Natalie & Ryan: On Our Own

After our 4:30 AM departure from Grandma's house Sunday morning, we made it to the Seattle airport at about 7:30. Last second, about two weeks before coming out to Seattle, my dad and I decided that I should stay a week later than Ryan. Ryan had to be back to work, otherwise he would have stayed, too. My dad just moved into an apartment and asked me to stay longer, so that I could help him decorate. Imagine my joy when he said "I'll just leave it in your hands." Little did I know, I'd have my work cut out for me. The apartment, which is temporary until he finds a condo that he likes, is quite dinky. Anyway, we said goodbye to Ryan, and headed on our way.

I won't lie, I'm loving getting to be out here with Lilly, letting dad have more time with her, but I'm absolutely terrified of having to fly home alone with her. I just have to keep reminding myself that it's only 2 hours....After we dropped Ryan off, we went out for breakfast. We ordered one omlete to feed the three of us. I couldn't even eat a quarter of an omlette. Ha! Dad offered to watch Lilly for a bit so that I could get a nap, but I just decided to tough it out. When we got home, we put her down for a nap, and she slept for a good 3 1/2 hours. I think it's safe to say that she was just as tired of the early mornings as we were.

After Lilly's nap, my dad suggested that we go over to the pool. I was hoping we'd get the chance when Ryan was still here, since he would be the one taking her in the water. I wasn't thrilled about having to get into a bathing suit, but I braved the embarrassment for Lilly's sake. Lilly's first time swimming was a success. The water was a bit chilly, and startling at first, but we both got used to it eventually. She liked it if I held her out in front of me, facing away, and walked around the pool. We got a floaty thing for her, too. It has two little starfish that squeak when you squeeze them. She liked to pound the heck out of them. If I was holding her, she liked to splash like crazy, but wasn't thrilled when the water hit her in the face. We only stayed about 20 minutes, since I was uncomfortable and it was a tad chilly for her. Now that the inflatable raft is inside, she likes to use it as a seat.

That evening, we went to church. My dad is Catholic, and I grew up Catholic, so it was like a flashback for me. The church has a large foyer in the front for people with kids. Lilly spent the 20 minutes before mass, running around, waving her hands, and saying hi to everyone. People were joking that she made the perfect greeter. She loved the live band that they had playing, so she ran around, dancing. She looked so adorable in the new dress that grandma Griffin bought for her. I was worried that I was going to have to spend the whole hour chasing her around. To my surprise, when church started and I put her on my lap, she didn't fight me. She'd sing when the congregation sang, but didn't seem desperate to run around. About half way through mass, she fell asleep. I handed her off to my dad at that point, and I'm sure I speak for him when I say that he really enjoyed getting to hold his little angel during church.

She was still in her jammies while at breakfast. She's definitely a righty!!

It only took a minute of looking at these pictures to make me feel pretty bad about myself. Even though I've lost 85 pounds, it's clear to me that I have a LONG way to go. Bleh.