My Baby is Growing Up!

Yesterday Forrest and I went out on a double date with Rick & Rachel. This was the first time we have ever had Noelle babysat, although when we first planned to go out, I was thinking we'd take her along. Forrest asked my mom if she could watch Noelle also and she said sure, so that was that. I was a little unsure about the whole thing, even up to the point of us leaving, because she was supposed to be having a nice long nap when we left, and just about when we were supposed to leave, she started crying. I went in to put her back to sleep, and thought it had worked until I laid her back in bed and she woke up. I thought she'd be too crabby if left with Grandma (no jab to my mom; it's just that Noelle is a big Mama's girl) but as it turns out, she did just fine. (Phew!)

It was really fun to go out. We went and saw "The Pursuit of Happyness" (with Will Smith and his son Jaden); it was a good movie. Rick laughed, saying he had never seen me in "date mode" before. I'm almost always in "mom mode!" So after the movie we went out to Chili's. It was yummy.

We got back and the kids had all been good. (It helps to have Aunt Esther there--she's a very good entertainer and big help with the kids.) My mom starts telling how things went, and gets this expression and tone like "why didn't you tell me?" as she says, "How many steps has Noelle taken in a row?" Well, Forrest and I both were like, "WHAT? None!" It turned out she took six steps in a row, and Grandma Lisa got to see these first steps! She felt very blessed to be the one to get to witness this. I was so surprised and excited that I started just laughing until I cried, and then when we tried to get her to take some steps for us, and she took three or four toward me, I laughed and cried at the same time. Six is still her record. I'm so proud of my baby girl for being so good for her first babysitting, and for learning how to walk!!