i actually do have some relatives.
(Don't send me your answers. This is just a little way to expand your horizons. Honest.)
My sister doesn't like being mentioned in here, so I don't usually, but given how Darin and I spent our weekend, not only is she going to get mentioned, there's even going to be a picture!
We went up to the Bay Area for the weekend, primarily to see our new niece, Madeline. She is about two months old and the cutest thing in creation. She is so serious-looking, but maybe that's par for the course for a two-month-old. "I wanna eat, and I wanna sleep, and if you're not here to facilitate either of those things, keep moving!"
Me and my new niece
You can see from the look on Madeline's face that she's a little confused: "Okay, you kinda look my Mom, but there are some key differences. Give me a couple of minutes, I'm going to figure this out." (My hair, by the way, is bound up in a bun, which is why it looks so short.)
(I think I look dorky in this picture. Actually, I think I look dorky in all the pictures taken of this weekend. I don't know what's up with my smile, for instance. Maybe it's just terror of dropping the baby.)
Darin and Madeline
You can see in this picture that Madeline already has the "giant person holding square box in hand--must look at square box" burned in. If Deirdre is anything like our Mom, Madeline will be smiling at any bright light within a few weeks.
Darin makes holding a baby look easy: just open your hand and balance the baby in the palm. Men, for some reason, have a much easier time holding babies--maybe that's 'cause they're stronger. Madeline did cry a little when Darin held her, but only when she got hungry. I got to feed the baby and burp her.
The big event this weekend (well, past me and Darin getting to meet Madeline) was the christening. In case you don't know, christening is one of the Catholic sacraments, in which the parents and godparents vow on the baby's behalf to keep Satan back. I think it's an excuse for a baby party.
(My Mom told me Deirdre was upset that I hadn't been confirmed. I hadn't realized that Deirdre was such a good Catholic and so concerned about my soul, until my Dad explained that in order to be a godparent at a christening, you have to be confirmed (which is a sacrament much like a christening, only you vow to renounce Satan on your own behalf). Deirdre wanted me to be the godmother, you see. There was simply no hope for Darin to be the godfather.)
Madeline was a trouper throughout the christening. Okay, mostly she slept. She snuffled a bit when the priest poured the water over her, but that was pretty much the extent of her comments on the precedings.
My sister, Madeline, my mom, and THE GOWN
My Mom, as she did with my wedding dress and Deirdre's wedding dress, made Madeline's christening gown (including cap and bib). It was a gorgeous garment, covered with lace and frills, although I understand getting Madeline into the thing was no picnic.
There was a party after the christening, at which Madeline's 11-month-old cousin Abigail (and her folks) made an appearance -- they flew in from Boston for the weekend, just to see Madeline. That's family dedication.
Darin and I stayed at Mitch's condo (which is now his -- all his!). We finally saw Mitch Saturday night (having missed him completely on Friday) and had dinner at Mandarin Gourmet.
On Sunday the three of us had brunch with Rob and Laura at the Hong Kong Flower Lounge, which has opened a branch in Palo Alto. It was really good and we ordered about three times as much as we needed, which meant we only had two pork bao and four egg custard buns left over. Urp.
Then Darin, Mitch, and Rob played StarCraft (Brood War) for about 140 hours, until it was time for Darin and me to leave. I knew we were cutting it close but this was ridiculous -- Darin and I got to the airport and remembered we hadn't filled the tank of our rental car (which was a minivan -- has anyone pointed out to Detroit that these things aren't so damn mini any more?). So we did that and luckily got to check our car in quickly, so we weren't running that far behind in the Southwest check-in sweepstakes.
The funniest/stupidest thing noted all weekend: when Southwest called for all pre-board passengers, easily 40 people boarded. One child, 15 hangers-on. Children well over the pre-board age of 5. Random people who just wanted to get on early.
Runner-up: Southwest boards passengers in groups of 30. One through 30, 31 through 60, etc. We had boarding cards 13 and 14 -- and a woman with card 34 boarded ahead of us. Sigh.
The answer to Thursday's question: There have been a series of spectacularly horrible accidents at amusements parks recently, including a boy falling out of the Drop Zone at Great America. Darin points out this does not mean that amusement parks are necessarily any less safe than they have been in the past (and certainly the chances that another accident will happen soon are unchanged).
But it is worth knowing that California has a terrible record for theme park inspections: "Since 1973, 15 people have died at California theme parks, while Florida parks -- which attract twice as many patrons -- have had only one fatality, [Assemblyman] Torlakson [author of a theme park inspection bill] said." (quoted without permission from the San Francisco Chronicle).
There will be an alignment of journallers from Southern California in September. If you're interested in attending, helping plan, covering the event for the media, or which weekend you should be as far away as possible, email Meg (of Blue and Green).
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Copyright 1999 Diane Patterson
Send comments and questions to diane@spies.com