In honor of Martin Luther King Jr, we decided to go out for a nice dinner! Now you may be thinking that we weren't really honoring MLK and just wanted to get out of the house for the first time in a few days, but we actually clinked our water glasses together and thanked MLK for his many contributions to our country. Alright...this really did happen, but we also wanted to get out of the house. :)
Anyways...since Charlotte is not known for being much of a night owl, we decided to be early birds and head out a little before 5. We went to Cheesecake Factory for a change of pace, and also because we had a little money left on a gift card. I loaded up the diaper bag with all the usual supplies plus a delicious dinner of oatmeal, sweet potatoes and apple/strawberry/banana. Oh..and a small bag of banana puffs, just for fun! I'm guessing that on a "normal" Monday it wouldn't have been that crowded at 5pm, but it was quite busy. We got there at just the right time because there was a full waiting area almost immediately after we were seated.
Steve and I are getting better at getting the high chair set up with the lovely pink camouflage cover and putting the disposable place mat on the table. I put out a few puffs and the teething rings that she likes and we started to peruse the enormous menu. I have to say Charlotte was the picture of perfection the entire time we were there. We were able to feed her most of her dinner before our entrees arrived, and then she was happy to scan the room and people watch while chewing on her rings the whole time. I think all but one of the puffs ended up on the floor around the high chair - they are more like toys to her than snacks right now, but we are working on it.
It was funny to watch her look back and forth trying to capture the attention of the other diners. For a while no one was looking in our general direction, and I think she was getting frustrated. I noticed her staring at this one particular table and she started grunting as if to say "hello people, I am here and I am cute...look at me!" No luck! Then she saw Daddy and was all smiles again. Who needs some random cheesecake eating stranger when you have such a fun Daddy?!
We were ready to head out (with our piece of Kahlua cheesecake in hand) around 6:00. This is usually about the time we are heading up to get Charlotte in the bath tub so we weren't sure how the car ride home was going to go. In the past she has not enjoyed riding in the dark. Once again she was perfect...actually took a bit of a cat nap. We got home, got her ready for bath (Daddy had her laughing pretty loud) and got nice and clean sitting in our new bath seat...which makes things much easier for both Mommy and Charlotte, thus resulting in a happier baby. She got her snuggly PJ's on, had a few sips of milk, read a few fun stories and was off to bed.
We are glad that Charlotte now has a more positive outlook during the late afternoon and evening hours and does so well when we are out and about. I don't mind a few early bird dinners every now and then..especially if I don't have to cook them!
**Sorry we have no pictures of our outing...but here are a few cute ones...
Chewing on her favorite ring

Letting loose after a long day of overall wearing

Here are a few pictures of me as a little one. I hope Charlotte has curly hair, even though it appears that it was a bit hard to keep under control!
