Applesauce, Bath Time, and Bedtime

Four little apples have been sitting in our fruit basket for weeks, which is far too long. They were withered and shriveled and, as Rachel put it, “kinda scary” so today we decided to get rid of them by making applesauce. Rachel wanted to help cut the apples and threw a fit when I told her she couldn’t, so I let her stand by me and put each piece in the pot after I had finished cutting so she felt like she was helping. It worked.

“Oh, Mommy! Helping make applesauce is so much fun! It’s kind of like a game…only it’s not a game. It’s real!”

We sang songs to Miriam while the apples boiled down and then I took off the skins and let Rachel help mash them. She did more eating than mashing, I think.

Rachel loves applesauce. Yesterday I went visiting teaching to Jill and brought Rachel with me. Before we left, Jill gave her a little cup of applesauce. Today we went over to Jill’s house to play and Rachel decided she was hungry.

“Mom, I’m hungry. I want some applesauce.”

“I don’t have any applesauce.”

“I know. But Jill does!”

Touché.

“But we came here to play with Tuesday, not to eat her food.”

“But I want to eat Tuesday’s food.”

Jill took pity on her and the lucky girl scored another cup of applesauce this afternoon and then had a ton of applesauce after we finished making this batch this evening. Unfortunately, she couldn’t finish what was in her bowl.

“I’ve kind of had too much applesauce today,” she excused herself.

More for me, I guess.

I put her to bed and then gave Miriam a bath. This poor girl was so spitty-uppy today. She’d start spitting up and it would just keep coming and coming and coming. I swear milk multiplies in her tummy or something. Both of us smell like sour milk. So yummy!

Today was special because I bathed Miriam by herself, and because I bathed her by herself, I just gave her a bath in the kitchen sink. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before (with either Miriam or Rachel) but I totally see how it’s practical—it doesn’t use much water, you don’t have to bend over, and instead of toweling off you can just leave ‘em in the draining rack when you’re done (kidding).

She loved it. And now she smells like clean baby.

Last night was probably the best night of my life; the girls are really spoiling me. They were both in bed by ten o’clock and they both slept until eight in the morning—neither of them woke up once. Tonight they were both in bed by 10:30…here’s hoping this is a new trend. I kind of like not having to get up at three o’clock in the morning, although I still woke up then last night (just in case) and wondered what to do with myself. What? No crying child?

It didn’t take me long to figure out that I should just go back to sleep.