Mother's Day and Baby Cages

Mother's Day was low-key and lovely. It started off with a bang- or rather, didn't, because JP and I slept in until 8:40 a.m. 8:40!! It felt like as indulgent as a college Sunday morning, but better because I'd gone to bed at 1 a.m. instead of 4 and I wasn't hung over. The day progressed with an enthusiastic rendition of Cora's Happy Crib Dance where she flips on her back when you walk in the room and pumps her arms and legs while smiling with half her face. The kids had proudly placed their homemade cards on my place mat at the table, just like I do on their birthday mornings, and they were SO excited for me to come out and see them. JP made me homemade french toast (my fave; he finds a new recipe every year, though this one was so good he may have to make it again) with mimosas, fried eggs,and fresh fruit. It was perfect. I hate eating out when restaurants are overcrowded and pricey, so we've always done a homemade brunch on Mother's Day- JP does the recipe research, shopping, cooking, and cleaning and it is perfect.

He hid the balloon in my trunk; risky given the errands I ran yesterday

From there our day progressed like a usual Sunday for two working people- errands, grocery store, yard work, and hours of JP's swim school emails. Claire was my copilot, Landon helped JP with yard work, and Cora slept and smiled like the Cora she is. I went to barre (amazing! I got through the last set of leg lifts by picturing the giant mimosa I was making as soon as I got home) and JP went for a long run while I drank my hard-earned second (and third) mimosa and watched the kids play in the pool.

trying to eat my face; because that's how I express my love to her

Somewhere in the middle of yesterday Cora crawled across the carpet. Yes, CRAWLED. She's not even 6 months old, can't sit up on her own, but she is mobile. I looked frantically around our single story split level open concept house, with 9 exterior doors, a pool, galley kitchen without sight lines to the rest of the house, and playroom of choking hazards and started googling those baby cage playards I used to find ridiculous at other people's houses. A highly rated superyard + extension kit is on its way to me now- if Cora's going to have a cage, it's going to be an extended one. And it should be set up by the end of the week.

headed to a dangerous object near you

Claire and I stopped at the mall so we could get her feet measured. She told me her shoes hurt, but I didn't buy them that long ago and couldn't really believe they didn't fit. Turns out, she's grown TWO SIZES (she's an 11 1/2!) and I am terrible at the pressing the thumb onto the shoe to feel her squished toes thing. She now has small boats attached to her feet and is much happier. We celebrated her newly increased joy of walking with a stop at Ross where I continued my hunt for a rehearsal dinner dress for my sister's wedding. I found these two. The navy is a possibility- it's comfy and cute, but maybe too short? The rainbow dress is not, but Claire picked it out for me and it was $8.99 and looked surprisingly awesome on. I'll be lounging in it poolside with some wedges come some Saturday soon.

We ended the day with frozen pizza and fruit for the kids and Thai food post-bedtime for JP and me. We don't usually eat out on Sundays, but since it was Mother's Day and we didn't eat out in the morning, I felt we were owed an eat-out in the evening. Family budgetary math; I am excellent at it.

Pictures that didn't fit elsewhere: Montessori Mother's Day Breakfast:


Presentation of the precious homemade art with tear-jerking quote


Baby who really really wants to eat the plastic tablecloth

I love Mother's Day. As with any holiday, it can get overdone and schmaltzy, but I think it's nice to have a day you think outside the box on breakfast, pour a mimosa, and read some painstakingly colored homemade cards. And given the pride and joy with which the kids presented their cards and devoured their fauxmosas, I'd say they're fans too. I love being their mom. I don't need a day (or morning, as we celebrate it, Costco can't be put on hold for a whole day), but it's nice that the calendar gives me one anyway. And though I always love my mom and talk to her often, I don't stop the "how was your day?" conversation to zoom out and say hey, you're awesome, and here's a few memories and reasons why (beanie baby school mascot with hand-sewn school color ribbons around around his neck sitting in my cereal bowl the morning of high school swim team tryouts freshman year; my mom was not crafty and did not sew, makes me misty eyed every time). So it's nice. And I look forward to next year's new version of french toast and the mimosas that will be exactly the same. I wonder if we'll still be keeping Cora in her baby cage.

Sweaty post-barre best out of 3