Babies -- Not One, But Two! (Make That Three)

So where do babies come from? That's easy -- from bellies!

In early December Mom and I visited her friend Marinka in Seattle and I got to "beep" her big tummy. Yes, "beep" -- the sound effect for pressing the belly button -- and big because (as she told me), there was a baby inside. (Her second.)
Well, in late January we visited Marinka again and the baby was out of her belly and snuggled into the Moby Wrap that I used to use. I remember how nice that feels...almost like being in Mommy's belly all over again! Anyway, the baby's name is Mila and she was 2-1/2 weeks old then and I think she looked kind of relieved not to be so cramped up anymore.

We get fall and spring all rolled into one here in the Pacific Northwest (winter -- what's winter?), so when we went to the park with Marinka and Mila, Mom tossed dried leaves for me and we generally had a good time. Thanks to Mama Marinka for taking these photos.


OK, on to the next baby in my life...
This is Baby Oliver, the first offspring of a couple Mom can claim to have introduced: Chris, her high school friend, and Corey, her college friend. Things seem to be working out between them, because after 3-1/2 years of marriage, they had Oliver.

He was about one month old here, and I showed him an advanced breastfeeding skill: reading while nursing. I don't expect Oliver to get it right away, as he's still a novice, but he can file it away for future reference.
And on the subject of babies, I'd better not forget Baby, pictured below. He's mine. Need I say more?

My First Visit to Outer Space

Wow, I can't believe it! Last weekend I got to go to Outer Space via the "Space Needle," and I didn't even have to wear an astronaut suit. There was plenty of air to breathe up there, and gravity, too -- despite what the pictures of people on the moon make you think.

My mom and I and my Auntie Jill did get to ride in a rocket, though. It zoomed us 520 feet into the stratosphere at close to the speed of light -- 800 feet per minute, so said the rocket attendant who minded us to watch out as the rocket doors closed and we prepared for BLAST OFF!!!
The food in Outer Space is really good. I would know because we met my Grannie and Papaw for brunch in the Space Needle restaurant. I was a bit distracted by the rotating view of the city of Seattle far, far below us. The windows stayed still, but the ring of floor that our table, and all the other tables, were sitting on, spun slowly like a record on a turntable. Or like my exersaucer, now that I think of it.
The special occasion was my Grannie's birthday! I don't know how old she is, but the waitress only put one candle on her slice of birthday dessert.

In addition to the gifts her daughters presented her with, it was a surprise that we were waiting at the restaurant. Jill had driven up from Portland the night before, and we all drove to Seattle together. It had snowed that morning, and we thought we might have to cancel our trip, but then the storm blew through and all the snow melted. It was a lovely, sunny day after all!
Here we three are on the ferry earlier that morning, approaching the Needle that took us into Outer Space. You can see how it's higher than anything else.
And here's a final look at downtown Seattle from Space. The ferry boat on Elliott Bay was no bigger than a cork. Looking down on it all made me realize what a small world we really live on. Maybe one day I'll get to take a rocket so far into Space that I'll be able to see the whole Earth as a ball. Until then, I'll practice by visiting the Space Needle.