Gone Baby Gone

She's gone again - but this time she's stayin' stateside. Amy left this afternoon when we got home from work. She's heading southwest to Crestonia to stay with the Wilsons for a night. That should be interesting! She don't know nothing 'bout no babies! And they have a new one.

My baby - when her hair was fiery red, and my original baby - Bucko

I'm afraid I was the same way. My sister Susi and Vicki Behr with daughters Leslie and Kelli were models for me before I had my own kids! I did very little babysitting as a child. Pity the poor fool that hired me! I remember staying at the Mormans (across the back yards) a couple times. I must have been a desperate last resort. The Mormans - Paul and ?, had older kids. I remember their son  - Paul Junior? He was out of the home I think when his parent decided to adopt a couple younger kids - Eric and Julie, who must have been 3 and 4 or so when I stayed with them. I was probably 12. I think I mostly wanted to play with their older brothers cool model train set! I never stayed with a baby.

I don't think I ever held a baby on purpose (somebody probably jammed one into my arms once or twice through the years) until really I started to pay attention to tiny humans - when Paul and I thought about having one. I held my adorable little niece Leslie when we went to Cindy and Bolder's wedding in Vail in August of 1984 - Les had been born a mere 4 weeks prior.

Kelli, another cutie, was born the next February, and we got to be around her a lot. Behrs still lived in Ames then, and the old college gang gathered frequently. I was pregnant by that time so I absorbed everything Behrs did with the tiny tot. I remember taking her to North Grand Mall with her little fold out stroller - Vic and I had a heck of a time folding the thing out properly. Novices! As much time as I spent around other babies - nothing is quite like having one's own. And nothing is as rewarding as those first few smiles!



Harper Wilson - smiling at her daddy

Amy will be amazed at the amount of "stuff" infants come with! I hope she and Stormy get some time together to just hang out too - maybe Harper will nap. I must admit, I still can't quite get my mind around Stormy as a mommy! I bet people thought the very same thing about me!

After she stays with Stormy, Kyle and Harper for a night, Amy is off to see my second baby, Jud and girlfriend Kara in Kansas City. Kara has a nice apartment near Zona Rosa. I think Jud is excited to entertain his sis for an evening. They will have fun - KC is a great city. Amy will take off Friday morning to head for Denver where a new adventure awaits - apartment and job-hunting. If you know anyone who needs a graphic designer - let us know! I hear apartments are hard to find too.

We'll miss her, but treasure the time we had together!  Last night we lucked out and hit half price cheesecake at the Factory! They introduced S'mores cheesecake, which A and P ordered. I stuck with my fave, Tiramasu.