Yesterday was bittersweet. My first baby niece graduated high school! She was six weeks old when I first met her, Dan's sister's girl...
I got up to the party w/Nathan around 6:20, Sydney was already there. MIL had promised to take her swimming and then, didn't. So she was a whiny mess by 8:00, as she had been playing w/cousins since 11 am and no nap.
Any of you who have kids know that one, right? At a certain point in the evening, they become insufferable and inconsolable. She pulled away from me and was bawling on the stairs. Dan came over, "What's wrong?" I told him she was pouting over not getting to swim and I told her she'd survive, she was just tired, no big deal. So he scooped her up and sat with her, got her to settle down, and was taking her into the bedroom to lie down when MIL hear her sob.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH GRANDMA's BABY? LET GRANDMA FIX IT!" she swooped in...and I was so impressed, for once! Dan cut her off at the pass--"Mom, I am taking her to lay down, she is tired, she will be fine." "Well, can't GRANDMA hold her for a bit? What does she want? Can we give it to her?" all a million miles a minute. Dan says, "Just stop. I am taking her. Leave us alone." She was just fit to be tied. Asked me what was up. I said, "4 year old, busy day, no nap, the usual." Dan came out and asked who exactly told her she was going swimming. MIL said, "Well we were but YOU got here too late, Dan." Apparently over lunch though she still promised [censored] they'd go before the party. They both tried to figure out who was wrong and I said she'd be fine, she could swim anytime. MIL of course offered to take her to the pool right then, at nine o'clock. I looked at Dan, he said no way, they are going home soon, forget it. And you know, she really was just fine...
She fell asleep and then I drove her and Nathan home. Today we went to church, I taught children's church, and then we went and bought a 90-inch circular pool, 30" deep. Took three hours to fill but kids got in as soon as the hose went in! A fun, busy afternoon of swimming and riding bikes.
Now I am making sweet corn for dinner. I could live on sweet corn...
Oh the bummer part of the day was that there were pics of niece when she was 5, a flower girl at our wedding. She fell asleep at the reception table and there was a pic of Dan in his wedding tux looking down at her asleep...that was such an amazing day I still remember it! Then we went in the playroom and Sydney was putting on dress up clothes. I saw in the pile, the flower girl dress; I held it and touched it and looked at it and it is still a pretty dress. Thought I was going to cry so I put it down and went in the other room, got a handle on it.
Thought I was going to cry so I put it down and went in the other room, got a handle on it.
