Packing It In, Packing It Up

Grandma Inez came in this past weekend and we had another great visit. Well, Oliver did anyway. I found myself busy and distracted as ever with work and Eric's art show and brunches and chores and plays, but it was still great nonetheless and I am so grateful to have the help and to be able to fit in lots of fun in such a short time.

Friday night while Grandma babysat, we went to this great benefit for Cystic Fibrosis called Festiv-Ale. I'm sure you can understand the draw from the name. We had a great time. Great cause. Great beer. I thought I had won the silent auction for an All-You-Can-Drink Happy Hour at Duffy's, but I haven't heard the final word yet. Eric and I met way back in September of 2001 at an All-You-Can-Drink Happy Hour at Duffy's, so I thought it would be appropriate to bid on it. Sorry, folks, but it's about as close to romance as we get around here.

Saturday was the Ravenswood Art Walk, in which Eric was showing. So after a morning of getting up at 5:30 a.m. with Oliver and out the door by 6:00 for a busy morning out in Des Plaines putting together the SSS Catalog, he rushed down to the studio to sit around for two straight days while people ogled his art. These things are kind of a mixed bag. The exposure is great. The feedback is interesting. The sitting around sucks. Anyway…

I worked here at home on Saturday morning testing a new website that allows policy-holders to submit property loss claims online. I know, I know… could it get any more exciting than that!? It was great to get some work in, though, while Grandma was able to bond with the Monk. Finally we mustered and went over to see Eric at the show. Then it rained. Then we went to Target. Then we got Starbucks. Then we went to Borders. All of which was in an effort to get Oliver to snooze in the car. After the early wake-up, he really needed a second nap that day. Of course, none of our plans worked and he fell asleep instead in concert with the left-hand turn-signal to turn onto our block at the end of our adventure. Never fails. But at least it gave me a chance to catch some quiet time and to catch up with Mom as we sat in the car while he snoozed. Why not? Sometimes the forced inertia is a good thing.

Sunday was Uncle Brian's birthday brunch at Café 28. Good food. Good visits. Good times. The rest of the gang went on the Art Walk, but Eric went to the studio and Mom, Monk and I came home. While he napped, Mom helped me organize 21 months of clothes – also known as "ridiculous amounts of clothes." It's hard to believe he was ever so small, really. But now everything is all packed away by size in ginormous zip lock bags – have you seen these things? Not sure what they are waiting for, though, as I haven't quite mustered the gumption to go for #2 yet. Maybe Leslye (Eric's sister) will have a boy. She's due in January around the same time Oliver was born, so season-wise it would be perfect. My gut says she's having a girl, though. Alas, I suppose her gut is the only one that really counts in this case.

In the afternoon on Sunday, Eric's parents stopped by, exhausted from all the art-seeing. (Made me kind of glad I skipped it.) So we visited for awhile and I did some chopping. (I just can't seem to keep myself away from the cutting board, really.) Poppa took Oliver out for a quick trip to the park and learned the valuable lesson of how "ows-eye" (outside) can turn into "all day" when Oliver is involved. The kid just doesn't want to come in. Drives me absolutely crazy.

Anyway, the rest of Sunday was a bit of a scramble, but an enjoyable scramble. I went to pick up Eric at the studio and Ryan and Catherine and Caroline and Henry were just arriving, but since I was whisking Eric away it seemed only fair that I whisk them with me, too. We rushed home where the moms had set the table and the Poppa had changed the tank on the grill and where the opener was waiting for the nice bottle of wine Ryan and Catherine had brought. And we had a lovely meal, appetized with aged cheddar and served with Chilean grass-fed beef (Thanks, Jaime!) as a main course and a key lime frozen pie I had whipped up for dessert. Wah-la. I love it when things come together. Of course, in this case, together with lots of help from grandparents.

The grandparents also helped with all of the aftermath. More than helped, actually, they did all of the dishes on their own because Eric and I had to rush off to go see a play at the Goodman. (Stoop Stories, which we gave a C-. Thank goodness it was short at least. Oh, and that we had time to find street parking – would have really stung had we paid to park, as well.) Then it was home to bed. Gladly. Except, of course, that Monday marked the start of the grind and the departure of the grandma once again.

Monk came home from school on Monday and went immediately to grandma's preferred spot on the couch and said, "Grandma," which ironically we couldn't get the kid to say all weekend. He was definitely sad to see her go – we all were. See you for Thanksgiving, Grandma! Have fun in California and tell my aunts and cousins I say HI!