7-month birthday that is.
Minnie is rolling both ways, trying really really hard to scoot, sitting unsupported, eating lots of food, drinking from a sippy cup and an open cup, waving, giving high fives, and starting to figure out clapping. She is a delight in every possible way.
Last year, we didn't go out for dinner for Ben's birthday. We were worried about the virus. I was pregnant and sleepy. We were pretty sure a lockdown was imminent. I sort of wish we would have gone because, I mean, A WHOLE YEAR of not going out plus a baby. But! We had a Zoom for Ben's birthday on Saturday and someone asked him what he wants to do after we get our second vaccine doses and can be people in the world again, and he said nothing. That's how wonderful our year at home has been. Talk about privilege, right?
... until 3 am.
It was pretty glorious. Never mind that I sprang up At 2, checked the video feed on the monitor and still went into her room and gave her a poke to make sure she was OK. She didn't wake up, and I went immediately back to sleep.
Maybe tonight, I can watch a whole episode of WandaVision without taking a small nap in the middle (BUT PROBABLY NOT)
Every once in awhile I have one of those WEEKS on my calendar that makes me check my pandemic privilege.
I AM HAVING ONE.
Most of the time, my work is steadily busy, and I am able to manage the ebbs and flows. Maybe if I get really busy, I can't check an elementary school math assignment or play a work station math game a couple of days in a row or something like that, or none of the laundry is folded until after dinner or we end up making frozen pizza or all of the sudden it's Saturday and I haven't vacuumed since the previous Sunday. Little busy things like that.
But then a week like this one with constant meetings and deadlines and OH MY GOD.
If my every week looked like this one, I would for sure be one of the parents demanding that my snowflakes go back to school because holy hell how can it be possible to juggle so much ALL OF THE TIME?
If you are someone who constantly has a week like this, I see you and DAMN you have it rough and good for you for muscling through this year.
I have a TON of pandemic privilege, and still my kids have sort of all lost their minds a little bit. Even when it's easy, this year has been hard, and I need to remember that we all need to be gentle with ourselves/each other.
It helps to have this sweet fat baby around to cheer us up/on
I am so happy we had a late-in-life baby. There is nothing in the entire world sweeter than this 16-pound ball of delight.
But! It turns out that all the old women in the world were right-- babies do not keep.
No more swaddling her in a receiving blanket. No more sweet-smelling newborn poop. She doesn't need her Boppy infant lounger or her bouncy seat. She doesn't sleep in my arms all day long. I don't even need to wear in the Moby while I do my afternoon chores because she's over the afternoon crabbies and content to play happily with kitchen utensils.
She still doesn't really go anywhere-- although she did roll out of her room the other day. I have only found her on her tummy once after putting her to sleep on her back. Usually she stays in the same place when she sleeps, and she is only just this week able to sleep with her arms unswaddled.
I wish I would have had another baby between Jack and Cooper and that we had been able to have one in the 7 years between Dorothy and Minnie. Babies are my favorite.
So happy to sit on the floor and play with a spoon:
