Baby Steps

Up until yesterday evening, we hadn't really encouraged Lily to start walking. 

Those precious first steps are also the steps into toddlerhood, and I don't think any of us have been ready to give up our baby Lily just yet.

She loves walking while holding your hand, or while pushing a toy in front of her.  She has taken a step or two on her own, but I am choosing not to count those.  They were more like stumbling from one person's arms to another's out of necessity.  :) 

Last night, we practiced with her for a while.  She would toddle from Brian to me and back again with very limited success.  Sometimes she would immediately collapse when we let go of her.  Other times she would lunge at one of us face first.  And then one time she took a good solid four steps.  The entire time she was cracking up, giggling, squealing - she couldn't stop laughing!  She realized she was doing something new and couldn't contain her excitement.  For that moment in time, my heart seemed to double in size.   

So, although I have been dreading this new skill for quite some time, last night I saw a glimmer of why I should be excited about it too.  This little girl went from a floppy, helpless newborn to a confident, hilarious little walker in about a year....or a blink of an eye.

Running with a Baby

A friend and I decided to meet up and jog together one evening with our babies.  Here's how that played out:

4:50 p.m. - feed Lily a bottle
5:00 p.m. - change Lily
5:05 p.m. - wrestle with jogging stroller and manage to stuff it in the trunk
5:10 p.m. - pack diaper bag with baby sunglasses, sippy cup with freshly-squeezed orange juice/water, snacks, and all the rest of the usual stuff
5:15 p.m. - drive to East Peoria
5:30 p.m. - arrive at destination.  Friend is not there.
5:31 p.m. - notice baby swing nearby.  From the swing, I should be able to see Friend when she pulls up.  YAY!
5:37 p.m. - Haven't seen Friend.  Hmm.  Take Lily out of baby swing, walk back to parking lot.  Friend is waiting for me.  Whoops.
5:38 p.m. - Put both our babies in strollers, hand them juice, snacks, sunglasses, pacifiers, etc.  Ensure we have our own water bottles, car keys, etc.
5:42 p.m. - Start jogging!  This was such a great idea!
5:45 p.m. - Get our first "Good job mamas!" from a passing jogger.  Feel like a glamorous, fit, perfect mom.
5:46 p.m. - Jogging sucks. 
5:47 p.m. - Seriously.  How did I run 20 miles before?
5:48 p.m. - Walk break!  (Maybe not so fit, glamorous, and perfect after all.)
5:50 p.m. - Realize we have to head back because I have to interview a nanny.
6:00 p.m. - Get back to car.
6:03 p.m. - Unload babies, put all the stuff back into the diaper bag, wrestle with the freaking stroller again.  Shove everything in trunk. 
6:19 p.m. - Arrive home.

Over an hour of planning, tasks, and driving for 18 minutes of running and chatting.  Worth it!  See ya again on Thursday, Sara. 

When Angels Are Near...

"When angels are near, feathers appear"

I have heard that saying many times before and anytime I see a feather, even in an obvious a-feather-makes-sense-right-about-now place (like by a pond with ducks nearby) I still think of that saying and smile at the thought of an angel nearby.

On Saturday morning, we heard Lily waking up in her room and Brian went to go get her.  We have a weekend ritual where we get Lily from her crib and bring her into bed with us where we snuggle, she plays with the television remote, climbs all over us, and we lazily enjoy her until hunger eventually forces us to get out of bed.

On this Saturday, I noticed right away she had a white feather in her hair.  There is no logical explanation why that feather would be there.  We don't own feather pillows or comforters.  She had a bath before bedtime.  She sleeps with a hot-pink monkey.  None of her stuffed animals have feathers on them, and her crib sheet was clean. 

Of course my mind immediately went to that saying.  I'm choosing to believe an angel visited Lily last night.  And I thank them for keeping her safe while we all slept peacefully.