Playing Favorites

Emma and Daddy have had a special bond since Day One.  Emma loves to snuggle with Daddy, and giggles with glee when he comes home each day - if she could, she would leap into his arms.

Cuddling with Daddy on Day One

But from bedtime to breakfast, Emma is a Mama's Girl.  She'll let Daddy take her and hold her or rock her, but all the while watches for Mommy to enter the room.  Last night, Emma woke up after being asleep for only an hour or two.  She seemed unable to settle on her own, so Mommy picked her up to help her; then Emma's pacifier fell out.  Daddy was close by and picked it up and gave it back to her.  When he did, Emma reached for him, and he gladly took her in his arms.  Emma settled for a moment, then began looking around for Mommy, until she spied her sitting on the bed a few feet away.  Then she realized her mistake - Mommy was out of reach.  So she turned her head, spit out her pacifier where Mommy would have to get up to fetch it, and watched her plan unfold.  As soon as Mommy retrieved the pacifier and returned it to her, Emma knew Mommy was right where she wanted her.  She delightfully reached out to Mommy's arms and easily reeled her in with a grin and a cuddle.

Rained In

When school was cancelled yesterday on account of the weather, for the second Monday in a row, Mommy knew it would be a high-energy day with great potential for cabin fever and its ensuing chaos.  She wasn't up for all the cleanup that outdoor play would require, so burning off extra energy outside wasn't really a good option.  But she put some rocks and paint in the car port and let the boys use their energy creatively, working together.  Since Emma had woken up early from her nap, it was too much to coordinate the painting, the boys, the baby, and a camera, so we didn't get any pictures of the artists in action, but we were all pleased with the final product.

When the rock painting was finished, as usual after a painting project, there was paint leftover on the palette that Mommy hated to see go to waste.  This time most of the leftover paint was red, so she mixed in a little white and took advantage of the opportunity to get Emma involved.  With all the months of transition, we never managed to get Emma's infant hand prints, and finally at ten months today was the day.  Emma didn't enjoy the experience too much, but Mommy was happy with the result, and Wiley was able to get a picture of the process for us.

We had no idea that the rain would continue for at least another 24 hours, and school would be cancelled again . . . and we are sure to have more days like this one in our future.  We're thankful to be on high ground during all the flooding, and thankful for memories we can make along the way.