Happy birthday, K.T.!

Penny's fingers are fine. Her teacher convinced her to put a little ice on them, and a few minutes later, she was perfectly normal. By the time she got home last night, you could barely see where the skin had peeled off, and she didn't seem to have so much as a bruise.

Babies bounce. (And kids, too.)

Alex seems to have gone back to sleeping through the night, thank goodness and knock on wood. He was awake but calm when I went to get him this morning, happily kicking his legs and looking around his crib.

And he continues to eat well and happily; I'm slowly increasing the size of his cereal portions each day. Next week, we'll have them start giving him cereal at school once or twice a day, and the week after that, I'll start introducing him to the "yellow" vegetables. (Squash, carrots, etc.) Zip zip zoom!

I was standing in the kitchen yesterday at lunchtime, waiting on the microwave. Becky came in. "Did you finish the book?" she asked, referring to the book for our book club.

"No," I admitted. "I forgot to order it, and then I couldn't find it at the used bookstore... I'll just listen, I guess."

"I've got it in the car," she said. "You want to borrow it?"

"Sure, what the heck? I can probably get a couple of chapters done before tonight, anyway."

It turned out to be a fast read, and a good book. No, I mean really fast. By the time I got to book club, I was only a chapter from the end. I ignored the general chat to finish it.

I only realized last night that today would begin the month of May. I mean, I knew it was coming, but it just kind of hit me last night that April was already over. And now here's May, and Mother's Day is around the corner.

Last year for Mother's Day, Matt gave me the most awesome gift: Hand-made gift certificates, promising me dinner (or at least a meal) at several restaurants that I really enjoy but which we don't get to very often.

Of course there are reasons we don't get to them very often. So now, nearly a year later, there's still one left.

We're going to use it today, for lunch. I can't wait; it really is one of my favorite (but not very kid-friendly) restaurants.