Lura just loves sitting close to Mommy (or Daddy) in her sling, an Over the Shoulder Baby Holder! She will often fall asleep as we walk around or just rock in a chair, and it leaves both of Mommy's or Daddy's hands free to do chores.
On 14 November 2003, after Mark returned from Berkeley, Mom returned to Hawaii. Compare this photo of "three generations" to the one from Mom's last visit; Lura is much bigger and more alert! We'll have to shoot a photo like this every time Mom comes over.
That evening, we went to a party for The Aerospace Players, the folks who introduced us to each other during their production of "Oliver!" in 2000. Lura made many new friends among her Mommy and Daddy's long-standing friends; here she's meeting Debbie (who also met her husband Bob during an Aerospace Players show!) and her son Joey.
The next day, Ken, Lily, and Justin came over to meet Lura before we all went to Donna and Nader's wedding at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. This was also Cheryl's first opportunity to meet Justin (Mark met him the previous week in San Jose); it was lots of fun to introduce everybody to the new little ones!
In order to make a quick and unobtrusive exit if Lura got fussy during the wedding ceremony, the three of us stood up on the next floor balcony overlooking everyone else. We've been to a few weddings since we got married ourselves, but being off by ourselves where we could whisper to each other was somehow extra special. Donna and Nader had a beautiful ceremony, simple and dignified, and we felt like we were renewing our own vows as we listened and watched.
This was the longest trip Lura had taken since she was born, and she did just fine. We stayed for most of the reception afterwards, and here we are greeting the bride and groom outside the hall. Donna had changed into a chi pao for the reception, and in addition to a wide range of Western music (so everybody could find something danceable), she and Nader had also arranged for some entertainment from the traditions of their respective heritages, Chinese and Middle Eastern.
Here's Lura at about 11 weeks, in one of our very favorite pictures of her! Cheryl has a "Boppy" nursing pillow that she doesn't use much, preferring an arrangement of regular pillows on a couch; however, Lura finds it just splendid for "tummy time"! Since she sleeps on her back, we have to take care that she gets used to facing the other way, so that she will be comfortable when it's time to push up and learn to crawl. She's doing a pretty good job of pushing herself up already!
Of course, after working so hard, she sleeps pretty well! She likes to sleep on top of Mommy like this, often between nursing sessions. The cats like to hang out where the people are, and here Cricket is on guard, making sure Daddy doesn't wake Lura up by using a flash.
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