March 7

You guys.

 Last night, I put Eli to bed at 8:00 (just in time to watch the Downton Abbey series finale!), and he slept until 2 am.

2 am!

On his own!

That was 6 glorious hours, which is the longest stretch he has ever gone.

I mean, I know. He's thirteen months old. It's hardly sleeping through the night. But for us, it's huge. 

Especially because in the very near future, Chris and I will be heading to New Orleans for a three-day weekend, WITHOUT THE KIDS.

(That's right. I just bolded, italicized, capitalized, and underlined that phrase. Can you tell I'm excited?)

My mom has foolishly bravely offered to watch all four kids so that Chris and I can attend his cousin's wedding in New Orleans, sans children. I am pumped, but I really don't want to stick my mother with a baby who misses his mommy and is used to snuggling and nursing all night long. We are really hoping that by the time we leave, Eli will be at the very least night weaned, and hopefully sleeping on his own, in his crib, all night long.

That may be wishful thinking, but we are wishing hard. We'll see.

It's tough, though, since he is likely our last baby. I don't want to rush to give up all those snuggles, but I think it's been long enough.

Anyway. Today, I had MOPS friends over for a baby carrier playdate. A volunteer babywearing educator came over to chat with us, and she helped everyone learn how to use various carriers. It was so much fun, especially because my children basically entertained themselves the whole time. They loved having the house full of people, and Eli and Lily (and even Daisy!) loved being tossed up on my back in random carriers throughout the morning.

Eli playing in the curtains after our friends left.

Caleb and I didn't even start school until 2 pm, and by then it was nearly time to start making dinner! We did what we could, though, and when it was really time to start dinner, Eli woke up. He was fussy and wanted to be held, so I put him up on my back. 

He wasn't happy with my initial wrap job, though, because he really wanted to see exactly what I was working on. I scooted him up higher, and he watched contentedly as I chopped up some red and purple potatoes for dinner.

He started getting agitated, though, and it seemed to me like he really wanted to get the potatoes. Finally I figured out that Eli thought the purple fingerling potatoes looked like giant blueberries! He was desperate to get to the big ol' blueberries so he could eat them all! I died laughing, and then broke a cardinal mom-rule and fed my child a snack right before dinnertime.

I grabbed some blueberries and put them in a heart-shaped ice cube tray.

Eli was thrilled! He got his blueberries, and it was a fun game.

And that, my friends, is how I finished making dinner tonight.