"Sleep LIke a Baby"

Who ever it was that coined the saying "sleep like a baby" has never had a baby. Unless, of course, they intended for the simile to refer to sleeping in short stints of an hour or two, interspersed with intense snacking.
The big news today is that Orion passed his hearing test! The nurse from the Birthing Center, Helen, was kind enough to come out to the house since my car is out of commission. We managed to get him to settle enough to stay still and quiet through the tests until he managed to pass with both ears. This is good, as it's really just a check, but if he 'failed' it a second time I was going to have to take him to a hearing specialist to get tested a third time. I wasn't worried, because I've seen him respond to sound way too often to be concerned, but I also didn't want to have to go to the doctor any more than necessary!
He's sleeping peacefully next to me while I write this, but I know he'll be hungry soon, and then maybe we can have our afternoon nap. I look very forward to those some days. I'm doing all right today, but I know I could settle down for some sleep, even if just for an hour or so.
Saturday was a good day for us all, as I finally got out of the house and cured some of the cabin fever I've been experiencing! We went grocery shopping during the day, which is a social event for me since I work at Trader Joe's. It was fun introducing all my fine co-workers to Orion, who was passed out in the Ergo carrier the whole time we were there. It was also nice to stock up the house; it's been a bit bare here lately.
In the evening we went over to our old neighborhood, the Bohemian Ravine as we affectionately call it, for the annual summer block party. Many of the houses on the street open up, everyone grills out, and we wander around and have a grand time. There are usually a couple of bonfires and folks playing music... It was really excellent to see some of our friends and get some social time. It was especially fine to finally see Iris, a good friend of ours who got stuck in Canada several months back and just experienced the fun of the U.S. immigration system. We're very glad to have her back, because our plans to smuggle her back into the country were rather far-fetched!
Orion was a cutie-pie and slept most of the time, with a few nursing sessions at various houses. The above photo was taken at Jay and Russell's house during the shin-dig! I should also mention the awesome cake that Russell made for Jay's birthday; it was chocolate with chocolate frosting and toffee chips. Mon dieu! Delicious! I should get my Russell to get the recipe... Yum!
Russell and I have talked about finding more baby-friendly ways to get out of the house so that I feel a little less isolated. Aside from having friends over occasionally, we're also looking for easy (and inexpensive) things to do of an afternoon. Part of our trouble is that Russell's job (doing custom carpentry) is tiring, especially in this heat and humidity, so when he gets home he often just wants to relax on the couch. I'm usually in agreement to that plan, however my days now are pretty much made up of that, so when he comes home I want to get out and do something! Once I have a working car again this will all be a little easier, as I can make short trips with Orion during the day. In the meantime, we have plans to go to the Wednesday afternoon farmer's market in Carrboro, to the music on the lawn at Weaver Street on Thursday, and to the music at the river mill in Saxapawhaw on Saturday. Just knowing that there's stuff coming up makes me feel better... And we're looking forward to the beach trip in July! I can't wait to get to the ocean. I was planning a day trip to the beach on the day Orion was born, but obviously he had other plans...