I’m in a bit of a summer lull. There’s just something about the sound of neighborhood sprinklers at dusk that switches my mind into a slower, duller setting. I’m good for nothing but lie by a pool, which makes things complicated because we don’t have a pool and I have a full time job.

My boss went on vacation and brought me an embroidered lavender sachet from Paris. I’ve smelled it a million times. We’ve also been eating a lot of carrots and celery a lot lately, which also seems very French. Our 100+ temps and wilted hydrangea bushes? That doesn’t seem very French.

Jane is in love with stickers. For a while it was crayons, but now it’s stickers. She isn’t satisfied until she’s covered her face and arms with them, and then mine as well. Then 30 minutes later she pulls them off and says “ouch, you hurt me” to every sticker.

I finally finished painting her bedroom, only to discover a huge section of wall that needs another coat. I don’t think Jane will notice, so we’re in the clear for now.

She’s so big all of a sudden. I turn on her twinkle lights at night,  and she crawls in bed with her books. We let her read for another hour, and when I go in to turn out the lights I usually find her like this, asleep mid-book with her pacifier. She only uses pacifiers at night now. In the morning she wakes up and says, “Pacy only for night night.” I know we should take it away permanently, but it seems to be the last vestiges of her babyhood. So for now, we let her keep it.