Out On The Town

Now that Madeleine is nearing a month old, Don and I thought it was high time to take her out on the town. So, in honor of the release of the final Harry Potter book, we decided to take her to see the recently released movie of the fifth Harry Potter book, The Order of the Phoenix.

"Take an infant to the movies? Are you insane??"

This is where the sheer brilliance of my husband comes into play. Rather than driving all of the patrons crazy at our local multiplex, Don suggested that we go to a drive-movie theatre. The Starlight Six Drive-In is the last remaining drive-in theatre in Atlanta, and it is fabulous. It even shows first-run movies. Just don't order the hamburgers or hot dogs at the snack bar -- they also have been there since 1949.

The drive-in worked beautifully. Madeleine wasn't all that interested in the movie, so she slept through virtually the entire thing. (YAY!!) When she did fuss, we kept the windows rolled up so that we wouldn't disturb the neighboring cars. I would highly recommend the drive-in to any new parent.

On Saturday night, we decided that the drive-in adventure went so well that we would test out the local restaurant scene. Don and I debated at great length which restaurant would be appropriate for Madeleine's first dining experience. Finally, we decided to go to Fellini's, a local pizza joint that is walking distance from our house. Fresh air, exercise, no need to load up the car, and we would be close to home if any meltdowns occurred. As an added bonus, Fellini's does a strong take out and delivery business, so odds were that we wouldn't be disturbing too many other customers if she should start to wail.

As soon as we walked into Fellini's, the first thing I saw was another baby in an infant car seat. A very good sign, indeed. After ordering our pizza, I fed Madeleine in the hopes that she would sleep through our meal. While she did not exactly sleep, she became entranced by the neon sign in the window and was quiet for most of the meal. Another success!!

We're very proud of our little girl and look forward to venturing out of the house with her more frequently in the next few weeks. We have a barbecue and a dinner on the calendar next weekend, so we're keeping our fingers crossed that those will go as well as the drive-in movie and pizza excursions. Even if they don't, I'm sure Madeleine's extreme cuteness will keep us from getting too upset with her...