Project

Today's big project was reupholstering the dining room chairs Nory's destroyed. As I took apart the first one, Madeline wanted to help.

As fascinating as she found the tools and dismantled chair, she was somewhat prone to distraction.

And occasionally she moved from distraction to apparent boredom, picking up some light reading as Summer and I did this and that.

We ended up visiting another nearby strip-mall-land for some fabric and other useful items. The excursion took over four hours -- including, as it did, dinner and a stop by Trader Joe's.

We also squeezed in a grandparental (and avuncular) skype on each end of our retail adventure.

Through it all, Madeline was (mostly) happy and agreeable if also quite energetic. By the end, though, she was steadily squeal-screaming -- a sort of not unhappy, incredibly high-pitched sound she seems to have picked up in daycare. So after all that stimulation -- imagine being a baby in a fabric store full of interesting colors, patterns, and textures! -- Madeline was ready for bed on the early side.

She didn't get to see the finished product, presented as a before-and-after photo.

Today's busyness only ended up allowing for one reupholstered chair, but that seemed to turn out quite nicely. Hopefully Madeline will approve in the morning.

Lots of time for smiles

Today was a bit different from most Saturdays. Summer and I wondered whether to brave the mid-90s temperatures and attend the farmers market. Madeline delayed the decision by napping. When she woke up, a thunderstorm passed overhead. So we stayed home.

Instead of fresh veggies, delicious truck food, and lunch on the lawn, we played with the keyboard. Madeline's much more interested now than she used to be. When she hits the keys, sounds result!

She tried to figure the keyboard out as I ran through my very limited repertoire.

But soon her attention turned to something much more interesting.

We did manage to get out today, if only to strip-mall-land. So we picked up some necessities, and Madeline drove home.

We made it home in time to cook a delicious Pat's Pastured pork butt (one of these?) for dinner. The pork took two hours of indirect heat and apple-wood smoke from the grill -- as we played in the shade -- and then two hours of foil-wrapped roasting in the oven.

Madeline was happy to be outside.

She demonstrated today's new skill, which you might have discerned above: sitting up straight without assistance.

She really wasn't sure what to make of tummy time amid her trifoliate sistren.

She was sure, however, that she wanted some corn chips.

Two hours in the yard presented lots of time for smiles.

These days, Madeline's especially fond of dancing.

All that corn-chip-chasing, smiling, and dancing tuckered Madeline out. Not long after we retreated inside, she went to bed.

4th anniversary

This morning Madeline woke me up around 5 babbling happily. Summer says Madeline's early-morning babbles are common, but this was my first experience waking up to them. When I eventually woke up for good, I was still quite tired. The early waking doesn't seem to bother Madeline, though; for her part, she seemed fully awake and even contemplative.

Daycare dropoff and pickup went off without a hitch as usual. Summer fetched Madeline early because today's our fourth anniversary and we had dinner plans. I made it home early, too, so I could play with Madeline some before picking up the sitter.

Madeline enjoyed some more tummy time, too. She's really been working her legs, but she still mostly just manages to rotate -- after this picture, she ended up turning 180 degrees.

Speaking of 180 degrees, today was record-tying hot in Providence. So Madeline and Summer sat happily beneath the air conditioner while I picked up the sitter.

Summer and I had a lovely dinner at Gracie's and then peered over the city at Prospect Terrace Park; Madeline had fun with the sitter. She was all smiles when we returned for some more playing.

And she was quite interested in my tie, which she munched a bit.

But she was happiest of all when Summer gave her raspberries.

It's nice to know we can have a date -- happy anniversary to us! -- and a happy baby at the same time.

Now for the weekend! Hope it's not too hot.

Full of energy

This morning Madeline was acrobatic!

Her day at daycare was uneventful, but afterward she had fun with Summer.

Summer set up an experiment: facing an array of three toys, which would Madeline choose? She rotated and reached for her choice.

Summer then placed the ball at the opposite end of the quilt. It seemed far...

... and Madeline was motivated ...

... but she couldn't quite get there. Her crawling efforts tend to result in backward movements or unintentional rotations. In this case, she ended up moving backwards and turning around, and settled for cheetah friend.

Even after plenty of crawling practice, Madeline was still full of energy.

She seemed quite happy and interested in her toys.

But her toys weren't nearly as interesting as my already-eaten corn cob at the end of dinner.

Her reaction to the corn cob was unique -- she seemed to find it at once utterly fascinating and also somewhat distasteful. When sitting, she couldn't keep her hands off it; when standing, she couldn't take her eyes off it.

We dressed Madeline in her NASA outfit today to celebrate the shuttle program and acknowledge the last shuttle's landing. In her own form of acknowledgement, Madeline refrained from engaging in any behavior that would necessitate an outfit change, ending a multiple-day streak.