Rolling along

She's getting bigger. Very concentrated on moving, she's figured out rolling, so she sometimes tries to barrel roll across the bed to get to the kitties. Exploring more food, now she gets super excited if I'm holding her and holding a cup because she likes to drink. Rose is so happy and good spirited, recoverse quickly from upsets, when I get home she squeels and kicks and thinks I've been playing hide and seek all day long. She gets into squeely loud phases where she's just screaming loudly and happily, but they don't last too long. Still super enamored with her brothers, she loves to watch them and is happy to see them and wants to pull their hair. I shaved my beard recently and she was pretty interested in why my chin was different. She managed to push herself up from her belly into sitting yetserday, and is getting closer to figuring out how to crawl, getting stronger. This morning I put her in the middle of the bed and stepped into the bathroom to get my toothbrush, she flopped onto her belly so I started putting my toothbrush down to go get her, but in the next second she had pushed with her feet and flopped onto her face on the floor. I am really sad about that. I hadn't realised she's gotten so fast and strong. But she recovered quickly. Francesca's family visited recently and she was fine with everyone, even though she probably didn't remember Aunt Gillian from her last visit. Then they all went bridal gown shopping. Upper teeth are in. She seems so big, growing fast and strong and healthy. Had a cold recently and would get upset when we wiped her nose, not sure if it was uncomfortable or if she didn't like getting messed with. She still sometimes fusses when we lift her hips up to slide a diaper under her, or when we're reconnecting her clothes, guess she doesn't like to be messed with. She likes swinging, although Finn is sometimes too enthusiastic. She loves it when I get the guitar out, really exciting and fascinating(this video is after the initial thrill wore off). Still insists on being face out when carried, so when I'm holding her she tends to slide slowly down until I can hoist her back up. She gets excited when she see's her mom putting on a baby carrier, she sleeps best in them. Still thinks silk scarves are super fun, and they are a good emergency to stop fussing, it's fun when they fall softly onto her face, or when I'm underneath also.

Bath's and early mornings

I am noticing her presence a lot lately, she is a little person squirming in my arms, totally fascinated with the world she's watching, no longer the sleepy baby she once was. She is a very squirmy little person, must be my genes again, always spinning and spinning in my arms. She won't let us hold her facing in, she always insists on facing outwards so she can see better, which is harder for us, I've been trying to convince her the last few days that inwards she can still see, but she just has her arm bar against my chest the whole time. She also refuses to be held horizontally, like a baby. So when she fusses in the evening, I rush in there to try and quiet her. If I'm fast enough and subtle enough she can be patted back to sleep, but if she realizes it's not Mama she gets upset and starts thrashing and arching her back. She has a cute little wiggle all her own when laying on her back, side to side shift shift, kind of mechanical like a turn signal. Lately she has a new funny smile, that's all in the scrunch of her nose between her eyes, but she seems to be teething for her upper teeth right now so maybe that's what that's about. She has had a few big girl baths recently and thinks they are very fun and interesting, sitting up in the tub with a big smile Splash a splash a splash a . Have I mentioned how much she loves animals? Always jumping when she sees our cats, unfortunately hasn't figued out how to pet gently, she tends to grab tight to fur (she's still working on motor skills, can't coordinate her arms that smoothly.) Dogs also she really likes and thinks it's really funny when they lick her hands. Still a champion thumb sucker, first of our children to really go for that, or failing a thumb she likes the zippers on the front of her pajamas. Reaching further and further while she sits playing, trying to those frustrating toys that keep slipping out of arms reach. Very frequently she wakes up at 6, often lately with loud babbling mamamamama, and then sits there playing wapping my face and tugging on my hair while Francesca and I pretend we're still sleeping. Very sweet.

6 months

Latest thing is FOOD!  We've started letting TillyRose try tiny bits of mashed up food and she likes it a lot, she glomps down on the spoon, she thinks it's a super fun game. Hasn't even made bleh weird tasting fasces. Otherwise she's growing great, sitting up strong, always grabbing at the toys we give her. We have a shallow little basket and one of her favorite things is to unload all the little wooden toys out of it. She is always chewing on something, usually something wooden. She still likes to chew on her toes when we change her diaper. She's reaching forwards while sitting, so we're trying to encourage her, so she can figure out how to crawl. She doesn't like to be layed down, fusses almost right away, and if we put her face down she flips to her back instantly. She gets really excited about the kities, usually laughing and kicking and trying to grab them. She is also fascinated with her brothers, laughing when they jump around, she spends a lot of time with Finn while Oliver is at school. No longer can I put her to sleep, if she fusses before we go to bed she just gets angry when I try and comfort her. We are super glad that her eye has cleared, since she was born she had a blocked tear duct, which we were worrying about having to surgically get it cleared, but it's finally cleared up on it's own. She's still cheerful, but can be pretty serious in new situations. We're all doing well and busy busy all the time. So much laundry!

 

with Caeser Chavez farm workers Champion

 

with martin luther king

 

with the first woman Nobel Peace prize winner

new christmas swing

Giggles

It has been holiday madness. Tilly Rose likes the lights, but more she likes to watch her brothers, and they love the lights and everything, lots of excitement. She is just getting mastery of sitting up, not quite at the point where we'll let go of her, but she's really close. Her teeth have been hurting a lot lately, and her bottom 2 finally cut through. In general she's more awake. She doesn't always go to sleep when her mom tries to put her down, but when she's tired and she sees Francesca putting on the baby carrier she gets excited and kicks her legs to get in. Almost getting peek a boo, we are popping out from behind walls and she likes the game, but isn't quite falling over laughing from it yet. Also won't be long before she's trying to grab her mama's dinner, she's starting to reach for things at the table. Sometimes when she wakes up after she's been put down for the night I am able to get her back down, this is the first child I've managed that. She really likes to watch the cats. We'll see what she thinks of christmas.

4 months

 Things are going well. Rose is talking often, warming up her voice for when she learns words and needs to compete with her brothers. She's also been blowing bubbles a lot because her teeth are starting to come in and she's gotten pretty drooly. Still full of smiles. Sometimes she doesn't like being held by others and tries to get back to her mom. She's learned a new trick of grabbing her left foot, and then usually rolls over onto her side. She hasn't found her right foot yet. Her brothers continue to be excited about her and talk to her and entertain her. Oliver always comes with a lot of energy. Finn tells her stories with toys while Oliver is off at school. We have another cold, but it doesn't bother her too much, barely protests and hasn't really made it hard for her to nurse. We went and saw an opera written by her Grandpa Howard and Rose was pretty interested in the music (her brothers were entranced and sitting on the edge of their seats.) Moving forwards.

Halloween and 4 months

She's getting more and more awake. Now when I hold her she holds her head up the whole time, doesn't want to be faced in towards me, she wants to be propped looking out to see the world and her brothers. Her legs are getting stronger also, if we hold her on the table they don't collapse underneath her right away. Still smiley all the time, she's been making a lot of noise lately, coo's and squawks and things. Very drooly lately, we wonder if she's teething, the boys got their first teeth at 4 months. I feel like I haven't been getting a lot of time with her lately, she is maybe a tiny bit sick, and the time change means she's pretty tired when I get home so I only get to hold her for a minute or two before she wants her mom and to go to sleep. But the past two mornings she's been awake early, I think she was bapping me in the face to wake me up, so I had some time with her then, her wiggling and dancing and smiling and me trying to get my eyes open. She's also getting more aware of her mom, when strangers try and hold her she wants to get back.

We weren't going to do a halloween costume, but at the last minute decided that even if she did sleep through halloween and wouldn't want to wear it we should anyway. So I whipped up a gnome hat with some braids and we dressed her all in green.

So things are good, growing well, getting stronger, loving her brothers.