Dear Reese,
Today was a vacation day for both of us. I pull you out of daycare again so we can have a summer day together while Linden and Cara are here.
We spend the late morning at Plum Loco. I actually feed the animals this time while holding you — sheep, goats, miniature horses, horses, donkeys. Pigs that we don’t feed but watch. The pigs do their own thing far away from the fence, so I let you stand while holding onto it, walking along it, and trying to get their attention or picking the wildflowers.
The other half of our time is spent in their play village. There’s plenty to entertain. You love the rocking horses. You also love the push lawnmower, but it frustrates you that it doesn’t operate quite like a walker. There are lots of other kids around and their play fascinates you . . . and often you fascinate them. You are an awfully cute baby.
After lunch we go for a walk around the point, just you and me. My long nap I have planned for you gets thwarted after you only sleep for thirty minutes, but you power through the rest of the day like a champ. We go to the cottage — and to good news about Cappi being able to operate without restrictions while he waits for his second eye surgery. He gives us a ride in Sparky when our wagon walk down Mariner Road turns into me carrying you in my arms while MorMor pushes the wagon.
In the late afternoon, we go to Troup Park. This is where you go for it to feel like summer. You are so content here, as am I. Playing in the sand, collecting rocks, listening to the waves. There’s a breeze today that hits just right. In that hour and a half, I feel my nervous system going back to baseline.
I hope it felt like a vacation day for you too, though you don’t quite know what that is yet. A day out of the routine. A day where you could have a chocolate chip cookie as your snack and pizza for dinner and multiple excursions with lots to explore. You were so sweet this evening, too — you handled not having much of a nap much better than I might’ve after a long, busy day.
Thank you for spending the day with me, sweetheart.
Love,
Mama