Cute, perfect and shoeless

Today was one of those perfect days where being a mom just kind of clicked...even when things were rocky. Darling C. woke up in the happiest mood, and she and I just laid in bed laughing and rolling around for a while. I decided to take the day off and not try to get anything done from home, and she and I took off for Ann Arbor to see my friend The Judge. This is a trip I imagined I would take all the time during my maternity leave, but Clementine's car terrors kept me on a pretty short leash. Sure, she bitched a little when we first got going this morning, but she was asleep in no time. The drive was heavenly and the day was beautiful.

And despite a fussy night last night while visiting Laura, darling C. was an absolute dream all day today. We hung out in the judge's chambers, and she entertained herself on her blanket before rolling over and over and over across the room. She may not be crawling, but that girl can sure get around. She managed to roll over to my feet and give me some puppy eyes to pick her up. Then she rolled over to the judge's chair and did the same. Seriously, she was cute enough to jumpstart even the hardest ovaries. Who wouldn't want one of these?

We decided to go shopping (notice the "we" that allows me to place blame for my growing credit card addiction on someone else) after hanging out at the courthouse, and I strapped her to me and headed to Sam's, where we both got some new kicks. Good thing, because somehow during our subsequent wanderings, she kicked off one of her totally cool skull and crossbones booties. When I finally noticed, I dashed around downtown like a half-crazed woman, muttering to myself and retracing my steps to find it. I was so pissed--despite going over my exact route, I couldn't find it ANYWHERE. I guess there's hope it will turn up in my car, but I know how these things turn out: that shit is gone.

We left Ann Arbor to meet up with Nate, Karen, Dave and the quest for the right clothes for Nate's interview. They were already done, so we all went out for dinner. Darling C. hung with us for a while, but she got sick of being held and all cooped up. That girl wants to move around! So home again, home again, where she rolled and played. A pretty boring day in all, but it will be one I remember. There just aren't that many times when I feel like I get it, like I'm doing it right. Today, though, I felt it. I was walking down the street with darling C. in her Snugli, and I felt like someone passing by wouldn't wonder if I had stolen the kid or if I was the worst mom ever. It's funny--I passed.