Even though we've worked out the dinner timing so that Daniel almost always eats right before we sit down to our own meal, he's not been a very pleasant dining companion of late. We set him next to us in his aquarium bouncy chair on the floor, but he soon tires of that entertainment and creates a fuss. In the last two weeks John and I have become quite adept at one-handed eating because we've had to pick him up to stop the wailing. We decided that what he really wanted was to be part of the action, so on Friday, I readjusted the highchair straps to the infant settings and let him sit there. No fussing from him or from Edward, who was convinced that sitting on our ancient green step-stool was a major treat. We know the transition was a success in that regard because when Edward threw his ball this morning and it bounced into the kitchen under the highchair, he shouted "It hit Daniel's seat!"

This week was picture day at the daycare. We somehow had a few extra minutes in the morning before we left, and I managed to snap a couple of pictures. I had set Daniel on Edward's bed for a moment and Edward wanted to climb up next to him. Apparently the school photographer also got a shot of both boys together (this option is offered, but I hadn't requested it because it seemed like too much to ask of the daycare staff who already have enough to keep them on the run!) So we'll see how those turn out.

We ended up having another spontaneous photo session on Saturday when Edward asked to hold Daniel. He doesn't ask very often, but he usually is interested when he brings it up. Daniel had just woken up from a nap and was surprisingly subdued so Ed was able to hold him for quite a while before he started wiggling away. It's hard enough to get a good shot of one kid, and this was another reminder of the near impossibility of one shot that captures both boys' best looks. Each of them had a great shot where the other was not at the top of his game. Here are the two we wish we could somehow stitch together:
















Here's the best alternative:Daniel is getting closer to sleeping through the night. If only I could hold him off until after 9 p.m. for his last meal, I think we'd be there. But he's been hungry and exhausted closer to 8 so that's been his bedtime lately. Friday and Saturday nights he needed his pacifier a few times, but didn't demand more food until after 5 a.m. Unfortunately, he thought that playtime should follow that breakfast and we weren't too keen on starting our day that early. I guess we just have to consider it a step along the path to returning to a normal sleeping pattern. Speaking of sleep, I can't believe he slept long enough to allow a complete blog post. I sat down to prep the photos and assumed I'd be interrupted at some point before finishing the project. Daniel was awake when we got to church this morning, but conked out soon after mass started and snoozed right through to the end. (Good thing too because Edward can be a handful, though I was reminded of why I keep taking him when I heard him echo "Thanks be to God" after the congregation's response to the first reading.) We've now been home for nearly an hour and he's still asleep in the car seat. As much as I hate lugging that thing around, I do love the ability to extend car naps into the house!