Playtime!

Today was a big day in Madeline's budding social life. For the first time, she had a playdate with another baby.

The fact that Madeline has not spent much time around other kids is something I have been thinking about recently, now that she's becoming more social and inquisitive. One drawback to not having her in daycare is that she doesn't get regular time around other tots, and we don't have family, neighbors or close friends that have babies and live nearby.

But we do have coworkers. In an odd bit of timing, some half-dozen of the people that either Lacey or I work with had babies at about the same time Madeline was born. Today one of Lacey's coworkers brought his wife and 9-month-old daughter to our house for a visit.

Of course, the two girls didn't technically play together - they stared at each other for a bit, and then started to play with toys on their own while sitting next to each other. Madeline's guest has been in daycare and was vocally cheerful from the beginning of today's session, while Madeline - who was jumping around and laughing moments earlier - became quietly watchful when the visitors arrived.

But Madeline opened up after a while, and the two babbled pleasantly at each other while trading toys. After about an hour both babies started to show signs of fatigue.

I think it was a great experience for Madeline and hope to be able to arrange more playdates soon. It's good for the kids, who can start mastering their social skills, and fun for their parents, who like watching cute babies play.

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(In case you're wondering why one of Madeline's friend's feet is exposed in the top picture - Madeline's first order of business upon being introduced to her new friend was removing her sock!)