seven months of lillia

Dear Lillia,

This was quite the month for you! All this time we've had a little baby in the house and suddenly we have a mobile, active family member. Look out, world!

After a few weeks of taking one crawl step and stopping to cry for help, you finally figured out crawling... Except...you could only go backwards. Poor little Lia, you got stuck in every place imaginable throughout the house (and you let us know you weren't too pleased about it).

It was quite an exciting moment when I left you on your tummy and came back into the room to find you sitting upright. Triumph! Little by little you're getting the skills to keep up with Bella and move those chubby legs of yours. Oh that chub. How I love it.

I would wager to say that this has been your most vociferous month yet. The little bit of freedom you gained with your mobility was a bit of an overload, I think. You can barely stand to have me put you down, let alone of of your site. Don't even think about letting someone else hold you for more than three seconds. The screeching has reached a new level.







But your cuddles are all the sweeter. You reach out to me while nursing (when you aren't twiddling and pinching the rest of me) which is something new. You've never really been one for holding on, so it's a pleasant change for the moment.

There's quite a difference between being clingy and cuddly, and despite the endless hours of Lia Lia Lia, I'll take all the cuddles I can get. I always will.

Love, mama

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January...ish

Dear Bella,

What a fun month January was. I won't even try to pretend that I'm writing this letter on time.

Your language is a source of daily amusement and bewilderment. Half the time we don't even realize that we use an expression until it shows up in your vocabulary with body language to match. First you started with whatever. You spared no expense and dished it out with the eye roll and exasperated sigh. Lucky for me, all I had to do was ask you to say Okay, mommy instead and it has faded out of your vocabulary. That was a rough few weeks when daddy was around that attitude, though!

From there you moved on to try out a few of my choice swear words, which we were quick to replace for the sake of company. (whew.) Now you are stuck commenting on the obvious, which puts into light just how often we do that to you. We try to talk to you like we would talk to anyone else, but when you regurgitate our conversation back to us (since it is the only kind of conversation you know and you are trying so hard to engage us) it becomes apparent how different it still is.

You say with such pride to me, Did you make a *sandwich*, mama?? In the same way I say, Wow, Bella, are you drawing a snowman? (To which you reply, Yes I'm are!) We take interest in so many tiny things in your day and as adults we overlook our tiny successes. It's rather refreshing to have you here narrating the mundane with fresh excitement.

You learned what skin was this month. For some reason or another it came up, and now whenever you are itchy or get a bump, you shout, My skin!! Actually, you will go out of your way to find a reason to use that phrase...that and vamella. All you wanted was vamella milk and Cookies! With vammmmellla!

You're getting more independent every day. Your new favorite thing is to wash your hands all by yourself. The living room is always in some form of disarray between your colored pencils and your friends in various stages of dining and napping.

This was the first time that you really started to include miming in your pretend play. You set out imaginary feasts ( your friends are very well fed here) and when driving your car you make sure to strap your baby to your back and get out at least twice to get your keys and glasses before you can drive away.

You're taking quite the interest in Lia. You like to join her in her baby talk and translate for her. All it takes is a few moments together and you erupt into laughter. Or bath time screaming contests. Aren't acoustics wonderful?

Watching you enjoy life so much can't get much better than this. When you go anywhere you run with high steps. It's my favorite thing to watch in the world. All the better when you punctuate them with happy little leaps.

Sigh, these days are the best.

Love, mama

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The easiest way to make your own felt board

So, you may remember that I made Bella a felt board last winter. It has spent countless hours in use and is still one of her favorite play things. It's one of those toys that can grow with the child simply by creating new felt pieces. Right now we have a set of multi-colored felt letters and some felt weather. Soon we'll be adding felt people with interchangeable clothes. You can create all sorts of scenes!

I only had a quick window of time to put it together, so I didn't take any pictures during the process, but here goes the explanation:

Homemade Felt Board

-18x24 wood frame cork board (don't spend too much here!)
-half a yard of thin felt (most felt from joann's is pretty thin)
-scissors
-four sewing pins
-butter knife


(wow, we're practically done - it's that easy!)

Lay the cork board on the fabric and cut around it leaving twice as much width as the wood frame. You'll be covering the wood frame and tucking fabric beneath it, but you won't want any excess.

Make sure your board is centered on the fabric and start tucking in the middle of the long edges. Use the butter knife to push the fabric between the board and the frame in little increments. When you finish one edge, stretch the fabric nice and tight and do the opposite edge. Then do the short edges, stretching the fabric so that it is taught on the finished side.

When you have done all the ends, it is time for the corners! Just like folding the corner of a bed, make a pleat and tuck in as much as possible. Gather the rest and insert a pin in the corner, being careful to catch all the fabric so nothing goes loose.

Tah dah! It's done. Oh my gosh, it really was that simple. If you have extra fabric hanging off the back that annoys you, try trimming it with an x-acto knife. I'm just not that picky.

I have found that 3-4 inch letters do best. Have fun making your own additions! Enjoy :O)

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Let's pretend it's january

Dear Bella,

I have to say this month has been downright enjoyable. Something clicked in you when grandma and grandpa visited. You got a new bed over Christmas and the nights have been heavenly ever since. Sure you still wake up a fair amount and throw the occasional tantrum, but bedtime is now just another part of the day, something you're learning to enjoy.





You've had a rough time with daddy's new schedule and miss him dearly. When he's home, you will take no substitutes. You look forward to pancake mornings more than anything ( who wouldn't?). Someday I will get to take over some of the work for him so you won't have to miss him so terribly.





Thanks to a Tinkerbell movie from Grandma, you are thoroughly addicted to fairies now. It's something I can indulge in since fairies belong in the real magic of nature. I have no problem helping you explore their world one little plant at a time. In fact, I have started planning an epic fairy birthday party for you (though you should know by now how little experience I have in planning such things). But there, I've said it. Now I have to follow through.







You got another haircut from me! It's coming in fast now and turning brown in the dark winter days. How I'll miss your cornsilk hair. That seems so vain, and I have so many photos of it, but it's just another reminder of how quickly you are growing into a person all of your own. I can't believe three is right around the corner.



You have always been a child whose actions are completely dictated by your emotions. It is my mission in life to make sure you learn to live with them and understand them and keep them passionate because they can change the world some day. This month you are starting to realize the effect you can have on people and how to use your super powers for good. You ask me to put Lia in your line of sight so she can laugh at you while you jump on the bed.



Even though it's not our practice to say Good Job in the house, you have picked it up from friends and make sure to tell me when I'm do a good job drawing with you or cooking dinner. You can always tell when I've done something that makes me proud.



Likewise, you know when I am too deep in a funk to pull myself out (it is so very hard being a grownup sometimes) and you offer me kisses until I finally relent.

Are you happy now?

Not yet, I reply..

I try to be honest. You need to know that it takes effort to live with strong emotions.

You persevere with a tiny hug or a kiss on the knee until I give in and gratefully scoop you up. When it's over I'm never really sure why I tried to resist your antidote in the first place.



I love every little bit of you so much. You are my happiness.

Love, mama

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Welcome to 2011, Lia!

Dear lilla,

Oh my. The word of the month is teeth. You got your first tooth! Let's just say you're not too pleased about it. You used to love clenching your teeth, breathing through your cheeks like the Godfather. Now you're not sure what to do with one nuisance in your mouth and another on the way.





Teething certainly has brought out your aggressive side. At one point you grabbed a stuffy and started growling and attacking it like you just might tear off its head if you could. Your nursing has become a bit panicky, and I can only suppose teeth are the reason. Again, not a new fan of the new intruders, methinks.





You enjoy standing up most of all, but aren't a huge fan of the falling part. Your balance was getting great until you learned you could lean forward and I'd catch you. Now it's your favorite game and you refuse to stand anymore. You have an unbelievable grip that you use to pry off my nose and grab at my neck and hair. On the other hand, when Bella tries to grab your hands, they flail about so much that it's impossible to hold on! And boy, what a mean karate chop you have (accompanied, of course by the appropriate sound effects).





You're working on your babbling in all your spare time and got stuck on mama for a whole week- what's not to love about that? Still, my favorite thing this month is your sleepy wake ups. After a nap you're all heavy and squishy and just relax your weight right into my shoulder. Normally you flail all over while I carry you and this soft weight is so cozy.



What can I say? That's the stuff of motherhood. Days and days of upset tummies, long nights, biting and screaming all melts away with one little head snuggle. You make it easy to love you (and I do).



Love, mama

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