January 29

Well. Since Lily's sleep has been a topic lately, I'm pleased to report that last night involved a 5-hour stretch of sleep, followed by a 4-hour stretch, both of which were in her crib.

BUT, I spent a good 45 minutes nursing her in between those two stretches. Is it worth it? I'm not sure. But the girl slept until I woke her at 8:45 because we had to leave for a playdate.

That's Lily with my friend Kris, with whom I shared a job my first year teaching. It's crazy to think about!

We had so much fun at our playdate, but the late waking plus the excitement of being someplace new meant that sweet Lil didn't take her morning nap. She fell asleep in the car on the way home, but even with a few extra minutes with the car parked in the garage, she maybe slept for 30 minutes. Later, I got a 90-minute nap out of her... and that was it for the day. Boo.

While I prepped dinner, I let Lily play in the front room with the big kids. I'm pretty sure that's a major milestone!

Caleb worked diligently on a tower, and at spreading his cars all. over. the. room. 

I adore this picture of Daisy. I think it's her sweet curls and the way her face fills the frame. And maybe those cheekbones.

But this picture is just so perfectly Daisy that I love it, too. I'm not even sure what she was doing, but I love the impish expression on her face.

After dinner, it was decided that I would put Lily to bed early while Chris took the kids - in their jammies - to the library. But before they could leave, they had to clean up. Chris told Caleb to put away this marvel of architecture, but Caleb really wanted to keep it out. 

It was his "Car sleeping place", and he did not want to put it away. Finally, I suggested that he grab my camera and photograph it, so that he could remember exactly how it looked. Surprisingly, he liked that idea.

He also took this close-up. Funny kid.

Lily really enjoys watching her siblings.

And Daisy enjoys mimicking her brother. He did this same thing at preschool yesterday, and they both think it's the funniest thing ever.

At 6:30, Chris and the kids left and I started trying to put Lily to bed. At 7:30, they returned and Lily was still awake. I had spent an hour nursing and rocking her, to no avail. It happens to me on a regular basis, and it is the most frustrating part of having a 6-month-old. Well, that, and the fact that her favorite thing right now is scratching, pinching, and tugging at my tender skin while she nurses. Ouch. I think she finally fell asleep around 8:15, nearly two hours after I started trying to get her to sleep. 

*sigh*

But it's just a season that will fly by so quickly...