Why is it that Delaney, just like Franny and Cole did at her age, tries to take her hats off as soon as they are put on?  Doesn’t she understand how cute they are?  I hope she gets used to them, because I have a whole box of them that are just too adorable not to wear.

When it’s a beautiful day, everything seems like fun.  Franny and Cole played in the backyard as Rick mowed the lawn and worked on cleaning up the deck.  While Cole had a good time ‘helping’ with his hammer,  Franny went on a few ‘hikes’ around the yard before she finally came in to help me finish cleaning the upstairs.  We had the windows open and enjoyed the fresh air and warmth of the gorgeous sun.  Most of the remainder of the day was spent playing in the front yard.  Franny probably did a hundred laps around the driveway on her bike, while Cole played in the car.    It was a rare Saturday that we all spent together and had nothing that we had to do.  A simple day filled with nothing special, but it was fun and special, anyway.  It was a great day.

How can she possibly be eight and a half months, already?

Quite naturally, Cole is fascinated by the huge stack of hardwoods that currently dominates our family room.  He has also been very impressed with Nate, our contractor.  Since he started working on the floors, Cole has been toting around his two hammers, which he says are just like Nate’s.  Yesterday, he spent nearly an hour going around the newly exposed floor and hammering all the nails he saw, and the hammers have been the new toy that he takes everywhere. As for the wood, he has taken the loose pieces and laid them down on the floor and ‘nailed’ them together.  It also has been deemed a truck, and the loose pieces are regularly taken off or unloaded and then, loaded back on the truck.  Cole is very intent and focused on his processes, which makes it all the more amusing.  We try hard to not put the kids into stereo-typical molds, but there is definitely something about boys and tools and trucks, and they all fit Cole to a tee.

Our flooring project is barely underway, yet we are already feeling the strain and awkwardness of living in a very limited space.  Nearly the entire first floor is gone—just a small square area in the hallway and the interior of the kitchen remain.  The rest is dusty and there are still loose nails that are difficult to see.  It is definitely not an area that is child friendly.  For the duration of the project, we converted the extra space in our bedroom into a makeshift play area, but it has already started to feel confining to spend a lot of time there.  In it’s current condition, there is no place for Delaney to safely play downstairs, and although Franny and Cole still have fun running around down there, once the installation process begins, they will be completely limited to the upstairs.  For now, as our second shipment of hardwoods acclimates, we are taking it all in and adjusting to our new arrangement.  It is definitely much more difficult than I had anticipated, but with a few more days I hope that we will have adjusted to the new way of doing things.  Thankfully, we do know that it is temporary, but I think all of us would agree that we can’t wait until it is over! 

I knew there was the possibility of some fallout if I took Delaney on a trip, even if it was for just a couple of days.  I thought that maybe she wouldn’t sleep well or not be able to nap.  Neither of these concerns materialized—she slept fine and took all of her naps.   She even ate relatively well.  She didn’t have the smiles or the giggling demeanor she usually has, but she seemed content, just relatively reserved.  Once we returned home, her personality reemerged and she was all smiles as her daddy took her and carried her out to the car to go home.  The last few days, however, she hasn’t slept well, waking about every two hours.   And, she wants to be held all the time, but only by me.  It has made for some frustrating afternoons for everyone.  Maybe the timing is a coincidence.  Or, maybe it’s fatigue, or maybe she is anxious over our flooring project.  Whatever it is, I hope it resolves itself soon or our family functionality is going to completely break down.  One little variable, but one big impact!

For Franny and Cole, bath time is like a trip to the park.  There is no shortage of laughing and fun.  Even if they haven’t been getting along during the evening, once they are in the tub, they are best friends again.  So, we never even considered having them take showers.  Today, however, we tried out the shower.  At first, they were a bit hesitant, but it didn’t take long before Franny was getting out in order to bring in their bath toys and they were asking for two more minutes, several times over.  They ended up going until the hot water finally ran out.  I think they must have gone to bed as two of the cleanest kids in the world.  And, probably two of the happiest, as well!

She isn’t yet able to pull herself up to standing, but Delaney’s new favorite thing to do is anything where she can stand.  Last night, she loved standing on the top bleacher and peering down at Franny’s through most of her ballet class.  Any opportunity she has to stand she is the most content—smiling and cooing the entire time, but she can also be most discontented if she is forced to sit, and will complain and cry until she is propped up.  It must be frustrating for her to not be able to control her body the way she would like to, especially when she so obviously wants to keep up with Franny and Cole.  Unfortunately, it will be quite some time before she is able to do that, but each day she does get just a little bit closer. 

We have long been anticipating replacing the downstairs carpeted areas with hardwoods, and today marked day one of the process.  This project will be well worth the disruption, but a leave from routine is always hard on kids, especially Delaney who takes two solid naps a day.  Our plan is to keep things as close to normal as possible, but I know we may have to make different arrangements during particularly noisy times.  Franny and Cole are finding it all very exciting.  Kids are so funny—just being able to wear their shoes in the house and stomp around on the floorboards was tremendous fun to them.  Delaney did enjoy watching them, but unfortunately, had to spend all her time in her high chair since the floor is no longer safe for her cute army crawl.  The next couple of weeks are going to be an adventure, that is for sure!

This weekend, Delaney and I took a trip to the Bay Area to introduce her to my very dear college friends. It was a trip that seemed long and not long enough at the same time.  Long in that our family was fragmented and it was hard to be away from home, but not long enough because they are such special friends and we see them so infrequently.  We had a wonderful time but are very happy to be home.  Once we were all reunited, Delaney had huge smiles for Franny, Cole, and her daddy; she was also quite obviously thrilled to be home and back where life was familiar and comfortable.   There is no question that it is fun to go places and visit special friends, but nothing compares to home.