What is this stuff?

We don't have a lawn of our own, but the Botanical Garden has a huge one. A huge, luscious, landscaped, green paradise that we don't have to mow, weed, or fertilize (although we do have to pay $15 to use it and they don't allow you to spread a blanket out on top of it). Still, what a gorgeous day for Jett's first picnic, and a great way to meet up with my friend, Beth.

This was a momentous day for a few reasons. First of all, at 20 miles, it was the furthest I've ever driven Jett by myself. I know lots of parents who drive their kids all the time by themselves, but I just don't have to do that much, other than the occasional trip to Target or the doctor's. Usually when Jett is in the car, both Charlie and I are in the car, and one of us always sits in the back next to Jett. So like I said, this was a big road trip for Jett and me, and I'm happy to report that we both enjoyed it. I played my music and Jett babbled along in the backseat. Now that we've got 20 miles under our belt, we're ready for a real road trip. Where to go, where to go?

Secondly, this was Jett's first time in the grass. Grass without dog poop in it. Grass without trash in it. Grass without broken glass in it. (Our neighborhood sounds lovely, doesn't it? I really like our neighborhood, there's just something about our block and all of the littering and lazy dog walking). Anyway, I took Jett out of the stroller and plopped him in the middle of the blanket (before the blanket police told Beth and I that blankets weren't allowed). He crawled right to the edge of the blanket and spent a couple of minutes gingerly patting the grass with his hands. Then he sat on the edge of the blanket - one leg on the grass, one leg on the blanket. He was only a couple of feet from the stroller, and you know how enticing the wheels of the stroller are. He LOVES the wheels on the stroller. He sat there looking at the wheels and patting the grass with his hands until he couldn't take it any longer - he finally got on his hands and knees and crawled on over there. After that there was no stopping him. He crawled down towards the pond and he crawled over to the flower bed, which brings us to our next momentous event...

He tried to crawl into the flower bed feet first. This is exciting because I have spent the last few weeks (or is it months?) trying to teach Jett to get down from the couch feet first. Every time he starts heading off the couch I say, "Feet first, Jett!" and I swing his little legs around and help him slide down. Well this flower bed was dug out about an inch lower than the lawn, and didn't he just crawl right up to that flower bed and swing his little legs around so he could crawl off the lawn feet first? He only had a one inch drop, so it was kind of hilarious, but I was so proud! Of course I couldn't let him play in the flower bed, so our celebration was short-lived. But it was a celebration nonetheless. Way to go, Jett.