We should have bought more rubber mulch.

Today we went to the Galleria to look at watches and, like the bear who went over the mountain, also just to see what we could see. We first visited our secret third-floor hiding spot and let the babies hang onto the balcony rails and stair at the people shopping below. Carmen passed her foot between the rails and shook it. Rattled at the thought of Carmen squeezing between the rails and falling onto the floor below, we decided to march over to the Fossil store. Carmen protested but quickly forgot her problems when we walked into the shiny watch store. We couldn't find what we wanted, so decided to see what watches we might find at Foley's. By this point, Carmen was bored, bored, bored.

In just minutes, Carmen found herself happily staggering among the clothes in the Juniors' department on the first floor of the store--alone. She refused to hold Matt's hand. In wonder at her sudden determination to go somewhere, Matt hovered over her as she scrambled out into the mall and toddled toward an escalator (of course). We swooped her up and let her complain all the way back to car (where, again, she forgot all her problems).

Then this evening, Matt and I turned around and found Carmen up on the futon, and preparing to do her most favorite thing--jump on it. We struggled to make those serious, parent-ly faces that you're supposed to make when you tell a toddler not to do those things that are naughty or dangerous. "Oh, no, no, no, Carmen," snicker, snicker, "the couch is not for jumping." Snicker, snicker.

Then Matt realized today while brushing his teeth that the side of the bathtub is about the same height as the futon. In fact, it is a wee bit lower. How long until she figures that out and falls in?

We should have bought more rubber mulch.

---

What did David do today? Oh, not much, except show us that he is the yummiest little boy ever. At lunch he ate what looked like 1/2 of a turkey thigh, and smeared the gravy all over his little round face. Then at dinner we took turns eating an apple (he took a bite, then he gave it to me to take a bite, then took it back to take another bite . . .). Now he smells a little like Thanksgiving. Must do another bath, but tomorrow. No bath tonight.