February 19, 2021 – 50 of 365 – Julia delivers a better nap time – story time experience than I do. That’s just fact. Louisa always requests her if she’s home and I’m unclear if it’s a stall tactic or a preference, but I embrace it nonetheless. Also, the matching nightgowns…I cannot.

February 20, 2021 – 51 of 365 – Same day, different light…and different look.

February 21, 2021 – 52 of 365 – Self portrait. I did not take a single photo of my own children this day, but I took hundreds of a baby being born. It was a good day.

February 22, 2021 – 53 of 365 – Before dinner today, I gave Louisa a banana. Whenever she gets to the last part of a banana, she requests the peel be removed so she can hold what remains, sans peel. I don’t understand what exactly happened this day, but she decided not to eat that last bit of banana and instead held on to it for hours. Just toddling around, going about her business with a banana buddy. She even ate her entire dinner while grasping and refusing to give up what was by this point a disgusting banana mush that she had no intention of eating. She is a mysterious one sometimes, this child.

February 23, 2021 – 54 of 365 – Julia’s preschool asks that the kids bring in a board full of pictures of them for their in school birthday celebration. This tradition has become something that I really appreciate and look forward to. Including Florence’s boards…this is our fifth! We still have every one and the kids look at them often.

February 24, 2021 – 55 of 365 – Julia had one request for her birthday cake–trick candles. As you can see, even expecting them, they were still quite a surprise.

February 25, 2021 – 56 of 365 – If you’re keeping count, we are three birthdays in for February. By this point, Lou was sick of none of those birthdays being hers. In fact, when I brought down Julia’s birthday presents on her birthday, Louisa thought for sure one must be for her. When I informed her that they were sadly all for Julia, she burst into tears.

It’s okay though, Louisa took matters into her own hands. On her zoom music class, as I was leaving the room to collect her instruments, I heard the teachers ask about the hat she was wearing. Without missing a beat, Louisa said, “It’s my birthday!” By the time I returned, they had wished her happy birthday and decided to sing to her! So Louisa can now say that she celebrated her birthday in February too.