Happy 43rd to me!

 I had the exact day I wanted and plus also Harry and Jack got vaccinated. WHAT AN AWESOME RANDOM MID-FORTIES BIRTHDAY!

There was a small mishap with my Snicker's cheesecake where I just effing forgot to chill it. And when I took it out of the springform pan, it imploded. Or more like melted. Because chilling a cheesecake for like 6 hours in the fridge is a crucial effing step.

I almost tossed it out and got a bakery cake, but then I realized that melted or not, it still had 60 chopped fun-sized Snickers and a bunch of buttered Oreo crumbs that were a crust originally but ended up any old place after I glopped it into a trifle dish.

Then I decorated it with homemade whipped cream, chocolate and caramel sauce, and MORE chopped candy bars. IT WAS HEAVEN.

Breakfast donut!

We took a delightful walk after Minnie's nap

And of course the much anticipated Shake Shack

Donuts. A shake. AND THEN champagne and cheesecake pudding. Amazing.

Minnie had a spoonful of homemade whipped cream. She was intrigued.

LOOK AT THIS GIANT POOL BAG.

If you need me, I will be closing all the circles on my fitness app because my AppleWatch is addicting as hell.

Minnie at 9 months

 I don't want to bury the lede here, so let me just lead with SHE IS A DELIGHT.

She can clap and give a very half-hearted wave hello. Sometimes she will give a kiss. She plays peekaboo and babbles like crazy. She has a deadly good pincher grasp and cannot be left alone ANYWHERE because she will find small tings to shove in her mouth. She does not crawl, but she scoots on her tummy. She can stand up holding onto something, but she can't pull herself up or to a sitting position. I think she's close? She's eating more foods and loves peanut butter on toast, avocado slices, and banana pancakes. We are working on identifying facial features and body parts and asking her to point to things. She's getting there but does not do this consistently. She is delighted by doggies and yells doggy on our walks when she sees them. She also likes to swing on the back patio, and today she discovered our geraniums and seems to like them. We are watching her for toy preferences, but so far, she is pretty content to play with most things and adores lift-the-flap books. She's sweet and charming and thinks Cooper is the funniest person on the planet. We are so lucky to have her!

Harry and Jack got a COVID shot!

 I want to tell you all about my bday and do a 9-month update for Minnie, but I am so tired! (Minnie slept terribly last night, so I did, too. This is not her normal thank goodness.) So, let me just show you my favorite birthday present ever:

Last day of 8 months and also of 42 years

 Its a good thing Minnie is just barely scooting:

Also, she was late to the pull-the-books-off-the-shelf stage, but she got there:

OK. Here is how I hope my birthday goes tomorrow:

I hope I can slip away from Minnie at least 5 minutes before the other kids get up so I can have a cup of coffee briefly.

I hope I can take a super-sized walk because we are for sure having Greenbush donuts for breakfast.

I hope I can relax during nap and read a crappy thriller.

I hope to take a short walk at Picnic Point with my favorite people and then pick up Shake Shack for dinner.

I hope my Snickers cheesecake tastes better than it looks.**

I hope to end the day with champagne, presents, and a family walk around the neighborhood.

Doesn't that sound like the perfect day?

I forgot that you have to let cheesecakes sit for like 6 hours before you take them out of the pan, and now, I have Snickers cheesecake pudding **sad trombone** I was super sad when the cake collapsed and I realized my mistake, but I rallied fast and hope this is an omen for the year ahead.

Wow that was a WEEK

 Last week was... a lot.  Like, every committee I serve on had to meet. All of the things needed to be graded. I had lots of course management things to ... manage. I am hiring a fall staff and working on summer and fall course prep. AND ALL OF THE CHILDREN ARE HOME ALL OF THE TIME. So, you know.

Breakfast:

The tiny cup SLAYS me.

She tried peanut butter toast and liked it!

THESE ARE AWESOME.

Perfect Mother's Day dinner:

Pattern mixing

Minnie is obsessed with sunglasses

OMG I could eat her.

We spent Mother's Day afternoon at our favorite brewery, and it was PERFECT.

Minnie scooted for Pirate's Booty

Dorothy clowned around

We all relaxed.

Minnie tried to crawl for Sierra Mist

There was beer.

Hilariously, her birthday is 8/13:

The boys bought me that mug with their own money

My nap time dream of sitting on the couch and reading a book came true.

Dance party?

Dixie Cups are the funnest!

She cares not about selfies.

Lots of this these days:

Mask up!

I need to lay off the Minnie clothes but at the same time, how can I?

So! Busy! Coming Up (Briefly) for Air

It has been A WEEK, and I am pretty sure I am not going to sleep tonight because Minnie has a second tooth poking out, and she is angry about it. I gave her a little bit of Tylenol, but probably not enough. Speaking of sleep! last night, I heard Minnie on the monitor at 2 am. I turned the monitor off and instead of immediately going to get her, I laid back down for a second...and woke up in a panic at 4 am. I ran to her room to check on her, and she was peacefully asleep. But! When she woke up at 5:34, she had snot all crusted on her cheeks. So, I think 2 am was a sad time.

Minnie and Bea are huge fans of our new front door.

That! Smile!

Beatrix is also a fan of Minnie's growing desire to feed herself.

Between teething and 8-9 m/o separation anxiety, I cannot put her down for a second.

Luckily, she's the sweetest person in the world.

Ben surprised the kids-- and his baseball team-- by having Kina Ice stop by practice.

Dorothy is making the most of virtual school

Minnie has discovered the tupperware cabinet.

I have spent every nap time this week in this exact sport working my face off.

A baseball picnic-- like Olden Times!

Minnie really likes baseball, by the way.

She also enjoys beets.

And smoothie

She has to read to her damn self.

SUCH a mess