My daughter called me

Mama

for the first time today. She’s made this sound and gotten my attention, but it’s the first time Tess actually looked me in the eye and, like it was no big deal, said those precious syllables. While she acted nonchalant that it worked, she did try it again a few times to make sure. 🙂

I’ve waited 19 months for that little name, and yet it had less impact than I expected. That’s a mommy milestone, right? The thing is, I know Tess recognizes I’m her mom. I feel the momminess every minute of my day. So the closest correlation is Gotcha Day in adoption, when the court says

Your kid is your kid! Congratulations.

we love the finality, but it doesn’t actually change anything. Still, every repetition gives me a little shiver of happy. 🙂

Dave and I have been swamped with work and fun. Estelle was thrown in hard and has handled herself fabulously. Thank god – we had no other plan! The kids are getting in time in the park and long walks in their sleeping-bag covered strollers; even visits to the pumpkin festival. And we’re surviving until the weekend! Fall has most definitely arrived. This season demands choices: accepting too many projects and invites becomes more exhausting than missing a few fantastic moments. Suddenly, the urge to nest, make soup and light a fire overwhelms me. I love fall!

Remy has almost conquered crawling, and he and Tess are bonding hard. He giggles when she breathes in his general vicinity, and she’s been sharing her toys. Miracles do happen.