Fashion show

Grandma took Rosemary school clothes shopping today so we had a little fashion show. I know the photos are blurry, but I was shooting a moving target with my phone camera. I have a feeling Rosemary is going to be the best dressed in her preschool class! Now my mom and I are trying to finish up some of the clothes we bought fabric for last time I visited!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2

Strawberry Shortcake

Rosemary's obsession of the week is Strawberry Shortcake. My mom has all my old Strawberry Shortcake dolls from the 80s and cleaned them up so she's been playing with them since we got here. Tonight for dessert my mom treated us all to strawberry shortcake, which Rosemary enjoyed while watching a Strawberry Shortcake movie! Xander wanted a little piece of it and I had to get it on video. Enjoy!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2

Xander's clapping!!!

Yay Xander!!!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2

Ten Months Old

My little man turned ten months old yesterday. Poor little guy celebrated it with a fever. He really doesn't feel well today. I hate seeing my baby sick but I know he's going to be ok. I have a feeling it's either roseola or will pass and we'll never find out what it is. But even though he's not feeling great, he managed to do the cutest things today! This morning I was blowing on his face. He did the usual cute baby face and then he blew on my face! Joe tried getting it on video but it was really hard to get the right angle. It looked like he was blowing raspberries and then he'd laugh. Later in the day he was imitating me making other funny noises. I did a sort of "uh, chh" sound. I can't really type it out, but he'd do it after me. It was so funny seeing this little guy making these funny sounds imitating me! Here's a little snapshot of what my little man has been up to this past month:

- Imitating everything! In addition to the funny sounds I make, I've heard him meowing at the cat, who he loves to chase around the house.

-He said "banana!" I tried getting him to say it again today, but he just wanted to eat it and wasn't in the mood to say it.

- He's eating pretty much everything at this point (except choking hazards of course). His favorite meal seems to be mini bowtie pasta, cooked chicken pieces, and green beans. And he loves ice cream! He also loves Baby Mum Mums. He's not a big fan of Cheerios or Puffs, but put a Baby Mum Mum in his hand and he's a happy camper.

- He is cruising all over the place and loves walking his dinosaur! He hasn't attempted standing on him own yet, but I have a feeling that's not too far away.

- He gets into EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, he seems drawn to the toilet bowl brush so I have to make sure to keep the bathroom doors closed or that will be the first place he heads. He's very independent and will happily play by himself until he gets hungry or tired. I'm not used to having such an independent baby and I often feel bad that I'm not giving him more attention, but he's so happy. While Rosemary could cuddle and read books with me all day, he'd much rather crawl around the house getting into things or climbing things.

- He loves the Fisher-Price Little People farm that was mine when I was little. It's in Rosemary's closet and he will happily sit in there and play with it all by himself. He mostly puts the little people in his mouth and opens and closes the barn doors, but he loves it and it will entertain him for a long time!

- He and Rosemary are playing together more and more. Unfortunately, I think she knows he's getting bigger and stronger and now she doesn't feel like she needs to be so gentle with him so she often knocks him over (not a problem on the carpet but when he hits his head on the hardwood it's enough to give me a little heart attack and make him cry). But he holds his own pretty well!

I'm already getting emotional about him growing up. I love the age he is now and I just wish I could freeze time. I can't get over how much faster it has gone with him. He is just a little angel.

Caught in the act

My kids are killing me with their cuteness today. Rosemary saw Xander eyeing her banana (which he really loves in case you didn't catch my last post!) and started feeding him. It was so sweet until the very end where he got a really big bite! I hope this is a sign that they are going to be good at sharing lots of things!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2

First word

Xander said "banana" this morning!!!!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2

Time flies...

No pictures to accompany this post. Just wanted to pop on and record a few things I've been ruminating about and need to get out of my head. My children are growing so fast. Rosemary is a little lady. I am SO proud of her. It has not been an easy road, but when I look at her and see how amazing she is and what a gorgeous, intelligent, headstrong, motivated little lady she is becoming, I realize that all the sleepless nights, all the meltdowns (hers and mine), all the time spent stressing about every little thing was SO worth it. She is not the child I imagined in my head that I would have one day. She is SO much more amazing than I ever could have dreamed. It is truly astounding how she is this human being, completely separate from me, and yet, I MADE her. I felt her kick before she even took her first breath, and now she is about to start preschool. Her imagination is Oscar-worthy. Whether she's playing Princesses or doing an art and craft project, she adds her own little spin to everything she does and makes it FABULOUS (who else would have turned an unfinished wooden birdhouse into a home for little princesses by adding pink paint, glitter, and sequins?!) And Xander is Mr. Personality. He flirts with EVERY pretty lady he sees. He was even flirting with Fergie on tv today! He is not yet walking on his own, but he is climbing on everything and has no problem giving the cat a run for his money. He is starting to express his likes and dislikes (I believe he might just one day be as verbal as his sister, so Lord help me!) I always thought Rosemary had the market cornered on the most emphatic facial expressions, but he is definitely giving her some competition. And he LOVES me. Rosemary was always a mama's girl, until Xander came along, but he has always preferred daddy. Until lately. Now he gives me these humongous slobbery, open-mouthed kisses that make me melt. His little grunt when he laughs gives me goosebumps. I don't know any parent that was not affected by the Casey Anthony trial. It helped put a lot into perspective for me. No matter how truly difficult things get, even when it's tantrums and meltdowns that are making things difficult, I have never once lost sight of how truly blessed I am to be a mother. I have never once taken for granted the gift that I have been given of being a mother. I want nothing more than to do the best for them, and be the best for them. The thought I struggle most with as a mother, especially a stay-at-home mom, is that I am not good enough for them or that they deserve better than me. There are so many thoughts and feelings and judgments that the Casey Anthony trial has brought up in me that I can't even express without breaking down and crying. But to sum it up, I would give my life for my children and can not imagine losing one of them- regardless of whether it was intentional or accidental. I don't think I'd be able to go on living. Ever since the trial, I can't stop staring at them and giving them extra attention. Rosemary is loving it, but did ask why I was smiling at her so much the other day. I just told her because I love her. And that was the entire truth.

Milk n honey

It has been quite a while, a little over nine months to be exact, since Rosemary and I have had a special day just the two of us. I needed some bonding time with my daughter and, given our love of tea parties, decided to make reservations at a local tea house for afternoon tea for just the two of us. What an incredible day! The tea room was lovely- decorated like a traditional a victorian tea shop. The tea- I had blueberry green tea while rosemary opted for apple juice- was amazing. So amazing in fact, that Rosemary drank my tea instead of her juice! There was a baby shower in the larger room that includes a childrens dress up area, so we were seated in a more intimate, but no less lovely, room and our server brought the dress up clothes, and a couple Barbie dolls, to us! When our food was ready, served on a three-tier tray, of course, it was amazing! The lowest tray had sandwiches- pbj and turkey and cheese shaped like butterflies for Rosemary and assorted finger sandwiches and wraps for me. The second tray had watermelon balls, scones, and devonshire cream, and the top had the most amazing assorted pastries! The owner is also the chef and she is amazing. I have no idea how she can make a cucumber sandwich such a delicacy! By the time we were finished eating, the baby shower had ended and we were invited into the large room to play dressup. It was the most amazing day that I have had with my daughter in forever! I don't think either of us will forget it for a long time to come.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2

Mermaid lessons

We just spent two weeks visiting grandma and grandpa in Ponte Vedra. The highlight of the trip was the swimming lessons my parents signed Rosemary up for. We were able to finish the first three, and will continue with the next three when I return at the end of the month. She's getting there!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2

Open the door, get on the floor...

Xander walks the dinosaur!!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.2