seven months

Loula:

At seven months, you:

* Are a huge mama's girl. You have a really really hard time if anyone else holds you. Or breathes on you. This both makes me so happy (because you love me so much) and breaks my heart (because sometimes I can't hold you).

* Finally got to try food! First try was an epic fail. But you're warming up. You like: baby oatmeal with fruit, bananas, avocados, yogurt puffs, bread. And you like to "feed yourself," which means essentially that you feed the floor.

* Make this really funny humming sound when you're eating something you like.

* Started sitting regularly, without pillows or assistance, and can scoot around like nobody's business.

* Don't sleep awesome. You wake up once or twice at night (sometimes more - to eat or just whine). I blame the Pack N' Play that you're still trapped in. (I'm sorry. :( )

* Turn your head upside down to the corner of your Pack N' Play, the one that faces your door, when you wake up, just waiting for someone to come rescue you.

* Are getting ready to crawl. You prop up your body on those skinny arms and legs, and then fall. But you're close.

* Play peek-a-boo with your blankets.

* Say "mamammamama" regularly, which usually just means you want someone to pick you up. You also say "numnumnum" when you're hungry sometimes.

* Can clap, sometimes even on command, but mostly just because you're mimicking me.

* Get really stressed out when you think your sister is hurt (she's actually just laughing really hard).
* Survived four very long plane rides to Hawaii. You also experienced your first beach vacation. You were not a fan of sand or ocean. You did, however, love the stroller.

* Are still the happiest baby on the block. You only get the cranks when you're hungry, tired, or I'm not in your vision and/or holding you.

* Wear 12 month clothes for the most part. Although your dress last Sunday was seriously size 18 months. You're just so darn tall.

* Loooove to play with your sister's toys. When she willingly gives you something of hers, especially one of her babies, your face lights up like you just won a million dollars.

* Get really big eyes when you see something new, as though you're cataloguing information before determining appropriate action.

* Reach for what you want, including me, Daddy, toys, food.

* Crane your head up to look at me when sitting on my lap every few minutes, just to make sure I'm still there.

* Melt our hearts more and more every day. It's a pretty cheesy thing to say, I realize. But it's pretty much all there is to it. You're the most lovable thing I know. And I love your little guts.

Love,
Mama

Here she is at one month.

Here she is at two months.

Here she is at three months.

Here she is at four months.

Here she is at five months.

Here she is at six months.

not wasted

We have this bad habit of letting Saturdays turn into those black holes of days, where suddenly all time is sucked into nowhere and you're left worn out at 8 p.m. with absolutely nothing to show for yourself except sweater teeth and an empty can of Diet Dr Pepper. Yesterday, we were determined to fight our lazy selves and be up and at 'em. And so we were. We headed to Midway, UT, home of HGTV's current "dream home," which I'm sorry to tell you all, but we're going to win. According to my very optimistic husband. So without further ado, our future home:

 

Yup, the cost to heat that thing - when we win it, of course - will be more than our current monthly rent. But no matter, WE WILL HAVE WON. They were doing "private, scheduled tours," of which we weren't a part. So we just stalked it. Which will be so much easier to do when we live in it.

 

We stopped at The Store to pick up some sugar cookies (they're like heaven, with frosting), of which I'm proud to say I consumed only one. (Seriously. Major accomplishment. Still wearing the golden star on my forehead.) And we also stopped at Gram's Special House to use the facilities. Annabelle went and visited her favorite field, which was quite a different sight compared to last summer when she ran around practically naked. Remember?

 

And then we grabbed some greasy goodness at Dairy Keen, home of the train? (Annabelle was a huge fan, not of the food, although it is good in it's local diner kind of way, but of the train that runs on a track through the restaurant's ceiling, and of the outdoor table train. Where we visited and froze our tooshies off.

 

This is me artistically concealing my belly fat.

This is me not artistically concealing my belly fat.

All in all, a not wasted Saturday. And I say hurrah.

adventures in eating :: spaghetti squash

So Lou Lou still isn't a fan of food. Which is astonishing to me as food and I are pretty much going steady. These photos are exactly the order they came off the camera. I'm pretty sure if I just gave her some Diet Dr Pepper and a spoonful of Nutella, she'd change her mind about things. But as it turns out, my major food groups are frowned upon in infant circles. Darn shame.

my heart

It seems that there is a lot of heartbreak going on around the world these days. I'm just constantly struck with the intense desire to hold a baby on each knee and hunker down somewhere safe with some Diet Dr Pepper, some chocolate, and of course, some baby formula. Because WHAT ELSE IS THERE? My heart is continually tender, especially when I take a real moment to let it all sink in. How much I have. How full my heart is.

Weeks ago, while trolling Pinterest, I came across this. I'd pinned the quote before, but it really hit me in that moment. The way I carry those that I love in my heart so literally, the way sometimes my heart aches with happiness, because it's so very full. And of course, then I look at my babies. And my heart practically weeps. Sometimes my eyes do. I look at all the hurt that happens in this world, and I know I've had some and will have more, but right now, these moments filled with baby slobber kisses and toddler sentences, they're precious and fragile and I want to box them up and keep them in my heart forever. And so I do. I carry them in my heart. I hope to always carry them - and those that I love so dear - in my heart. And I want them to know that.

I sent this card to family members this year. And Annabelle helped me assemble some simple bracelets made out of felt and jute twine. For Annabelle, inspired by this pin, I made a simple puffy heart.

And I pulled her onto my lap and I explained to her, as I have a million times before, that she and little Lou Lou are my heart. And that when she sees this heart, she can remember that, she can remember how much I love her. She took the heart with big eyes, held it to her own heart, closed her eyes, and squeezed it tight. And I almost cried. She's been carrying it around all day, a simple reminder of how much I love her.

My heart is full. I carry so much loveliness in it these days. And for that I'm so very grateful.

it's been said

I want two braids and two phone-ee tails!

+

{after putting her bear down for a nap}

Okay, she's going to sleep in here, okay? DON'T go in there! And be quiet okay!?

+

Me: Where's Lydia's toy?

Belle: Um...I think she ate it.

+

Lydia! You're a crap up!

+

Me: What did you learn in Nursery today?

Belle: Of eating snaaacccks...

+

Me: Here you go Hon.

Belle: I'm not Hon.

Me: You're not?

Belle: No, Daddy's your Hon.

+

Don't eat this! Don't eat my ganilla bar! {granola bar}

+

{and The Sound of Music interpretation continues...}

...when the dog bites, when the pee stings...

{I die}

+

{after I attempted to retrieve a box of Lydia's clothes that Jess has wedged into a closet}

Belle: Did you get Lydia's clothes?
Me: No, I think we'll need Daddy to get it.

Belle: Yeah. Cuz Daddy is STRONG...And he's tall tall TALL.

{and he rearranges my storage...but that's another story...

and we're actually the same height...}

+

{after snuggling up with me and Lou Lou}

Belle: I wish you could get another sister out of your tummy...

Me: How about a brother? Would that be okay?
{this is by no means an announcement of any sort!}

Belle: Um...if the brudder is a sister.

+

Belle: And when you got married you weared a white dress!

Me: Yes, I had a white dress when I married Daddy.

Belle: And where is your white dress?
Me: My white dress is in St. George at Grandma Lichelle's. I'm saving it for you if you want to wear it when you get married.

Belle: And when I get married my daddy is going to marry ME!!

+

When I get much bigger my head will be BIG. And my tummy will be BIG. And I'll have a baby sister in it!

+

Belle: I want jammies that have no toes and are long and dey-re not on my legs...

Me: What do you mean? Like Maria's nightgown?

Belle: YES! LIKE MARIA'S!!

+

Look! He's playing the jello! {cello}

+

When I get a bigger head, I be a mom and play the jello?

+

When Lydia was little, she had a hat on. And you were at the doctor's....AND YOU CAME BACK!

+

{to her dolls, pretending to cross a street}

It's okay! The street's not stressable!

+

Me: I love you the most!

Belle: I love you the...toast!

try listening to this just once

In the words of Annabelle: "I wanna listen to the one with lots of jellos again."
And again and again we've listened.
Yum. I love me some cello.

extracurriculars

So in Hawaii, we didn't just sit at the beach. Although we did spend a healthy number of hours there. (And we ain't complaining one bit about it.) We also:

Played at the playground...

Watched big sister play at the playground...

Rode "alligators"...

And toured the "Tangled boat"...

 

Is it so wrong that we're all still pining a little for some Hawaiian goodness?

to my first baby sister

 When you were tiny

and I was just a little bigger,

and we were playing with blocks

or baby dolls

or reading books and books and books,

if you ever looked up at me

the way that Lou looks at her big sister,

I hope that somewhere in the midst of being a toddler,

I let you know I felt exactly the same.

And that even now

this sisterhood that my babies are growing into

is the same one I cherish with you

and the next baby sisters. 

 It has been a magical thing

watching these two love each other.

And then realizing I've already done

just the same.

Three times over.

*These are their Hawaiian matchy matchy outfits. I may have squealed when I found them. And YES it's still winter in Utah. But matchy matchy overrules winter any day.

** While in Hawaii, our external flash died. In other words, a little part of my soul died. And my photos are going to be harsh and weird lighty for a while until we either fix or replace it.

first feeding

it's been said

Me: Do you know you're my heart?

Belle: Uh huh.

Me: And who else is my heart?

Belle: Lydia Lou?

Me: That's right. You're both my heart.

Belle: And you're my heart!

+

{after I tell her there's a dog in the parking lot}

Belle: There's a frickin dog in the parking lot!

Me: What did you just say?

Belle: There's a FRICKIN DOG in the parking lot.

{ha ha ha ha ha ha}

+

{to her dolls before bed}

It's time for you to sleep...don't worry 'bout it....you're stressable!

You are crying in the dark! I hear you talking in the dark! Cuz your mouf is really sad!

+

{all the time}

Oh, it's fine. Don't worry 'bout it.

+

When I grow up, I have lots of kids, and I be like Maria.
{from Sound of Music, of course}

+

Don't stress about the doors, aright? They're not as stressable.

+

When I get big I be on a movie like Annie.

+

{after waking up from her nap to my Gilmore Girls}

Belle: Does this have singing?

Me: No...it's Gilmore Girls. No singing.

Belle: Could we watch somefing with singing?

+

{while "lifting weights" with Daddy}

Belle: Lessgo get some water aright?

{gets a drink with Daddy}

Belle: Lessgo lift again okay?

Daddy: Okay. Let me do one set, and then you can.

{this is perhaps the funniest and cutest thing to watch}

Belle: Will you help me snap Caterpillar's pajamas?

{I start snapping}

Belle: Don't mess up, aright?!

+

{She had a strange rash that our pediatrician couldn't diagnose so he went to get his colleague.
After the colleague left...}

The doctor's friend is a baldly!

{baldly = bald, like her little sister}

{also, the rash was a random, non contagious thing}

+

I'n eating one of dose froat drops...day're healthily...for my tummy.

+

Belle: I wanna play the dog game on the Kindle.

Me: How about we eat dinner first?

Belle: How about I play the Kindle while I eat dinner.

{and the negotiating begins...}

+

{singing the alphabet}

L, M, N, O, Pool

+

{singing My Favorite Things}

Raindrops on roses and whispers on kittens...When da dog bites, when the V-strings, when I'm feeling sad, I simply remember my fave-rit tings, and den I don't feeeeeel soooooo DAAAADDDD!

+

Oh, you're so crunchily! {to Lydia}

+

My butt is showing you!

{when her skirt fell down and she semi-mooned me (her tights were still on)}

+

Are we going on another alligator?

{gets in the elevator}

Okay. What button do I push.

{over and over and over in Hawaii}

+

Oh, the turtles are giving each other back hugs! How sweet!

{while putting our two turtle toys on top of each other in a very awkward fashion}

+

{while describing something from Tangled}

And dis is where Sin Rider sits...