A visit from the East Coast

Last weekend, we were lucky to have my sister, Jonell, and her husband, Art, come out for a quick visit. Although they were in Tucson for only about 30 hours, it was an action-packed visit.

Tyler wore his Red Sox t-shirt in honor of J&A's arrival. We enjoyed a nice long walk together, enhanced by the smell of orange blossoms and brightly colored plants and wildflowers.

One of my best friends, Paula, came over for her first glimpse of Tyler as well.

Soon after, Paula's boyfriend Rob arrived, and we all went out to dinner at La Parilla Suiza. Clearly, I was sleep deprived, as it never occurred to me to tell the mariachis that it was Paula's birthday. I had the perfect opportunity to embarrass her and blew it. Oh well, at least I remembered to get her a bottle of Amaretto to help her celebrate. Tyler was a perfect angel and slept through dinner, even with the mariachis playing nearby.

While at our house, Jonell and Art taught us many new things about Tyler, including how far he can travel during "tummy time" on the couch, and that he likes infant massage. It was fun to compare the products we have today to the ones they had just a decade ago - cloth diapers have come the farthest - between the all in one design, the bright colors, the selection of wet bags, pail liners, and especially, the diaper sprayer that hooks up to the toilet. Breast pumps have gotten much smaller and more portable, and Jonell was psyched to see that breastmilk freezer bags now stand up on their own. The carseat that snaps into a stroller was another thing Jonell wished she'd had when her kids were newborns. Even the good old Pack-N-Play (aka Porta-Crib) has improved, with the bassinet feature. (Just imagine what Jonell's reaction would have been had she gotten to see one with a diaper changing station!) Funny how much has changed in such a short time. We also enjoyed sharing some pumpkin ale, apfulwein, and sweet stouts that we brewed over the past year.

The following day, we went to Tohono Chul Park to check out the flowers.

Though the visit was much too short, we are so grateful that Jonell and Art were able to come all the way to Tucson see their new nephew, and we can't wait to introduce Tyler to the rest of the Glass family!