A Vaguely Spring-Themed Update, Featuring Photos

I am enjoying the warm weather, partly because I get to dress Blueberry in summer outfits. In this photo, Blueberry is laughing because she knows that at the angle I'm taking the photo, it will look like the lilac bush is growing out of her head.

Blueberry thoroughly enjoyed meeting Aunt Jasmine*, who visited last weekend from California.

That Sunday we had some friends over for dinner on the deck. It was more like a series of appetizers than a dinner per se. When we get together with these friends, something always ends up wrapped in bacon, and this time it was asparagus.

Here is Blueberry being held by our friend Kate*. Blueberry is demonstrating her tired face.

It took me 4 months to look for and recognize this tired face, and I wish I had figured it out sooner, because I could have laid her down for a nap when she was tired, and then we both would have gotten a little break during the day. Just in the past couple of weeks, I've realized (with the help of Stanley's mom) that sometimes during the day when she's fussy, it's because she's tired and could use a nap. This seems like obvious child-rearing stuff but it just never got into my head until now. I often wonder how much easier those first days/weeks/months would have been had I been aware of this from the beginning. Part of what prevented me from figuring it out was that in the first week or two, when I was really exhausted, she would fall asleep on my shoulder, then I would lay her down and she would wake up, so I began to avoid laying her down because it was more restful for me to have her asleep on my shoulder than awake and crying. Another problem was that I felt guilty putting her in another room to sleep during the day, like I was shirking my parenting duties. In hindsight, this was wrong, but I wasn't thinking clearly due to fatigue and stress, and I didn't have a gaggle of experienced parents around me at all times, helping me figure it out.

In addition to more horizontal naps, Blueberry has been getting more walks lately. I've been wearing a pedometer and recording my steps. A walk around the lake near our house is good for around 8,000 steps and takes us about an hour and a half. I'm working on doing this at least twice a week. Here's the lake on our most recent walk.

Here's a family photo we took after church a few weeks ago, in front of our house.

Here's Blueberry in the lilacs in our back yard, a few days ago. The lilacs are gone now; we got the photo on the last possible day.

Blueb and Stanley on the deck.

Blueb and Hazel.

Blueb's 4 month appointment was two weeks ago, and it went well, she's doing great, life is good.

I haven't been doing tummy time as much as they recommend, but Blueberry cut me some slack and rolled tummy to back anyway.

I need to update you on my sewing shenanigans once I take some photos; it's been a blast, by some standards.

*Names changed.