No, today's was not the first playdate that she attended. But, it was the first playdate that she actively participated in.
Just look at how comfortable she was, lounging in the shade on the first beautiful day we've had since I can't remember.
I didn't time how long she stayed there, but it was surely for over thirty minutes, much of that time with me nowhere to be seen as I tried to keep an eye on her brother and sister in their wild exploration of the surrounding yard and nearby house.
Though she was at all times in the company of some other lovely mothers, I was astonished at how content Mia remained without me by her side, given how sensitive she's been of late to who picks her up or engages her in conversation.
She wasn't even phased by the frequent encroachment of her brother, noisy as he was with a push-toy in tow.
It's got me wishing that we had a deck as well, since Mia clearly was too taken by all of the sights to be seen outdoors to worry much about anything else that was going on. In the end, she never tired of lounging in her special spot- I ended up moving her only when we all made a decision to retire indoors.
Even once inside, Mia remained in high spirits; smiling, cooing, and graciously welcoming the friendly intrusions of her elder playmates. In time, when the mat lost its appeal, she briefly took refuge in my arms, however, she perked up after a stroll around the room and was soon ready to join in the fun again, this time from the seat of a jumper.
And yes, I realize that this is the recently-recalled model. No worries, I payed extra-special attention to "Mr. Sun." He made no threatening moves on my watch. Mia certainly had no issues with him. Indeed, she was far more interested in the attachment to his right, which she reached out, grabbed, and clung to for quite some time (first time I've seen her do that, by the way).
In the meantime, Michael was doing his father proud, engrossed as he was in the pretend tool station nearby.
Well, he was engrossed for a moment, anyway. He spent most of his time repeatedly making breaks for the stairs, which he can easily ascend, but not descend, independently. Who'd have thought that he'd be the one of the three who required the vast majority of my attention?
Alas, he did prove quite the distraction for me, so I got only one shot of Abby as we were preparing to leave. She's not doing anything particularly exciting here, but she does look pretty cute in her slightly-too-small choice of headwear.
I know that she's of an age where "they just grow that fast," but it's still hard to believe that just last summer, that hat was the perfect size for her.
And in one summer more, what vast changes there will be, still. Especially for little Mia. In not even four months, look how far she's come already.
