After waking, we got busy making summer berry pudding and brownies for a 1:00 birthday celebration at Duncan house where we experienced food and company aplenty into the evening. Poor Jessica had just come down with a fever and wasn't feeling quite well but romped around in good spirits for much of the time anyway. Hopefully night at Duncan house will pass away restfully for all.

I had the opportunity to put Phoebe to sleep and carry her around in the sling. A breathing feather against me, she slept peacefully away until the Mum and nums were in need again. (After my babies grow up I'd like to make a career of carrying babies around in slings. I'd also like to become a circus performer and I mean this almost seriously.) When it was time to go, I took Amy's sling home for a hemming. It seemed a shame to cut the beautiful design which completed itself in a lengthy way but what must be done must be done. Ω

The API Yoga met at our place today. This was my second experience with yoga. It's an informal class with our little ones running around, banging blocks on chairs, clanging the chimey keyboard, and generally making a racket. Fun but I wouldn't quite call it relaxing. With my growing confidence in being a mostly capable singer I enjoyed the chanting. The little ones grew very silent and wide-eyed during the chants. Lucy even sat on my lap and joined in.

Robin stayed with her little ones and lunched with us. Once they were gone, we set off for a bus trip to Real Foods where we bought some ingredients for the summer berry pudding to be served at tomorrow's birthday celebration for Matthew and George. Lucy's duck's mother made many a berry pudding today. Before Real Foods we stopped at a nearby shoe store and bought a cute pair of blue Mary Jane style shoes with a cherry motif for Lucy.

Tracy and Nick stopped by in the evening and we had a nice visit. Lucy greeted them at the gate and we showed them around our place, this being their first time here. Matthew who stopped by JoAnn's fabrics for me on his way home from work was disappointed that he missed their visit. Fortunately there is plenty of visiting left to do tomorrow.

Matthew was busy typing at the computer this evening. Poetry of all things. Turns out he had written a few last night which the computer had not saved for him. Apparently, he was inspired to write a few sad songs while cleaning the bathroom last night which he let me read just now. They are quite nice.

When Lucy was drifting off to sleep as she lay in her bed lodged next to Matt, she said of herself, “The beaver is asleep.”Ω

Oh, it was just one of those days. You know when you're in a moment and you wish you could just curl up in a warm place somewhere, preferably in a bed, and go to sleep? That's how I felt at the corner of 30th and Chenery waiting for the bus. Lucy had recently wet her pants for which I had no spare. Luckily, a spare of underwear I did have, found in the depths of my backpack. I felt like a terrible mother with my girl in boots and bare legs on a cold day (though she did have her coat) sprawling on the sidewalk with her white underweared bum peeking out.

We had met up with a friend at the Day Street playground. It was our first time there and Lucy was too excited to take a restroom break. My instinct told me I should work more at persuasion but I didn't and there I was on the corner waiting. Waiting and looking in the wrong direction for the bus so much so that it came from the opposite direction on 30th turning down Chenery and passing us by.

I called Matt on the cell phone and he offered to pick us up. We took refuge in a nearby playground while we waited.Ω

We began the day with a hurried rush to get to an 8:30 doctor's visit for Ada. Hurrying was made more difficult from a great fallen-down-the-stairs soreness. I fell last night on the stairs and fortunately was not carrying Ada or Lucy. My bum and elbow have suffered the most. Dr. Miller determined that Ada is 19 pounds and 27 inches. Though some big babies lag behind in such development as crawling and the like, she informed me, she felt that Ada was right on target.

We went to the Glen Park playground in the afternoon. I made inquiries into the missing sandals again and the woman who works there told me that they were recently seen in a plastic bag with some old clothes inside the building. She said she would ask the “custodian” on Friday.

A group of 8th graders were having a birthday party at the playground with their parents. Lucy quickly made friends. They hung out together around a radio listening to Offspring and such bands. One of the moms took a picture of the 8th graders with Lucy. She got a piece of chocolate birthday cake. I was offered one too and happily ate it down. Ω

Today was exciting for a work day. During my lunch break I walked to Trader Joe's and on the return leg, a black bird fluttered down from a tree and did a little dance on my head. I suppose I might have seemed threatening to a nesting bird but I certainly meant no harm. I was holding a piece of cracker at the time though the bird didn't seem to be seeking it.

Later, Lucy called me at work on the cell phone and we had this conversation:

Lucy:Hi Matt! Are you a dad?
Me:Yes, I am.
Lucy:Do you live in San Francisco?
Me:Yes, I do.
Lucy:In a blue house?
Me:Yes, actually I do.

After work, Matt Baggott called and happily reminded me about the partial solar eclipse that was taking place as the sun set. He pointed out that we could make a pinhole camera using two pieces of opaque cardboard. Luckily, he convinced me to do so and the whole family enjoyed the spectacle with minimal retinal hazard. Lucy kept saying, “I want to play moon.” She held the cardboard herself and we explored different sizes, distances, and even multiple apertures.

Afterward, as I sat down on the couch, I was amazed to see a splendid display of occluded sun images shimmering on the living room wall. It was caused by the numerous small openings between the leaves on the tree outside our window. I had heard about this phenomenon at work on National Public Radio, but I had hardly expected to see it in person.

To rid our refrigerator of spinach and the leafy broccoli tops that Lucy spurns, Kate suggested an unappealing recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian called Broccoli with Spinach (Broccoli Ka Saag). Oddly, the cooking smells were rather tempting. Unbelievably, the eating tastes were quite good and I managed to consume a sizable portion over brown rice. Ω

We attended the Health and Harmony Music and Arts festival in Santa Rosa today where my friend Jen from the API playgroup had a booth selling her children's clothes. While in the car I realized that I had forgotten the sling at home and was in great dismay until I remembered that Jen would be selling some of her slings at her booth. Upon arriving, we searched for Jen's booth during which time Ada fell asleep heavily in my arms. I yearned for a sling and was happy when we finally found the booth. I picked out a pretty one with plans to give it to Amy after using it for the day.

Lucy met up with some of her friends and had a grand ol' time. She eventually ran out of fuel but was not interested in eating. We soon left and stopped by at Duncan house on our way home. Amy was at home from the hospital for the first day and seemed very normal. Who would have known she had just given birth the day before? She seemed pleased with the sling and was a natural when it came to sling-wearing. Ω

I slept in as the rest of the family frolicked around down stairs. Matthew got a call from Tracy and woke me to share the exciting news of Phoebe's birth. Amy had labored throughout the night and gave birth to Phoebe at 6:51 AM. In the early afternoon, we visited the newest member of the Baggott family. She sweetly swept while I took a few pictures.

At the hospital, Lucy climbed onto the bed with Amy. Not terribly excited with the new baby (she's seen it all now), she chatted happily away with Amy who reminded Lucy about the time when we visited baby Jessica in the hospital and Lucy told Amy to put her back.

We went to the Marstons' for an evening barbecue where Lucy met her friend Maddy along with a few other little and medium sized ones, and while I'm at it, large-sized ones. Lucy was very interested in the t.v. when she noticed Ben watching it. She pulled up a chair next to him to sit and watch. Television shows once frightened her but she now seems entertained by them. She enjoyed watching Scooby Doo but was scared, reaching out for Matt's hand, when a dragon appeared.Ω

We watched Jessica today at the Glen Park playground. While Lucy was busy playing with older children, Jessica had fun as gate keeper opening and closing the gate as necessary or as unnecessary.

I inquired after a pair of pink sandals which I believe we left at this playground last week. A janitor-type person said, “oh yeah...” like he knew exactly the pair of shoes I was talking about and told me he would go check the lost-and-found for them. When I didn't see him for awhile, I took the girls to the office and found him sitting down for a meal. He said he had forgotten about looking for the shoes and apologized. No shoes were found. But later strangely enough one sandal, which looked just like Lucy's in size and grime, appeared suddenly on a bench where it hadn't been before. Jessica brought it over to me and I sat it down next to us. When it was time to go home it had disappeared again.

Amy was having regular contractions. In the evening she called to say that she thought this was it. I pulled out fabric and finished cutting squares for Phoebe's quilt. Ω

Not too much to say today. We hung out at the Glen Park playground with a friend and her 2 children. Ada who has been sitting up very well on her own this week plunged into the sand today getting a face full of it. She wasn't very pleased.Ω

Wow! I actually got both girls to sleep by eight o'clock tonight. Matthew, at work still, wasn't around so I suppose Lucy figured there was nothing better to do but fall asleep.

Today was an exciting day for us as we visited the Coyote Point Museum for the first time. We crossed paths with a meandering tortoise, petted a soft bunny, and were witness to an otter-feeding. The otter-feeding wasn't very exciting, though I must admit I didn't get such a great view, no view at all really. Sources told me that it was eating a carrot. When I questioned such a diet figuring this must not be what it eats in the wild, I was told that they eat fish, small mammals, and have even been known to kill and eat deer. I surmised that a bunch of otters must gang up on one deer but she said, “No, they do not hunt cooperatively.” I was astounded to think of an otter catching a deer. I did a search online to see if I could find any more information on this but wasn't able to find any.

Forbidden the food of the lavish gardens, the tortoise was snatched and guided away by its sitter again and again. This tortoise, a California Desert Tortoise , was 40 years old and could possibly live to 100. The workers often corrected those who referred to it as a turtle. It wasn't until later that I learned from Matthew that it is not inappropriate to call a tortoise a turtle. He pulled out the Animal book, a wonderfully huge encyclopedia, where he had originally read that traditionally those in the sea were called turtles, those in fresh water terrapins and those on land tortoises but that these days zoologists generally use “turtle” to refer to the whole clump of them.

I wished I could have taken more pictures as Lucy was quite intrigued with the turtle but with the heat of the day (It was a hot one!) and the weight of Ada, I felt quite cranky and unwilling to raise my camera. Though we picnicked, I didn't get much relief (I sympathized for poor Amy pregnant as can be) until later in the afternoon when it was suggested we hang out behind the museum to watch the airplanes as they approached the nearby airport. Under the shade of the tall trees, with the breeze of the bay we snacked on a log (didn't eat the log but sat on it) and relaxed. Eventually Lucy, Ada, and I were the only ones remaining. Lucy got busy making a nest while Ada sat happily on the sling in a pile of leaves and twigs. When she managed to get a leaf in her grasp, I was impressed with how long she studied it before attempting to put it in her mouth. This was all she wanted to do quickly enough however. I gave her a carrot to suck on (her first exposure to solids) expecting that she wouldn't get much of it, still toothless as she is. She played with the carrot for awhile but soon lost interest at which time we departed and made our way back home.

Sean Albright sent me an email with interesting info on the origins of the term Welsh rarebit. Ω

My experimentation with muffins continues. How do peanut butter prune walnut muffins with apple sauce and soy milk in whole wheat oat flour sound? Matthew took a nibble and told me that he had never tasted anything quite like them. The toddlers at API playgroup, though very eager at the sound of “muffin,” promptly returned them after one bite. Fortunately none other than Jessica Baggott who happened to also be at Douglas playground today accepted and ate a muffin without a blink. I handed over my bag of muffins to Amy.

We took a new route home today. Instead of walking up the intimidating Duncan hill we walked down a few blocks and caught a bus, driven by a very motherly male driver, which linked us to our regular bus. On the walk down we passed a young woman who didn't look much older than 17 or 18. She was sitting on her front steps with her face propped up in her hands looking sad as though she had just broken up with her boyfriend. When I smiled at her, she smiled back and commented on my cute baby. I thanked her and and she told me that she was going to be having a baby too. When I congratulated her and asked her when she was due, she said, “nine months from now.” “You look scared,” I said. She looked away from me and seemed to be fighting back tears. “Having a baby is a lot of work but it's also a lot of fun,” I said trying to sound encouraging. “They bring you such joy.” Lucy who had been lagging behind caught up with me. I congratulated her again and we were off. I couldn't help but think about her throughout the day and wonder if I should have stayed and said more. It was strange to come across such a moment like that. A young woman who perhaps had taken a pregnancy test only moments before walks out her front door and sits down to the reality of it, telling a complete stranger her news. Perhaps I was the first person she told. Should I have said something more? Ω

The Homebirth Collective's not-the-first-time moms group met here today. Two moms with their little ones came and a nice time seemed to be had by all. We three moms mostly hung out in the kitchen with the hummus while our three year olds rambled about in adjacent rooms riling themselves up. Jeanette's Oona, a month older than Ada, scoots around very proficiently on her belly.

Matthew came home and we actually sat down for dinner as a family. Now that Lucy's bedtime is inching back as the summertime light makes its way in, sitting down for dinner as a family is definitely doable. I didn't eat much as I had snacked all day on hummus and such.

Ada's vocalizations have become much more sophisticated in the past week. I write this as giggles from upstairs drift down. Matthew is working on pre-sleeping with Lucy and Ada. Lucy calls for me so I best go. Ω

As I write this on Monday I'm not sure I remember much about Sunday. Ah yes, Dan stopped by and before that we went to Rainbow Grocery where we stocked up (though not on flour, which we are in need of). We ran into Lucy's friend Jonah and his parents at Rainbow as well as a large-bellied woman with her man, who remembered us from the Birth Stories where we had told ours. I noticed they bought baby tomato plants.

Later in the day, a welcome face appeared at the other end of our door's buzzer. Dan, on his way back from burrito-buying graced us with his presence much to our pleasure. Lucy leaped with joy. When Dan asked her what she had done today she replied, “Invited Dan over.”

We made a lima bean bake from Madhur Jaffrey, a recipe new to us. It baked for 2 hours and proved worthy of inclusion in our repertoire. Dan wondered what a welsh rarebit, the cheesy food served on toast, had to do with rabbit, if anything. Matthew pulled out the old dictionary from which we didn't learn much except that welsh rarebit is synonymous with welsh rabbit. I tidied a bit in the evening in preparation for Monday's moms group and settled into the blue rocking chair for a glass of wine before moseying on up for a night's sleep. Ω

We rode BART downtown today. Lucy and I had books to return to the library and Kate and Ada were heading to Britex for quilting fabrics. Lucy loves riding BART: the escalators, the ticket machine, the wind in the tunnels, the air conditioning along the windows.

At the library Lucy and I picked up some new books. Most notable in my opinion was The Sign on Rosie's Door by Maurice Sendak. Its about some neighborhood children who have nothing to do on Fourth of July. Kate and I really like it, but I think Lucy is a little unsure.

Afterwards, we met up with Kate and Ada at a nearby playground. While Kate and I discussed our acquisitions and Lucy munched nuts, we overheard a mother trying to entice her toddler down from the play structure by suggesting he'd really rather see the circus. Kate asked her about the circus and we soon found ourselves walking back to the library and down to its auditorium.

The circus was a three person troupe called Circ Do Somethin'. The performance was comical and featured hat tricks, sleight of hand, a very large unicycle, juggling, mild acrobatics, a ukulele, and a squawking rubber chicken. We all had a great time, especially Lucy who laughed and clapped and shouted, “Bravo!” in imitation of a woman in front of us. Lucy's favorite part was during the questions and answers segment. One of the performers joked, “Why'd the chicken cross the road?” when a child asked why the performer had come through the door.

We made thick brown unsalted soft pretzel rods today.Ω

We met up with Amy, Matt Baggott, Kristen, Maddy, and Jessica at the duck pond in the Arboretum. Good jobs were done by all: Lucy at eating white bread as well as feeding it to the ducks (she rejected my wholesome chunky muffins — she likes a smooth muffin), Jessica at roaming, Maddy at observing Lucy, Matt at documenting, Ada at falling asleep, and the rest of us at hanging out.

We arrived home at about three o'clock. Lucy who lately has been going to bed later and later was in need of sleep. She took one look at her scraped knee, a sight she doesn't much care to see, crawled into her beaver lodge and slept for three hours. Ada fell asleep as well and I had a nice hour to myself which I spent washing dishes. Ω

Whoops! I had written entries for Thursday and Friday but it doesn't look like it was saved.

In brief, Ada Mae had her first fall (may they be few and far between). She slipped down from her chair which attaches to the table. In a looseness of mind I had forgotten to buckle her in. Ada survived with a minor bump on the head. Her contagious tears overflowed to a sympathetic Jessica who was bystanding on my lap. A rockin and a singin calmed them both down.

We watched Jessica today for Amy. To my great woe, Lucy pulled her hair and pushed her. I set Lucy aside for some thinking time. Jessica handled it very well though perhaps she was just saving up her tears because when Amy came to pick her up she let them all out. “Mama! The baby cried, and Lucy pulled my hair, and I missed you!” was what she was trying to say, I think. She wouldn't allow Amy to come in for a chat but was satisfied with a num in the car and a sidewalk stroll. She soon reached a cheerful state.

While we were outside the wind blew our door shut locking us out. Matthew came home from work to let us in. It was nice having him home a little early. Amy waited with us until he arrived.Ω

When we first moved to San Francisco I used to laugh at the complainers found around town when the heat reached a rare mark of 80 degrees or perhaps even 90. Coming from Philadelphia with its almost unbearable muggy summers, the clear-sky heat of San Francisco was like a pleasant breeze. Since then I have joined the crowd of weather wimps and sat today at the playground with heavy limbs, wishing for a popsicle. Just to give myself a little credit, it is super hot on those sandy playgrounds at high noon on a warm day. We sought shelter under the play structure where I sprinkled the cold sand over Ada's feet which she seemed to like. Anyway, we didn't stay out for long.

Lucy and I were discussing the merits of being a child as well as being a grown-up. She expressed a great interest in growing up and said that she would “match” me. She would match all of my clothes, she would even match the black shirt I was wearing, she told me. I thought it sweet that she aspires to match me right down to my black shirt.Ω

The earlier part of the day was spent tidying and getting ready for our barbecue. I hoped Lucy would nap since she seemed tired. A fresh and well-tempered Lucy is always a pleasure. Though she did climb into her beaver lodge (a sleeping bag) many a time, no nap was taken except for the brief one which I unfortunately woke her up from by removing the layers of blanket she had mounded and curled under. She did mellow while Matt went to pick up some charcoal. Last night while on the phone with Matt's Dad he said to be sure to pick up Kingsford brand charcoal and informed me that Henry Ford, who wanted to find a use for the growing piles of sawdust left over from making Model Ts, was the first to popularize charcoal.

It was a pleasure having the family over as always. The more little ones we have running around the funner it gets. Jessica looked like a drunk as she staggered around clutching her little water bottle. Matthew had fun grilling. Besides burgers, we grilled corn and asparagus.

Lucy ended the evening with an unsolicited acrobatic boot to Jessica's unsuspecting behind. Though I was not witness to this event, Lucy's Uncle Matt provided incriminating evidence of which we will release when available. Matthew took Lucy aside to the cedar chest, sight of many a talking to, and discussed with her the ethics of such an act while snickers drifted in from the adjacent room. They both agreed it was time for a certain little one to lodge in for the night.Ω

Not too much to say today. Lucy not only continues to plan Halloween costumes for herself but also for her relatives. “Uncle Dan will dress like a squirrel for Halloween. Uncle Monkey will dress like an anteater with a long tongue sticking out."

Cloth-diapered Ada turns over like an old pro.Ω

Lucy was a lucky girl this week having played at Douglas playground three times and having seen her cousin Jessica three days in a row. Our trip home from the playground was a long grueling journey. It was getting on four o’clock, perhaps a tad too late, when we departed. Assisting a hungry, tired three-year-old up one of the steepest hills in San Francisco (I’m sure it must be up there in the top 10 or at least close) is not an easy task with a slung baby and a backpack stuffed to the brim. What usually takes us about twenty minutes took about an hour today. At various points Lucy sat snacking with chickpeas, nuts, and a pear while I hummed and swayed Ada. She conversed with a friendly passerby, “I don’t like you!”

The hill was too steep for Lucy today and once we got to the top of the hill the wind too strong. “It’s too much,” she wailed. I pointed to the bus stop off in the distance which to Lucy must have looked so far. “We just need to get to that bus stop,” I said down to her as she crouched between my legs trying to seek shelter from the wind.

Finally we reached the bus stop. When the bus arrived I climbed on with relief. Ada, who had been building up a fuss, immediately quieted down and fell asleep to the rhythm of the bus. I showed the driver my crumpled up transfer. But once I was seated for a moment or two, he asked for my transfer again. I handed it over frazzled from our long journey. After looking at it he gave me this look that said, “What are you trying to pull?”

I asked, “Do I need to give you a dollar? Is it expired?” I thought perhaps the three hours were up. “Yeah, three days ago,” he replied. So I dug in my pocket, pulled out another transfer, and handed it to him. “Two days ago.” Finally on the fourth try I got the correct transfer. “The 24th?” I asked. He nodded to confirm. “I guess you can tell I need to wash these pants,” I said.

As if I weren’t already having a hard day, a woman on the bus took a look at me and asked in surprise, “Is that your baby?” When I answered yes, she said shocked, “You look like you’re 16!” “25,” I said matter-of-factly. “I guess it’s the hairdo,” I added pointing to my pigtails.

I sure was glad to be home today.Ω

Ada rolled over twice today. I didn't see it with my own eyes, but Kate says it's so and so it is. But more importantly, in both cases, she rolled over while wearing the Tushies brand disposable diapers. It seems that those bulky cloth mamas are hampering her innate nimbleness. All this time, she's just wanted to be on her belly.

Lucy has been planning her next year's Halloween costume for months now. Her ideas change from day to day, but most of them involve her masquerading as a kangaroo, a rabbit, or a bird. I really liked the kangaroo costume concept. It featured furry mittens and boot covers and, naturally, a pouch for holding treats and a joey.

But mostly birds. Today she told me she's going to be an American Robin (her favorite bird) for Halloween. Interestingly, she also said that she wanted the flight feathers on her costume wings to have hooks on them. I asked her if birds have hooks on their flight feathers. She said no, but that the hooks would help her carry her basket since birds don't have fingers. Ω

Amy phoned with an overload of stale bread and suggested we get our little ones together for some duck feeding which sounded like a fine idea to me on such a beautiful day. Lucy, Ada, and I bussed to our old neighborhood where we hung out for a little while at the 9^th Ave playground before meeting up with Amy, Jessica, and to our delight Sue with her 8 week-old Emily whom we were delighted to meet for the first time. For the most part she slept away the afternoon snuggled close to her Mama in her sling.

At the Stryber Arboretum duck pond, I’m not sure who ate more of the stale bread, the ducks, the pigeons, or Lucy and Jessica. But amongst all of them the bread got eaten. Highlights for Lucy included catching sight of a duckling, watching a bird which we thing was a Great Blue Heron dive into the water (for this she jumped up and down in excitement), finding an empty walnut shell which she floated in the pond as a boat, and general Jessica duty which involves guiding her back to Amy when she strays. Jessica was a cute talker today. She babbled a sentence of gibberish that in tone sounded like she was repeating what her Mama had just said. Ω

Sadly, we found the nest empty today. Matthew guesses a predator, perhaps another bird, is to blame.

On our way to the API playgroup at Douglas Park today, Lucy spotted a caterpillar hanging down by a thread 2-3 feet from a leaf. We wondered why it was hanging, how long would it take the caterpillar to climb back up, and would it reach the leaf before we returned from the playground or would the wind take it away? It was nowhere to be seen on our way back. When we got home we learned from Lucy’s Butterfly & Moth book that some caterpillars use their threads not only for non-skid purposes but for dropping down when disturbed. Looking into caterpillars some more online, we came across an interesting butterfly which waits for a red ant to take it back to its nest. The ants feed it until it pupates. The adult butterfly must quickly retreat from the nest before the ants attack it. Its wings are covered with hair-like scales for protection

Excerpt from a Lucy play beginning with 2 rubber frogs, a small stuffed animal bird, and a measuring cup:

We should put the frogs in a measuring cup. The bird is sitting on them keeping them warm. The measuring cup has a topping. I think the bird was the topping…

Walking round and round the kitchen table, a tale untold by Lucy lasted at least 20 minutes. Between washing dishes and getting ready to go out, I couldn’t quite keep up with what the frogs were up to but they seemed to be having many adventures. Ω

Upon awakening Lucy hurried down the steps to see our new neighbors. After watching them for awhile she asked, “Why is she pecking at them?” I looked and to my excitement saw that the egg had hatched. I saw one partially-hatched wet baby bird. I guessed that the mama was pecking to help it break further out of its shell. We checked in throughout the day always to find the mama still sitting. I worried about the baby since I hadn’t seen it move at all and the mama was still sitting on it. We caught site of the daddy once. He brought a twig and placed it next to the nest. I wondered why.

At the science museum Lucy was intrigued with the American bullfrog tadpoles. She asked if they would be frogs the next time we visited. We learned there that American bullfrog tadpoles take up to 3 years to become adults and another 2 years until they reach sexual maturity. I told her that maybe when she is 5 years old they would be frogs. “Maybe on leap day…” she said. Ω

Kate slept in this morning while I played with Ada and Lucy downstairs. When she came down to join us she had a smile on her face and told us about a strange dream she had been dreaming. In the dream, Kate was in a kitchen singing this song:

Lemme tell you why I took those chickpeas.
I took those chickpeas because they were mighty, mighty tasty. ► (listen)

She sang this for us a few times and then remembered that she had been singing it in a high voice. So we spent a good part of the morning singing this song and variations. Kate thinks the funnest part is singing the mighty mighty section.

I saw the new Star Wars Episode II - Attack of the Clones with Matt, Erin, and Dan today. I had seen it on Thursday when it opened, and really liked it. The second time was even better because I was less nervous about it meeting my expectations.

Afterwards, when I came back home and was getting ready to go to Safeway with Lucy, I noticed a mourning dove perched on a wire by the tree outside our living room window. I pointed this bird out to Lucy and we watched it together. But then, after a few moments, I noticed another dove quite close, hidden in the crotch of two branches. It was resting on a small pile of twigs . . . a nest! Lucy was awed. Our little birder, perhaps soon to be an ornithologist, glowed with excitement. She decided not to come with me to Safeway after all. She wanted to watch our new neighbors. We're looking forward to seeing the nestlings when they hatch. Kate's researched mourning dove nesting behavior online. Doves have a nesting cycle of 33 days and they feed their children on "pigeon's milk" which is a substance produced in their crop (sort of a pre-stomach pouch). Ω

This is my first entry in the Albright Family Journal. Ω

While I was at Yoga today Ada rolled over while peacefully playing on the floor. We wonder if her cloth diapers, a size too large, have been holding her back. Her regular bulky bum was less bulky in a disposable yesterday as we were slightly behind in the wash. Ω