Turning a corner?

Yesterday was the first day that really felt like spring. The temps have been creeping closer to 80 and the air seems a bit fresher (don't get me wrong - AQI is still off the charts compared to the accepted norms in the States...). We spent a long time outside and it felt wonderful. In the morning we played soccer on the big field, followed by swimming in the pool!!! After naps we hit the playground. Scout is a week shy of 1 year and has really been growing a ton recently. She has begun some baby sign language and her personality is really starting to bloom. While the girls were napping yesterday we looked at some pictures taken around Lucy's first birthday, and we were as astonished by the differences between them as we were by the similarities. Lucy looks unmistakably like...Lucy (surprise, surprise) at age one. And so we can only assume that Scout's little features are now here to stay, and it is so fun to see her come into her own. 

As she has become more mobile recently with the acquisition of bipedal travel, her ability to keep up with Lucy has greatly improved. This has been great for Scout, but often frustrating for Lucy, who is constantly seeing her "constructions" knocked over or babies awoken. 

I find myself watching them interact and often daydreaming about how these interactions will play out in two years. Scout will be three, Lucy six, and they will be sharing the v-berth on Momo. I am sure such close quarters will only serve to magnify the times of bonding and times of battle, but I can't wait to see it all unfold. One of my bedtime rituals with Lucy has been to make up future adventure stories of Lucy and Scout during their travels on Momo. Each story is different, but they always end the same way - with either Amie or me tucking the girls into the v-berth at bedtime. Lucy absolutely loves hearing these tales, and I must admit I thoroughly enjoy telling them. I like to think they may help, in some way, to plant the seed of successful v-berth cohabitation. 

We are officially three weeks away from Apple Duke and Maria's arrival, which we are so excited about. We will spend a few days taking them around Delhi and then we all head to Sri Lanka for a week of surfing. All of a sudden it all doesn't seem too far away...