DOES look like a duck!

Sunday afternoon we went to my old professor/current friend and colleague and wife's 30th anniversary party, which was a blast. It was Payson's first exposure to live music, and she really seemed to like it! We're looking forward to some outdoor concerts this summer.

Monday was devoted to fun. I started off the day with a long bike ride in the morning. We then met up with the Smiths, who we hadn't seen for awhile, at the Maine Wildlife Park. It was pretty fun, but the most memorable moments didn't involve the animals.

As we got started, Payson lounged in Alison's cool new wagon.

But it didn't take long for Payson to get out! She was all about pushing Alison in the wagon. And she PUSHED! The adult "pullers" had to hold back a little so Payson wouldn't push to hard and go careening out of control.

Peek a boo!

The best moment of the day occured when Alison walked up to Payson and proclaimed, "I need hug," to which Payson responded with her arms stretched out to hug her buddy. We didn't capture that exact hug, but this one's from later. The day was filled with hugs...

... and kisses! The girls are so cute with each other.

After the Wildlife Park we headed to Freeport for lunch and Wolfe's Neck Farm - again! We can't get enough of that place, and Eddie had never been. Unfortunately, Alison was a little tuckered out so they didn't get to enjoy it as much as they would have it Ali had been in prime farm condition.

Petting the sheep!

Payson's favorite activity was walking up and down a ramp, over and over. Hey, whatever makes you happy!

A great way to end a busy, fun day!

It was a crazy weekend, but so much fun!

In other exciting updates, Payson has continued not nursing to sleep for over a week now, and for the past 2 nights I've even put her in her crib, rubbed her belly for a little while, and left the room while she was still awake - and she fell asleep on her own! I feel 75% happy, and 25% sad. It's such a weird thing to feel any sadness, but I suppose it's because she needs me less in one instance, and while that's wonderful and I couldn't have asked for a better transition, it still makes me a little sad.

Well, I've gotta get to bed as I'm getting up early for a bike ride tomorrow morning. Zoe and I went running early Tues. morning also, and it's been a great way to get out and get the exercise in. I'm really looking forward to Beach to Beacon this August!