Holding onto the baby

Peanut is getting to that stage where she's starting to shed some of her baby-ness in favor of little girl-ness. Not completely, mind you, but there are definitely shades of a more mature girl coming through all the baby sweetness these days. We won't be having any more kids, so I am feeling a bit wistful about nearing the end of my baby parenting days. There are definitely things I won't miss, but there are things I will.

So now that Peanut has come down with a pretty major cold this week, she's much more a baby than a little girl. Poor thing, she's a thumb sucker, and her little nose is so stuffy that she can't even get herself to sleep with her thumb because she can't breathe through her nose. So, L and I have spent a lot of time in her rocking chair soothing her and calming her down before bedtime and naptimes the past couple days. I hate that she's feeling crummy, but a small part of me has savored that quiet cuddle time. I know it won't be long before she'll be too old to be held at all, and she'll be back to her regular bedtime routine (which involves her declaring, "I want bed!" before any lengthy snuggling can occur) very soon once she's over this cold.

Because of Peanut's cold, she had to miss out on my playgroup's holiday party last night. L stayed home and cared for her. Although this is the giving season, we decided it would be best not to share her cold virus with all her friends. Jellybean and I went and had a really fun time, including the chance to make reindeer food, which was very cute. She and I came home at 6:45 to a quiet house and L relaxing on the couch. He had taken such perfect care of sick Peanut -- he gave her an early bath, knowing she was probably extra tired, and he put her down easily at 6:30. It's no wonder I love him so!

We are leaving this weekend for the holidays -- flying this year instead of our forever long energy-sapping drive. Hopefully this cold will have finished its inevitable rounds by then.