The Baptism Extravaganza!

We had Lincoln baptized last weekend. This is not something I feel particularly strongly about so I kind of let the in-laws have free reign over the party. If you've ever been to any of their parties, you know where I'm headed with this. But I shouldn't get ahead of myself. The baptism itself went very well. We were on time. Lincoln actually napped a little bit on the car ride there. His white dress stayed white. And I even managed to shimmy my dress all the way up to my neck to nurse him in the bathroom beforehand. The only iffy moment happened just as the priest went to poor water on his head. Lincoln was apparently startled by this and started screaming, poor guy. But all was well in the end.

The party went pretty well too. Actually, it went very well from everyone else's perspective. I was not quite as relaxed, but that's not surprising. We got to the reception hall (yes, hall. Like for weddings.) a few minutes later than everyone else and took it all in. Around 175 people were there! The walls were draped (left over from a wedding the day before), there was a three tier cake, and the DJ was rocking it out...a little too loudly, actually. No worries. I sent Sto to ask him to turn it down. We found a table in the corner and started to set up shop. That's what it feels like when you have 2 kids, one of whom is already showing signs of skipping her nap, 4 bags, and aching feet from your brand new (and fabulous) purple suede MK heels. The second I walked in with Lincoln we were converged upon by all the old grandmama types. They didn't seem to notice that I was busy trying to change him back into normal clothes and that he was crying every time someone got up in his face or tried to take him from me. (What would possess someone to try to take a crying baby away from his mother is beyond me.) But we eventually got everything settled, asked the DJ to turn down the music for the second time, and made the rounds until Lincoln couldn't take it anymore. Soon enough food was served. I asked my brother in-law to tell the DJ to turn down the music (again!), and Lincoln was sleeping away in my sling while I tried not to drip my lunch onto him. I almost succeeded too!

Then it was time for the big event. The reptile show I had booked! I was really excited about this. The party sort of took on a rain forest theme with that and the place cards telling people a tree had been planted in their honor in a Brazilian rain forest. The cake even matched the cards. (Ok, that stuff was all me, so I guess the in-laws aren't the only one to get a little carried away!) It turned out to be a great show and everyone had a really good time. They got to touch and hold a bunch of different stuff, from a baby corn snake to a chinchilla to a huge python! I wish Pippa had been better rested, though, so she could have enjoyed it more. But her sleepy state hasn't stopped her from talking about that 'really big snake' every time a snake comes up in a book or TV show. Even my mother in-law got into it.

Unfortunately, as soon as the reptile show was over, that damn DJ who apparently did not care a bit about my baby, started up the music even more loudly and it startled my already overwhelmed boy. Not surprisingly he started screaming so I mobilized the troops (thanks Mom, Dad, and Levi!) to load up the car and headed out ASAP. It was a good thing too, because the poor kid didn't stop screaming until I got him home and into the bathtub. (Works every time!)

So thanks to all who attended and helped us celebrate our precious baby boy. Now please excuse me while I tackle this huge pile of thank you cards!

The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist

Pippa had her first dental appointment this past week. In preparation we've been reading The Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist. I have no love for the Berenstain Bear books. They are long and wordy. And frankly, I find them dull. But it was the only book I found on the topic so there you have it. And it got the job done. We got to talk about the chair she would sit in and how she would open her mouth real wide for the dentist to look inside with his special tools. We've been reading it for weeks.

The big day finally arrived! We arrived in the office (Lincoln in the sling, of course) and were delighted that not only did we actually make it there on time, but the office staff was super laid back anyway, so it would have been cool if we were a little late. Ok, this really is a kid friendly place! The waiting room had a huge stuffed horse on the wall (a toy horse, that is. not a real one. duh.) so Pippa was obviously a huge fan of this office from the get go. Then we were led into the exam room and there was a TV mounted on the wall. A TV is as good as Xanax to a kid so we were still doing great.

When the dentist came in we chatted for a few minutes while Pippa ignored us and stared at the TV. Then it was time to climb into the chair and she didn't even bat an eye. If Lincoln hadn't been wrapped to my chest I would have sat down with her on my lap, but she was fine with me just holding her hand. She sat quietly through the exam and teeth cleaning and only looked at me once for some reassurance. She was a champ. Of course, it helped that the whole thing took approximately 10 minutes start to finish. But soon Pippa was proudly sporting stickers and showing off her little bag carrying her new toothbrush and floss to the office staff. She loves using the new toothbrush but, as you can tell by the picture, she unwound the entire carton of floss on the car ride home. Ha! Whatever gives her a positive memory of the dentist is fine with me! I hope it continues to be that easy!