This afternoon I asked Hazel if she wanted to draw a picture on the whiteboard for friends who were coming over for dinner. She said, “I already drew one! I drew a mouse.” Which is true, and stunned me at the time. She makes these leaps forward, and sometimes they seem like they’re coming out of the blue, but really they’ve been in train in ways I just couldn’t see. Her mouse looks like a frog, but it has a head, a body, and legs. After a bit, though, she went in and drew some more. She came back to report that she’d drawn a picture of a couple of our friends. She said she’d drawn him as an adult, but her as a baby. I said, “Oh, what does she look like?” She said, “She bald; she has no hair. But she has regular feet.” I giggled. Couldn’t help myself. I’m sure my friend will be very relieved to know it.
Our friends brought dinner over, which was generous and wonderful. It’s just easier to have dinner here than to go out. Not that we don’t sometimes do it, but it’s more relaxed at home. It’s amazing to us that pretty soon we won’t be able to fit anyone other than our family around our kitchen table, however. Suggestions by various contractors and designers that we get rid of our dining room never seemed good to us, but now that we have a family of five the idea boarders on the ridiculous. We’ll need our big table before too terribly long! This time we could fit six around our kitchen table and have the babies in bouncy seats on the floor, but those days are numbered.
Tonight, Hazel only came down three times after Ted put her to bed. The last time I told her that if she came down again she couldn’t help me glue foam onto wood for the twins’ bed project tomorrow. She said, “I won’t, but I just want a hug.” I gave her one. She didn’t come down again. We’ll take this step forward. It’s a reduction of at least 22 trips up and down the stairs from last night! Ted and I sat around playing with the babies for a bit, unsure of what to do. Once the pattern is established (we presume, though attempting not to set ourselves up) we could even do something radical like watch a show. Or we could have a conversation, or read books, or have some computer time, or play a game! That is, assuming we could also get the babies down too. Excuse me while I fall off my chair laughing. Though really, the babies do sometimes sleep for an hour after Hazel is in bed. You never know. It might happen!
CelloMama 