Gigiday

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Sleep's a zero-sum game with Genevieve, so after her mega-nap yesterday we should have expected her to wake up 4.5 hours early this morning. But we didn't, and were surprised when she woke up around 3:00 a.m., clearly ready to get this party started. Shannon took one for the team, taking Gigi downstairs for an hour of playing and nursing. Then the baby blessedly went back to slumberland for another 90 minutes, when I had to punch in.


Little did I know that this would kick off a great day of mostly one-on-one time with her. She was, honestly, delightful from the time I got her up until she went down for her morning nap: she relished every bite of her breakfast, she had a great time handing me books to read (well, to flip through, reading a few pages before the next book arrived), and she loved trading two balls back and forth. Soon after she woke up from that nap, Shannon and Julia headed off to the county fair, leaving G and me to our own devices. We played for a long time (with the Tour de France on in the background), did some chores (including vacuuming - which normally terrifies her but which today she tolerated), and had a good lunch. At the end of the lunch, after putting away a very healthy quantity of food, she leaned back, looked at me, and said, "Alldy" - "all done," the statement all three of us have been trying to get her to say for weeks. Just to test it out, I offered her a bite of each item, and she rejected them all. My little girl, using an more-or-less real word!


Soon after lunch, Mama and sister returned for their own lunches, which devolved for Julia into a minor meltdown. Witnessing this unpleasantness, Genevieve leaned out of my arms to put her head on Julia's shoulder, making her patented "mwah" sound. Julia deigned to accept a kiss, and it actually ended the fussiness.


And then, after both girls took good naps and enjoyed some snacks (the photo's from this part of the day), we headed out for a walk. Julia pushed a toy stroller carrying her suddenly-loved babydoll, "Chubby Cutes," and Genevieve, amazingly, pushed her own walker for almost of all one circumnavigation of our block. I had to carry her by the end, when her plump little legs finally gave out. From there, things went smoothly through dinner and bath to bedtime and the end of a wonderful day.

Forecast: Significant blowing and drifting, with the possibility of heavy accumulation in rural areas.