The New Friday Night

We held happy hour on the porch with Laurel and fed her butternut squash and avocado, and she finished the meal giggling, but also covered in the sticky remnants of her dinner. We drank wine and snacked on hard-boiled eggs and potato salad leftovers. The weather was pleasant. Neighbors waved. We shared stories about our day and babbled back at Laurel.

Next was bath time and a squirmy little girl who can't help but try to stand up in the tub over and over again. Who squeals every time she squirts her water bottle at her mama. Who loves to be naked and prolongs the moment by wiggling away from her diaper no less than 7 times before it's firmly pinned on.

Then, bedtime with daddy, while I eavesdrop from the next room, hearing his voice rhythmically rising and falling with a story book. He'll rock her and kiss her and place her ever so gently in the crib before tiptoeing out to the rest of Friday night.