6.14.18 - Dinner with the Bairds

Jack and I dropped the girls off at Julie's. Jane fell asleep on the drive there and went to sleep (with some fuss) in the pack'n'play. Zoey and Malcolm were appropriately quiet and stage whispered everything to Clara, who didn't whisper at all. They started playing together immediately, so Jack and I snuck off without Clara even noticing.

Keeping each other busy.

We met Eddie & Elisabeth in the parking lot and went in to Gingham's diner, which was brighter and more cheerful than I'd remembered. We sat at a booth near an elderly man who looked remarkably like Hammond from Jurassic Park, and Eddie texted me to say so and then told me he had just texted me with a big smile on his face. Once Eddie pointed out the similarity, Jack couldn't stop noticing it and joked about wanting an autograph from "the guy who looks like the Jurassic Park guy."

Anyway we ate and talked and laughed a lot, and at one point Eddie asked us what the odds were that we would ever move back to Saint Louis. He said he was unreasonably invested in us moving back, which flattered and surprised me because I didn't get the impression he cared about it specifically. We talked about the trickiness of trying to figure out where to move and the enticement of better nursing wages in Sacramento, but the specifics of the conversation aren't really my point. I was just touched that he wants us to come back so much. The Bairds are definitely on the "pro" list of pros and cons for St. Louis.

Julie sent me this pic of Malcolm & Jane. Apparently Malcolm told Jane "Baby Jane, I wuv you."

The entire time we had dinner there was what seemed like pre-storm weather outside. It was very windy and dark and we kept seeing not flashes but bolts of lightning across the sky. Personally I love that kind of weather. But it never ended up really raining, just sprinkling here and there. When we left the diner we talked a while more in the parking lot but we were laughing the whole time because it was so windy it was almost blowing us backwards. We took a selfie and you can see how much we're all laughing:

Jack and I went back to Julie's to get the girls, who were apparently having a great time. We hung out for a bit and Zoey, Malcolm, and Clara all ran around in big circles chasing each other in the front yard while the weather was so cool and breezy. Jane hung out too, mostly crawling over the front porch chalk drawings and making a mess. At one point Clara stepped in a mud puddle and wasn't willing to keep playing until she got "wash cloth," that is, got her foot cleaned off. But then she was fine.

And then, after we got back to the Jacksons, Mom and Ellen came over and went for a walk with Jack and the girls and I around the block, playing more "I Spy" and enjoying hearing Jane mimic "Gaga!" and "woooow." It was still nice and cool out thanks to the not-quite-storm and Jack and Mom enjoyed beers as we went. Overall a very pleasant evening.