Cousins

Matt and Kalysta hanging out

So today my cousin came over to visit.
She brought her absolutely adorable little baby, and we had a really nice visit.
It's kind of funny because we haven't really had a chance to hang out that much in the past few years. We used to spend a lot of time together through family stuff, but the fact that we went to university a long ways apart, and started careers, and had a bunch of everyday stuff going on sort of led us to not see each other that much.
Obviously having a child changed things even more. It made going out a lot more difficult, and honestly it's even harder to get together with people whose schedules are completely different than yours.
Anyway, since she's had her baby we've seen each other a little more. We also moved closer, so it's a much shorter drive to hang out.
I've gotta say, it's really nice to visit with someone who you forgot was pretty fun.
Like me, her baby was a bit of a surprise, and like me, she isn't exactly your typical Mommy and Me group participant. It was just nice to laugh about some of the dumb stuff about being a new mom. Like, the realization that all the other babies at the playgroup have the same shoes on (Robeez) so what are you missing?
She had me laughing about some of things that people totally get into. Like baby sign language (I'm not knocking it - I did baby sign language, but some people do go a little overboard). Or the whole developmental stages things.
At one point she told me that they recommended taping toys to the floor to teach the babies that things are stuck (cause and effect I guess?) She was like "Did you tape toys to the floor?" Ummmm ... no. If my child would stop crying long enough to play with a toy I was not about to frustrate him by taping it down. I kind of figured that not being able to walk and talk was frustrating enough to him. Why add more frustration?
All in all it was just nice to take a step back, have a nice visit, and hang out with someone I had forgotten was pretty cool.