Some Catching Up To Do!

Whoa - has it really almost been one whole week since I updated this blog? Where to start? I think I have to start with what was the biggest moment of the past week not only for us but for the country - the election of our new president. We did our part that day - we all voted. As usual, Billy and I canceled each other's votes out. What was different this year, was that we now have an independent voice in our house - Rhea. We took her with us when we voted. We actually showed up to the polls with snacks, juice, and toys after hearing about the long lines. But, we were in and out in under 5 minutes and Rhea was so busy looking around at all of the people that she didn't have time to get bored or hungry! It was fun to include her in the process even if it will be a while before she understands what it meant.

In other news, Rhea seems to have adjusted to the time change finally. She is now going to bed at 7:00 pm and waking up between 6:00 and 6:30 am. The first morning she slept until 6:30 was last Thursday and I almost didn't know what to do with all the energy I had after getting all that sleep! There was a time in my life that 6:30 would have been considered early, but these days after so many 4:00 am wake ups, I am thrilled when I see 6:30 on the clock. Rhea has also gone back to playing in her crib when she wakes up. I think it may be because it is now a light out when she gets up vs. pitch black so she can see her crib! But, over the past few days, we have heard her moving around and making noises for about 10 minutes before she wants to get up. This is nice for us, since it gives us a few minutes to wake up before we have to run to care for the baby.

Rhea seems to be understanding more and more of what we say. She now knows that when it's time to go, she needs a jacket and we will be walking out our back door. Yesterday when memere was visiting, she asked Rhea how school was. Rhea heard the word school and must have thought it was time to go to school because she went right to the coat rack and pointed to her coat and then went over to the door waiting for me to open it! We had to explain to her that it was not time to go to school just yet!

Speaking of memere, when Rhea saw her yesterday as soon as she arrived, she went right over to her wanting to be picked up. This was the first time I have ever seen her go up to anyone other than me or Daddy and want to be picked up right away. It usually takes her a long time to get used to people and even then she will only let a select few pick her up. But, she made it very clear on Sunday that she is starting to recognize faces other than mine or Daddy's and that she will let us know when she is comfortable with someone. For our shy little girl, this was a major milestone.