Settling In

Last night was a turning point-- the first time Phoebe reached out and showed affection to me. Mark was trying to put her down, but she wasn't tired and has spent the last three days with me, so there was much crying. I came up to relieve Mark. Phoebe stopped crying when I took her in my arms, and when Mark left us alone she reached out, took my cheeks in her hands, and Eskimo kiss me with a giggle. Melt my heart!

This morning we went on our first family outing to the beach-- a short 1 mile bike ride away. Poor little Phoebe was not liking her helmet that sunk down over her eyes, or Mama's bike seat that places her upfront but with a crash guard blocking her view. We had to stop a few times and ask, "What are we doing? How can we get out of this? What should we do now?" We walked the last little way, pushing the bikes, and she was much happier with that. At the beach, Phoebe played in the sand and watched the big kids at the water's edge. Miranda was not at all squeamish about mud and seaweed. We learned that we should bring dry clothes even if we didn't plan to swim. First trip, an experiment! Phoebe did much better on way home on Mark's bike. I think we'll be there a lot this summer.