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.
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.
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).
