June 10

After we dropped Caleb off at school this morning, this happened:

I was sitting at our breakfast nook, eating breakfast and pumping, and Lily was playing on the floor. Suddenly, I heard her fussing and realized she had crawled into the corner between the banquette and the table, and wasn't sure how to get out. Since I was pumping, I wasn't really free to help her. 

Like a good big sister, Daisy climbed up on the bench and began singing and talking to Lily to keep her happy. She even tossed some snacks down to her! 

OK, so the snacks were grapes, which are totally a choking hazard for babies, but as soon as I explained that to Daisy, she began feeding her sister grapes bitten in half.

So basically, she thinks Lily is a pet dog. I can't say I blame her.

Eventually Lily found her way out, leaving a pile of mushy grape halves on the floor behind her.

(Once Lily went down for her nap, Daisy and I mopped that floor, I promise.)

Now, yesterday afternoon I let Caleb take a "rest" that turned into a nearly-two-hour nap, and then he didn't fall asleep until after 9:30 last night. Clearly, the boy doesn't need to nap anymore, even though he gets a little bit grouchy in the afternoons. 

So when Lily napped until 11:30 this morning, I realized we had an opportunity to do something fun. We packed a lunch, picked up Caleb, and we had a picnic at a new park today. I realize that doesn't sound very spectacular, but I have spent the past four years stuck at home at lunchtime. 

For the past four years, we had to be done doing everything by noon so that we could eat lunch and go home and nap, or the children would very nearly turn into Gremlins.

But now that Caleb AND Daisy are done napping? Freedom! We only have one nap schedule to work around, not three. Sure, the price I pay is whiny children in the afternoon and no downtime for myself, but we'll figure that out.

So off to the park we went! 

Lily ate her lunch on a blanket in the grass, and the big kids and I sat at a picnic table.

(Can you tell how mobile Lily is now? Today was the first time that I set her down in one place, and five minutes later she was nowhere to be found. Thankfully, she started out in our kitchen and ended up in the dining room, but still. Girl is on the move!)

Caleb: "No pictures!"

Daisy: "My brother is strange."

Then I asked them to show me one smile for the camera, and this is what I got.

(We didn't have any impromptu picnic foods on hand, so lunch was very indulgent: gluten-free PBJs, watermelon, and veggie straws. At least they ate something, even if it wasn't particularly nourishing.)

As I made dinner, Lily crawled over to "help".

Look at her! She is so ready to stand!

And of course, Daisy came over to check things out, too. Love it!