Saturday, April 16, 2016

The alarm in Alonzo's spare room is just as annoying as the one in my bedroom The cursed thing went off at 4:45 AM, which, if you can do some basic math, is two minutes short of an hour after Dawn woke up. Why does the sun rise so stinking early? Can't it wait for a more civilized time to accommodate photographers who are also nursing mothers?

As I groped for the alarm I realized that there was a very warm hand on my breast, which slipped off as I reached for the stupid clock.

"Damn!" I complained.

"What?" Alonzo was confused.

"Your hand was warm and I miss it already."

"Your breast is nicely warm, my dear Hope. I didn't mean to be fresh. Hell, I didn't mean to stay in your bed."

"You're welcome any time. We'll have to talk about it sometime when we're awake."

"Daddy?" came a plaintive little voice.

"In here, pumpkin. With Dawn and her mother."

"What's all the noise?"

"My alarm clock must be going off, too. Could you shut it off for me?"

"OK."

"Busted!" I spoke. "Are we in trouble?"

"Not as far as I'm concerned. Hey princess, you want to snuggle?"

"Sure!"

"You climb in on the other side of Dawn so she can't roll out of the bed, OK?"

"Sure!"

Oh my! I'd read about 'morning woodys,' although they had never happened to me personally. Right now I was up close and personal to Alonzo's morning woody and it was poking me quite insistently. He tried to wiggle back out of contact, but there wasn't any room with four of us in a double bed. Actually, it was kind of flattering considering the circumstances.

Good thing we were under the comforter. I held converse with Chantal while I felt a warm hand massage my breast, safely hidden beneath the comforter. Eventually I felt the pressure on my nether regions ease and we managed to get out of bed.

Quite a bit of non-verbal communication was exchanged before we all sought privacy to get dressed for the day.
 

The less said about the drive up the mountain the better. I tried to stay awake, but I fear Alonzo was accompanied by three sleeping companions and left to navigate all alone. I woke up to a tender kiss - much better than that damn alarm clock - and found myself in a different place than where I had taken those sunrise pictures a few months before. We got out just as a glow was appearing in the East. Leaving the girls in the land of nod, we each set up our gear and waited companionably for the sun to rise. Waiting with Alonzo's arm around me was much more pleasant than waiting all by myself. It was still cool enough that I appreciated the warmth for more than just being close to this fascinating man.

The sunrise was all we could hope for, just enough cloud to bring out the colors but with the promise of a great day ahead. I clicked away, played around with some filters I've had for ages but never used, trying various settings and framings just for the hell of it. That's the beauty of digital cameras, you can take all the pictures you want and not run out of film. How did our ancestors live with 24 or 36 shots at a time?

When the show was over, Alonzo surprised me by starting to unload the van. I was starting to think of finding a place for breakfast; just what was he thinking of?

Why breakfast, of course. I had forgotten this was the guy who goes camping and backpacking. In no time at all there was a folding table with chairs set up and a camp stove perking coffee and frying bacon on the portable table.

Hmmm…Maybe I could get to like this outdoor stuff after all.

As there is the magical force imbued in bacon, it tickled Chantal's nostrils and she awoke with a smile and called "Bacon!"

"So, you'll wake up for bacon, eh princess?"

"Daddy!"

"Alonzo is a cook with foresight. He had plenty of bacon, eggs and coffee, along with orange juice and muffins. What was that I was saying about weighing 400 pounds if we ever got married?

Poor Dawn was still too young to partake, but I did drip a few drops of bacon grease into her mush and she seemed to approve. Chantal was happy to feed Dawn while we cleaned up and put away the picnic.

All in all, a pretty good start for the day.
 

We were way too early for the cable car, so we put Dawn in the stroller and wandered around until it was time. I didn't have to exert myself, Chantal was thrilled to do the pushing. A bit erratic as she had a hard time seeing over the top of the stroller, but the occasional nudge kept her heading in the right direction.

"You know, one thing I've missed as a single dad is going on family trips. Having you and Dawn here makes me think of how good it feels to have a family again."

"I'm flattered!"

"I don't mean to push, but you are one of the best things to have happened in my life in a very long time."

"And you are one of the best things to happen to me in a very long time."

"Pretty sudden, though?"

"Blindsided, my good man."

"When the kids are napping I want to tell you about the last time I was blindsided by romance. I'm afraid my record isn't so hot."

"Alonzo, if you are willing to have me share your bed then you have to be one of the most tolerant and loving men in the history of the world."

"Whoa! You'll give me swelled head."

"Something else swelled this morning, if I recall correctly."

"My apologies. I wasn't…"

"Hush, silly man. I know about morning wood and you don't need to apologize. I'm just sorry I'm not able to accommodate you quite yet."

"I don't want to push."

"You aren't pushing. I need to finish some surgery before I can accommodate anyone. If you're comfortable we can see just where we want to go, as long as we don't scare the children."

"That does put some limits on things, doesn't it."

"I never could figure out how those pioneer families in a one-room cabin could pop out a dozen children so easily."

"Different standards of privacy, I suppose. 'Why don't we do it in the road?' didn't originate with the Beatles."

"Chantal didn't seem to be upset finding us in bed together."

"That was the first thing on my mind when I woke up next to you. Well, maybe not the first thing, but close."

"I think the place is opening up, shall we head over there?"

"Lead the way!"
 

"This is the car where it happened." I said.

"Oh."

"You can see that window has a slightly different tint than the others. That's where she jumped out."

"I can't imagine what you went through."

"It was surreal. I was observing her closely because she seemed to be flaky or high. I was worried about the baby because she seemed to treat it so casually."

"I guess it's a good thing Dawn's too young to remember and Chantal is too interested in looking out the window. Are you going to be OK?"

His arm was around me again. Nice.

"I think so. Actually, it isn't bothering me as much as I feared. In fact, I kind of hope I can watch the scenery this time."

I did enjoy the scenery and we did just about everything a tourist can do at the place. We even had a crappy, overpriced lunch at the snack bar with fried everything. We loved it. Keep this up and we can try for 500 pounds.

One other thing to note. When I was just coming out as a transwoman, I learned that there is a certain look that you inevitably get from some people who realize you're not quite what they expect. It can vary from quizzical to downright disgust, but you get to recognize it. It's been quite some time since I've drawn that attention, especially since I made my final transition.

Today we got that look from more than one person. Naturally, I thought it was me that was the cause, it's a pretty easy conclusion to jump to. After a while I noticed the faces were turning between Alonzo, me and Chantal. It took me a while to realize that we were two white people with a biracial child and a white baby - that sort of thing stands out. I suppose prejudice comes in all forms, and it's no fun to be on the receiving end. I've learned to handle it, but why should a six year old have to put up with this crap?

Alonzo noticed how I suddenly stiffened up and he guessed what was happening. He's been there before, he knows. His solution was to cuddle up and whisper in my ear "Ignore the damn fools. We're a family and they can go to hell if they don't like it."

It took a while to work out my mad, but I wasn't going to let the bastards ruin our day.

So there!

We managed to wear ourselves out quite handily. Chantal was out as soon as we hit the road, and Dawn soon followed. Alonzo took the opportunity to tell me about himself and his marriage.

"Actually, it was sudden and a long time coming, which isn't the contradiction it seems. Amahle and I went to college together. We were pretty much just friends who had some of the same interests. We were lab partners, so we had to spend a lot of time together. She was black and I was drawn to her exotic beauty, but for the longest time we were just friends. We dated once or twice, but it wasn't all that great. We pretty much decided we were friends and that was what worked best for us.

I think we managed to work through the black-white culture clash pretty well, not that either of us became experts on the other's culture, but we enjoyed each other's company. The bigger clash was ROTC. Her family had a military tradition, mine has the peace and love anti-war tradition. We kind of decided that meeting the other's family might not be such a good idea.

Which worked just fine until our senior year. We were at a frat party that got out of hand - we both got drunk on our asses. It's a damn good thing we didn't have a car or we probably would have smeared ourselves all over the road on the way back to her dorm. Her roomie was off with her boyfriend and we pretty much passed out in her bed.

Real romantic, huh? It was still dark when we both woke up a bit and found each other right there in bed together. We were both still half-drunk but damn, she was beautiful and we were both horny. No discussion, we just tore off each other's clothes and that was all she wrote.

Actually, when we woke up later in the morning neither of us was too proud of ourselves, but we were still naked in her bed and this time we were coherent enough to think of the other person. I'm sorry that my first time was a blur, but that second time was memorable.

We were reminded of how memorable about six weeks later when she found out she was pregnant. We gave marriage a try, and I think we both were trying to make it work, but the cultural differences were just too much. When she joined the service Chantal and I got left home while she was training and then when she was deployed.

I just didn't fit into the military life, especially as a military spouse. It tore her up to have to leave our daughter while she was deployed and after a few years we realized that it just wasn't going to work.

We agreed it was best for Chantal to be with me, and we remain friends. Whenever she's back in the states we make an effort to see her. Chantal is starting to forget just who her mother was, she's still too young to have long-term memories like that. I try to show her pictures and read her the letters her mother sends. If Amahle's somewhere with internet access we do video chat."

"So that's the sad story. I quit drinking after I found out I was going to be a father, I was disgusted with myself for treating a friend so shabbily. Getting drunk is no excuse for being so stupid, but I was young and stupid. I'm trying to be better.

"I wasn't drunk last night, but I was more than ready to accept your invitation. And I don't give a damn about who you were before or what you have between your legs. I think we're falling in love and I'm ready to see where this goes."

"You're going to make me cry."

"Go ahead. Woman's prerogative."

"I want to be with you, too. And Chantal. All of us. If you think we can make it as a family then I hope we can try."

"How daring are you?"

"You have to ask after all this?"

"Not quite the same thing. Tomorrow we're supposed to go to visit Chantal's grandparents. If we are going to be a family then I'd like to have you come along with us."

"Oh boy! You don't ask much, do you?"

"Audacity, always audacity. Stay over tonight. The four of us will fit better in my queen bed than in that double."

"I don't have any clothes!"

"We can throw your stuff in the wash so it's clean tomorrow."

"Are you out of your tiny little mind? If I'm going to meet… Wait a minute - am I meeting your parents or her parents?"

"Her parents."

"You seriously want to bring me to see your ex-wife's parents? It's a damn good thing you stopped drinking, you're able to do insane things completely sober."

"They're sweet people. They weren't too sure of me at first, but we have a good deal of affection for each other. I did mention the interesting woman I had met at the conference when I was with them the last time."

"Interesting woman? I suppose I'm that."

"So, will you come with us?"

"As long as we stop home so I can get some clothes. I'm not going to meet these people in less than my best Sunday-go-to-meeting dress."

"You - you're all woman. Clothes before anything else."

"You'll pay for that!"

"I'm driving."

"I'll put it on your account."
 

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Just a few highlights of a very interesting day. I'm going to need some time to process all that happened.

We slept together, or at least we occupied the same bed all night. Neither of us was used to sharing a bed with an adult, so it wasn't a deep sleep by any means. It was comforting to surface and feel that warm body next to mine before I drifted off again. Dawn, the darling, made it to six before she demanded attention. Chantal joined us around eight and we snuggled. The big kicker was when she asked "Are you going to be my mommy?"

Just what do you say to that question?

"I don't know, honey. Your Daddy and I like each other an awful lot so we'll all be together a lot now. Remember you have a Mommy already and she loves you very much. If you want to call me Mom then I'd love to be another Mom to you."

"Cool!"

Things are simple when you're six years old.
 

I was nervous getting dressed that morning. Even though I had gone through the agony of selecting my outfit the night before I still felt like I hadn't got everything right. It was almost like I had jumped back ten years and was agonizing about what to wear in front of the mirror in my room while my parents were gone. No one was going to see me, I had no intention of leaving the house, but I wanted to really look like a girl. I wanted to be a girl.

Now I was a girl - well, a woman - and so much so that that adorable little girl wanted to call me Mom. That adorable (is that the right adjective?) not-so-little man wanted me in his bed but here I was agonizing like a newbie once again. Just what do you wear to meet the parents of the woman you're trying to replace? Well, not really replace, but you get the idea.

When I opened the bedroom door I was enveloped by delicious smells. I found Alonzo in the kitchen braiding Chantal's hair. He made it look easy, and I realized that if I was going to be Mom to this little princess I was going to have to learn what you do with such luxurious, kinky hair. My own hair has sort of soft waves and a good brushing is all it needs most times. I've never gone for high-upkeep styles.

"Good morning, beautiful," Alonzo greeted me. "You're looking just lovely this morning."

Really? Puddle time.

"Hi Mom."

Great big, deep with a hole to trap your boots and suck them off your feet when you walk through it puddle time. Don't wreck the makeup, Hope.

"Good morning to you."

"I take it Dawn is still asleep?"

"Do you hear her demanding attention?"

"Not yet. Could you finish off breakfast while I get dressed? The waffle maker should be hot enough shortly and there's fruit salad in the fridge."

We may have spent the night together in bed, but the sweet man was willing to give me space to put myself together without him watching. I started to think about the day when that wouldn't be necessary any longer.

"Of course. I like your hair like that, Chantal."

"Thank you, Mommy."

The puddle was still there.

"You need some ribbons for your braids. Do you have any?"

"Sure."

"Red ones?"

"And pink and blue and yellow and…"

"I think the red ones would be best with your dress. You look very lovely today."

"I like your dress too, Mom"

"Thank you."

Mom! Don't spoil the makeup!

So I took over the breakfast making and asked Chantal to show me where things were. I let her pour the batter for the first waffle and she was excited. Would Dawn be like that when she grew up?

A little later Alonzo returned with Dawn freshly changed and dressed. I could get to like this sort of thing!

"She's all ready, but I'm afraid there's only one of us here that can supply her breakfast."

"Thank you! You're a sweet man."

I took the baby and sat down. In no time she was nursing while I watched my family get breakfast on the table. I soon had a plate with a cut-up waffle topped with fruit and syrup and a cup of coffee prepared just the way I like it in front of me. Heaven! Us nursing mothers need lots of energy to produce milk.

I was fully engaged both stoking myself and my child when my phone started to ring. I knew it was Darcy from the ring tone.

"Alonzo, could you get that for me, please?"

"Sure. That is if I can find it in your purse before it stops ringing."

"Stop being such a man and just answer the phone."

"Yes Ma'am. Good morning, Darcy. I'm going to have to put you on speakerphone because Hope hasn't got any free hands available."

"And just what are you doing with those hands and why weren't you home last night?" Darcy laughed.

"One is holding a baby and the other is shoveling waffle in my mouth. Pardon me if I pause to stuff my mouth while we're talking, I'm hungry."

Chantal was at my side. "Hi Darcy!"

"Is that my favorite little princess?"

"It's me!"

"Good morning, Chantal. Are you eating waffles, too?"

"Yeah! And I got to pour the stuff into the waffle maker!"

"Good for you. I guess I don't have to ask where you are this morning."

"I was able to find a comfortable bed for the night, so you don't have to be worried."

"I'll leave it at that since you're on speakerphone, but girl - I want details when you get home!"

"Now wait a minute!" cried Alonzo. "Am I going to be the subject of common gossip?"

"Hardly common, my friend. Quite exceptional, I would say."

"Details! Lots of details," laughed Darcy as she hung up.
 

"You know," Alonzo observed, "riding in the car is a lot quieter now that Chantal has a baby sister to keep her busy."

"Until the sister falls asleep. Dawn must have been conditioned by Pavlov or something; put her in a moving car and she's out."

"Chantal was like that too. They outgrow it eventually."

The chatter from the back seat confirmed that. Chantal had Dawn giggling quite nicely."

"Sometimes I have to wonder how fast things happen in my life."

"Oh?"

"One fine morning last September I just went out to take pictures of a sunrise and came home a mother. One fine morning I went out to went out to take pictures of the sunrise again and I came home with a lover and Dawn has a sister. I'm almost afraid to take any sunrise pictures again. Who knows what will happen!"

"Could I point out that it was me that ended up in your bed before the sunrise and it was you that ended up in my bed after the sunrise?"

"Details! You're as bad as Darcy with her details!"

"And just how detailed do you plan to be with Darcy?"

"At this point there isn't much salacious material in our details."

"Wanna try for some?"

"You!"

"Of course with me."

"Our children are in the car."

"And they aren't paying any attention."

"And what kind of attentions do you have in mind?"

"I'm not sure. I've never been in bed with anyone like you before."

"There are plumbing issues, I suppose."

"No family planning issues, though."

"Always a bright side, isn't there."

"Even before sunrise?"

"I understand that some people enjoy seeing the bright side before the sun rises."

"It deserves some exploration."

"I'm a little bit nervous."

"Only a little bit? I'm pretty nervous myself."

"I'll be honest. Until very recently I haven't had any real interest in sex. With no testosterone in my body my libido is pretty low. Was pretty low. Until I started dreaming of you."

"Oh?"

"Maybe the female hormones are changing that along with my body." I took a quick look at the back seat to be sure Chantal was occupied. "You realize I still have a penis, small as that is. I don't even know if I can have an orgasm at this point. I haven't wanted to try. Until now."

"Uh, I think we need to find something else to talk about."

"You aren't suddenly becoming a prude, are you?"

"Not a prude. I just think that it would be inappropriate to introduce my in-laws to a wonderful woman while I'm sporting a hard-on."

"Oh my! Did I do that?"

"What do you think?"

"Nice weather we're having…"
 

"Mima!"

Chantal was off and running as soon as the car stopped. Her grandparents were on the front porch waiting our arrival. Braids and ribbons flying, she streaked up the walk and flew into their arms.

"She calls them Mima and Papa," Alonzo informed me.

"So I see."

Dawn was still awake and appeared to be wondering where her entertainment had gone. I picked her up, handed her to Alonzo, then hoisted the diaper bag and my purse. Time to meet the in-laws.

I needn't have worried. Alonzo was right, they were lovely people. Dawn found a home in Mima's arms immediately and proceeded to do her laugh riot thing for Mima. When it came time to nurse, both of them looked on with approval at breastfeeding a child.

I told a simplified version of how I found Dawn, leaving out the gruesome parts and saying how I was still fostering but would adopt in another few weeks when the courts got through procrastinating.

Once again I had to revise the weight estimates. I think I have been adding 100 pounds per good cook in this family, which gets me to 600 pounds if I remember correctly. If Alonzo's ex-laws follow through with everybody else I'm going to explode!

I was relieved to learn their daughter was deployed somewhere in the Middle East, so I had some time before I had to worry.

We took a walk to a nearby park with Chantal insisting she be the baby-pusher and the adults looked on fondly at her efforts. There we sat around while Chantal played with her grandparents as well as the playground equipment.

We were sitting alone when Alonzo remembered to tell me that Chantal's birthday was on Friday, something he had forgotten to mention during our whirlwind weekend. Of course I was invited to the birthday party, but it came with a warning.

"I'm afraid she wants to have it a Chuck-E-Cheese. I'll supply the earplugs."

"What?"

"I take it you've never been."

"Nope."

"The place is filled with bleepity-bloopity electronic games, has a really stupid stage show with a band of automated bears and has the worst pizza I've ever had to swallow. Chantal loves it and I love Chantal; this may turn out to be the real test of your tolerance."

"I've been worried about gaining too much weight with all the good cooks I've fallen with lately. Maybe this is the universe's way of helping me to eat less."

"I may be overstating the case, but the kid loves it."

"Will you hold me if I faint from the excitement?"

"With pleasure. Just be sure you aren't holding the baby when you pass out."

"Fair flowers such as myself faint daintily, we do not pass out. That happens to people who drink too much."

"Does the bullshit get loose if you hit the floor?"

"You!"

"I could get used to having you around. I love jousting words with you."

"Sorry, but that cry may not contain words, but it does contain information. I suspect it's a good thing we're out of doors so the smell will dissipate quickly."

"Sit, I'll take care of it."

And off he went to change the baby. How did I get so lucky?
 

By the time we got home and put Chantal into bed we were tired, but snuggling on the couch felt so good.

"I suppose you have to get home?" There was a wistful tone in Alonzo's voice.

"I suppose, but I'm too comfortable. You can move your hand a little lower, you know. Mmmmm…"

"You could stay the night if you want to."

"I want to, but…"

"Yeah, but…"

"My first appointment isn't until ten."

"And we have to be up at six so Chantal can get the school bus."

"That would leave me enough time to get ready I suppose."

"I know she would be thrilled to have her new Mother take her to the bus."

"You're tempting me."

"It's purely intentional. I like waking up with you next to me."

"In that case, we'd have to go to bed if you want to wake up next to me."

"You have the best ideas."
 

In the original of this journal I did put down quite a few details of what happened. I edited the details for Darcy, after all we are best buds and living together. Unfortunately for you, the people who are reading this public version of my journal I'll supply only these few details:

1 - We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

2 - We kept it down, there were children sleeping.

3 - I didn't quite make it to an orgasm, but it was fun trying.

4 - I'm going to talk to Emma and see if she can relax the one year RLT before she allows my surgery.

That should give you a good idea of how things went.
 

Monday, April 18, 2016

I wonder if my mother ever felt like this getting me ready for the school bus. Naturally, both Chantal and Dawn wanted to eat at the same time. This is not too much of a problem in a two-parent family, and damn I felt like a parent this morning.

For years I thought waking up with a loving husband was an impossible dream. I know he's not my husband. I know we just met and it may not last. I know life isn't fair, but right now I'm happy.

We both walked Chantal to the bus stop, I met some of the other parents and Dawn got lots of attention. I suppose I did, too, but people were polite about the woman Alonzo suddenly was shacking up with.

There's something special about kissing your partner goodbye in the morning, especially after a night of discoveries. I'm one lucky gal.
 

Oh yeah, Darcy did a great snoopy Mom trying to find out where I had been for three nights running. As if she had any doubts!
 

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Dawn's eight month birthday. I know I decided to stop celebrating monthly birthdays, but any excuse to have Alonzo and Chantal over is good enough for me. The only sad part was he had to go home to put Chantal to bed. How can I miss something so much after only three nights?
 

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Dawn took me by surprise today. She was just sitting there on her blanket, playing with a toy or two and making those happy baby noises that lull a mother into complacency when suddenly she was on the other side of the room, seemingly without covering the intervening distance.

The kid is just full of surprises.

She had my attention now, and she just sat there with a confused look on her face, like 'how did I get over here?' Like mother, like daughter.

"Did you see that?" Darcy asked with surprise in her voice.

"No, how did she get over there?" I asked.

"Just watch."

Dawn began began bouncing with her legs crossed, once again making happy noises, when suddenly she scooted across the floor again. She looked a little like a frog, hoping on her crossed legs, but she managed to pick up an impressive bit of speed.

"She's going to be a hopper, not a crawler," Darcy declared.

Before I could answer, Dawn let out one of those impossibly high-pitched squeals that babies can generate, bringing conversation to a halt until our ears stopped ringing.

"Whoah! She just broke the sound barrier!"

"Oh boy, time to start some serious baby-proofing, I think."

"There she goes again!"

One of the women in my fostering class told me that Asian babies are prone to moving like that instead of crawling. I have no idea if it's true, but it sure works for Dawn.

Having discovered the ability to move, Dawn was making the most of it. This time she ended up near me and started to intone "Ma-ma-ma-ma."

"That's right, sweetie. I'm your mama."

"Get out the baby book, Hope," ordered Darcy. "Time for another milestone."
 

Friday, April 22, 2016

Chantal's seventh birthday. I had to hurry to make it to the party. I wasn't in love when I booked the day's appointments. In love? Am I really in love? Does it happen this fast? No answers jumped out to give me the key to the knowledge of the universe. No time to contemplate, either. There's a party to attend.

Alonzo warned me. The noise level was considerable and the activity level was somewhere between frenzied and manic. I got a quick hug from Chantal and a more lingering hug and kiss from Alonzo before Chantal and friends tore off to play the games.

Interesting discovery, as the female in an obvious couple, the other parents deferred to me as hostess, even though Alonzo had done all the planning. Gender roles are still sadly fixed despite years of trying. Not that I object to being Mom - I rather like that role.

The pizza wasn't as bad as predicted and I got a kick out of the singing animals, I guess there's some kid left in me. I'm going to have to make home-made pizza for my new family sometime soon, though.

This time Alonzo followed me home. I had several bookings on Saturday and a wedding on Sunday so I couldn't stay at his place. He was free so Chantal got to sleep on the daybed in Dawn's room. You damn well know where Alonzo slept.
 

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Full house for breakfast. I now know what Darcy felt like the morning Rory first stayed over. Did I really give her such a knowing and salacious look?

I guess I did.

Alonzo and Rory did babysitter duty while Darcy and I earned our living, then we spent the late afternoon getting ready for the poker game tonight. I'm hosting and going to introduce Alonzo to the group. He says he can play poker, but we haven't played together yet.

Chantal helped me make pizza for dinner. By the time she helped me knead the dough she was gloriously covered with flour and grinning like a fool. Alonzo was trying mightily not to laugh too hard at the scene while he clicked away.

Damn, we had a good time!

Dawn even joined us, gumming a little bit of pizza. She's starting to show an interest in real food these days. I've started giving her samples of my own dinner, suitably mushed up, of course. Her open mouth tells me she appreciates the gesture.

My baby is growing up!
 

I truly enjoyed the reaction of my poker buddies when they learned my boyfriend would be playing with us. OK, I have a nasty streak. These are the guys, some of whom I grew up with, who pretty much accepted me as Hope without a fuss. Springing a boyfriend on them a few months after springing Hope on them ought to be interesting.

Not to mention adding a new daughter.

Heh-heh!

Alonzo can play poker, he skunked us all. I was only down a buck twenty-three, but he cleaned up with $7.97. Luiz kept getting caught by sucker bets, Alonzo can bluff with the best of them.

I'm going to have to watch my step with that character.