Clover day

M. Clover spent her morning resting up for what would no doubt be a day of great celebration; after all, clovers and green are strongly affiliated with St. Paddy's Day.

Once she was up (and decked out in her green and clovery finery), she had enough energy that tummy time would have been superfluous. Just sitting on mom was enough to prompt her to lift her head and look around.

The most beautiful weather of M. Clover's life so far meant we had to get outside! (We still owed ourselves ice cream, too.) As soon as I was back from an errand, I tucked her into the wrap and we were on our way. She was not totally convinced that a walk was a good idea.

In fact, perhaps due to the bright sun, M. Clover needed more convincing than just the comforting cadence of her father's walk. A finger did the trick. She sucked intermittently all the way down to Wayland Square.

We got tasty ice cream at Mad Ernie's -- a shop that was new to us because it only opened after we left our old apartment -- and ate it outside in the sun. Only after I'd finished my (green) mint-Oreo cone did M. Clover release my finger from her gummy grip. Instead, she slept.

Before heading home, we diverted to Bottles for Guinness in honor of the day. The store clerks commented on how cozy M. Clover looked in the wrap. She expressed agreement by remaining asleep.

We walked back via the playground we mentioned before, now densely populated with parents (again, almost entirely of the female variety) and children, then along the also densely populated Boulevard. A couple blocks from home, M. Clover expressed her readiness for an end to the excursion. She calmed a bit when I released her legs from the wrap. We knew what that meant: gas.

As soon as we were in, we settled on the futon for my favorite game to play with M. Clover. I lift her legs and compress them against her belly, and she accommodates by emphatically releasing the offending gas. Sometimes other movements are required to encourage the gusty exodus. But she always looks a bit relieved afterward.

I tried to combine games by making faces, too, but that was not as successful.

Summer had better luck playing the face game later, after our dinner of bangers 'n' mash. M. Clover didn't get to participate in the culinary elements of the clover day celebration, but hopefully the fun and games and fresh outdoor air, not to mention a good, long snack on my finger, were enough to distinguish the day for her. She has certainly been a good sleeper so far tonight!