Traveling girls

Darling C. and I have had a busy week, starting with a quick trip to Chicago from Sunday night to Wednesday (yes, still driving like a crazed trucker in the middle of the night because it's the only time darling C. will tolerate the car). We were visiting my friend Crystal but also got to see my sis and her kids a bit AND meet the new guy my mom is dating. That's a lot for just a few days, but Clementine took it all in stride as usual. That girl is made to travel, and we had a few delightful mornings just hanging out in the city. As I'm sure I've said before, Crystal's place is gorgeous, and it's in a great neighborhood that we can walk around in a ton. I would almost never need a car if only I could find a way to live there (hello, lottery!), and Clementine really thrives in the city atmosphere. Every time we went out she was happy to see so much action and so many interesting people; she again assumed her role as the goodwill ambassador for the child-rearing set and charmed the running shorts off of all the hip youngsters who were wondering why in the hell I was blocking the bike path in order to let Clementine take in the views. They would scowl, but she would laugh and reach out to them. The one time I took her out in the stroller I kept thinking to myself damn, this is one friendly city, but I think all the smiles coming my way were because she rides in the stroller with her feet up on the edge and a little gangsta lean to the left while greeting the masses with smiles and giggles. She also loved chilling at home, where we enjoyed great views and made a friend of Crystal's sculpture Harold, which my niece Abby hates and makes me cover with a sheet when she's around.




Yeah, that's the life. Crystal's moving back to Portland soon, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't putting a voodoo curse on her real estate agent hoping she won't be able to sell the apartment right away, leaving it free for my family's further city adventures.

My sister's kids are a riot, especially my niece Eleanor. Have you met them? Eleanor is younger than darling C. but weighs about the same, sparking lots of comments from people everywhere who love and adore her big chub. It's lucky that K.C. has had a kid before or otherwise she might feel a little crazy at all the comments that get hurled her way. Eleanor seemed to develop a bulemia problem for a while there, earning her the nickname Ralph because she spit up so much, but she's doing better these days, despite crazy neighbors who coo "Fatty, fatty two by four" at her while squeezing her delicious cheeks. Clementine was way into Nora, too, though I'm not sure if the attention she was showering on her cousin was always the best intended. When they arrived at Crystal's one morning, it appeared that Clementine was kissing Nora, just climbing right into the baby bucket and laying some slobber on her. I thought it was cute, but then I noticed the teeth marks in Nora's forehead. Then Clementine started stealing Nora's pacifier, her blanket and anything else Nora had her eye on. Hmmm...is C too young to be jealous? Look how innocent she appears here:

I came back to D-town to find things at work ever more complicated because the young kid who works for me is backing out of his two-year commitment to us to take some ad job in Chicago. This screws me in so many ways, but I'm choosing to ignore it for now and enjoy my vacation. My what? My vacation. On Monday we leave for a week of camping at the Ludington State Park, and I'm so excited. No phones, no Internet (I will get over the anxiety about no email by the third day, I hope), and all sorts of fun outside. I think Clementine is going to have an amazing time, even if she's giving up most of Tastefest, one of my favorite Detroit summer activities. It features tons of bands, local and nation, on a bunch of stages. She was rocking out in my belly last year and will be sad to miss some of the fun on the outside this year. I think she'll also be sad to learn that camping means no phones. I know it's wrong to indulge temper tantrums, but I honestly couldn't handle one more instance of her losing her shit when I wouldn't let her have my cell phone, so I gave her an old one to play with, and she won't go anywhere without it. It's kind of unnerving when kids start aping you, isn't it? I wonder where my almost 10-month old learned to do this: