I hate to be dramatic, but today was probably one of the best days I've had in a long, long time. The weather was warm and sunny. The sun helped a lot. Getting outside with the monkeys helped a ton. We spent all morning outside, took a midday nap break, and then all afternoon outside. It was so great.
I love being outdoors. We are usually outside in all kinds of weather. I never want my children to look at rain, snow or other less "ideal" conditions as a reason not to go outside. I love how the Swedes (?) believe that there's no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear.
Alas, with the new baby, I stayed indoors a lot this winter - despite having good gear for the babe. I just didn't like that Nico couldn't tell me if it was too cold, if he was too hot, if his eyes/ears/toes were frozen, etc. It's so hard to tell with a wee babe what he is experiencing. So I played it safe. And I probably didn't need to be so cautious. But now my lock-down is over, because it looks like we are finally getting some decent weather! And Nico is older and can at least "grunt" his displeasure or "coo" his happiness.
Today, Nico sat out on a rug and had a great time. And I discovered that he is now scooting! I put him on one end of the rug, and he slowly made his way to the other side, completely upright. At first, I was confused...did he move? I was so distracted that I couldn't remember where I had put him. But then, I moved him again, and he moved on his own. So I called him "Scooter" this afternoon. I kind of like the nickname. I'm not sure if it will stick.
At one point, he scooted to the edge of the rug and picked up a leaf. It was so neat to just sit back and watch him. He looked the leaf over for a long time. He had a Very Serious Look on his face as he studied it, turning it this way and that. Then, he grunted and grumbled while he smashed and crumbled the leaf to bits. I tried talking to him while he was crushing the leaf, and he completely ignored me. He would not be swayed by my hyper narrative as he pulverized the leaf.
Gianna is slowly warming up to Nico. Today she sat down beside him for a minute and I quickly snapped a pic. She also gave him a hug! I didn't document that one, because I was just so shocked by the gesture I stood there with my jaw on the ground. It must be so hard to give up your status as "baby." I always try to tell her, "You'll always be my baby girl." I'm 99% sure that Gianna and Nico are going to have the same coloring. Nico might even be more blonde than Gianna.
Bode and Gianna love to bike together these days. It is really cute. Bode can sometimes get rough, bumping his front tire against Gianna's rear tire. But they do enjoy spinning around each other and "besting" each other on speed. Gianna has gotten so good at riding her bike. Something just 'clicked' and now, she spins around as easily and as fast as Bode. I think Bode is a little bit surprised! (Note: no helmets in these shots - BUT - I usually always make them dismount the bike until they put on their helmets. Really. We weren't on bikes for long as I had something else up my sleeve. See below!)
For as long as I've been an apartment dweller and adult, I guess, I've wanted a garden. I've always talked to RWF and made Big Plans for a garden. But there's always an excuse. Last year's excuse was I'm Pregnant and Too Tired. This year, I really want to put something in the ground. Sooooo I decided to take the eyesore in our backyard and put some veggies in there. I worked on it today. There is a lot of work to be done. And it may not pan out. But at least I started something. Right?
I love the idea of having something fresh from our very own garden. I also love the idea of our children learning about where our food comes from and helping in the garden. This spot that I chose was probably an old fire pit (?), next to an ancient stack of wood. I hope that I can plant something in there, and make it pretty. If it doesn't work out, it's far enough away that I can ignore it. And, by using this existing 'structure' there is no harm done to our existing grass. Hopefully it will be the perfect starter spot for me.
Last, Nico would like you to know that he is still enjoying rice cereal.
That is all.
xo
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