the red letter day

Seeing as it has been almost a month since I last blogged, there are many things I could - and want to - write about.

In fact, the more time that passes, the more overwhelmed I get about all the little memories I'm failing to record, and the more overwhelmed I get, the less likely I am to blog.

A vicious cycle, see?

But if anything has ever merited blogging, I suppose that yesterday's events do, so here goes.

Yesterday evening, July was coming to a quiet and uneventful close as I stood in the kitchen dicing tomatoes for dinner.  Nell wandered past me, playing with her toy kitchen that stands beside my fridge. As she walked by, I said - as I so often do - "I love you, Nell."

Nell looked up at me and replied, quite unprompted, "I yuh you, Mama."

I can't quite remember it now, but however it came out, it melted my heart and I swooped her up into my arms.  My eyes must have been glistening, because Nell asked, worried, "Mommy yad?" (sad), then smiled with relief when I told her I was happy, oh, so happy.

I called Nathan into the kitchen to tell him what had happened, and he acted quite aloof and unmoved about the whole thing.  So naturally, I had to call his bluff, saying, "Oh please.  I know the minute I turn my back you'll be coaching her to say, "I love you, Daddy."

Picking up on this, Nell looked at me, then at Nathan, and said, "I yuh you, Daddy."

And then she looked to Marie, cradled in Nathan's arms at the time, and continued, "I yuh you, Baby Wee."

Well, what do you think of that.

It made for a pretty good evening.

{photo by Cara, who took some lovely family photos for us recently.  more to come on the blog soon, no doubt!}

Well, that alone would have made it a red letter day, but as bedtime rolled around and I was changing Ree's diaper, I bent over her to nuzzle her soft little belly with my face, and I'll be darned if that little not-quite-three-month-old didn't let out the sweetest, dopey-est chortle!  Her first laugh!

{photos snapped a couple of weeks ago at Uncle Andrew & Aunt Hannah's wedding, which should also be blogged}

So, these things will probably be on the front page of the Times or the Globe by tomorrow, but don't forget -- you heard it here first.