Brunch with Peter

Rachel and I had a lovely day yesterday, the last weekend we'll have alone together before Drew gets home. We went to swim lessons and then met a former colleague of mine named Peter for brunch at a Mexican place with decent food but terrible service. It's in a cute neighborhood with interesting-looking restaurants but I will never go there again.

Peter was wildly excited to see me; he's dating the mayor of Portland and forging a successful career writing books. He expressed an eagerness to get together with me AND Rachel because his sister recently had a baby and he feels unsure of how to behave as an uncle.

Well, he shouldn't worry. He was FABULOUS with Rachel, looking her right in the eyes and knowing exactly what to say to her and how to say it. It's difficult to describe, but it was the most wonderful morning I've had in quite a while. "She's so well-behaved!' Peter said over and over, and it was true; Rachel didn't show the slightest frustration or impatience with the spacey service and didn't demand too much of my attention. Being my usually bad mommy self, I totally forgot to pack coloring books or crayons or markers, but she amused herself drinking two glasses of apple juice and sampling a bit of bread (keep in mind she'd barely had any breakfast, just a cup of yogurt, before swim lessons). She even told me when she needed to go to the potty and we visited the bathroom twice without her soiling her Pull-Up. (Apparently she has not inherited my distaste for public restrooms).

Then as we were about to leave she decided to give us all new names. I was Flower (there was a vase of fake flowers on a table near ours); Peter was bacon (because, upon realizing her distress that the restaurant didn't have bacon, he said she would get "special bacon" after our waitress offered to bring us a plate of pulled pork. Which, naturally, Rachel didn't like). And Rachel was Granola.

At one point I pulled her onto my lap and tickled her and teased her about our new names. "You two are SO ADORABLE together!" Peter chirped.

He and I agreed to meet later this summer when he'll teach me how to make jam and I'll teach him the finer points of barbecue. I had looked forward to having an uninterrupted conversation with him but maybe I'll bring Rachel along. She's entertaining and a lot of fun to be around!