Rose-18 Months

Of course this is late (in fact, this started as a 15 month update then time became what it was). Turns out-having 2 toddlers (and in a pandemic!) is hard! But here is an update on our sweet Rosie Pose. She's growing up so fast!

Date: 18 months on August 20, 2021

Height: 31.3 inches, as of August 26 doctor's appointment. 

Weight: 24 lbs. 1.5 oz. (as of most recent appointment)

Sleeping Pattern: Rose transitioned to 1 nap shortly after she turned one and it's settled into a pretty good routine. She starts getting ready around 12:30pm and is usually down in her crib (and usually asleep) by 12:40. The ideal is for her to nap for about 2 hours but it's a complete question on any day how long she will sleep (she keeps teething so that makes for some bad nap days). She always just goes to bed early however long she was shy of 2 hours for her nap (so if she sleeps 1.5 hours for her nap then she goes to bed 30 minutes early). Bedtime's ideal is to start at 7pm but it's usually earlier than that because of the naps not making it to 2 hours (recently we've started doing 6:30 as the earliest her bedtime would start.) But once she's down she usually sleeps fine all night until morning.

Eating Habits: Up until July we were still doing 2 nursing sessions-morning and night. Mostly so that I could potentially give some antibodies to Rose since I got fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in May. A couple weeks ago, though, I fully weaned her off (and she was absolutely ready for it, she didn't mind at all lol. It probably was more emotional for me than for her.) Rose also eats 3 meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and 1 post nap snack. She's still a really great eater overall, though definitely more selective than she used to be. Meat doesn't seem to be her favorite, though she'll eat some. She really loves guacamole, carbs, fruit, Indian food, beans, and most vegetables. Every day is different on what she's going to want to eat and how much but she's pretty easy actually. I'm usually fairly confident she'll eat some of most things offered to her. And now that she can communicate better she'll tell me us if she wants more or is all done or pretty much just anything since she just fully talks now lol. 

Development & Firsts: A LOT has happened since lady turned 1. Rose now has 12 teeth (3/7 she got her top left lateral incisor, 4/19 she got her top right later incisor, sometime in May her top left 1 year molar cut through, 6/4ish she got her bottom right 1 year molar, 6/6ish her bottom left lateral incisor, 6/25ish her other 2 molars, and 7/16 right lateral incisor). Lots of teething has been happening (and still is-those canines haven't come through yet!) Rose started walking in earnest like right after she turned 1 and now just walks and runs (usually chasing James) everywhere. She also tries really hard to jump but, so far, no luck lol. She loves to dance and twirl (usually until she gets dizzy and needs to sit). She can play on her own now and frequently likes to yell "hide!" and hide in the play teepee we have, or "build" and build with blocks. She pretty much wants to do everything the rest of us do-which results in her picking a lot of things up very quickly, and also being entirely too influenced by her brother's antics at times. She drinks out of an open cup, uses utensils to eat, runs and gets shoes and tries to put them on when we go outside, tries (and sometimes somewhat succeeds) to put her clothes on, puts headbands on, looks at books as if she's reading them, puts things away (while saying "put away!"), tries to help clean, etc. Communication is just fully there at this point-I'll get into it more in the talking section but she's saying more and more words every day and comprehends everything and can communicate and respond. She'll do what you ask her to do and ask for what she wants and answer when you ask her questions. And potty training snuck up on me. Around 15 months she started asking to go to the potty (even taking herself to it/taking her own diaper off) and so we started letting her use it when she asked and that eventually evolved into using it before her naps and bedtime too. We started potty training her for real not long after she turned 18 months and she's been doing really well!

Mischief:  So Rose isn't really mischievous but sometimes I think she looks mischievous because even if she does something she shouldn't she just is perpetually pleased and pleasant and smiley so it seems like mischief buuut she's not usually big on doing things for which people will get upset. She may think something is a game at first but if she knows you're unhappy then she tends to get unhappy. Most of the time it's either her exploring (aka getting into) everything or imitating something her brother did. She does make a lot of loud yells and noises too and of course when she's mad she will scream and tantrum it up also. She'll also frequently respond to questions (usually about if she has to go potty) with, "Me? Noo." She is absolutely assertive and full of emotions-but mischief isn't the big one lol. 

Cuteness: All the things that have always made Rose a cutie remain true-she's just a sweet and snuggly and affectionate little dumpling. She is definitely looking and acting more like a toddler than a baby (*sob*) but I so so love this age. It's so much fun and so adorable. Rose has such a fun and silly sunshiney personality. She's always talking and singing and exclaiming things like "ta da!" She's even started making up her own songs ("little baby dodo in the skyyyy!") and emphatically demanding we sing or play her favorite songs--which include Hey Mickey, The Greatest Show, Let it Go, and Do You Want to Build a Snowman. She'll even move her lips if she knows the song she's hearing someone sing. The lady is definitely not shy about telling us (or yelling at us) what she wants. I get frequent demands of "picture!" (usually because she's doing something that she has figured out/decided is cute) and then "le-me-see" so I must show it to her. She loves looking at pictures of herself in the photo albums too-she'll point and call "Baby Ro! Baby Ro!" After learning how to say her own name, it took her almost no time to begin walking around and pointing to things she wanted with a declarative, "Ro!" Now she'll also proudly and amusedly inform us "Ro do that" (like if she did something...or if she wants to do something) or "James do that" (either because she's impressed by something he did or thinks it's hilarious he did something he should not have). Speaking of James: I mean there cannot possibly be a brother and sister who love each other more. She always asks for him if he's not around, she loves to play with him, they're still always hugging and smooching. Watching them chase each other around and giggling is just the sweetest. One time after getting them both up from nap, they were going downstairs together and Rose just declared, "I love you, bruhbah." And he said, "I love you too, Rose." She came back, "I love you so muuuch!" "I love YOU so much Rose!" and yeah you know my heart grew a million sizes. She's the most ride or die wingman for him. He was randomly running around with a toy mop singing one day and she just took one look at him and immediately grabbed a toy broom and started running and singing with him, fully committed. She also still loves loving on pretty much any toy or stuffed animal, but especially their baby doll. She loves to grab it to dance with-holding it in the air and spinning. She's also enjoyed showing the baby how to use the potty lol. Somewhere along the way she started being able to play by herself, which is super cool. Definitely getting more independent and always trying to help ("Ro put away" and then running to put whatever it is away). She's still such a snuggle bug too, though. She'll frequently put her arms up for "uppa" or "carry you". Or she'll just say so sweetly and emphatically, "Myyyyy mama, myyyy dada, myyyyy bruhbah." (Once, after she had badgered James for a piece of his cheese and he eventually gave in, she exclaimed, "MYYYY cheese!") It never takes long for her sweet to turn to silly lol. She legit has tried to hug the water during her baths (she also enjoys laying in it, just relaxing and not wanting to get up sometimes). Her frequent desire to just lay and cuddle with the ground, or whatever really, has been given the name of "mmm, down" by her. Anytime there's sunshine on the ground is a favorite occasion for "mmm, down." Poor baby isn't gonna be too pleased with fall. On one of the first fully cloudy days she walked all around the house calling, "Sunshine? Where are you sunshine?" Oh our little sunshine. I'll never get tired of her laying her head on my shoulder, sucking her thumb, then removing her thumb just enough to say, "I love you mommy." 

Nicknames: Rosie, Rose Rose, Roses (Michael's mom calls her this), Rosie Posy, Rose Pose, Pose/Posy, Baby Rose, Miss Rosie, Baby girl, Pretty girl, Lady, Young Lady, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "The Chub/Chubby/Chub-a-lub" (James' favorite nicknames for her), Hey You (which she repeats), Pork buns (when her hair is in 2 buns), Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Sweetie pie, Cutie-girl, Silly girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Muffin, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above, or whatever pops into our head in that moment. She also calls herself "Baby" and "Ro"/ "Rosie". 

Talking: Like I said earlier, we're really able to communicate with Rose now-which is so cool. A big turning point was her learning how to say no (or, more accurately, "nnnNOoooo") so she could actually answer yes or no questions. Then she started repeating like every word she heard and her vocabulary just exploded. She then started saying sentences ("Rose want pillow", "I don't think so", "I love you, brother-so much!" etc.) and yeah she's just a person, talking away, telling us her thoughts and desires and stuff. She can identify all the colors (and is starting to work on counting to 10, she usually skips 4 and 7 for some reason lol). I love her little voice and being able to start talking with her is the best! We've got very verbal kids, go figure lol. 

Favorites: James, mommy, and daddy. When James reads to her or kisses or hugs her or does something she thinks is funny. When daddy plays with her and makes her go "dadaaaa!" Snuggles. Kisses. Belly buttons. Books. Dancing. Singing. Dresses. Shoes. Headbands. Bows. Accessories/dressing up in general. Outside and going on walks. People. Babies (still especially her little cousin Juliet) and her baby doll/any toy or item or character from something that looks like a person or baby. Animals and making animal sounds. Stuffed animals, pillows, and soft blankets and snuggling them. The sunshine. Toys. Food (especially certain foods. Her reaction to guacamole is hilariously intense- "mo! Guac-a-moleeee!") Helping. Doing anything James does. Affection and attention and fun and happiness and love!

Dislikes: Being kept or taken from what she wants. Being yelled at/scolded. Getting hurt. Teething. 

Concerns: Ya know, COVID and COVID related stuff. As per usual. Crossing my fingers we can get the baby girl vaxxed before her 2nd birthday. 

A Day in the Life: (This is pre-potty training since we didn't start until after she turned 18 months) Everyone's up around 7:30 (sometimes they may wake up earlier but that's when I wake up lol). I get James then we get Rose (who is very happy to see us). We go downstairs and give the kids their waters and they play while I get their breakfast ready (usually fruit and something else like yogurt, cereal, toast, etc.) Then we play for a little bit before lunch time at 10:30. After lunch we play some more and then at 12:30 Rose goes potty, washes hands, brushes teeth, we put her in a diaper and pjs + sleepsack, then lay her down in her crib. Usually I get everyone up from their naps around 2:40 and then give Rose (and sometimes James) a snack. We play some more, I make dinner, then we eat around 5ish. After dinner we hang out for a bit-maybe do a video call or someone's bath-then bedtime starts around 7 or earlier to compensate for a short nap. Michael and I take turns every other day-one person says goodnight to things downstairs (including James), then does potty, wash hands, floss teeth, brush teeth, diaper, lotion, pjs, sleepsack, and reads to her. The other person comes up and sings to her, says goodnight to the various elephants in her room, then lays her down for bed. Sometimes she falls asleep fairly shortly after and oftentimes she talks for a bit in there before falling asleep. And that's it!

Rose-12 months!

This update took me forever to write because 1-there's so much and 2-I've been insanely busy. So a lot of things have changed since the beginning of me writing this but I'm going to try to keep it as true to where she was when she was just turning 12 months, ok? Ok! (Also-MY BABY IS 1 *sob*)

Date: February 20, 2021

Height: 28 inches (this is approximate, we measured her ourselves when the measurement from her doctor's appointment didn't make any sense. They said she was 29.5 inches-no way lol)

Weight: 20 lbs. 15.1 oz. (as of her doctor's appointment on the 22nd)

Sleeping Pattern: Same 2 nap routine (10-11am nap and 2-3pm nap)! She started taking a little longer to fall asleep/waking earlier recently-ish so now we're working on a 1 nap transition but this past month

has been mostly smooth sleep-wise! Rose's sleepy time pose is still here, also, if anyone was wondering. Right thumb in mouth, left hand twirls her hair. If she's tired (or sometimes if she's upset or teething) she'll assume the sleepy pose. 

Eating Habits: Pretty much the same-she definitely is starting to wean herself and not nurse as much though, especially during her middle 2 feedings (since writing this both of her middle of the day feedings have been dropped). She drinks and then tries to roll away or just play with me when she's done (she's a particularly big fan of sticking her fingers in my mouth, eyes, nose, etc.) Solids are good too! She's been doing 3 meals and 1 snack. She'll eat almost anything, she is always impressing me. The other night she went CRAZY on some (pretty spicy) guacamole and she'll happily gobble up veggies, fruit, and carbs. Meat is still a little more meh for her but she'll still eat some. She has unfortunately fully entered the food throwing stage (usually when she's either done, isn't into the food right then, or wants attention). She is generally happiest though when she's eating like us, so she prefers to have adult utensils and even requests a plate sometimes. Her yelling for food requests have been helped slightly by teaching her the signs for "please" and "thank you"--now she'll earnestly sign please (or sometimes a preemptive thank you lol) to ask for something or more of something. It's VERY cute.  

Development & Firsts: I remember this from James, too-something about turning 1 seems to just come along with lots of firsts and big development leaps! Obviously, Rose celebrated her 1st birthday! She really enjoyed herself, lots of attention=happy Rosie. She had her 1st chocolate chip cookie (her reaction was thoughtful, unsure, and overall pretty mild lol). She also smashed her (albeit only fruit and maple syrup sweetened) cake with great enthusiasm. We had a little Zoom party with her grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins for singing Happy Birthday and watching her eat her cake. She got her 4th tooth (top right central incisor) on 1/22 so now she has an even 4 in her cheesy little grin. She starting standing for a long time independently and then on 2/12 took her 1st (two) steps! She's still only taking a few steps at a time and overall seems not terribly interested in it. She usually does it when reaching for something and then she either gets it or decides to plop on her bottom and crawl to it. She is also now able to stand from any position, she frequently will drop down into little squats then come back up. I can feel the real walking is so close, she just needs to want it lol. Before she took her 1st steps she kept faking us out-she'd put her arms out to us while standing and make like she'd walk but then PLOP on her bottom. In other developmental news, Rose has become SO communicative and can very clearly tell what's going on.  One time James was going potty and asked for me to bring him a book, he was describing the book and before I'd figured out which one it was Rose had already grabbed it and was crawling with it to the bathroom to give him. She'll bring us books to read to her all the time and will often do motions with them (she'll hold out her hands, drum, hum, etc. in "Hand Hand Fingers Thumb", shake her head for the "no, daddy" part of "Hair Love", etc.) She also does animal noises for any animal she sees. (She can currently do fish, bunny, dog, cat, elephant, tiger/lion, dinosaur, dragon, giraffe, crocodile, monkey, cow, chicken, rooster, sheep/goat/llama-"ahhh" for all 3, pig, duck, butterfly, penguin, frog, horse...I think that's it lol). She's starting to identify body parts (she has nose mouth, hair, feet, hands, and belly down--since starting this post she also has become very into belly buttons which she calls "beh buhs". She usually gets eyes and knees also. The rest we're working on lol.) She's saying more and more words, too, but we'll get into that in the talking section (we've also taught her to sign "please" and "thank you/your welcome"). She's started coloring with crayons and actually does super well with it! Oh and 1 thing happened that just blew my mind (technically a week after she turned 1): she was taking a bath and started grabbing the letters they play with in there. She kept holding up letters and pointing for me to identify them. After the 3rd letter I realized they were all orange (there are like 5 different colors) and I asked her to get the rest of the orange ones. And she did. She proceeded to pick all the orange ones and put them together. Like-WHAT? She's a smart little girl and is always watching and paying attention and learning all the time.  

Mischief:  Rosie is still not super mischievous (even though her big brother did say to her "Rose you've got some mischief on your face" lol). She still has fun being playful and crawling extremely fast away from you. But honestly the biggest things are her dropping food (annoying but could be worse. Usually it's just when she's pretty much done,), and her ear piercing yells/cries when things don't go the way she wants. So ya know...she's a toddler now. Doing a tantrum. It's always very loud and very sad. For being such a happy sunshine girl most of the time when she is upset she is UPSET. 

Cuteness: Look. Just....Rose loves to snuggle. LOVES IT. Soft thing? Must hold it and cuddle it and say "mmmm." Ray of sunshine on the carpet? Will lay face down on that patch of sun and say, "mmmm." Is that a baby doll? Calls "baby!" (well, "behbeh") and hugs it, rocks it, and pats it, while humming, "mmmm." Sees her adorable new baby cousin, Juliet, in a picture on my phone or on Facetime? Probably screams in excitement and says "hiiii" and THEN grabs it in a hug and says, "mmmmm." She has an actual hug pose that she'll use to tell you that she wants to hug something (she folds her right arm towards her face as if she's holding and snuggling something). If she sees anyone else hugging-she also needs a hug. If James is being sweet to her or has a soft thing himself-she will snuggle him (and if he hugs her back or kisses her-which he 99% of the time does-she will double down on the intensity of her cuddle and also kiss him and/or also give squeals and laughs and grins). If she's sleepy she will lay her head on your shoulder while she sucks her thumb and twirls her hair. Sometimes after I've fed her, before I put her in her crib at bedtime, she reaches up to find my face and leans forward to give me a big but gentle kiss. She loves to climb into James' bed and they'll snuggle and give each other kisses (or play and laugh and play peek-a-boo with the blankets lol. Nobody makes her laugh as hard as he does. They are the cutest together, it makes my heart so happy.) Sometimes he'll also get in her crib with her and she grins so hard and laughs and bounces up in down in excitement. Sometimes she'll mush her face against ours in like a face snuggle--one time she mushed my face to hers extra close and said "yay!" I DIED OF HAPPINESS. She also likes to make Michael and I kiss. We'll give each other a big kiss in front of her and go "muahhh!" and she'll smile and then immediately push our faces back together (saying, "muah!")--she's quite strong. Sometimes she'll join the kiss or ask each of us for a kiss and then push our faces towards each other again. It's freaking adorable. Her little grin with those 4 little teeth is just too much. Especially how she scrunches her nose up into her little "snoot" face or when she starts sniffing because she sees flowers or a bunny or for no apparent reason just because she's a cute little silly. It's so cute how she climbs up into the little kid-sized rocker we have or when she grabs a book and brings it over and climbs into your lap for your to read it. It's so sweet how much she loves Hair Love (and the head shaking for "no daddy"). She also loves to play with the doctor kit and will put the stethoscope to her chest and say "bum bum". She also tries to put it around her neck so she's the doctor. I'm completely obsessed with how cute it is when she signs please or thank you. It's hard to resist that little hand rubbing chest ("please") with her big pleading eyes. One time after Rose had a bad nap and I went to get her she gave me such a huge smile of relief and signed thank you (hand on mouth--looks like blowing a kiss) to me and oh my gooooodness. That sweet baby. I love how she just wants to be like us. She just wants to play with James or do what we're all doing. She rubs her hands together when she sees me putting lotion on or James washing his hands, she'll pretend to spit after she watches him brush his teeth, she wants to use grown up silverware and even have a plate on her tray because she just wants to be a big girl and do what her family is. Too cute. She just loves people so much. She will enthusiastically wave and call "hiiii!" at every car or person or dog she sees happen by. She will demand to be a part of any video call happening (to the point of crawling over and calling "hiiii!") and just treats whoever is on that call with big happy grins. My brother had his 1st baby, Juliet, at the end of January and Rose has been completely enamored with every picture of her or anytime we get to video call with them. She gets so excited and she wants to hug and kiss her, it's the cutest. She'll hug and kiss the phone on the regular, really. Her little affectionate mind will be blown when she's actually able to give her grandparents a real hug or kiss. I just love how she manages to make every person feel special and loved. It's a very magical superpower.

Nicknames: Rosie, Rose Rose, Roses (Michael's mom calls her this), Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Miss Rosie, Baby girl, Pretty girl, Lady, Young Lady, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "The Chub/Chubby/Chub-a-lub" (James calls her that), Pork buns (when her hair is in 2 buns), Dumpling (mostly Michael calls her that), Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Sweetie pie, Cutie-girl, Silly girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Muffin, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above, or whatever pops into our head in that moment. 

Talking: This month Rose has really turned a corner with her speech and understanding. Like...we can genuinely talk with her (sort of) now. In addition to using the sign for "please" to ask for things (for example: point to coat, point to door, signs please. She's asking to go outside,) and responding when we ask for something, she is saying more words that are starting to be more identifiable. She'll ask "dat?" or "dis?" about things to find out what they are. She definitely says mama, dada, bruhbah (brother), James (ITS SO CUTE OMG), dog, dolly, baby, ball, book, hiii, yeah, buh bye, doctor, done, beh buh (belly button), bum bum (sound of a heartbeat), uh oh, and muah (kisses, of course). There are other words we sometimes think we may hear but unsure still (like we think we've heard her say "please" once...but we'll see if it happens again). And, of course, all the animal sounds I mentioned earlier. It's just huge how much she understands. She really gets more than I can believe! Her toy dog said "give me a hug!"-and she hugged it. She pays such close attention to everything that we're all doing and I think she learns a lot. It's so amazing to watch.  

Favorites: James, mommy, and daddy. When James is being sweet or funny or just existing pretty much. Snuggles. Kisses. Belly buttons. Being held. Books. Dancing. Singing. Daddy's guitar. People and video calls (she now insists on saying hello when anyone is on a call). Babies (especially her new baby cousin, Juliet! She's obsessed with her,) and animals and making animal sounds. Stuffed animals, pillows, and soft blankets and snuggling them. The sunshine (she'll lay down and-you guessed it-snuggle in the warm sun). Toys. Smiling and laughing and playing. Little girl just loves to be loved-she just wants to be given attention and affection and to have fun doing whatever seems fun to her in that moment! 

Dislikes: Being interfered with when she wants something (particularly picked up and moved). Being yelled at/scolded. Getting wiped down after eating. Not being attended to in a quick enough manner (attention in general or food usually). Being left by any of us (if she sees someone walk up the stairs it frequently ends in her standing at the baby gate crying and being generally distraught.)

Concerns: Same old same old isolation + COVID-19 life. Not super pleased this is still where we're at a year later. 

A Day in the Life: (This has changed now but this age this is where we were at)-Kids get up around 7:30. We go downstairs, I nurse Rose, change her, then feed them both breakfast (usually fruit, yogurt, toast, etc.) Play for awhile then change Rose and put her down for nap around 10am. She's then up around 11 and I nurse her, give her lunch, then we play some more until 1ish when we get James ready for his nap. He goes down then Rose gets changed and down for her nap around 2. Both kids hopefully sleep to 3. Then snack for James, nurse Rose, snack for Rose, and we play/I make dinner. We eat around 5/5:30 as a family and then hang out (and/or do baths) until Rose's bedtime routine starts at 7. We read, say goodnight to things around the house, brush her teeth, lotion her, change her, then I nurse her and sing to her then put her down. She sleeps all night. And that's it!

And there it is. 1 year of the sweetest baby girl. I could never have dreamed of such a wonderful daughter. She's the absolute perfect addition to our family and it's impossible to not adore her. 

Outdoor Family Session/Rose's 8 Month Photos

I realize this is extremely old but it is what it is lol. Back in October we had our friend Amanda Ellis Photography do a distanced shoot outside for Rose's belated sitter session/family photos. They turned out pretty awesome and even though it was a bit nerve wracking to be out with the kids in the pandemic I'm so glad we have these photos!

Rose-11 Months!

Date: January 20, 2021

Sleeping Pattern: We've settled into a really nice routine. She has 2 naps that are each about an hour (10-11am and 2-3pm) and bedtime starts at 7pm (usually asleep around 7:30) and then she wakes up around 7:30am. It's been pretty steady and nice. She sometimes takes a little bit to fall asleep, sometimes not, but she's able to handle it all herself. Big girl! The routines are all still the same. Sooo yeah!

Eating Habits: Not too different from last month! Nursing is good. She occasionally (I think when her teeth are bothering her) will gently bite but it's not bad and she gets very upset about being scolded for it. Lately, though, she will frequently end her nursing sessions by going "muah!" with big kisses on the boob instead of drinking hahaha. Sometimes she'll even cuddle it, because she's a sweetie. Eating solids continues to be pretty smooth, she's now up to 3 meals + a snack (she eats after her 1st, 2nd, and 3rd milk feedings and then dinner). She still eats most things-the only thing she hasn't been as big on is meat by itself (she'll eat it in stuff, and usually will still at least try it on its own) and peppers she mostly seems to not like. Carbs and fruit (and yogurt) continue to be a bit of a priority but she'll also happily nom on some cucumbers or Indian food or chicken pot pie. She has water available whenever she's eating just on her tray and she's good about just grabbing and chugging some when she needs it. And yeah, it's going pretty well and smooth and stuff. My only complaint is that she's started demanding people's food-fully reaching for and yelling at us to give it to her. One time she followed Michael around the house, trying to climb up his legs, to get at an apple he had. Dinner time is extra noisy when she wants something on your plate. As always the girl lets us know what she wants.

Development & Firsts: Rose celebrated her 1st Christmas! She absolutely loved it. She was a very happy girl all day. She also got her 3rd tooth (top left central incisor) and now has this cute grin where you just see the 1 top tooth flashing. She started standing on her own this past month as well and is getting better and better at it (eep walking probably won't be too far behind!) We attempted putting her on the sled for the first time but she wasn't a huuuge fan. Particularly if her glove got in the snow. Another big first is she got to watch the first ever woman vice president get sworn in (she's not allowed screen time-aside from video calls-but I made an exception for the inauguration.)-she seemed very pleased. And, yeah-she's just becoming more and more of a little person that we can communicate with and she's a smart little one!

Mischief:  She still enjoys a fun bit of play-mischief. Crawling super fast towards what she shouldn't have and big grins and giggles if you playfully say "what are you dooooing?" But honestly not that mischievous! Just fun-loving. 

Cuteness: I cannot adequately describe the sweetness of this baby. She is pure love. The amount of kisses and cuddles she gives are just, the best. She blows kisses now, too, and will do it at request (or anytime we say bye to anyone pretty much, or if anyone blows her a kiss). She also will respond to requests for "mwah's" and give you a big MUAH kiss. Her loved for stuffed animals and dolls has especially become ramped up (getting her very own dolly for Christmas certainly didn't hurt. She immediately hugged her and kissed her.) and she will snuggle them up in her arm and give them all the cuddles and kisses. We have a monkey puppet that's become a big favorite, for some reason. She starts going "oooh oooh ahh ahh" (all the animal noises are stinking cute) when she sees it and then when you give it to her immediately tightly cuddles it and will hold it out for you to kiss then she'll kiss it and...yeah. You get the idea. It's a never ending snuggle and smooch fest over here. She and James have been especially loving on each other this past month too. So many big hugs and kisses. They love to play with each other and frequently make each other giggle. They also frequently yell at each other and squabble over toys and stuff. Rose has started acting like such a little sister sometimes. Like there's this fluffy mammoth they got for Christmas that she was taking a turn with and she literally leaned out of Michael's arms to dangle the mammoth in front of James and grin in what seemed like a victorious/teasing manner. Or anytime he wears his turtle costume she like guffaws and points hahaha. But then she'll also just sway and sing "bruh buh bruh buhhhh"--those are 2 new things for her. She sings and dances now. She started dancing the 1st time when James sang the ABC's like 10 times in a row she was grinning and swaying. Then she started doing more and more whenever someone sings. And she loves to sing "da daaaaaa", "bruh buhhhh" or "mamaaaa" (the latter is a more recent addition that I am very pleased about) over and over while swaying. When she's dancing or excited she'll also do a cute little bounce. Her daddy love has become especially pronounced. One day Michael went into the office (a rarity) and she was so clingy afterwards. The whole following week she like followed him around and would come find him and demand his attention and love like constantly. He is not mad about it. She really looks for any of us when we're not around and always likes for us all to be accessible to her lol. I've also decided she must like accessorizing because she will pick up bows, headbands, and hair ties and put them to her head like she's trying to put them on. She'll even do it with the baby doll's headband (which is much too small for her lol). She also loves putting her winter boots on, she'll put her foot on top of it. And she'll grab her clothes and put them on her (not like...put them on but put them on her....you know what I mean). I love it. I love her. She also gives high fives. And will just lay and cuddle with you. And kiss the cute babies in books. And demand you find her all the animals in books to do their noises for her. And give you giant forceful kisses. And giggle and crawl quickly towards something fun for her. And end up sputtering water everywhere because she tried to kiss her reflection in the bathtub drain when there was water in the tub. She's just the happiest cutest most affectionate and wonderful little baby. 

Nicknames: Rosie, Rose Rose, Roses (Michael's mom calls her this), Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Miss Rosie, Baby girl, Pretty girl, Lady, Young Lady, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "The Chub/Chubby/Chub-a-lub" (James calls her that), Meatball (mostly used by Michael lol), Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Sweetie pie, Cutie-girl, Silly girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Muffin, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above.

Talking: Rosie is rarely quiet. Always talking (and frequently yelling). Still unsure what all words/phrases she may be saying (sometimes I think I hear something but know it could be me reading into it. I'm sure some of it is what I think, though) but definitely lots of dada, mama, bruhbuh. She's also started singing! She'll sway side to say and say, in a lyrical tone, "dadaaaa, bruhbuhhhh, mamamaaaa" it's real cute. Animal noises have been a big development this month. She's been able to do elephant for awhile but now she knows monkey, giraffe, lion/tiger, penguin, crocodile, butterfly (she flutters her hands/arms and sometimes tries to whisper "flutter" repeatedly, it's adorable), dog, cat, fish, sheep, cow, pig, and we're constantly working on new ones. She loves looking through books or for animals to then have us practice the sounds while we point to them and like quiz her lol. 

Favorites: James, mommy, and daddy. When James is being sweet to her/pretty much anytime she sees him. Snuggles. Kisses. Being held. Books. Dancing. Singing. Daddy's guitar. Daddy wearing his glasses. People and video calls (if she hears someone on Zoom she starts getting so excited and tries to go where they are). Babies and animals and making animal sounds. Stuffed animals and snuggling them (especially the monkey puppet we have). Smiling and laughing and playing. Attention, play, affection, as usual. Eating. Anything she thinks is fun or funny or cute. She likes most things and is happy and smiling most of the time. She's a delight.

Dislikes: Being yelled at/scolded. Being taken from something (particularly a toy) she wants. Being told no (if you really mean it anyway). Getting wiped down after eating. Being kept still when she wants to go someplace. Not being able to eat what she wants when she wants/you taking too long about getting it for her. Teething. 

Concerns: General COVID/lack of socialization. But that's just life right now. Otherwise nothing really!

A Day in the Life: She and James get up around 7:30. I get them and take them downstairs then nurse Rose. Then change her diaper and get her and James breakfast (usually fruit and yogurt or toast or cereal or something). Then we play for a little bit before I change her and put her down for her nap around 10 (unless he has an early meeting this is also when we wake daddy up). She wakes around 11 and then I nurse her, change her, give her lunch, and then we play for awhile. Around 1/1:15pm we start James' nap routine and not too long after he's down we get Rose ready and she goes down around 2. Both kids wake around 3 and then I nurse Rose and we play for a bit, give her a snack, then I make dinner. We eat around 5/5:30 and then play (and/or take a bath) until 7 when Rose's bedtime routine starts. Michael or I read to her then say goodnight to things, including James, and then the other adult takes her upstairs to get ready and then I nurse her (while singing "Rosie") and put her in her crib. She usually falls asleep not too long after, while we're getting James ready for bed. And then that's it! She sleeps until morning.

^The last photo, bottom right, in the collage is Rose watching the inauguration. Look how sweet!

Rose-10 Months!

Date: December 20, 2020

Height: 27.56 inches (as of doc's appointment on the 14th)

Weight: 19 lbs 1 oz. (as of the 14th)

Sleeping Pattern: Things are good now but eeep this was a rough month. I think there was a leap/regression and Rose started fighting falling asleep. She also started sitting and standing in her crib. She'd seem sleepy and assume her sleepy time pose but then as soon as I left the room she'd stand and cry then sit and fall asleep while sitting and WOULD NOT LAY DOWN. For like a week she did this and would pretty much just be sitting and off and on crying throughout the night. It was not a good time. But she eventually figured out that laying down is better and now she frequently ends up sleeping on her belly after she stirs. Her naps have also gotten shorter but I think she's just getting older-and her night sleep is (now) a nice long chunk so I think it's fine, but I definitely am wondering about when to transition her to 1 nap. 

Eating Habits: Nursing is good-I love how when I feed her she'll frequently like wind her little feet up around my arm and kick them in the air. It's cute. There have been some instances of her experimenting with biting but she's usually pretty gentle and it's when she's like done drinking. And she luckily doesn't do it all the time (also she still just has the 2 teeth which helps lol). Eating solids is still going great-she eats breakfast after her 1st nursing session, lunch after her 2nd, and then dinner is usually around 5ish. She still likes pretty much everything, peppers are the only thing I'm not so sure about right now. She's definitely starting to show a little bit more preference-namely for carbs and fruit. Who can blame her? She gets offered water whenever she wants during meals and she is very good with her cup (although she needs to slow down on her chugs, lady loves that water). Unfortunately she's started dropping food onto the ground which she definitely finds to be amusing-us not so much. It's not terrible yet though and luckily I remember the various strategies from James so it's manageable lol. Oh and if she's hungry and you haven't already fed her (particularly if she sees food) she'll start smacking her lips and tongue at you.

Development & Firsts: I feel like she's become a little person who I can legit communicate with this month. Like she understands requests and can respond in her own fashion. If you tell her to come here or get something she will (or she'll grin and do the opposite for fun) and frequently when you ask her something she'll say "yeah". If you ask her where something/someone is she'll point to it and if you ask what an elephant says she'll do the sound and put her arm up like a trunk. More on all of that in talking but yeah lots of communication. She's also cruising (walking while holding something) and has started crawling up the stairs (she's not terribly interested usually but she did do it once. However she was not a fan of failure and when she slumped down a step--she was totally fine I had her--she was quite upset and didn't want to do it again lol). She also, I think, started being able to sit from laying-which is part of what led to the sleep troubles I mentioned. She's still really good at figuring out how things fit together and has managed to actually fit legos together, stack the stacking cups inside of each other, and put the little shapes we have through their appropriate holes. On the firsts front she had her first experience with James' birthday and she got to go see Christmas lights (she just kept cooing and talking up a storm in the car so clearly the whole thing was fun for her). She also played in the snow for the first time (she was....fine with it. It sort of made her freeze-pun slightly intended-up. She just sat there wide eyed mostly lol.)

Mischief:  I think Rose has found her mischief. And it's adorable. She'll hang off the side of her high chair and sweetly smile at you while she drops things off of it (whilst you're telling her "Rose don't...") She also loves to crawl very quickly away from you-especially towards something/somewhere she knows she shouldn't-and look back at you and giggle (I do enjoy making this a game when possible and catching her and saying "what are you doing?" over and over again as it makes her have fits of giggles.) She's gotten particularly fixated on finding any crumbs on the floor and trying to eat them-which she thinks is hilarious. I, less so. There are just various occasions where she will know she has a thing or is doing a thing she should not do and her reaction is to either just give you a very sweet innocent face or the most adorable grin and/or giggle you've ever seen. It's not fair I tell you! Unfortunately she does then when she bites during nursing too but I try to maintain my serious face and be firm so she knows it's not a joke. Man it's difficult, though. Still more sweet than sour in this one but she's definitely getting a bit of spice. 

Cuteness: She's still the sweetest cutest most pure thing. This month she's started giggling more easily--like she's finding more and more humor. I'll just make a face at her and she lets out a giggle. I love it. Her whole face lights up and it's the sweetest sound. The constant pointing and beginnings of responses and communicating are amazing. Her little voice is so so cute. The way she brightens up and grins and waves and calls out to Michael, James, or I when she is just seeing us (or honestly if we looked away and then looked back like a second later haha) still just makes us all feel so special. Her waving has really picked up-she waves all the time and it can be so funny and  so cute. When we went to the doctor she waved excitedly at everyone she saw (the ladies behind the desk had more of the staff come out to see the cute baby) and she always waves when we do video calls and such. She really gets so excited to see people. Poor baby doesn't get a chance very often but she definitely is social and so open and outgoing. When she sees her grandparents on porch visits she always tries to touch them through the door and grins and gets so wiggly and excited (and, I think, is attempting to say grandma). She even gets stoked when she sees pictures of them or her aunts and uncles. And she loves to clap too-various times when she starts feeling happy or proud or excited the big grins and claps will start up. One big thing that has happened this month that brings me so much happiness is how into books she has gotten. Rose will now crawl to the bookshelf we have in our front room with the kids books on it and just stand and take books off the shelf-sometimes just for fun but oftentimes until she finds the book she wants then she'll either look at it or bring it to you to read it (one time I asked if she wanted me to read it while she was holding it and she got so happy and crawled into my lap and sat to be read to.) She will kiss any cute baby she sees in the books over and over and she loves the ones with soft things to pet as well. Her favorite books make her grin and laugh when you read them to her. It's amazing to see--and since everyone else in this house is also a book lover it makes my heart smile. One of her favorites is Baby Sounds and it is in English and Spanish. As a result of that book we can now request besos and get kisses. She loves to give such big kisses. I love them. Sometimes she'll just hold my head and bombard me with kisses. She also makes the most fun, cutes faces. Of course the big happy grins. Also the slightly different mischievous smiles. The tiny mouth "o" of silly/false surprise (which is a tiny carbon copy of my face. Have I mentioned how much she looks like me? A much cuter version lol). A big pouty lip combined with a stuck out tongue. Sticking her tongue in and out and making a "lalalala" sound. And of course just her general, big eyed, taking everything in face. Her hair is also very fun-I still love the pigtails but I've also done little mini buns (like pigtails but in bun form) and those are freaking cute as heck. It's getting so long and it's crazy how much she looks like a little girl already. Especially when she's walking by pushing James' old toy car across the room and giggling with pride. Oh and now that she sleeps on her belly (I still put her down on her back but she almost always ends up on her front) she is all rumpled and pink cheeked when she wakes up-usually with her hair almost completely covering her face-and then I get a big drooly and warm sleepy smile and snuggle when I get her out of her crib. She's so snuggly, there's nothing like it when she just lays her head on your chest to cuddle.What else? She is really into Michael's guitar still-she sometimes will smile at Michael and crawl over to it, communicating "let's play daddy!" Still enjoys lots of different toys and putting things together-and she gets very proud when she gets things together in the right way. As always....impossible to even conjure up and sum up all the cuteness in this girl because it is infinite. 

Nicknames: Rosie, Rose Rose, Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Miss Rosie, Baby girl, Pretty girl, Lady, Young Lady, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "The Chub/Chubby" (James calls her that), Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Sweetie pie, Cutie-girl, Silly girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above.

Talking: She's still a little chatterbox-possibly even more now. And, like I said above, there is definite communication happening. She points, makes elephant sounds, follows directions, imitates sounds or things we're doing,  responds, etc. We were reading a book and it asked what color the person's hair was. I pointed and said "blue" and Rose pointed and say "boo." She also points to pictures of our family and clearly recognizes them and for my brother even said "johhh" (Josh) and I'm pretty sure she's trying to say grandma. When my mom and MIL were doing porch visits recently she said "dada" to them in a way that is different than how she usually says it like she's trying to say grandma. We'll see. Still unsure on what exact words she can consistently say aside from mama, dada, and bruhbuh but she's definitely saying yeah and it's always really funny lol. Just lots of little words where we go "did you just say---?" Excited to see them emerge more definitively! 

Favorites: James, mommy, and daddy. When James is being sweet to her/pretty much anytime she sees him. Snuggles. Kisses. Being held. Books (especially Baby Sounds and Hair Love and pretty much anything with a cute baby or animal in it). Daddy wearing his glasses. Daddy's guitar.  People (she gets very excited to see people on video calls, through the storm door on porch visits, or when we were at the doctor). Babies, specifically. Smiling and laughing and playing (she especially loves being chased or if you pretend she's done something she shouldn't). Peek-a-boo. Still pretty much all forms of play, attention, and affection. Eating food (carbs and fruit are probably the current favorites). Anything she finds funny in the moment--she's such a ball of joy, honestly. She is happy most of the time and seems to truly find enjoyment out of most things. She's the best. 

Dislikes: James yelling at her/pushing her. Being taken from something (particularly a toy) she wants. Being told no (if you really mean it anyway). Being left alone in crib to sleep (hence her refusing to lay down for like a week. She has since come to a place of acceptance about it again). Getting wiped down after eating. Being kept still when she wants to go someplace (most notably when trying to change her diaper). 

Concerns: COVID as per usual. Just missing seeing the world and stuff. Also when she wouldn't lay down in her crib and just kept staying sitting, that was a bit concerning. Very relieved that phase has passed.

A Day in the Life: She and James get up for the day around 7:30ish (hopefully). We go downstairs and I nurse her, change her, then feed the two kids breakfast. We play, I change her again and then put her down for a nap around 10. She wakes up in the vicinity of 11 and then I nurse her and feed her lunch (James has usually just finished his when she wakes up so he either plays on his own or sits and draws or something while she eats). We play for a bit until like 1ish when I start getting James ready for his nap. Then we have a tiny bit of solo time with Rose usually before she goes down around 2. Both kids are usually up by 3 and then we play, I cook dinner, we eat, and then just a bit more play time before Rose's bedtime starts at 7! We read to her, say goodnight to things, do superhero rules, brush her 2 little teeth, lotion her up (winter=extra dry skin season in our house), change her, then I sing to her and nurse her. She now goes down fully awake but falls asleep pretty quickly (post the awful sleeping while sitting week). Then she sleeps all night (with various fits of crying that last like a minute max that randomly occur).

Rose-9 Months!

Date: November 20, 2020

Sleeping Pattern: Things are pretty steady in the sleep department. Rose doesn't have super long naps during the day (they're usually around an hour-if I'm lucky they're longer, if I'm less lucky they're shorter) but she sleeps for a long while at night (like 12.5 hours on average) and she's a generally happy lady so no complaints! (I knew this would happen-she went through something for a few days after I wrote this where her sleep got kind of crazy but I think we're back on track again.) She wakes around 7ish every morning and then is awake for 2.5 hours before her 1st nap and then she's awake for 3 hours after waking before her 2nd nap. Then she's up for 4 hours before we start her bedtime routine. She still usually stays pretty still while sleeping, not moving around or rolling around much. Just assumes her classic sleepy time pose of left hand in her hair and right thumb in her mouth when I put her down and then her arms may lay in other positions whilst asleep but periodically pop back into position lol. 

Eating Habits: Nursing has been fine still! She eats and then is done and it's never very long and all pretty chill. Solids have been consistently good too-she still hasn't disliked a single thing. Little girl has eaten spicy curry and loves it (when something spicy catches up to her she does eventually cry because it hurts but then I give her yogurt and she's cool). It's pretty awesome. She is now eating 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch-which is after her 1st nap, and dinner) and happily chomps away. She may have started signing more at one point but now that's unfortunately disappeared--I always try to model and ask "more" and "all done" and so far still having some issues on sorting out what she wants in that area. She always lights up when I ask if she wants a drink and give her the cup of water. She looooves water. 

Development & Firsts: On 10/24 Rose got her 1st tooth (bottom right incisor) and on 10/30 she got her 2nd (bottom left incisor)! Now she's got 2 cute little toothers in the bottom of her mouth. She also had her 1st Halloween (she was a Care Bear! We stayed home because of COVID but still dressed the kids up for fun). She's crawling really really well and started being able to crawl on all fours (as opposed to the army crawl) and is super fast! She's also pulling herself up to standing on things and frequently gets up on her feet from crawling (she just can't get her upper body off the ground unless she's holding something). She loves to crawl into my lap and then pull herself up to standing on me and then just bury her face in my shoulder (she loooves me!) And she sits up from laying/crawling. Annnd claps two toys together (and sometimes her hands). She also points, a lot. Big fan of pointing. And she'll sort of wave too (hold her hand up and open and close it. She does this to daddy a lot, or to me if he has her, or sometimes when we video call). I'm incredibly impressed by how good she is at making things fit together-she's always attempting the puzzles and shape fitting things that we have with much more dexterity than I would expect at her age and she can even put all the rings on the stacking cone (which kind of blew me away honestly). And I think that's all? Lots of separation anxiety if you want to count that as development-she is not a fan of not being without her mama. If she had her way I'd be holding her 90% of the time.

Mischief:  Rose is still a fan of going after things even (especially?) if you try to redirect her from it. One time there was a toy I had moved her away from (not good for chewing on and she of course chews everything) and while I was doing something else she crawled over to the toy. She then looked at me, very purposefully, and held up the toy and when I said, "Nooo," she like laughed at me. She's also always wanting what James has, even when he's yelling at her that she's not allowed (*sigh*). Most of the time, though, she just gets mad and yells at you or cries when you deny her something. Now that she has teeth, Rose has experimented with biting me during nursing a couple times (very tentatively like she's literally testing it out). When I gently say "Noo Rosie no biting" she looks crestfallen and sobs about being reprimanded. (James had a biting phase at this age and thought it was amusing when I said no. So here's a very clear difference between them lol). She's still made of more sweetness than mischief!

Cuteness: I cannot emphasize enough how adorable Rose is. She is the sweetest most affectionate good little baby that I can imagine. I love all her chunky baby rolls and her big beautiful eyes (of indeterminate color, I'm guessing they'll end up hazel?) and crazy long eyelashes and kissy little mouth (that's always drooling) and the cutest 2 little teeth that peek out when her mouth is open wide (which is a lot she is always giving big grins or yelling lol). And her super pretty long hair (whether it's down or in pigtails). She just adores me and wants me like all the time and man that makes my heart swell. She would be content to be held always pretty much. She'll just lay her head on me or snuggle up on my shoulder (or Michael's) and squeeze for a big hug/snuggle. She'll give big open mouthed kisses happily all day long-including to her sweet brother (he loves to hold her and she gets so excited and they'll give each other kisses. It melts you.) And now that she's mobile she does the cutest little happy "I'm coming to get you" crawl when she sees one of us and wants to come get us. Her face lights up and she speeds up her crawling-soooo precious. She'll also crawl into your lap (which we fully predicted would be the case) and now even uses you to stand herself up and then like forcibly hug/kiss you lol. She's actually pretty cool to just play with toys and crawl around most of the time-she doesn't really get into stuff she shouldn't much (including the Christmas tree!), she's pretty chill left to her own devices until she becomes demanding of wanting to be held/cuddled. One time she was playing near Michael while he worked (I was putting James down for his nap) and she just crawled from the living room to the front room, took one of the stacking rings for her cone-which she had been playing with in the living room-, and came back to her previous spot. Like just went on a little mission and didn't do anything untrustworthy. She's constantly talking and babbling-so many probable words are emerging and it's so cool to see the beginning of this 2 way communication. And I love her little voice. She calls for dada a lot and even has flapped her hand out demandingly while yelling "dadaaaaaa!!" (She loves her daddy too, he makes her smile and giggle so much.) She talks with her hands a looot (can't imagine why....we all talk with our hands lol) and especially likes to hold her hand out in almost a Shakespearean "alas poor Yurik" kind of way. Rose is also definitely recognizing the people that we video call with, she gets so excited to see them (she even tries to happy crawl to the phone :P) and also loves to look at pictures of them. On Halloween James was already in his (ninja turtle) costume when we went to get Rose from her nap and she did a double take when she saw him. Then she started pointing at him and like guffaw laughing. It was the most little sibling thing ever. She's getting more into books now and even took a book back off the shelf after I had put it back (and since then she's decided a fun new game is "take all the books off the shelf!"--luckily pretty much everything at her height level is kid friendly thanks to James lol). Clearly she is standing quite a bit and it's cute how excited she gets sometimes after successfully pulling herself up, she'll like wiggle and do a cry of victory. Rose also seems to be very interested in instruments, especially Michael's guitar. Like everything she does it seems like she's very experiential about it (like James is more cerebral and likes to figure things out in his head first and really understand how everything works)-like she's tactile and likes to test things in order to figure them out (like the stacking rings on the cone, puzzles, etc.) It's amazing to watch her learn and grow and just how full of love and wonder she is.

Nicknames: Rosie, Rosie Rose, Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Miss Rosie, Baby girl, Pretty girl, Lady, Young Lady, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "The Chub/Chubby" (James calls her that), Koala Bear, Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Sweetie pie, Cutie-girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above.

Talking: Always talking but absolutely with more intention and meaning. Like she's clearly saying words now (just not always clear on what the word is). Dada and bruhbah (brother) are very strong and distinct-she doesn't use mama a ton but she'll whip it out occasionally. She's definitely saying "yeah" (always a cute response to hear lol) and might also be saying done, baby, book, that/dat (when we put up Christmas decorations she just kept pointing at everything going "dat! dat! dat!"), and other things. Lots of babbling. She also might make the "vroom" sound for cars and the elephant sound (similar to raspberries but a bit different I think). She'll also do a big excited inhale when she's stoked about something.

Favorites: James, mommy, and daddy. Playing with, hugging, and kissing James (she'll give him big open mouth kisses and it's too sweet). Snuggles. Burying her head in your shoulder. Hugs. Kisses. Being held. Daddy wearing his glasses (she thinks it's funny). Daddy's guitar (listening to him play and also trying to play herself). Babies (she gets so excited when she sees pictures of her little cousin Mena). People (pictures and video calls especially, and most of all the grandparents and aunts and uncles and aforementioned cousin). Smiling and attention. Eating food (yogurt and applesauce have elicited particularly aggressive positive responses, amongst others). Playing peek-a-boo (especially with daddy). All forms of playing and attention and affection bring her joy. Toys (especially ones her brother likes and also the xylophone, and cone and stacking rings). Still anything with a face, especially elephants and, like I said, babies. Going where she wants and getting what she wants-the newfound independence of crawling. Baths. And yeah I mean a million things. She's so dang happy and loves all of us so much. It's the most precious.

Dislikes: Not being with mommy. Getting wiped down after eating. Being kept from being able to go crawl and be free if she so desires. Taking something away from her (or her away from the something) that she wants. Falling (starting to happen now that she's standing and she is not a fan of falling down. James never seemed phased so it's very different!) Being told no/reprimanded/stopped. 

Concerns: COVID as always. And just anytime she's crying in her crib. And no one enjoys the teething and separation anxiety stuff. But that's pretty much it. 

A Day in the Life: James wakes up around 7-7:30 (usually) and so does Rose. I get James then we go get Rose together (and she's always so excited to see big brother and he's so excited to see her). We all go downstairs and I get James situated then she nurses, I change her diaper, I give them breakfast, we play, and then down for a nap after being awake for two and a half hours. She usually sleeps about 1-1.5 hours then I nurse her, change her, give her lunch, we play, then we get James down for his nap around 1ish and she usually goes down after that (about 3ish hours after waking up). I get a bit of a break while they both sleep usually, but this nap is usually short for her because she needs to be awake by 3 so that her bedtime is no later than 7 (since James' is at 7:30). After she's awake I nurse her, change her, we might play for a smidge and then I generally get dinner ready and we all eat together. After that I maybe give her/James bath(s)-usually together now-or just play (maybe video call with someone). Bedtime starts 4 hours after she woke from her nap. Someone reads her a book, says goodnight to stuff around the house, then she says goodnight to James and goes upstairs. We read superhero rules, get her diaper changed and into her sleeper and sleepsack and then I nurse her and sing "Rosie". She usually falls asleep and I cuddle her before laying her down in her crib. Then she sleeps all night (Except for the weird days she wakes up and cries in the very early morning *sigh*)

Rose-8 Months!

Date: October 20, 2020

Sleeping Pattern: Naps haven't been amazing lately (I aim for 1.5 hours but frequently they're like an hour or less), I'm assuming partly due to teething. But it's not a big deal, we just do early bedtimes when they're too short.  Rose's first nap is usually like 2 hours and like 15-20 minutes after she wakes up in the morning and then her second nap is about 2 hours and 40ish minutes after waking from that nap. Then she's awake for like 3 hours and 45 minutes before we start her bedtime routine. Once she's asleep she sleeps all night, woot! Her sleep routines are all the same and she usually stays asleep on her back and doesn't really move much-there have only been a couple times she's rolled onto her stomach or scooted around her crib. It'll be interesting to see if that starts to change soon or not (her big brother started moving everywhere in his sleep like right away lol). 

Eating Habits: Nursing is still going fine-Rose definitely eats the most during her first and last feedings (and is hungriest at the first one) and then the 2 middle of the day feeds are shorter and she frequently gets pretty distracted by all the chaos of her brother. She's started occasionally biting down when she's kind of over it-luckily still no teeth-but not my faaavorite. But she's so cute it's hard to get too upset about it lol. Solids are still going super well. Rose is a champion eater-she does super duper well and loves everything. I have yet to find something she straight up doesn't like. Red peppers have been the only thing she's seem less enthused about but she still ate it. Little girl even likes curry and doesn't seem to mind the spice! I'm hoping she ends up being less picky than James and I (I'm also hoping he'll get less picky when he's not a toddler but I digress.) She's still eating twice a day (breakfast and dinner) and she just happily eats until she's done. I can usually tell that she's good when she starts just wiping her hands all over the tray and yelling a lot. Then I sign and say "all done", she smiles, I sign and ask "drink?", she gets stoked and then drinks some water (and I eventually pry it out of her hands because babies aren't supposed to have a ton of water lol).

Development & Firsts: Big month! On 10/8 Rosie CRAWLED! And she's been on the move ever since. She has become very single minded and goes after things she wants (much to the frustration of her brother, at times). She's also utilizing rolling much more easily now, but purely as a supplement to the crawling lol. Her communication has taken a big leap, too. She's pointing and waving and even started signing "more" (on 10/17) for when she's eating and wants more food (of course). And more on this stuff in the talking section. 

Mischief: Now that Rose is crawling she has become quite fixated on getting certain things--especially things that her brother is playing with or that she shouldn't have. You move her or the things away and she just goes right back to it. Seems I have two stubborn children, huzzah lol. And if you actually manage to remove the thing she wants from her she. will. scream at you. Rose isn't afraid of telling you like it is and making sure you know how she feels. In that same vein she's also still incredibly grabby lol. Otherwise, though, she's much more sweet than mischievious!

Cuteness: This is my least favorite section to write and here is why--it is IMPOSSIBLE to completely summarize how cute my babies are. Rose's happy little eyes, chubby cheeks, kissy mouth, big smiles, long hair (AND PIGTAILS), little baby hands with little fingers that are always pointing, tiny toes, chunky thighs...just all so cute. She's truly just pure joy. So happy, smiling so much. She's just thrilled to be with us. She's always smiling at Michael and putting her hand on his face and waving at him and saying "ahyada dadaaaaa". She also loves to try to feed him when she has food. She still fangirls over James. When we get her from sleep and he's with me her legs kick like crazy and she squeals while leaning out of my arms and reaching for him with a giant grin. They're always hugging and kissing each other and the look on her face when he gives her that attention...omg I melt. She just watches him constantly and thinks everything he does is so interesting and so funny. It's amazing. And she's always trying to be held and snuggled when I'm near her, she'll just bury her head in my neck and shoulder and is always kissing or chewing on any part of me in her vicinity. She loves to grab my head and give me giant (aggressive) kisses. And now when we video call her grandparents or aunts and uncles she gets so excited and grins at them and reaches for them and tries to like crawl to them. It's cute and sad. The first time she waved we were on a weekly Zoom call that Michael's extended family does and when we saw everyone on there she just lifted her little hand up and moved her fingers in the wave and she just has kept on doing it. She does it to Michael the most. She also is doing more imitating of motions-she saw my mom shaking her hands at her and Rose copied what she was doing exactly. She's always gurgling and doing raspberries/elephant sounds (she'll even raise her hand so she may actually be making the elephant sound.) Oh and she liked super loves her stuffed elephant that James gave her in the hospital. He lives in her room and she just like grins at him and reaches for him and oooooh. It's so cute to see her happily play with stuff and how determined she is to crawl after things. I love how into peek-a-boo she is also. She has tons of fun when you play with her but the best is when she raises her hands up or a toy up in front of her face then abruptly brings them down and you say "peek-a-boo!" and she grins and giggles! I love it. She frequently does this during meals so the messy face adds to the cute factor. Eating is adorable, too. She just loves it and is so pleased to be eating like...everything. She legitimately seems to have liked all food equally at this point (she miiight like red peppers and beets less than everything else and maybe burritos, pot pie, and strawberries more? But I don't know she gobbles it all up). And yeah as always...she's just sweet. And happy. And lovey. And everything about her is cute. 

Nicknames: Rosie, Rosie Rose, Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Baby girl, Pretty girl, Coy fish, Lady, Young Lady, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "Little Chub/Chubby" (James calls her that), Grunty Girl, Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Sweetie pie, Cutie-girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above...

Talking: Still constantly making sound-yelling, babbling, gurgling, blowing raspberries/making elephant sounds, and talking. She's saying the same words (may be saying "yeah" also and some babbles sound like words too but nothing concrete) but with more intentionality and consistency. She's always talking to and looking for "bruhbah" and has been doing a lot of waving at and asking for "dadaaaa".

Favorites: James, mommy, and daddy. Playing and cuddling with James (they still love to hug and smooch and cuddle and also yell at each other). I think she's recognizing people we see frequently on video calls and getting excited to see them (grandparents and my brother and sister-in-law in particular but she still just loves seeing any people lol). Smiling and attention. Eating food (still loves it all. Pot pie and burritos probably elicited the most of her signing "more"). Kisses. Being held and snuggled. Pretty much any version of loving, attention, and playing. Playing peek-a-boo. Toys (especially ones her brother likes). Still anything with a face but I think her stuffed elephant (that James calls "Willy", after the boy elephant at the Cleveland Zoo). Getting where she wants to go now that she can crawl. Baths. Mirrors. Watching any of us do something she finds amusing. And...honestly almost everything. She's still very happy like all the time. 

Dislikes: Still isn't a fan of me walking away from her but now that she can crawl she usually gets less upset about it. Definitely any lack of attention is not her favorite, though. When she isn't allowed to have something or when someone takes a toy she has away from her (she will scream/cry at you. Loudly.) And teething (I'm thinking she might actually get a tooth or 2 before her next update? We'll see!)

Concerns: Still everything COVID-related. Ugh. 

A Day in the Life: Rose wakes up around 7-7:30 and we go downstairs. She nurses, I change her diaper, I give her and James breakfast, we play, and then down for a nap after being awake for two hours and like 15-20 minutes. She usually sleeps about 1-1.5 hours then I nurse her, change her, play with her, then we get James down for his nap around1ish and she usually goes down after that (about 2 hours and 40ish minutes after waking up). James has started fighting naps so if I'm lucky I get a little break while they both nap and in the likely event that I'm not then James messes around in his room and I hope he doesn't disturb Rose. This nap is super variable (probably due to the loud brother) and can honestly be anywhere from 45-90ish minutes. After she's awake I nurse her, change her, I generally get dinner ready ASAP and then we all eat together. After that I maybe give her/James bath(s) or just play (maybe video call with someone). Bedtime starts 3 hours and 45ish minutes after she woke from her nap. Someone reads her a book, says goodnight to stuff around the house, then she says goodnight to her brother and goes upstairs. We read superhero rules, get her diaper changed and into her sleeper and sleepsack and then I nurse her and sing "Rosie". She usually falls asleep and I cuddle her for a few minutes before laying her down in her crib. Then she sleeps all night (with the exception of random crying that usually happens every so often). 

Rose-7 Months!

Date: September 20, 2020

Sleeping Pattern: We switched to a 2 nap schedule this past month with Rosie sleeping for ideally about 1.5 hours for each nap (but more often than not one of the naps, usually the 2nd, falls a bit short and then we have to do an early bedtime). Once we got the schedule and wake times all sorted out she still went down easy and then at night has taken to sleeping 11.5-13ish hours, depending on how her naps went during the day (and thusly if she needed an early bedtime). It was a really good sleep month, though! As usual it seems after her monthly birthday things have started needing adjusted potentially lol. 

Eating Habits: Now that she's only nursing 4 times a day Rose doesn't fight it as much, so that's good! She still usually only eats for like 10 minutes (15 if it's the morning or bedtime feeding) and is prone to being distracted (usually trying to watch and smile at her daddy and brother if they're about) but it's good! AAAAND little lady started eating solid food this month! We're doing Baby Led Weaning again and were excited to start (but also terrified of the inevitable gagging, etc.)--and of course the sweet girl took to eating like a champ. She loves food-so far hasn't disliked anything-and does a really good job taking her time to chew things well (and smile at us occasionally in the process). She's had some gags but they've all been dealt with super calmly and easily by her so turns out it hasn't been stressful like at all. Huzzah! We started just with 1 meal a day-dinner time as a family. But it didn't take long for her to pretty much insist on eating breakfast with her brother too so we're up to 2 meals a day. She also does great with her Munchkin 360 cup-we give her some water to take "sips" of after she's eating and she loooves water (that's my daughter! I LOVE water). I usually have to wrestle it out of her little hands because she tries to chug it. 

Development & Firsts: On 8/22 she had her 1st meal of solid food (filet mignon, yellow squash, and potatoes) and she did SO WELL. The steak was absolutely her favorite. She just chewed the heck out of it while grinning huge. Food is so fun to her, it makes her so happy lol. She also rode in the actual stroller (so not the carseat locked into the stroller) for the first time. And Rose is starting to roll more-she rolled from her back to her front for the first time and ever since she doesn't usually lay on her back for long before she rolls onto her tummy. This eventually led to her then doing her first little bit of travel by rolling when she rolled from front to back to front again (it also led to her first time sleeping on her belly when she rolled during the night on 9/6. So far it's only happened one other time during a nap.) She's still doing lots of scooting around, too, so I can tell mobility is coming. She's definitely sort of working on crawling or at least more rolling. Talking has amped up also-the same 3 words (mama, dada, buhbah) but she says "bruhbah" (brother) almoooost constantly. I don't know, just, in general, I can tell there's a lot going on. She's learning so much and growing up so faaaast. Oh, and 1 final (and very momentous) first: on 9/17 she got her first PIGTAILS. And I am now very obsessed. Little girl is almost unbearably cute in pigtails (also they keep her hair out of her food when she's eating lol). And then on the less fun side of development-separation anxiety has really intensified this month. Woooo.

Mischief: Still so so grabby. Always trying to get and grab anything and everything and frequently pulls hair. She's also becoming fond of trying to get things she's not supposed to (like some of James' toys) and usually has a sweet smile of happy mischief/victory if she succeeds in getting the thing. Especially if you say "Excuse meee? What do you have? What did you dooo?" 

Cuteness: I mean...you read that she's wearing pigtails now, right? GUYS THEY ARE SO FREAKING CUTE. I'm obsessed with them. Even she thinks they're cute-the first day she had them when she saw herself in the mirror she got so pleased. I also tried a top pony which was definitely cute but pigtails remain my favorite. Rose eating food is also super adorable. She'll just happily eat her food and smile at you while she's at it, ever so happy about the whole situation. She's always just so happy and wanting to talk to us and play with us. (On the flip side if I walk away from her she has the saddest cry ever.) You pretty much just need to look at her and she's thrilled to death. She gets so excited to see James she'll like wiggle around in my arms and smack my shoulder while grinning huge and giving tiny little half laughs when he and I go get her after she's woken up. He and her are always kissing and hugging and snuggling and smiling at each other and playing. The 2 of them oh my gosh there aren't words for how clear it is how much they love each other. Even when they yell at each other (hehehe I'm so amused when they act like siblings). Whenever Michael looks at her she has a special grin just for him. And me? Oh the lady loves her mama. She always is reaching for me to hold her, trying to crawl into my lap (although she can't crawl yet so she just like puts her arms in it), one time Michael was holding her in a standing position and I walked up and she grabbed my legs and just grinned up at me with the most pure ecstatic expression. She makes my heart explode. She will happily just be held and cuddled like indefinitely. My sweet snuggly girl. She just wants attention and affection, that's pretty much what she thrives on. And Rosie is always so happy to see people-I can tell she is just social and sweet. I can't wait until she actually gets to be with other people (I really hope soon, ugh). All of her sounds are also so so cute, she's always coughing and yelling and roaring and babbling. Honestly she just amazes me. I can't get over the depths of her cuteness and I'll never be able to fully sum it up. *sigh*

Nicknames: Rosie, Rosie Rose, Rosie Posy, Baby Rose, Baby girl, Pretty girl, Coy fish, Lady, Ladybug, Chunk/Chunk-a-munk, "Little Chub/Chubby/Chubby-bye" (James calls her that), Grunty Girl, Sweetling, Sweetie-girl, Cutie-girl, Honey girl, Honey bun, Little miss, Missy, Ma'am, Sweetness, Love, combinations of all of the above...

Talking: Michael's taken to calling her "Kayle 2" (I'm very talkative, if you can't tell). She's always telling us all about it. Whether it's the cute constant chorus of "bruhbah bruhbah" to her brother or the sweet occasional "mama" or "dada" or her very many grunts, roars, growls, squeals, and yells. She is not afraid to say what's on her mind and express herself. I love it. I mean....sometimes the constant yell-talking combined with her loud brother makes my head want to explode lol but overall, it's a delight.

Favorites: James, mommy, and daddy. Playing and cuddling with James (they're always hugging and snuggling and also yelling at each other. The sibling games have begun). Seeing people (on the street, at the doctor, or on FaceTime or Zoom). Anything with a face. Smiling and being smiled at/attention in general. Eating food (can't say that she has any real favorites yet because she just loves all of it. Maybe strawberries if anything?) Kisses. Being held and snuggled. When I make a surprised face at her (usually elicits a giggle). Tickles/raspberries. When we sing fun songs (especially Bunny Foo Foo). Peek-a-boo. Sleeping. Toys. Mirrors. Tags. Getting dressed up. She's just happy like all the time so it's almost like everything is her favorite.

Dislikes: Me "leaving" her (aka taking a step away from her) and not being paid attention to/not having attention from any 1 of us for any length of time. If James is too rough (she yells at him to inform him). Having to wait to long for her food. And yeah that's mostly it.

Concerns: COVID. Always COVID related. *sigh* Worrying about her getting it (presently a very slim chance due to our almost complete quarantine) and worrying about the lack of exposure to different environments, people, etc.

A Day in the Life: She wakes up around 7 (it's actually been more like 7:15-7:20ish and I must say I've loved that) and she, James, and I go downstairs. She nurses, I change her diaper, I give her and James breakfast, we play for a bit, and then down for a nap after being awake for two hours and like 15ish minutes. She usually wakes up in the 10:30-11 range and I nurse her, change her, play with her, then we get James down for his nap by like 1ish and she usually goes down after that (about 2.5 hours after waking up). I then get a blissful 45-90ish minutes for both children napping. Rose and James usually wake up around the same time as well (between 2 and 3 generally, I always hope for closer to 3). I nurse Rose, change her, then I usually rush to get dinner ready ASAP. We all have dinner as a family and then play (potentially do baths) until Rose's bedtime (which starts 3.5 hours after she wakes up, so it tends to range from 5:30-7 start....7 almost never happens lol). One of us reads Rose a book then takes her around to say goodnight to everything. Then one of us-sometimes the same one sometimes not-takes her upstairs and does superhero rules and then puts her in her overnight diaper, sleeper, sleepsack, and then I nurse her and sing "Rosie" (by Passenger) to her and then she eats until she falls asleep usually or is finished eating. If she's asleep I may snuggle her for a couple minutes, and either way I then lay her in her crib and tell her I love her. And then she sleeps all night. The end! <3