Back again...

Lydie hangs out with her toys on her quilt.  Lola had just sneakily put her paws on the quilt as well.
One of my favorite things--Lydie falling asleep in her pouch.  So peaceful...
Her first day in pigtails--her hair is getting long enough that I've put it in little ponytails and pigtails several times.  
The consequences of a day spent with one's hair in a ponytail...

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted.  2 weeks just speed by.  And days run into each other, as my little baby grows up before my eyes.  She's getting so big, and her personality is really starting to shine through.  It's really a thrill to watch her eyes and smile when I sing "Baby Beluga", or when Don and I act silly.  Her new favorite thing is to reach toward our mouths with her hand and play with our lips while we make silly sounds.  It's funny how much we try to please her.  She's definitely the Queen Bee in this house.  

I've now been back at work for 4 weeks.  It's so much easier knowing that Don is home with her.  He's great with her, and I think it's awesome that we both get to experience the day-to-day changes she makes.  She's getting more into a routine, and we've definitely gotten better at interpreting her cues and getting her to sleep when she needs it.  Bath time continues to be one of her favorite times.  She likes being bathed in her little tub, but she REALLY loves bath time with Mom--we get in the tub together and splash around, sing, and she gets to float.  It's so cute to watch her, a huge smile upon her face, with her hair waving around in the water.  Maybe I should say that Mom REALLY loves bath time with Lydia :)  How could I not?

We finally hired someone to help with housecleaning.  We had a woman all set, and then she never showed.  I didn't have a great feeling about her anyhow.  So I posted an ad on the U of M job site, and we have a very nice college student working for us 9 hours a week.  She comes 3 times a week, does laundry, cleans bathrooms, weeds (which she's doing right now), and generally makes our lives easier.  I am very happy to have her, and hope that it can take away some of the guilt that inevitably accompanies a messy house (at least for me).

In other news, we went to Taste of Ann Arbor yesterday with Lydia.  Don's friend Denny is in town, so it was the 4 of us.  I love Taste of Ann Arbor--lots of downtown restaurants have little booths with small food items, and you buy little tickets to use at the different booths.  Next year we'll go a little earlier, though.  It was very crowded and lots of the food was gone.  Still, it was fun to have Lydia out and about and enjoy the fine weather.  Ann Arbor is a great town for street fairs and festivals, and I always like to take advantage of them.  Next weekend Mom and Papa are coming to town to see us and see how big their granddaughter has gotten.  The peonies are supposed to be in bloom, so I'm looking forward to that.  The University is the home of the country's largest peony garden, and it's beautiful.  I think Lydia will like it.  She really seems to enjoy smelling the lilacs in our yard.  So that's it for now...hopefully you'll hear from me again soon :)