We survived

It was a single-parenting weekend here and we survived. I was about to type "barely" but actually, we did a bit better than that. It helped that Katie is still napping like a champion (it's hit or miss if she'll actually go down, but when she does, she sleeps for hours on end).

And I find that Maddie acts differently when Daddy's not around - not when he's just at work or something, but when she knows that he's actually away, she's .... I don't know? Easier on me? Is it possible for an almost-3-year-old to summon up that kind of empathy?

She gives less hassles at bedtime (usually). Eats her meals without complaint (mostly). And just generally is a bit more easygoing (sometimes).

Hmm - good thing Hubs doesn't read this, as I don't need him feeling less guilty about all his man-cations. So let's just keep this between us, yes?

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Adorable cuteness ahead:

On Saturday afternoon (taking advantage of one of Katie's super-long naps) Maddie and I were outside. She: splashing in and out of the pool, playing hard in her playhouse, with her stroller, on her slide. Me: weeding and gardening our poor decrepit backyard that has been ignored all summer long.

At one point, as I was pulling up some of the finished plants in the garden, she came over to "help" (read: dig up shovels of dirt and dump it on the lawn). I came across what I suspect now may have been a tree root from our neighbour's tree. I snipped it and tried pulling up the one end - which must have been longer than I thought because it was really stuck. As I was yanking and pulling and yanking and pulling Maddie started to cheer me on, "Good job Mommy! You're doing it! You're doing it like a big girl!"

It cracked me up listening to her cheer me on with the same phrases, verbatim, that I use when encouraging her to do something on her own (vs. me having to do everything for her).

And yes, damn right I pulled up that root like a Big Girl.

xxoo.S