Ordinary Time

Since returning to Washington after the holidays, the ladies and I have been trying to get used to normal, everyday life... Ordinary Time, if you will. Work has been crazy lately, which makes it hard to get home at a normal hour. Luckily, Mary Grace likes to stay up late with us while we trade sleep-time for family-time.

Mary Grace seems to be getting bigger by the minute. Just the other day, as I was cleaning out the baskets under her changing table, I came across some of the diapers that we used immediately after returning from the hospital. I could not believe how much smaller these diapers were in comparison to the ones that we now use. It actually made me sad in a “she is growing up too fast” kind of way. We are trying to take a lot of pictures so that we capture each ephemeral stage before it fades away undocumented.

She is smiling quite a bit, which isn’t exactly new, but definitely more pronounced. While she would occasionally smile before at seemingly random things, it is now possible for us to make her smile by performing various stunts. Molly seems to be much better at this, as she can almost always get Mary Grace to crack a grin while my attempts often result in her throwing a tantrum.

Below are a few pictures taken over the last few weeks:


All smiles.


Crazy for Swayze.


Modeling her new hat.


Flying baby!


She loves water, even on her face.


Her rattle is her favorite toy.


Almost too big for her cradle at only ten weeks.

Family photo.

In other news, the infamous Tom Sarris Orleans House closed down after 50-plus years of serving more Prime Rib per year than any other restaurant in Washington DC. The city of Arlington decided to use eminent domain to knock it down and put up yet another gaudy government high-rise. Since it had been the only establishment with a pulse (and a Riverboat Salad Bar) in the Rosslyn neighborhood, it became the go-to for many of my coworkers at lunchtime. I hesitantly introduced Molly to the place about 2 years ago, and despite the uber-kitschy décor and geriatric clientele, I was happy to find that she shared my enthusiasm for the restaurant’s odd feel. A few nights prior to its closing, we took Mary Grace for dinner along with Lanie, Richard, James and Owen. We all wanted to share one last meal before saying goodbye to the cult classic. As a eulogy on closing night, I organized a Happy Hour for our company. We had over sixty people in attendance, and we definitely shut it down with style.

Enjoying a few drinks at the Happy Hour.


Toasting the office's Orleans House tradition.


The last Louis XIV cut of Prime Rib ever served.


More NMSers saying their goodbyes.