Summer in the City. Limits.

Here at Casa de Haricot we've been extremely busy, getting annexed by the City of Raleigh and having cousins visit and preparing for another big consignment sale. We've also enjoyed some more time with CC, who is not only a hilarious Tata-Tattler, but is also a first-class jellysitter.

Jellybean, interestingly, was not as interested in my cousin's kids as I thought she'd be. And she was only mildly impressed with my cousin. My cousin's husband, on the other hand, well, that was another story. Jelly, who normally DOES. NOT. LIKE. MEN. was extremely fond of Dan. It helps that he's one of like a million kids, so he knows how to butter up a little bean. Don't tell my dad, but she even sat in his lap one evening for a snuggle! It's nice to see her with a good male role model, since that's one of the few things (other than a kind, sympathetic mother) she's lacking. I guess anyone who lets her gnaw their fingers is ok in her book.

Speaking of sympathetic, my poor little pudding pop had her first major blood-spouting injury. She fell and clipped her chin on her little red rocking chair, putting a few top teeth into a bottom lip. There was blood all over her, all over me after I scooped her up, and her lip was ENORMOUS. Happily, I did NOT fall apart, and it's nice to know I have zero problems with my child gushing the red stuff all over the place. A popsicle later, she was just fine. Yes, I took a picture of her, because that's the kind of mother I am.
We had an exhaustingly hot and busy weekend with our guests. The Flea Market, Farmer's Market, Market Market (aka 'Grocery Store', aka 'Red Dog', aka 'Dirty Food Lion'). Sunday we spent the afternoon at the lake, and had beautiful weather for it. That Jellyfish sure does love the water. She was waving and blowing kisses at the boats. Yesterday morning the relatives departed for Myrtle Beach, and I'm very jealous. I need to take Jellybean to the ocean! It's already August! Omg, she's 14 months old today!
This morning I dropped off approximately one hundred kajillion items for the Kids Exchange sale coming up this weekend. You wouldn't believe the size of this place, or the stuff they have. There were something like 7,000 people that attended the last sale. Since it's so competitive, I priced things ridiculously low in the hopes of selling more stuff. My latest idea for what to do with the money I make is to get another round of professional photos done - when my parents are visiting next! Wouldn't that be freaking AWESOME?! Just imagine, a professionally done pic of me and my mum and Jellybean! S&G Photography, if you're reading this, pencil me in for a tentative date in late October, and I'll call you to confirm when my parents make their travel plans.

Friday morning will be the (hopefully, final) hearing for Jenny's custody case. My lawyer sent me a 2-page document of the questions he's going to ask me in front of the judge, to prepare. Gulp. It's mostly pretty basic stuff, like 'State your full name for the record', but there are also things like, 'What in your opinion is the best course of action for Jennifer's well-being?' (answer: to terminate Quiet's rights). It's so weird. And it just makes me think even more about that side of Jellybean's family, the Secret Side that I'm not allowed to reveal Jelly to. Does she look like any of them? Does she have any of their mannerisms? Is one of them a growler and scratcher, like my sweet darling delicate flower? As she gets older hopefully it will get easier and not more difficult to put those thoughts aside, since I need to be able to help her with not having those answers herself. And that time will come before I know it. 14 months already, that's just crazy!