While I Wasn't Looking

**Note: I absolutely cannot get the paragraphs in this post to format correctly, and it's driving me nuts. I apologize in advance for the irritating hyphens between each paragraph. It was my only solution for making the blob of words somewhat readable.

Sometime during the past couple of weeks, while I've been working (or just generally not paying attention), Sara has learned to go from stomach to sitting. In fact, the past two mornings when I've entered her bedroom to pluck her from her crib, this is how she's greeted me: sitting, smiling, happily playing with her animals. (No, I don't have a picture of it. Once she sees me in her room, I can't make myself turn around and leave to grab the camera. It would momentarily break her little heart).
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Sara has quit taking a dainty sip or two of water from her cup, and now she downright chugs. And her Puffs no longer get stuck in her palms, causing them to melt before they ever hit her lips. Sometime - and I don't know when - she learned to pick them up between her thumb and forefinger and point them precisely in the direction of her mouth.

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All this, while I wasn't looking. And I'm sure there are - and will be - other things, too.

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Back before Sara started going to daycare (which I like to call school because it sounds ... well, better), I assured myself that she would only learn to do new things in my presence. Milestones would only be accomplished when I was around to witness them. While I've always been quick to proclaim that I'm a proud working woman, I'm finally humbled enough to admit now that, yes, I am missing out. These days, our evenings and weekends are so precious, which is why you haven't heard from me in over a week. (That, and my brain is already back to working only certain hours of the day).

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The past couple of mornings, as I've gone out to get the paper, I've noticed that the temp is hanging somewhere in the low-60 range. And in the afternoons, we've been enjoying a cool 87-ish with a breeze (87 here really can feel pretty perfect ... like with anything else, temperature is relative). Point is, fall is coming. I so, so, so love the fall. It's starting to smell like fall outside, and the new candle I just lit even smells like fall to me. Still, if the smells themselves are not enough, there is one telltale sign that has to be: football. NFL preseason is well underway, and college kicks-off next week. Love it, love it, love it. Isn't it simply one of the most wonderful times of the year?

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Speaking of football, last night Steve and I, along with Big Steve and Mark, went to the Cowboys game. Steve, Mark, and a few friends purchased season tickets for this, the inaugural season in the new stadium (seriously, it's the Disney World of stadiums), so they'll be at all home games. With any luck, I'll be invited to a few more, too. It was so fun to get out and be part of the festivities. The stadium made quite the impression. Truly, it's amazing. And the foot long hot dogs were pretty excellent, too.

Even Sara, who stayed home and played with Grandma B. during the game, donned the appropriate game day gear.

Hope you are enjoying the signs of fall as much as we are. I promise to try really hard not to wait so long between posts next time. Have a great week!