Ok, Rosemary. I told myself that I was only going to write these entries for your first year. Then one became two. I told myself that I’d have to write just as long for Reid as I did for you, so by signing myself up for year three for you, meant that I’d be writing for the next five years. So I didn’t write month 25 and I missed it. I have too many unposted photos and so many cute stories to tell. You’re growing so much and I don’t want to forget it! Plus, I like being able to reference what you were doing each month compared to what Reid is doing. So here goes. Sorry future self!
Your language is exploding. Here are some of my favorite things you say:
“Oh no! It’s a rainy day!”
“Listen (*points to ear*)Ca ca (bird)”
“Baby our bed”
“Poo poo baby”
“Donnie all gone”
“Carry you” (you don’t quite get what to call yourself yet)
“____ so silly” (everything is silly right now)
“Bye _____. Yuv you.”
“Share?” (While clasping your hands together, usually for something I’ve already told you you can’t have)
“Prayers??” (When we sit down for dinner)
I’m sure there are a hundred more that I could list but those are the ones that instantly come to mind. I love listening to you talk, and I’m always surprised by the word you understand and say.
We took you on your second plane ride this month and you did so much better this time. You had your own seat, so we didn’t have to restrain you, which you liked. I bribed you with candy to get you to ride in the stroller through all the airports, but it was totally worth it because you were a little doll the whole trip. When you were sick over the winter and Reid had just arrived, we fell into a lot of bad habits like not sitting in a high chair and required all foods to be eaten out of the original container, but I spent the past few weeks trying to break some of those habits, and you are doing so well! It’s beyond hard to be strict with you because 1) I love you so much and want to give you everything you want and 2) you are pretty darn stubborn, but I’m trying to be consistent so you aren’t confused about the rules. I always thought spoiling kids had a lot to do with money and buying them whatever they wanted, but the truth is that it’s easy to spoil kids. It’s way simpler to just give into your demands, and sometimes I just want to do the lazy thing, but I know in the long run, we both benefit by consistency, limits, routines, and safety. If you’re reading this as an adult, know that I was trying to do the best thing I knew how to do!
Your hair has gotten so curly! I joke that it’s as wild as you are – it has a mind of its own just like you!
You live being outside, but in kind of a funny way. We play in the sprinkler and you like it, but the second you get wet, you run over to the towel to dry off saying “dry dry dry!”. You also can spot a bug from a mile away and say “bugs all gone” until I remove it. Your favorite thing is bubbles, even though you always dump the bottle out after playing for a few minutes. I’m constantly showing you all the flowers growing in our yard too.
You live your little brother. It’s so sweet. You ask about him as soon as you wake up and Are always telling me where to put him or that he needs a paci. You like taking monthly photos with him and ask to climb into his Moses basket with him! You’ve also become quite the mamas girl, demanding that I put you to bed even when Chris is home sometimes. He’s a trooper, though, and is never offended.
You’ve got surprisingly good manners. Anytime someone sneezes you say “bless you, ____”. You also say “thank you,____” and “please”. Im starting to work on teaching you to say sorry. Crazy how you learn such big life skills at such a young age!
Rosemary, I’m so proud of you. I want you to always know that. It’s not the manners or the vocab, but rather your kindness and love that make you so special to us. You’re growing so fast, and as much as I wish time would slow down, I’m just trying to enjoy it all and show you that we love you. You’re still my baby girl and always will be!
