Gratitude Journal 12

1. driving for an hour to spend four hours at the beach.
2. carrot cake
3. watching my little girl investigate her world.

Here is a run down of Rose's last half hour of the evening:
7.00pm picks up "baby", "doggie", large baby blanket, and two yellow tea towels in the dining room. Drops one tea towel. Bends down to pick up blanket and drops "doggie"
7.01pm Daddy: "Can I help you?"
Rose: "Yes," Daddy picks up fallen tea towel and "doggie." "Daddy help, daddy help"
Rose and Daddy come through to living room.
7.02pm. Rose drops all toys and accessories and walks to playroom to get "baby's stroller". Pushes stroller past toys, through dining room and into kitchen. Parks stroller in center of kitchen floor.
7.03pm Runs to living room to pick up "baby", "doggie" and all towels. Drops one towel.Bends down to pick up blanket and drops "baby" Manages to pick up everything and walk over to stroller.
7.04pm Places all toys and towels into stroller and wheels whole lot though to living room.
7.05pm Dumps all contents of stroller onto the rug. I'm able to grab her long enough to pull down shorts and pull off t-shirt.
7.06pm Rose lies down to have her nappy changed. "Nappy off." New nappy goes on with some wiggling.
7.07pm Jumps up and grabs dirty nappy (all neatly folded (!)). "Tash, tash" Trots to kitchen, but looks back at me unsure. Trots back through house and throws dirty nappy into trash in the playroom.
7.08pm. Grabs "baby". "Up, up" Daddy pulls Rose onto couch. "Baby shoe" Rose clambers back of couch and retrieves a tiny pink baby shoe from the floor. "Up, up" Gets back on the couch and holds shoe out to Daddy. Daddy replaces shoe. Rose climbs over Daddy, up onto the arm of the couch and reaches for the lamp switch.
7.09pm - 7.11pm On and off, on and off, on and off. Looking back at me with the biggest smile each time.
7.12pm Minor fall off couch, crawls over to me, tries to put on night dress, gets a little frustrated, goes back to Daddy.
7.13pm "Up, up" Clambers back over Dad, stepping on some delicate parts. Reaches for lamp.
7.14pm - 7.16pm On, off, on, off, on, off. Reaches for my knitting. "No, that's Mummy's special box. Mummy's knitting" "Mummy's night-night" "No, Mummy's knitting."
7.17pm I lie down and try to stretch out my back. "Mummy?" Rose climbs down and put "baby" and "doggie" on my tummy.
7.18pm Rose climbs on as well.
7.19pm- 7.21pm I lift Rose up and we do some flying.
7.22pm "More fly?" "Oh no, I can't fly anymore." I try to make my escape to the couch.
7.23pm with "baby" and one towel in arms, "Up,up" Climbs on couch and buries herself in a corner with cushions.
7.24pm "Rose are you ready to go night night?" "No, no" with vigorous head shaking. Clambers over me and hides behind two more pillows.
7.25pm - 7.26pm "Rose, time to put on monkey (ie green nightdress with monkey on the front)" "No, no" Holds out her hands "jump jump" and begins her awesome non-jumping jumping. Now has a sweaty head.
7.27pm "Five more minutes" I set my watch to go off three minutes later. "More jump"
7.28pm - 7.29pm Jumping, losing baby, finding baby, jumping, standing on edge of couch and light switch on and offing.
7.30pm Timer goes off. "Mummy, mummy" watch button pushing. "Time to go to bed" Grabbed by Daddy. "Night night Mummy, night night Gus." "Bye Mummy"

I adored every single stinking minute of it.