Happy 4th!

Ok ok, this *should* be labeled Happy 8th! thanks to my unfortunate procrastination gene. But regardless, I hope everyone had a good 4th of July.

Ours turned out . . . interesting. I must admit, I hold my holidays now to a very high standard. I am just so excited to have a little child to share all these great memories with that I mull things over in my head and plan them out, as if THAT makes any sense - how do you plan how a baby will react? So in my happy dreamland, Lainey and I went to the fireworks and she ooo'ed and awww'ed at them, delighted and spreading her tiny inncoent wonder on all the other onlookers sitting nearby. Of course, as you've probably guessed, this isn't exactly how the night went...

First of all, I was dismayed upon picking her up at my inlaws to find that Lainey had not had a single nap yet that day. However, dismayed would soon become an understatement when I ventured out to a late birthday dinner with one of my best friends, only to find Lainey absolutely and utterly inconsolable. Yes, I was THAT person at the restaurant. The one you roll your eyes at. The one nobody wants to sit next to. And, by golly, after about 15 minutes, there really weren't any other diners near us. Embarrassing, yes, but all the while I'm trying desperately to put this child to sleep. Her eyes were so red they looked like cherry tomatoes....

Finally, she dozed off, and we finished our meal and headed out to meet some of my coworkers for fireworks. I brought a few Morning Glories, a blanket, and reinstated my "perfect holiday" vision. But when we arrived at the grassy hill that was to be our viewing area, Lainey was greeted by an unexpected hourd of people who wanted to pinch and poke and hold her and she decided that she had had enough. Enter tantrum #2.

Luckily, even as cute as she was, people decided to leave her alone once the fireworks began and there she sat in my lap, happy and entranced by the lights and sounds. So, in the end, I still got my happy holiday memory. Now, for Labor Day......