Back to Normal

K's gone back to Toronto.  Travis is home from South Africa (we were very glad to see him, Petra and I).  Petra's gone to bed for the night blessedly early and I'm catching up on my blog reading.

It was lovely to have K staying.  It turns out that I have a lot to say about Petra and about myself as a mother, about the physical and emotional impact of mothering, and K is a very good listener.  So I blathered enthusiastically, if not always coherently, at her.  K has been having quite the adventurous life as well, which made for some long and very fun chat chat chat sessions.  And, of course, Petra loved having a new person around to play with. 

Petra's suddenly gotten all social.  We (me, Travis, K, and Petra) went to a pretty posh restaurant, the kind where many people come by offering drinks and food, and more drinks and more food, and you finally leave full to the brim with dinner and service.  Petra had a very fine time working the room.  She stared for a while to get her bearings, then launched into full-on flirt mode, smiling and nodding until she got attention.  Fortunately, the staff were happy to indulge her.  The waiters cooed and fussed over her, and the young guy behind the bar did a little shimmy with his cocktail shaker for her every time he made a drink.  Petra lapped it all up.