By Request...Sort Of

My good blogger buddy, GunDiva, gave me an award the other day (I'll get around to posting that eventually) for which I am thankful; however, she made a quiet comment/back handed request that there was not enough being written about M&M. So, in my ongoing effort to placate my readership and at least one cranky woman with a gun, I submit the following.

Nothing quite says relaxed like a toddler in full, slack jawed, rag doll mode. Can you hear the deep breathing (she doesn't snore much yet...give her time)? She was out, and I mean lightening, thunder and tornado siren deaf out.

M&M enjoying one of her favorite treats: a peanut butter cookie (all natural and gluten free). We have pretty much dispensed with using a high chair with her at this point. She sits up quite nicely on her own. So, she gets a big girl chair or a booster seat when we are sitting down to a meal.

M&M trying to fill some pretty big shoes...mine in fact. She put her feet in them all by herself. On the correct feet even. She did not, however, bring them back to Daddy.

M&M and JG having a semi-tender moment in the backyard. I say semi-tender because M&M is smiling for reasons we did not discover until a few minutes later. It's best if I leave it at that and let you imagination wander. Don't worry, it'll come back...eventually.

M&M showing off her new, pretty dress with matching doll courtesy of Mimi at her baby shower.

When we adopted M&M, my auntie S (mother of cousins B and S, wife of uncle B, and math tutor by profession...they signed their Christmas cards "BS squared" [you will just have to imagine the little superscript 2 there] ever since cousin S came along) called to see if we would like her to throw a baby shower for The Queen and M&M since a lot of folks don't think about doing that sort of thing in our situation. Anyway, because of life, the girl, the gold watch and everything, it took a while to get the shower scheduled. I didn't find out about it until about a week before when I had lunch with My Sister...The Devil. When I asked when it was, I was told that she didn't know if I was invited. What the....excuse me??? Then I found out that The Queen was given a choice of two dates. She chose one...not realizing that it was Father's Day. My first OFFICIAL father's day.

To be honest, I was a tad annoyed at first that my pseudo plans for sleeping in and playing with guns were slipping quietly out the window like a cat burglar at 2:00 AM; but, I couldn't get mad about it. 1) I'm an easy going kind of guy, 2) It ain't worth getting upset about, 3) The Queen was apologetic and can be forgiven as she has been dealing with some stressful issues of her own, and 4) there will always be other times to play with guns and other Father's Days, but there will be only one time to attend my only daughter's baby shower.

Turn out was a little light...seeing as how it was Father's Day and all, but most of the family was there as were some good friends. I did get to take my uncle's Harley Sportster for a spin which was a lot of fun. I probably should have declined the offer because now I REALLY want another motorcycle, but I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to have the wind in my face with my wife snuggled up tight behind me.

M&M's very own rocking chair with matching dolly rocking chair (also courtesy of Mimi). Would you believe that the doll, the matching outfits and matching chairs all came from Cracker Barrel?? I was amazed.

My Sister...The Devil also returned a favor gift wise by presenting M&M with the complete U.S. coin mint set and stamp sets for her birth year just as I had done for my nieces when they were born. I'm still two up on her as a certain uncle brought for real, fresh baked birthday cakes to the hospital on the day the girls were born. The nurses got a kick out of it. Spice cake for the oldest, and chocolate for the youngest if memory serves me correctly.