The Last Day of May

The past several days have been rainy, which combined with being down a car means that I've been spending my fair share of days inside the house. I'm sure its great for the flowers, however. I love the irises we have along our garage.

This afternoon the clouds broke and we couldn't get out the door for a walk fast enough. Lately Claire and I have been playing the 'Alphabet' game on our walk. Weeks ago, when my parents were in town, we started with thinking of something, anything , that starts with each letter.

We've advanced a few levels since then, and now and we have categories. Tonight I had animals and Claire had geography, which we quickly expanded to 'ANY place you can go', meaning Dairy Queen was fair game. We always try to finish before we get home, and since we tend to take longer walks, thats never a problem. With the extra time we play 'I'm Thinking of Something', which is something that Claire could still use a little practice with, specifically her line of questioning:

Is it a person? No.

Is it a thing? Nope.

Is it a place? Yes!

Can you pick it up? No.

Can I go there? Yes.

Does it start with a G? No.

With a bit of help and hard thinking, she always figures it out.

After, we went inside and had a dance party, which we all enjoyed. Milena has been smiling much more often now. I used to have to work hard to get a smile, but now her face lights up

with just the sight of one of us. And if we happen to be dancing, thats a bonus.

Smile!

Robinsin Woods

Robinson Woods in Cape Elizabeth has a beautiful series of trails . Its an easy walk with a lot of bridges over gurgling streams and small waterfalls.

The perfect hike for a 5 year old who recently started a "Nature Club".

Comparing Photos at One Month

I really liked the side by side Claire/Milena pictures at five days old, so here are two more. Both were taken right around one month old and right after a bath. First Claire, then Milena, if it wasn't obvious.

Also, Monnie sent some super cute leg warmers for Milena (as well as a box of goodies from her ArtFire store. Thanks Monnie!). Claire found them and figured they'd be perfect on her arms, especially when she's dressed up as 'Gymnastics Girl'. Turns out she can jump quite a bit higher with leg warmers on her arms. Who knew?

Growing

So Milena is putting on some weight and being much more alert lately. I was even able to get a real smile out of her today (the first I've seen), not a half asleep reflex smile. She likes to make noises, she likes to lay around naked, and she likes to sleep. Who doesn't, right?

Tonight I was on my own with Claire and Milena. Its not the first time, but it is rare enough that it deserves mention. Mike has been able to be home a ton, especially during higher stress times (such as Getting Claire Ready For School Time and Bed Time), and it has been awesome to be able to divide the responsibilities. Still, tonight was great just the girls. We had some popcorn and watched Wall-E, during which Claire very sucessfully held Milena for quite a while. It doesn't always go so well. Usually Milena starts squawking and Claire insists "I don't mind! Really, I don't!" She is very sweet about it.

Claire is in bed now, and Milena and I are soon to follow. I'm hoping for a repeat tomorrow night.