Sophie's Birthday Party

This past Saturday we celebrated Sophie's 6th birthday and had a gathering for some of the family who hadn't met Grace yet. It turned into a kind of big to-do but was well worth it. Sophie had a fabulous time and Grace loved having all the kids around to play with. She continues to amaze us with her adaptation skills. She is letting more and more people hold her and care for her. She has started doing the signs for "more" and "all done" and "flower", and has also started giving high fives which she finds quite hilarious. She has her first two forehead bumps from taking headers on the sidewalk. On Saturday all of the cousins got to play together for the first time and we found out that Isabel is not actually four inches taller than Grace like we had originally thought. It was great fun to see everyone and for everyone to get to see Grace.

Sleeping has improved as well. She is sleeping reliably through the night and taking a good afternoon nap. The trick now is to get her to fall asleep without Mom staying on the bed right next to her. I am allowed to walk farther and farther away from her before she realizes and comes looking for me. Our biggest concern is that we be able to keep a close enough eye on her so that she doesn't do harm to herself, our house, or one of her sisters. She's like a secret weapon: she can slip away so quietly and make such a mess before you realize it that we are constantly putting out fires. It's not so much that she's destructive as, I think, that this is all just so new for her and she wants to check it all out. Nothing is safe, even up high because she's an accomplished climber and finds ways to get to everything. Today I took her out of her high chair and put her down in the kitchen. I turned my back for a second and when I looked again she had climbed up onto one of the counter stools and was happily spooning spreadable cheese from an open container into her mouth with a butter knife.

Life is quite busy and even more exhausting, but it's a good busy and an even better exhaustion. I'm sure things will calm down as we get into more of a routine, school starts for the older girls and we have more quiet time at home. Right now we're just enjoying the gorgeous weather and the chance to step outside whenever we feel like it, take bike rides, go to the park or the library and play with neighbors. The cool night air is already reminding us that this won't last forever.

Cheers!