Pink and Turquoise 11/52

I am so desperate for it to be Spring, I can't even stand it. This long winters are difficult for this Southern girl, so I'm trying to coax Spring weather into our lives by decorating the house with flowers, opening up all the blinds, and trekking all over town with the stroller, soaking up the 50 degree sunshine. But Rosalie has been helping to brighten up these March days by donning a huge splash of color. Come on, Spring! We're ready!

 

Weeks 8/52 and 9/52

I was in Seattle last week visiting family and missed out on blogging, so there will be two pictures in this post because I am a week behind. :)


Week 8/52 Seattle-Bound

Rosalie and I took a spontaneous trip to Seattle last week to visit some of Nathan's family, and although the trip (both directions) was more difficult than we had anticipated, we still had a blast while we were there! Rosalie and I bused up from Moscow (Nathan drove up to meet us later) on Thursday morning, and encountered a number of snags along the way, getting us to Seattle a bit behind schedule. Rosalie was amazing! She had a fever during the bus ride, but was still cheerful and sweet almost the entire time despite her discomfort. Kinda crazy how a child this small can still be an example to her mom, but our little Bug sure is. I am definitely a cranky sickie, and she's my inspiration ;)

Week 9/52 Pack-n-Play Antics

I was going through a difficult time a few weeks back when Rosalie was being extremely clingy whenever I was in the room. As long as I was in a different room, she was fine. I could even be in the same room cleaning or cooking. But if I wanted to work on anything quietly, like knitting or reading, or if I needed to go to the basement (where I couldn't keep an eye on her) to do laundry, etc, she would want to be held. My mom mentioned using the pack-n-play for the "play" it was intended for, rather than just for sleeping. I dubiously tried her suggestion, expecting Rosalie to think it was nap time and start crying. But instead, she adored it! Now, she begs to be put in her playpen, and will spend hours squealing and whacking things together. I'm more productive and she's learning how to entertain herself. It makes me so happy. I love her.

Playtime with Daddy 7/52

Three mornings a week, this little girl's daddy keeps her while I go to a class at the gym. It is the highlight of her day. She just adores Nathan, and watching them together is one of my favorite things to do.

6/52 Bath Time!

I cannot get over how much Rosalie loves bath time. It has been one of her favorite things since the first few days of her life, and absolutely nothing can phase her. Every time she hears the shower or bath come on, she stops whatever she is doing, starts squealing, and crawls full speed towards the bathroom, shaking with excitement, and trying to dive headfirst over the side of the tub into the water. 

This girl adores the bath so much that even when she gets water up her nose and in her eyes as she catapults underneath the surface, she just shivers and shakes her head like a dog when we grab her, trying desperately to dive under again. This makes washing her hair very easy because she could care less how much soap and water get into her eyes, but it also makes for a crazy and hilarious few minutes as Nathan and I try to hold on to her slippery limbs and keep her from swimming under water. I have no doubt that the soaked floor, wet clothes, and endless laughter that is bath time will become one of my favorite memories of our little Rosie girl.

5/52 Snow Day!

We've seen a bit of snow this winter, but not nearly as much as we expected. I remember a couple of winters a few years back where the ground was covered with some amount of snow from November-March. Not this year! It's been much more mild (for which I've been very grateful!). But this morning, we were finally able to use Rosalie's snowsuit and let her play in the snow. I was thrilled; Rosalie was less than enthused -- too much wet and cold in her face! But with her sunny disposition, I was still able to capture a few smiles! We love her!

4/52: Yogurt

Rosalie is 9 months old today. Crazy! Somehow, hitting the three-quarters mark makes her 1st birthday seem just around the corner. Her personality is really coming through now, and this past week, I introduced her to yogurt. She is just crazy about it. Normally, I have to encourage her to eat, but not when it's yogurt on the morning menu!

3/52

Our pediatrician recommended starting Rosalie on a bottle as early as possible to prevent her refusing to take one if it became essential at any point. So when she was 2.5 weeks old, we bought a bottle and were thrilled as she happily gulped it down.

During the first few months of her life, we left Rosie with her grandparents a few times when we would go out for the evening, and I always left a bit of milk to make sure she was happy all evening. But when she was about 4 months old, Rosalie started going to bed around 7 pm every night, and I stopped giving her a bottle. If necessary, I could feed her around 6:30, and she'd be set for the night. It never occurred to me to keep giving her a bottle periodically if it wasn't necessary.

About a month ago, I decided to leave Rosalie with my mom for the afternoon, and pulled out the bottle to make sure she would take it while I was gone. No such luck. She gnawed on it, crying when I took it away, but she made no progress with the milk itself. So I went on a wild goose chase, buying every type of bottle and sippy cup I could find on the Palouse, but she refused them all. I gave up on the day trip, but not on the bottle. I knew Rosalie would need to take one eventually...

Finally, on Monday, I found the magic cure -- the Soothie bottle. Rosalie has only taken Soothie pacifiers since birth, and when I heard that there was a bottle by the same company and shaped just like the paci, I thought I might have hit the jackpot.

Turns out I did, and now our little Rosalie has a new best friend.

Never Grow Up, Little Rosalie! January: Week 2 (2/52)

I never understood my dad growing up. He would scoop me into his arms, squeeze me as tight as he could and command me to never grow up. "You're getting too big! Stay little forever, ok?" he would plead. But I would writhe and wiggle until I came loose from his grasp, laughing. "I caaaan't stay little, daddy. You're silly." "Well then, I'll just have to throw you to the foxes, won't I?" More giggling. I wanted to grow up and get big. Grown ups had way more fun and I couldn't understand why my dad would want me to stay little.

Now I understand far more clearly than I ever expected to. Sometimes I grab Rosalie up off the floor, and hold her close, treasuring that particular moment or that face, thankful for her love of oranges and blocks, of crawling and pulling up, of jabbering and playing, but missing her newborn neediness, her bedtime snuggles, her 2 month old shock at rolling over, her excitement when she learned how to sit on her own, her squeals of delight when she began to pull up. I want to stop time and live in every moment for as long as possible, but those moments keep passing by and Rosalie's developing a new skill as soon as she masters an old one. I feel like somehow I'm missing out on her growing up, and I can't do anything about it. So I want to do what I can and write about her antics, photograph her expressions, and play with her, making sure to enjoy every moment as much as I can. So following in the footsteps of a few of my friends, I am going to try to post a picture a week, along with an update on what our Little Bug is up to. Maybe I'll do a better job with the blog than with Rosalie's baby book! I'm not so sure... but we'll see!

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Since the beginning of January, Rosalie has really mastered the art of pulling up. She comes into a room and takes stock of the furniture, making a game plan for standing and cruising. The more opportunities to move, the happier she is. We flew to visit friends and family early this week, and traveling by plane was not a hit for our active little girl. If you can't pull up on a plane, what's there to do? So she wiggled and complained, begging for freedom, and squealing in excitement when we made it to our destination. We're glad to finally have a place for her to move, and so is she! :)

(I missed the first week of January, so this will be 2/52 even though it is just my first post :)).