Lunchtime

I took a delicious nap today. While I was sleeping Bella held down the fort and made sure everyone was well fed.

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The tooth

And nothing but the tooth.

Aw, I love how it looks like a self portrait. Just a few days later and it's already grown in more!

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Year end

Dear Bella,

I have been very negligent about writing to you girls this season. Since Daddy works seven days a a week now with no days off, it's all I can do to keep up with you and my business and personal thoughts. I have yet to recover from the Great Editing Crash of 2010. It took me months to edit all those photos since Lillia was born, and I don't have the heart to start over.

You and Lia are starting to play together a bit more. Sometimes you will laugh hysterically for a half an hour just because Lillia loves it so much. You are very doting and will pile toys on Lia's lap up to her chest, just to be sure she is content. Of course, that is not to say that we haven't had a few mishaps, such as when Lia fell over because your boot hit Lia's head... while it was on your foot. Hm. However could that happen? Good thing you told me about it. What a mean boot.

We're about to get into trouble with door locks, too. So far I have been able to appeal to your independent side with, Open this door or mommy will do it. Alas, I tried one day and realized the doors will not unlock. Time to get new knobs, I think, before you get wiser. (May I just say, a month later in hind-sight, you wizened up that same day. We had to remove all the knobs from the doors until Grandpa made us a key...)

Bella, what can I say about you. It has been a really rough month for sleep. I'm sure I will never understand what is so defeating to you about falling asleep. I'm sure the trip to Oregon (and the ensuing cold) did not help, but we had so much fun. We sing lullabies at bedtime, and you now request your favorite verses. You like the twinklesky song, the achyricefishisnice song, and the appsybetsy spider. You also astounded us by running through the entire ABCs one day.

You have had so many miniature grown up moments this month. You say whatever and sigh and roll your eyes at me. No clue where you might have gotten that from. The one I hope to never forget was the train incident when (in a Voodoo Doughnut sugar high frenzy) you spilled my entire water bottle on our table and then stood up on your seat in the quiet car and shouted with delight, "Oh shit! It's raining!"

There are so many little things I wish I recorded that escape me when I sit down to write. It has been an immense change to have you every single day without a break, and I will confess I have had a short temper lately. I find that my attitude ripples and the shorter I am, the more unmanageable you become. When I get in over my head, you come to me with kisses and ask, That better? Mommy's happy now. After that, I always am.

I'm trying to be the bigger person, I promise. I have never been a peaceful person and to start learning as a parent is a challenge. You are my favorite crash course in personal growth and I'd never want it any other way. :O)

Love, mama

P.S. 6 gazillion pictures and not one of us together because you refuse to admit you like me, especially in front of the camera. (Except in those sweet moments when you tiptoe quietly up to me and say, Mama, I love you somuch. You know all the right words.)

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A bit overdue.

Dear Lia,

You finally let me put you down so now it's time to catch up on your letters. Can I even remember back to November? How little you look!

Lia, my dear, you are now six months! Just a few days ago (er, since I wrote this part in December...) you rolled forward off your butt and did one knee crawl. Now you just plop onto your belly, but you are quite a go-getter and nothing will keep you put long. You especially enjoy standing at furniture and free falling into my arms when you forget to hold on. Even in the thick of a very nasty cold you were the most active and smiley baby ever.

People remark on your smiles nonstop. Bella was quite the same way when out and about, but it turned off at home. You are just a neverending ray of sunshine, content to be yourself. When I lay you on the bed to sleep you open your eyes, lift your hands and raise your shoulders in a shrug, toss your head back and forth, smile blindly, and drift back off to dreamland. And instead of the breathe-in squeal, you have finally figured out your full belly laugh. Oh how wonderful it is.

What's new in Lia-land? You love to watch me brushing teeth or knitting and can't help but reach for the needles. Go figure I can't find Bella's taggy blanket since you are currently infatuated with tags and string.

Oh my goodness, Grabby McGrabsalot. You grab my neck, my hair, my nose, my lips (ouch), my belly chub, whatever you can get your hands on. You pull me to you and hold on so tight that I now understand why people refer to their babies as koalas. With your free hand you are karate chopping away, and your presence can be quite dangerous.

You've got a new case of Anemone Hands, swaying in some imaginary current as you sit and take in the world. You're yogurty as usual, and just when I think it's safe to go out, you spit up just enough to spoil both our clothes and perfume us with that delicious spoiled milk fragrance. I wonder why no one has bothered to bottle that stuff up yet?

What is there to say. Time is flying at break neck speed. I mean, obviously. It's January and I'm writing your December letter. You're just always there-like a time elapsed movie in which a busy crowd runs all around you and you just chill in the middle and take it all in.

We went on a train ride to Oregon and you were no trouble. You caught a horrible cold and smiled through it all. Things just seem the same until one day I look down and realize you're toes are stretching to the tips of your jammies and your hair is filling in. Days sort of blend into one another and nothing seems to change, but it does. Continually. Only the first few sentences in the above paragraph even apply anymore.

Love, mama

(P.S. Actually you cried yourself to sleep and I just went in to see you and felt kinda bad because you had kicked yourself off my bed into your bed three inches below, and no one came to comfort you. I'll make it up to you, promise!)

P.P.S. Sorry for the photo overload, but I didn't do any posts in December and had a lot to squish into one letter!

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little things

A month since I posted last! Oh my. How I miss writing and wish I knew how to find the time for it.

I'll start posting little things as I go through the photos in no particular order.

What's new?

Lia has almost cut her first tooth, and Bella has a new bed.



She has slept in it every night since my parents gave it to her! Oh how I miss them. They used to tuck me in just like this...



I wonder if I hated sleep as much as Bella does? Certainly not anymore.

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