September 22^nd, 2012

Night Swimming

 

     There is so much I want to remember from these past few days, these past few weeks. The sun is changing, the light is different, fall is coming. Hailey said today, "Autumn in

Phoenix is really more like spring" (pronounced ‘pring’) and  it is true.  A glorious reprieve to the heat we’ve just endured.  The animals come back. The sun feels warm, not scorching.  When a breeze blows it feels cool…not like a blast from a convection oven. 

     Little Gracie is smiling a lot and her days and nights are becoming defined, her naps are even starting to be more like baby naps, not just that twilight feeding daze of newborn slumber. Hail spends most her days in dress ups, doll house, and arts and crafts. She's learning to write letters and her name.

     We love to go on walks and explore our new neighborhood. Gracie totes along in the Bjorn (as Hail pronounces it, B Horn) sleeping and sweating on my chest. Hailey is becoming ever so independent, both by nature and because she has to with my arms full of  a new nursling all the time. She loves her sister though, that's apparent and calls her "best love" and "kisses she all up".

     Tonight I got to swim with Pie for the first time in 6 weeks and her peals and squeals of laughter ringing through the bubbles and water lifted my heart to a million heavens. I know she was having fun and she was having more fun than ever because she was back in the pool with me. We've spent a gajillion hours the two of us playing in the water in baths or pools or oceans. It's what best friends do in these warm climates. And Big Daddy and Grace-Whopper watched from the sidelines while Pie and I jumped in the deep end, raced, and went under.

     Soon little Gracie will be paddling along beside us, clumsy in her swim diaper and floaties. And then they'll be in the water and playing and doing routines and imagining things of mermaids and sisters. I'll always picture them, even then, like the little flower buds they are right now.  Night is falling and so our swimming ends. The moon comes out and stars smile down. Big white night time clouds silhouette onto the mountains. The four of us Aharts, are walking home, talking about our day, our hopes, our loves. Everything is right as it should be.