How Many for Dinner? 2.5, Please.

Faced with a mountain of boxes - some packed, some empty, many yet to be assembled - Sumie and I decided it was time to make a small escape and brave a dinner out with Mimi.  After about an hour at the park, we headed over the "Hi-Life," a great little 1930s themed restaurant-bar with burgers, beer, thai curry and sushi.  Yes, I thought it was a bit of an odd combination at first tool, but it works. 

Mimi, as we've discussed before, is not always the best dinner companion, so when we eat out we enter each restaurant with a mixture of hope and trepidation.  She can literally make or break a meal. 

About 6 weeks or so after Mimi was born, my mother came out to visit and we decided to risk a dinner out with Mimi.  It would be our first.  We settled on a little place called Ciao Bella on the Upper East Side, which is where we had held Sumie's baby shower a few months earlier.  We took an outside table and, figuring that Mimi would soon sleep as it was her normal nap time, we placed our order.  By the time the first course had arrived Mimi had decided to check out.  She may have only been six weeks old, but she already had the lung capacity and projection of an Olympic swimmer who moonlit by performing opera at the Met.  For the next forty minutes my mom, Sumie, and I rotated getting up from the table and walking Mimi up and down the block.  We were all beyond frazzled by the end of the evening - even the wait staff.   Incidentally, a few weeks after our dinner we discovered that the restaurant had gone out of business.  Some say it was a result of the second avenue subway construction, but I wonder...

It was several months until we tried again.  Mimi got a little better with each outing: she learned how to distract herself and we learned how to manage a little one a bit better during a night out.  Here are a few tips we've learned:

1. Go right after a nap!:  This is the big one.  We gave up on the idea of Mimi sleeping through a meal very quickly.  The "after nap" strategy generally means that you'll be eating out much earlier than you might like, but at least the baby will be in a better mood and you might even get to enjoy some early bird specials.  
2. Bring a range of foods and drinks:  Before Mimi could start eating off our plates we'd bring milk, juice, crackers, and cookies.  There was always something that would get her attention, if only for a minute or two.  
3. Bring a toy:  Just make sure that it's something the baby often plays with, that it's soft (or it will make a great deal of noise when banged against the table, which it invariably will be), and that it's portable.  
4. Sit outside:  There's generally far more to see when you sit outside, which helps to keep baby content.  Baby's voice won't carry nearly as bad when you're outside as well.  
5. Clear the table in front of baby:  Some may think this is a bad idea, as the kids like to play with the silverware, etc. in front of them, but restaurant tables are always set with items that are loud, breakable, or both.  

We still have a lot to learn as Mimi gets older.  I'm worried for when she starts walking around and feeling that need to pester other diners and trip waiters.  Still, it has been getting easier with each development step Mimi takes.  Being able to eat from our plates was perhaps the biggest step forward.  Now we can actually eat as a family.  And it's amazing what this little girl will like.  Here's a look at how tonight went. 

We were able to get a table right next to the open windows.  Not outside, but close enough.  We eventually set her up right next to the window to take full advantage of the pedestrians, dogs, cars, and buses that would provide welcome distraction for Mimi.  

As you can see from the photo above, we're kind of following our rules.  No silverware, napkins, shakers, or candles within reach.  Just a kids' menu and Thomas.  But even this can cause troubles.  Within a minute or two, the menu was lying on the floor covered in saliva, half the crayon had entered Mimi's digestive tract, and Thomas had been flung under our neighbors' table.  We needed a new strategy. 

Here's a much cleaner table, with only Thomas in reach (he had been retrieved).  Mimi looks calm, but she's really just plotting her next move.  And here it is.  Attack Papa!

Once the food came things got much better.  As I mentioned before, eating out with a little one really does become much more enjoyable once you can share.  It turned out that Mimi absolutely loved our appetizer: fried calamari.  Being a good restaurant the rings were actually tender.  We cut a few up into tiny pieces and Mimi devoured them.  I love it when she takes to something unexpectedly - especially if it's something I like! 

Mimi filled up quickly on calamari, fries, sushi rice, avocado (from the California rolls), and crab (also from the California rolls).  She eventually turned her attention back to the pedestrians.  Each person who passed got a wave.  A few lucky passersby were even offered crab (though they would've had to eat it off her fingers). 

Eating out is definitely getting easier.  And this is a wonderful thing because eating in, without doubt, is getting exponentially more difficult.  When it comes time to cook at home not only is there a baby underfoot, that baby is either demanding to help with the cooking or aggressively rearranging our entire Tupperware collection on the kitchen floor.  At what age do kids start cooking for their parents?  Is two too early? 

Steve