November 4

Oh, boy.

I think Lily is trying to kill me. Like, she seriously wants me to die. That's really the only rational explanation for her nighttime antics of late.  Nursing all.night.long. Being awake and crying for an hour, at least twice during the night. Being fussy and exhausted but refusing to sleep in the evening. She must be punishing me for something.

What?

This is normal baby behavior?

Surely you jest.

She's such a lovely baby during the day. Cute, charming, silly, predictable... But once the sun sets, the malevolence kicks in. (Curse you, daylight savings time, for ending!) Last night was particularly rough. So rough that I actually had to get out of bed with her and walk her around the house, eventually landing in the rocker in her room. She finally allowed me to rock her back to sleep there. (I know - it's ironic that the baby's bedroom was the last place I thought to take her. It's just that she doesn't sleep there yet!) So I woke up grouchy, exhausted, and not ready to deal with Caleb and Daisy, who are still recovering from the time change.

I decided that being out is way better than being home, so we headed to the Botanical Garden. It was a great choice. I splurged on a cup of coffee for me and hot chocolate for the big kids to split, and we explored the late-autumn garden.

I told the children that, because it is now November, the Children's Garden is closed. Caleb accepted this with appropriate seriousness, but Daisy thought to ask, "Are the sheeps still open?"

Yes, Daisy. The sheeps are still open.

So they were our first stop.

Because it was so gray and chilly, we had the garden almost to ourselves. Caleb and Daisy got to ride the sheep as long as they wanted. While they rode, Lily hung out in the BOB, snug and warm. Hi, Baby!

Because the Children's Garden and Japanese Garden were closed, we got to explore parts of the garden we don't normally see. Like these raccoon statues: 

Caleb was riding on this one's back, but got shy when I pulled my camera out.

Daisy wasn't shy, though. She was very proud of her raccoon-riding skills.

"I pat him, Mommy! Pat, pat!"

We headed home at a decent time, and I managed to get the kids down for naps at a normal time, which is a major coup on a garden day. Daisy went to sleep with no diaper, just undies, for the second day in a row. But twenty minutes after I put her down, I heard her crying and screaming. Afraid of an accident, I rushed in to find her waving a (clean) disposable diaper in the air, yelling, "I need a diaper! I NEED A DIAPER, MOMMY!"

Actually, she just needed to go to the bathroom.

So I took her and she went back to sleep without a diaper, and stayed dry for a four-hour nap.

Funny girl.

Lily and I had some quality time on my bed while the big kids napped. She has her first cold right now: poor girl had crusty yellow snot on her nose.

But she was still in good spirits!

Hi, Lily!

What? You want another video? Why not!

This is just Lily laughing. Honestly, it doesn't sound like she's laughing. It sounds like she's fussing or coughing or crying. But I promise, she's laughing.

Isn't she funny?

And now she's doing her typical evening routine: Crying and fussing unless Chris walks around the house with her. This girl is a tiny tyrant! Thank goodness it's just a season...