Hero

Here is Lyla by Lake Superior. We did not amputate her right foot. It's an optical illusion; the rock is like a saddle--never mind. We're back from Duluth, now experts at traveling with an infant.

The best decision we made was to bring a large blanket. On the way, Lyla lasted about an hour before she explained from the backseat that she might not be cheerful much longer.


Yes, this is a patch of grass adjacent to a McDonald's parking lot. If up to this point you have pictured us as a highly fashionable family, I imagine this photo just set you straight.

It worked, though. After half an hour of rolling around and playing with toys, Lyla slept the rest of the way.



She liked the hotel room very much. We took her to the lobby, which overlooked Lake Superior, and she chewed on a Caribou Coffee lid for like 45 minutes and flirted with every person who looked at her.

We were nervous about the reunion dinner since it started at Lyla's bedtime. By the end, Julie hadn't eaten much because she was so focused on keeping Lyla entertained. I'm more ambidextrous, I guess. But anyway, we have this rule on vacation that if one of us is suffering in any way, the other must don the proverbial hero cape. Back at the hotel, a hungry Julie said that more than anything in the world, she wanted onion rings.

(Note: she is not preggers.)

So I pulled on my extremely tight Superman unitard and flew to Dairy Queen. Along with onion rings I got a Dilly Bar, an ice cream cone, a raspberry iced tea, and an anemic-looking chicken sandwich that would ultimately go uneaten.

Back in the room, we turned on the TV and put Lyla in the Pack 'n Play, strategically positioned in a darker part of the room by the bathroom. Within five minutes, she was asleep. Miracle.

At 3:00 in the morning, I heard the muffled suck of liquid in a straw. It was Julie, finishing the raspberry iced tea. "I am unbelievably thirsty," she whispered. "I think it was the salty onion rings. We have no water. I pulled this out of the garbage." Julie will not drink water from a bathroom sink. She's a princess.

"You're drinking garbage?"

"Shut up! I'm soooo thirsty."

"Shh. I'll get you some water out of the vending machine."

Ten minutes later, Julie was chugging her special water. Lyla never even stirred.

"Good night, garbage drinker."

"Good night, hero."

The real hero was Lyla, who slept until 8:30.

And after an eventful family picnic today, on possibly the coldest July 18th Duluth has ever seen, Lyla slept the entire ride home.


And tonight, 20 minutes after this photo was taken, Lyla crawled forward for the very first time.