Around Here – Raleigh and Mabel Day edition

There’s a new girl in town and her name is Mabel Day (after Dorothy Day, not Doris Day you guys), and she is just the cutest niece anyone has ever seen.  This is a fact. Her parents have the certificate and everything. It says, “Mabel Day – the cutest niece anyone has ever seen.” At any rate, she’s about to do some really fantastic stuff and I am the proudest aunt there ever was.

If you’re in Raleigh let’s not waste time with Zagats or what have you.  Here’s where you need to be: Raleigh Times for beers and food. You won’t be disappointed.  (Michigan folk, don’t get all nervous, they serve Founders and are proud of it so you can keep your Beer City title, OK?)  Afterwards, go next door and get yourself a cup of coffee and a peanut butter cookie at Morning Times.  Walk upstairs and drink your coffee and eat your cookie and talk about how lovely exposed brick is as you look out the window.

If you have children you should check out Marbles.  For five dollars, they can run around like crazy people and you can chase them and it is fantastic.  You’ll love it.  There’s a giant lego room and also a fake veterinarian room.  Oh, and a pirate ship.  And a rocket building station.  You just can’t go wrong in this place.

And since it’s always about 60 degrees and sunny you should check out the park.  When I write “the park” I mean the best park in all of the world.  My brother termed it “the beast,” but it’s really called Pullen Park if you’re going to look for it. There’s paddle boating, a carrousel, swings, sandboxes, a train. Good gracious, there’s even a place for a dance party.   I recommend picking up a coffee at Joule Cafe before heading over there.  You might want to stay for what looks like really great Bloody Mary’s and perhaps some brunch, but they do the pour over method with the coffee and this method has been scientifically proven to help parents stay more alert while watching their kids at the park.  Seriously.  You can google it.

An observation:

In the middle of the weekend there was a hurricane warning. Or maybe it was a watch.  The fact that I don’t know the difference paired with the fact that I am married to a man who devotes his life to hurricanes could be cause for a slight argument when he reads this. Anyway, there were some crazy winds blustering their way around Raleigh.  In fact, one of the winds was 86mph, the highest wind speed ever recorded in that area. (See, Jesse? I listen. Sometimes.)  During the storm, we were standing in line ordering coffee and one guy ran outside and screamed, “WOOOOOO HOOOOO!!!”  The baristas were totally distracted, as was everyone in the cafe.

I said to my mom, “This sort of thing would never happen in DC.”  And it was such a treat to see people get excited about something, even if it was dangerous weather, in Raleigh.  We are so Type A in DC, don’t you think?  We know what’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen, why it’s going to happen, and what’s going to happen after that.  It can be such a bore.  DCers  – new year’s resolutions for you: find some wonder in something. Get distracted. Throw away your to-do lists.

OK don’t do that, that’s just stupid.

Another observation:

Moms with older kids, when you hold an infant, do you feel like others are watching you with that, “Do you wish you had another one?” look on their faces?  I feel that a little.  I especially get that because we have two girls and sometimes rather bold donkeys like to say to me, “Well, you have to give Jesse a boy!”  As though I can press my belly button or push CTRL P and a boy will appear. As though two girls given to us isn’t enough.

But I was wondering as I drove to meet Mabel whether when I held her for the first time if I would get an urge to have another baby and you know what? That never happened.  Sure the infant stage is hard, and yes I hated breastfeeding and when I get to Heaven I’m going to have a sit down with the Lord about that little invention, but more than that, holding Mabel made me feel really happy for what has been established between me, Hadley, and Harper.  I don’t know, maybe it’s trust, and a little bit of friendship. It’s definitely love and goodness, there’s so much work to be done. So many steps that need to be taken. But I guess what I’m saying is that I’m enthralled by motherhood and also by Hadley and Harper. They amaze me.

So does Mabel. Just not in a “I wish I had another one” way. It’s more “she is Geoff and Kellee’s and now I am an aunt and I get to be enthralled by my niece.”

It’s wonder and distraction and throwing out a to-do list (or revising it) in a different kind of way.