5 years old

AJ turned 5 today. We kept our celebration small; her favorite foods, a cake, a few gifts at home with just our immediate family. The glow on her face as her eyes reflected the light from the candles was a sight to treasure. The cameras are all packed away, so I'll have to remember it by writing it here. She seemed quite happy with our little celebration.

She was reading aloud today so expressively and well that I was amazed even having heard her reading all these weeks. She has an ear for cadence and tone that makes her a better oral reader than many adults. I printed off two different reading level evaluations and had her try both of them, and on both of them she scored at a 4th grade level.

MM is making progress in her reading, too. She knows how to sound out words; right now she mainly needs to gain confidence. She tested somewhere between a kindergarten and first grade level today. Not bad for a 3-year-old.

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Both girls are beside themselves with excitement that we're leaving in the morning. All week, they've been begging to go to Mexico "right now!"

I still have some packing to do, and have finished only one of the raincoats. (Did I mention that I've never sewed a garmet with either a zipper or buttons before? It was harder than I expected, as things usually are.) Baby E has been less than cooperative about letting me get ready to go this week. I think she's cutting another tooth or three.

The nursing-friendly bathing suit I ordered from Motherwear came today. It has no lining or support of any kind in the bodice.

Who in their right mind would make a nursing swimsuit so that a single layer of thin spandex is covering most of the bust???? Plus, the way it's designed it's impossible to nurse the baby in it without full exposure. Not to mention that it's extremely uncomfortable.

I would have been better off to wear a normal bathing suit and just wear a shirt or blanket over it when I need to nurse. But it's too late now to run out and buy a bathing suit that has actual, you know, coverage. I was so disappointed and frustrated I cried.

After the fiasco with my last Motherwear order, where the sizing was so badly messed up that shirts were 4 inches smaller than their stated size and the XS was about 3 sizes bigger than the S, and the quality and poor customer service issues I've had, I doubt I'll ever buy from them again.

Motherhood isn't much better, though. There just aren't that many options when it comes to clothing designed for nursing. I'm going to have to start sewing my own. Regular T-shirts are ok in general, but when I have several yards of fabric wrapped tightly around my waist and shoulders for carrying the baby, it makes a higher opening almost a necessity if I want to nurse in the wrap.

Hopefully Baby E will go to sleep now and I'll be able to finish packing quickly so I don't pull another all-nighter (last night I was up until almost 5). But whatever happens, we'll be off to Mexico in the morning. I'm expecting that we'll have a wonderful time!