Quality time

Baby-on-board is "due" in just a few days, so my days as a mother of one are coming to a close. I have been stepping up my efforts (fatigue be darned!) to spend quality time with Evelyn. I know that especially in the first days and weeks after her brother is born I will not necessarily be giving her my 100% best. Thank goodness for wonderful fathers-- I know Evie will get plenty of attention and loving. Still, I want to have fun with my favorite girl. So far this week, Evie and I have done a lot of creative play at home (playing "grocery store" is a huge hit!) and we have spent several hours each day outside.

Evelyn loves to explore, help me weed the garden, look for birds, and dig in the dirt. She also adores going to playgrounds. We've been to three in the last two days! Evelyn happily climbed all of the steps and went down the tall and twisty slides. She enjoyed the swings. This afternoon, she came upon a miniature mud pond of sorts at the park and entertained herself by digging into the murky water with a stick. I was thrilled to see her playing independently, even if she emerged from the play time without one of her shoes and speckled with mud!