8 Months and Standing

So, Cora turned 8 months old this week . . . sigh . . . in the infinitely wise words of Dolly Parton "Time marches on, and sooner or later you realize it is marching across your face!" Or maybe that was just Penny at 4 a.m. when she realized that she did not have her evening constitutional. Nothing like waking up to a wet dog nose just scant millimeters from your lips, but I digress. . .

Anyway, Cora and I are in a pretty good routine now. After she has her morning nap and midday snack, we usually like to get out of the house for a little while. This usually involves a trip to one of the nearby big-box retailers. This does not usually end up being a free outing. All I can say is I heart Target and all the inexpensive wonders it holds behind its bright red doors. Today I was determined to do something that I knew would be free. After much discussion, Cora and I settled on the public library. The library near me has just been remodeled and has a quite extensive children's area. In my own humble (but accurate) opinion, it surpasses the grown-up section. In the children's area there was a little toddler play place with some fun (and highly hygienic, I'm sure) toys. Of course, Cora begged me to play with them, and how could I resist her sweet little face! I stood her up in front of one of the toy tables, and lo and behold little missy held herself up. She looked so excited, as if a whole new world had opened up to her. I was so excited for her. . . well, 95% excited. . .the other 5% felt like "dead-legging" her and scolding her for growing up too fast. Here she is getting her play on.