Catch me if you can...

We spent the afternoon yesterday celebrating Evelyn's birthday...it was a fun filled party with lots of good food and wonderful people. I was curious to see how Rhea would do around so much hustle and bustle (especially considering she would have to forgo her second nap so as to not miss any of the fun). She handled it all like a champ and remained good natured and interactive throughout the afternoon. We ended up staying a good five hours and even got her ready for bed (in a borrowed set of P.J.'s from Evelyn) anticipating that she would fall dead asleep as soon as her head hit the car seat...and we were right!

Luckily we were among the first to arrive so we had a few moments with Evelyn while it was still quiet and calm...well it was quiet and calm until Rhea and Evelyn saw each other. I'll do my best to describe their greeting with words, as we tried to capture it on film but unfortunately the light in the living room didn't seem to agree with our camera. I literally have 97 pictures taken throughout the day and only about 7 of them are even passable.

Anyway, they were remarkably excited to see one another. Rhea was trying to put her arms, hands, legs...well pretty much her full body on Evelyn (yelling and smiling the whole time) why Evelyn was excitedly grabbing Rhea near her neck then quickly pulling her hands to her mouth with a yell as if she was so excited she just wanted to eat her up.

Guests soon began arriving which immediately increased the noise and stranger factor. Evelyn needed a little time to adjust (having only had a 45 minute nap and working on cutting several teeth) but soon she was the star of the show...tottering around in her pretty pink party dress and showing off her many tantalizing skills. Rhea just wanted to be where Evelyn was and did her best to keep up with her...even towards the end of the day when she could barely keep her eyes open.

Here you can see them holding hands until Evelyn spies her Papa with the vacuum at which point she takes off at breakneck speed. Rhea hesitates for a minute then starts trying to chase her down. She doesn't quite get the concept of a head start so she couldn't understand the futility of her efforts. You gotta love her determination though!




These next two videos really show the difference a few months can make. The first is Rhea taking her first steps with that crazy singing, vibrating, flashing walker of Evelyn's. I was really proud of her as she spent so much time and energy trying to master that skill...even with her drooping eyelids and fatigue laden limbs.



Then, if you can catch the blur racing across the screen, Evelyn shows how it is done!



I think it is good for Rhea to spend time with Evelyn and see all that the world has to offer in the coming months. I know there will be a time in the very near future when the three and a half month difference between them will seem absolutely inconsequential. But for now the differences seem to complement each other and Rhea remains determined to catch up with Evelyn...one of these days.