Baby-licious.

July 31st:
Remember the cute little squash patch from the beginning of June? Well… it’s not suffering, that’s for sure. See the little baby butternut poking out there?

August 1st:
Last night we went to this get together for a family friend who just took his final vows as a Franciscan monk. His family is very Catholic, very Irish, very fun. They have 8 kids, and now 24 grandchildren, with more on the way. I believe 3 of the girls babysat us regularly, but the one we loved the most has 7 kids (in a 12 year span, she’s only 32 I think) and lives in Ireland. She’s in town for the celebration, and it was awesome to see her. It’s amazing that she’s had 7 babies, because you would have no clue by the look of her. I want to pick her brain so bad. All homebirths. 7 frikkin kids in 12 years. So many questions. Anyway, it was really nice to go to this thing. There were SO MANY KIDS there, it was amazing. The women, who are just a tad older than Gretchen and I, welcomed us with open arms. They are all conservative Catholics, so there are some political and philosophical differences there, but I love that community so much. They all talk and hang out and are super friendly. They love kids and family and marriage. They all support each other and have similar lives. I just… love that. Their community is so strong, and I really envy that about them. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my friends, but there is a distinct difference here. Plus, the party was put on by two of the sisters that live walking distance from me. They live next door to each other and have this enormous shared yard. G and I were all swoony by the end of it. That’s exactly what we want.

Anyway, I guess what it really comes down to is that I’m young and I’m a new mom and I’m still establishing my community. It’s kind of exciting when I think of it that way. Despite our differences, I see these women as being incredibly wise and strong and beautiful and I’m sure I can gain a lot from being around them. They’ve invited us to their weekly get-together on Mondays. I guess they just have a ton of women over all day long. People drop in as they can. The men hang out somewhere, and the women sit and eat and talk and nurse and just… spend adult time together. How cool is that? The other thing is that these women are not all… how to say this… they are full of spunk! Last night they were laughing and drinking and having a grand old time. That was somehow comforting to me. Anyway, I think we’re going on Monday.

August 2nd:
Okay. Vera has been a busy bee lately. She can roll over from tummy to back and back to tummy. She scoots and kicks like nobody’s business. She laughs histerically, usually when we tickle her, but she’s started to laugh when we make funny noises or in anticipation. I LOVE IT. She’s so fun and is, I swear, SO CLOSE to sitting up on her own. She is my little darling. Also. TEETH! I’ve been trying to get a good shot of those little pearly whites, but I keep missing the window by a split second. This is my best attempt. Can you see them? Two on the bottom. We had a little trouble with her wanting to… nibble, if you know what I mean. However, we’ve had two straight days without any bites, and I think she’s finally getting it. Thank goddess, I don’t think I could handle that for very long. Anyway, she was kind of irked at me when this picture was taken, she really wanted to taste the camera and I wouldn’t let her. Is it bad that I think she’s cute when she’s angry?