One of those days

Today was one of those days I've dreamed about since I found out I was pregnant and knew I would be getting to take a nice maternity leave to spend time with my two kids.

We had a good dumping of snow hit the metro last night.  The snow was wet and heavy and combined with the rainfall from earlier in the day, the roads were a mess!  Luckily, we had nowhere to go until later in the day, so we made the best of a relaxing morning at home!

We started the morning with an impromptu playdate with our neighbors from across the street.  They have two kids around Allie's age (almost 4 and 2) and she has enjoyed playing with them since we moved in.  It was a dream come true to be able to call them up and have them head right over.  We played the entire morning and Allie had a blast!  I was so happy to give her something fun to do as I know she's struggling adapting to her little brother.  All she wants to do is play with Kerm and I and sometimes we just aren't able to accommodate her because Jake has needs as well.  It makes me sad that her once Allie-centered world has shifted.  Although I know it's good for her to learn patience and sharing, it has to be tough being so young and having those lessons forced on you.  So, a playdate completely centered on her was the perfect touch.  The kids all made an absolute mess of the playroom (exactly the purpose of the room!) and had a blast running in circles around the loop formed by our kitchen and dining room.  I got to chat with the kids' mom and spend some time focusing only on Jakey.  By the time they left, Allie was worn out and ready for a nap!

We had lunch and all went down for naps.  Even Jake cooperated and let me nap while Allie was sleeping!  After nap, we headed to gymnastics.  Allie moved up a level into the 3/4 year old class because her coach thought she was ready for a challenge.  We were excited for Allie but a little sad as well because the older class is kids only.  No more parents!  I really enjoyed taking her to gymnastics and running around with her, so it was bittersweet to see my little girl amongst all the big kids and doing class without me!  Kerm and I watched from the look-out window above.  Allie had so much fun.  She had a permanent smile glued to her face the entire class.  We weren't quite sure she was cutting it in the new class because to us she looked like she wasn't following directions the greatest, but after class her coach said she did fantastic for her first time.  Given the other kids were all at least a year older than her, I was a really proud gym mom!

This is exactly the kind of day I dreamed about having on maternity leave... being able to watch Allie's activities and having friends over to play.  I plan to soak up every minute of the next 8 weeks and hopefully have tons more playdates and activities to watch!