Travelling Mercies... times two

Sorry for the lapse in blogging... did you think we were returning to the old days? It's been a whirlwind two weeks, with me (K) driving nearly 1200 miles in four days back and forth to the north country for a project and work, and then leaving a few days later for our big trip to Washington, DC. Joe, for his annual neuroscience meeting, and Calla and me for a visit with Aunt Carolyn, Uncle Brian, Baby Julia and doggie Bob. We talked about everyone we'd meet before we left; Bob inspired the most excitement for Calla.

And then Calla met her cousin Baby Julia (who, by the way, will likely be called Baby Julia until she throws a fit at age 12)... and she completely fell in love with all things babies. Not that this was entirely new - she was fascinated by little kids as all toddlers are. But something clicked in her, and Calla now has a new-found maternal instinct for Baby Julia, and her doll babies. I'm happy to report that our work with "nice touch" paid off well and Baby Julia emerged from her Calla encounters unscathed.

The pic below was caught un-coached and un-staged. Julia was bouncing happily in her chair and Calla came up behind her and cupped Julia's head in her hands. Was Calla repeating a gesture that I've done to her? I suspect so. I took a few pictures of this cousinly love, until I had to put down the camera before Julia was mishandled by so much loving.



We had brought along Calla's doll for the trip and she used her (named Baby because Calla's mother has no imagination for names) to try out all the parenting techniques she saw being used with Baby Julia. She'd walk around, cuddling Baby and patting her back... at one point, we worked together to swaddle Baby. And Baby, of course, got to try out all of Julia's gear... bouncy chair, swing, and car seat. Car seat was the clear winner, although Calla never could figure out how to get those straps just right.



And Doggie Bob? Not as much a hit as anticipated... Calla really had a love-hate relationship with Bob. Loves him, since he's a dog and certainly as friendly and docile as our Chloe. But by the end of the trip, Calla was not a fan of his incessant face kisses. She gets the same from Chloe, but with our pup, Calla can stand up and get out of the way. With Bob, well, Calla needs to grow about a foot to get out of the reach of his kisses.

Here Calla is answering my question "Where's Bob's nose?"

So many more stories to tell... but for now, we're enjoying being home. It was so wonderful to see family and I hope we find ways for Calla and (Baby) Julia to have many more loving cousin encounters. It's also nice to be back home, particularly at naptime and bedtime. After fighting (successfully most often) to convince Calla she could sleep in a different bed in a different room, it's so lovely to put her down with hardly a peep. Now, if we could just get her back to sleeping through the night... regardless, a small price to pay for a wonderful week away.

For now, hope you all are staying warm on this chilly (at least around these parts) weekend.