Babysitter!

Last night, Mick and I had our first real outing since Jack's birth. It was Mick's birthday and I lined up a babysitter a few weeks ago (someone I know from work) so we could enjoy a meal out. We were originally going to head to a fancy restaurant for a 5-course tasting menu, but we decided against that as Jack had been a bit fussy on Monday and we didn't want to be interrupted mid-meal with a call saying we had to get home (it's hard to doggie-bag courses from a tasting menu).

So instead we headed to Bistrot Lafayette in Old Town Alexandria for a lovely French meal. We had mussels and escargot to start, along with some white wine and then we moved on to a red wine for our entrees. I had the rack of lamb with fresh thyme jus and roasted garlic mousseline and Mick had the NY strip with a cabernet sauvignon reduction. We had dessert at home -- a from-scratch cheesecake that I made during Jack's afternoon nap.

The best part of our date? Our conversation! In the 2 1/2 hours we were away, we did not talk about Jack at all. We discussed politics, religion, and travel... just like our old, pre-parent selves!

According to the babysitter's report, Jack was a good boy. He had his bottle, admired himself in the mirror for a good 25 minutes, and cuddled with her. This was fantastic to hear as I think we'll be using a babysitter again in the near future. As I mentioned to my dad last night, I think having a babysitter every once in a while is a justifiable expenditure. Going out together from time to time is certainly less expensive than marriage counseling (and more fun, too)!