Mark had to spend most of the week of 10 November 2003 in Berkeley on one of his lab group's monthly trips (he'd sat out the last three, and he's going to miss the one in December to go to a professional meeting, so he figured he'd better not drop the ball on this one!). Cheryl's Mom decided to fly out to help Cheryl that week; here she is greeting Lura on the evening of 6 November 2003, after last seeing her half a lifetime ago!
Pat & Evelyn, the choir director and assistant director at our church, gave us a nice battery-operated swing with music and lights before Lura was born, and Mom helped us introduce her to it. Lura loves it! As we've noted, she likes lights, music, and motion, and this rig has all three. We often "park" her there next to us in the dining room so we can eat dinner together, rather than taking turns while the other holds her.
As she had babysat Lura during her last visit so that we could go see "Forever Plaid," this time Mom stayed with Lura on 8 November 2003 so we could go out for a more leisurely anniversary dinner. We went to Coyote Cantina, one of our special places from back when we first met.
Another trick we have learned, from a lactation consultant who's been helping us, for calming Lura is the "colic hold." She lies face downward either across one forearm or, as here with her Grandma, over both arms. We don't know why, but it calms her right down, even better than sitting her up over our shoulders! We call it the "flying baby" hold.
On 9 November 2003 Frank, another of Mark's friends from Princeton and Caltech, came by to meet Lura; he had already met Mom at our wedding. We were mighty grateful for the take-out food he brought over from our favorite Chinese restaurant!
While up at Berkeley, Mark drove down to San Jose on 11 November 2003 to see JoAnna and Grant and their daughter Amanda, and Lily and Ken and their son Justin. (Lily, who was the Matron of Honor at our wedding, arrived just before Mark had to leave to go back to Berkeley for his shift at the cyclotron.) This was Mark's first opportunity to meet Justin, who's seven months old; Cheryl and Lura will meet him when his family comes down to Los Angeles for Donna and Nader's wedding!
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