Just because.

Mama loves the baby

It's June, Kay's with my mom, Dee is sleeping, and I am sleepy but need to stay awake, so I think I'll take a minute to blog. Let's see, what's there to say? Ummm.

Well, gee, not much.

This photo was Kay's (and my) contribution to the mamazine.com's Mama Focus photo contest:


I don't expect it to win, but I thought it deserved to be seen. It captures something so real -- her simultaneous CONSTANT awareness of my attentions to her little sister, and her yet greater fascination with the rest of the world.

We're in a new phase of sibling rivalry. Kay recently had another one of her "I want Dee back" nights. And oh, lord, help me if I get caught by one of them holding the other in my lap. I have a big lap, but it is apparently NOT big enough to share. Pushing, hitting, hair-pulling --- and TIME OUT! TIME OUT! TIME OUT!

They are much sweeter to each other if I am no where to be seen.

Skip and I had our first weekend away by ourselves last weekend, which was fantastic. It is infinitely easier to be romantic when one or both of us haven't already given pretty much all of the energy we have to the unending needs of our daughters. What a gift to rediscover how intact our in-love-ness is. We often barely catch glimpses of it in our day-to-day lives. But a little step out of time with each other -- just 24 hours -- brought it back full force. I am lucky. I've been unlucky, too -- so I know this for what exactly it is: great big good luck. It's not about who's deserving -- we all are. It's harder to understand than that: it's just luck. And I'm grateful.

Sorry, that was a tangent. The relevant point is that while the girls were with Skip's mom they were apparently nothing but sweet to each other -- helpful, playing, laughing, affectionate sweet. I believe this, because I know she would have told us if they weren't. Still. I look forward to the day that I get to see it, too.