Our town has this little festival every year with live bands, and a bunch of local businesses set up booths. It’s pretty low-key, but it’s free and it’s something different to do when the weather is nice. We went this year because we thought Cate would enjoy it – and she did, but she quickly got overstimulated by all the people and noise. We didn’t stay long, but it was fun.

I’m not sure why, but a local acupuncturist was doing face painting and temporary tattoos for kids. I have no idea what that has to do with their business, but whatever. We decided to let Cate have her first tattoo experience. Behold, the ladybugs:

My dad was horrified, even though I assured him that they washed off when I gave Cate a bath only a few hours later.

Unrelated: I’ve been using the Baby Bjorn a lot lately, since the weather has been really nice and Cate can now hold her head up well enough to ride in it facing outward. I’m not sure why, but when she’s facing out, it changes her weight distribution just enough so that my lower back isn’t killing me after five minutes. Also, when she’s in the Baby Bjorn, she stays awake for the whole walk because she can look around and see everything. And lord knows it’s good exercise for me – nothing like walking up a hill with an almost-17 pound baby strapped to your chest.

So we’ve got this little routine, which we’ve been doing for about a week now: we go for a walk in the evening after dinner. When we get home, I give Cate a bath – I know daily baths aren’t at all necessary for babies, but it really does seem to mellow her out – and then after she has a bottle, she is out. She’s been sleeping anywhere from eight to ten hours every night since we started doing this, without making so much as a peep. It’s awesome. And of course, I probably just jinxed it by talking about it. (Fingers crossed – shoo, Jinx Fairy!)

My hope is that this whole “sleeping through the night” thing will become a habit so that by this winter – when the rain will mess up our daily walk routine – it won’t matter. Hoping, hoping.

P.S. I know that not everyone is the praying type, but if you are, send up a few for Shannon. Stay, baby, stay!