September 17

Today was pretty uneventful; Caleb and Daisy had school, Eli napped, Lily and I played... pretty much the same thing we do every day. After lunch I decided to try a new type of back carry that I've been hearing a lot about lately: the Uppy Scarf Carry. Eli was eating his lunch, though, so I asked Lily to try it out with me. She was so excited to be on my back!

Once I had it figured out, I tried to put Lily back on the ground, and she refused. Girl wanted to stay on my back, and was devastated that her turn was so short. I placated her by telling her that she could ride on my back when we went to get Caleb from the bus stop. Surprisingly, that worked. However, she spent the rest of the afternoon (except for while she was napping) asking me, "Get Bubby bus?" No, Lily, not yet.

Then it was Eli's turn.

He was only mildly impressed, but I was quite impressed with the carry because it is so different from all of the other back carries I do. There's no need to worry about getting a seat, because the act of wrapping creates it for you. My only complaint is that it's a cross carry, with a v in the back. I find that both front and back cross carries are challenging with babies who lean, so they require a bit more care.

After naps, it was time to go get Caleb from the bus. I remembered my promise, and Lily was so excited! 

2 children

45 extra pounds

1 size 6 wrap (that was just barely long enough)

3 happy people

I call it a win.

We walked to the bus stop and back like this. When we got home, I tried to put Lily down and she would have none of it. So I put Eli in his bouncer and kept Lily on my back for a while longer. She was so, so happy, and once again I felt guilty that because of Eli, I rarely wear Lily. What a special thing it is to be able to make my child so happy just by keeping her close as I go about my normal tasks! She just wants to be with me, to do what I do, to see what I see, to rest her cheek against my shoulder and listen to my heart beat. 

Goodness, I love baby wearing.

After dinner, Caleb had his second Tiger Scouts meeting. I was able to get his uniform this week and sew all of his patches on, and he has been dying to wear it. He wanted to wear it to school yesterday, and then today, but we managed to convince him that he was only allowed to wear it for officially sanctioned events. Tonight was finally the night!

You know I took pictures.

He was so happy and cooperative and proud. I can't believe I have a first grader who is a Tiger Scout!

(Can you see the little bit of Lily's arm next to Caleb? She totally wanted to be a part of this picture. Lily and Caleb have a very special bond, which often manifests itself in funny ways like that.)

This is his excited face.

Caleb and his "Nettie". For some reason, that's what he calls Lily.

Do you like her pink skirt/red shirt combo? She did that all by herself. There's also a red tank top underneath the red t-shirt, just to be sure.

Full-length view. I couldn't bring myself to pay for the navy shorts or pants, or the special Tiger Scout socks, but I think he looks pretty snazzy in his khaki shorts and his coordinating socks and shoes.

Then I asked Caleb to give me his best Tiger Scout pose. This is what I got: 

I suppose that's pretty appropriate!

The whole time I snapped photos, Caleb begged me to make a video. So once I was satisfied, I switched my camera to "video" and got this:

I'm so glad I listened to my boy and took a video. I think this is pretty darn sweet.

While he was gone, I handled bedtime for the younger three. Daisy was in bed by 6:55, Lily by 7:15, and then Eli was a total jerk. I rocked and nursed him from 7:15-8:00, and then he screamed for 10 minutes until Chris got home. Caleb came home sweaty and happy, and we snuggled on the couch to read a chunk of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which we started last night. He finally got to bed around 9. He'll be tired in the morning, but it's worth it.