On Saturday, when Valentine's Day actually occurred, Jason worked a double. Last night we decided on a whim to have a belated date, and since it was a whim we didn't have a babysitter lined up. But we figured that Eli had been good all day, no meltdowns and he'd had an early nap. We thought "hey he'll like getting out of the house!" So delusions in order we walked to the sushi/hibachi place near our house that we've been meaning to try.
Possibly things would have gone OK if first thing Jason hadn't walked him over to see the pond full of goldfish and koi fish (fyi when I think about how I almost named my child Koi I blush a little and blame those powerful pregnancy hormones that I hope to experience again some day soon). Eli is very into fish and after getting a gander at these lovelies there was no way he was just going to sit passively in his high chair. We put him in the chair, gave him sippy, goldfish crackers and a toy. He was pacified until our food came which is how it usually works. I gave him a cucumber roll and his chopsticks, he loves chopsticks and this usually does the trick, sadly I underestimated the lure of the fish pond.
Our Valentine's Day dinner was eaten in shifts, one of us would eat a few rolls while the other would stand with Eli and keep him from leaping into the pond to be at one with his new friends. Trust me when I tell you it was very romantic. And when we put his coat on and Jason picked him up to leave he let out a mighty shriek that guarantees that if we ever go there again it will be sans toddler.
Toddler Eli may be just as adorable as infant Eli.
But infant Eli was a lot more pleasant to take out in public.
