a really good day

Today was a really good day.

We went as a family (me, my son and my husband) to my favorite Mexican Buffet restaurant, Marimba, in Shelbyville, Ky. Their food is excellent and all of the waiters know us. So it's kind of like going to a friend's for brunch.

Then when I came home, I took my son to my parent's house. They really love their latest grandson (and all of their older grandsons)and they subtlely teach me how to handle him every time I'm there. I don't know if they know that they're teaching me anything but they are.

Today my dad held my son and talked to him while my son was coo-ing and smiling at his grandpa. Today was the longest that my son has been awake his entire 8 week life and my Dad encouraged this. My son absolutely came alive and was very very active. He waved his arms, and kicked his legs and smiled repeatedly at my dad. This has taught me that he (my son) needs to spend less time in his bouncer and more time in my arms interacting with me.

When I came home, baby was tired so we let him sleep as long as he wanted to. This gave me time in the studio. (2 and 1/2 hours!!!!!) I was able to put a heel knot on my bosalita that matches my mother hubbard saddle and I started on making a new mecate for it. By looking at Susan Bensema Young's mecate and using Carol Williams Of Rio Rondo's method of making a rope, I thought that I had figured out how real twisted mecates are made. My method wasn't working however... I'm going to have to come up with a way to twist one in small scale.

I did find a video on the internet showing how life size mecates were machine made and I was indeed making it how real ones were made... Somehow it didn't work for me though so obviously more practice is needed.

Still this is progress and I feel really good about it.

After coming out of the studio, I fed munchkin who drank a whole bottle (which is rare for him) and then we interacted. He coo'd and smiled and even laughed at me as I chattered on at him! It was wonderfully heart warming and worth going through all of the colic episodes of the last two months :-)

Now to get him to sleep through the night!!