Birthdays, foie gras, and beets. Beat that.

Today is Betty’s birthday. Happy birthday, Mama!

We went to Cashion’s last night to celebrate, just as we did a year ago. Except last night we went at 6 pm, since Jordan has an early bedtime. Whereas last year he was only a couple weeks old and was still pretty dazed.

Hell, we all were.

I feel kind of evil admitting it, but I do sometimes miss the days when he was a confused little lump and we could just haul him out in his car seat and he'd fall asleep while we had dinner.

Now when we go out pretty much everything is about keeping him occupied and happy so that other people don't hate The People With the Annoying Screaming Kid.

I myself have historically done a lot of hating of those people. I've given a lot of stinkeye. Not anymore, though.

I forgot my camera, and I’m so sad about that. It’s one of those “what a difference a year makes” kinds of things, you know?

Jordan was in his Hugh Hefner jammies, because Betty thought it’d be best if we didn’t have to get him in his nightwear after the restaurant. The rest of us wore normal clothes.

Although now that I say that, I'd kind of like to go out for dinner with a group wearing pajamas. If anyone asked we could just say we were worried we'd be too tired to change after dinner.

I'm probably the only one who finds this idea highly amusing.

J typically goes to bed around 6:30, so even though he'd napped late, he was tired when we arrived. He was cranky and complainy and just generally NOT HAPPY to be there. Until Betty’s foie gras appetizer arrived.

We'd brought a bottle (Yes, we're trying to wean. No, he's not giving up the bottle easily.). We'd tried feeding him bread, nice, crusty bread, while we were waiting. Nothing doing.

And then, then this fancy hunk of goose liver arrived. Betty offered him a forkful, which I was sure would be spat out immediately.

Suddenly he was all, "Yum! More! NOW! MORE!"

He ate the whole damn thing. I think she got two bites.

And then, then he turned his attention to the beets in Nick’s salad. The ones Nick had been shoving to the side because, like some people, he thinks beets are evil.

Lucky for him, I've never suggested inserting them in his anus.

Anyway. The kid ate most of the beets.

And then he melted down and Nick took him outside while I asked if they could pack his main course to go. I mean, Nick had offered to take him home. I didn't just stealthily stick his meal in a box, all, OKthanksbyehoney!

I headed outside with the food and J's bottle, and they were nowhere in sight. I looked up and down the block, and then a guy said, "They went that way."

"A big guy with a baby?"

"Yes."

"Wearing monkey pajamas? The baby, I mean."

"Yes. That way."

I handed off the food, they headed home, and Betty and I stayed and enjoyed the rest of our leisurely dinner.

I think so far she's having a nice birthday.