How Caroline Plays with her Animals...

Scarf Maymay is the priest. Kanga is the mother of Purple Maymay (somehow - her animals have the ability to parent different species, apparently). Purple Maymay is getting baptized.

Attached

My baby is attached to me... literally. This is where she spends a lot of her time, and she'll continue to live here next to me for several months. She will learn to crawl, and then to walk, gradually moving away from me. So for now, I will cherish this time of physical attachment. I will try to savor the sweetness of her face nuzzled against me, the warmth of her body, the evenness of her breathing along with mine. All too soon this will be but a memory. And one never knows what the future holds... what if this is to be my last baby? I want to carve her into my memory, the way she is at this moment. Tiny. Helpless. Smooth skin, blonding hair, pudgy knees... asleep against my body.
Cecilia sleeps in her warm pouch, her "womb with a view," as a way of gradually acclimating to life outside my body. She can doze as needed as I go about my business - mostly, interacting with Caroline and doing household tasks. It doesn't seem like it now, but one day she will actually prefer to sleep in a bed and not squished up against my body. So I will keep her close while I can.

Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Never to part, Baby of mine.

Independence Day 2008

We celebrated on the 4th by going to the First Friday concert downtown. I dressed the girls in red, white, and blue outfits. Cecilia is wearing the dress that Caroline wore on her first Independence Day. We took a picnic dinner of pita sandwiches, tomato mozzerella basil salad, and some other things that I can't remember. ;) There were inflatables from Sparkles set up along a closed portion of the street. Caroline seemed nervous about all the big kids at first, but then she did fine. We got a $5 bracelet so she could go on the inflatables over and over. So, a small price to pay for otherwise free family etertainment.

Cecilia enjoyed the music, and she even took a little nap despite the blasting music (yay for nursing in the sling!! :). We didn't go see the fireworks at Ridge Derry - too late for us, starting at 9:30. Maybe another year.

I hope everyone had a festive holiday!