In The Meantime....

Iyanla Vanzant danced somewhere.

And here on planet Booty:

• One visit from the Michigan grands, who come bearing lots of love and apples, clothing for the boy king, chili and midwestern BBQ (something we southerners call Sloppy Joes and with bemused adoration giggle when referred to as BBQ).
• One hike along the Stones River with Ziggy in the backpack on Daddy Booty's big shoulders.
• One nasty cold. Again. Time two: Mama & Baby.
• One visit from Diggy, who'll be comin' round the plateau when she comes bearing more clothing for the boy king and more love than two hands can hold.
• One first time "ride" on the baby swing at the park.
• One rather frightening green bilious vomiting episode, followed by one visit to Vandy Children's ER in which x-rays show nothing out of the ordinary and the doctors all shrug at the fluke, admire the beauty and constitution of one cloth diaper wearing child in a sling who, as of yet, has had a diet of only breastmilk. (The sweet potato, baked for Baby's first solid, awaits another day....)
• One collective sigh of relief and gratitude and one shared delayed reaction shoved off yet again.
• One vehicle breakdown in which the breaks go completely out on Maggie the mini van JUST after Daddy Booty drops Mama & Babe off at Vandy Children's ER entryway.
• One aborted van rescue trip at the parking garage.
• One sweet potato party in which naked Baby Booty has a big time with sweet potato on its own, then mixed with expressed breast milk.
• One Mama / Baby bath to wash off the sweet potato party, during which Daddy Booty sits beside the tub to visit and assist with lathering and toweling.
• One big night of Booty Bed slumber in which the storms come and the time change is completely forgotten until the tow truck operator rings up on the phone....
• One successful retrieval of the van, followed by a decision of whether to spend yet nearly another thousand to keep old Maggie keepin' on.
• One little family, one day, one moment, one little spoonful at a time.

It is a sweet and messy life, this one shared life of ours.