my world, my true

Time is flying by. Little Lately is already 5 months old, finding her voice, sitting up and reaching for the stars. Her laugh is a squeal of delight that she’s begun to let out more often these days. Chasing her brother up the stairs or through the yard, kicking and splashing in the bathtub, peeking behind a pillow to find me and of course, getting tickled right in the tiny spot above her ribs are all sure-fire ways to catch the perfection that is her giggles. 

My favorite time of the day with her is bathtime, because it’s her favorite time of the day. She starts kicking her feet like crazy as soon as I start running the water and breaks down in tears when I move her to the other room to undress her, then kicking all over again when we return to the bathroom and her prayers are answered. She gets water EVERYWHERE because she kicks and moves around so much, she’s so excited about it, she even almost pulled herself to standing in her little baby bathtub trying to reach a cup of water the other day!

Speaking of movement, she’s not holding back in that department. She wants to GO. She’s sitting up pretty much independently, although she’s still a little wobbly, she can hold her balance and catch herself when she starts to lean in one direction but she does still teeter and fall every now and then. She’s just so, so strong, though, it’s crazy. She’s got the fiercest grip which she uses to her advantage when her brother tries to snatch toys away from her, and also to get him back for said snatching by grabbing ahold of his curls if they are anywhere within her reach.

And, ladies and gentlemen, Lately has found her voice. Oh my, has she ever. As a baby and young child, I was nicknamed “Yellin’ Ellen” by my family members thanks to all of the racket I made when things weren’t going my way (which was pretty much all of the time, according to them); so Lately has come by this skill honestly. Sometimes she will just sit there, playing with a toy and scream for no reason at all, just to test it out, I suppose. Other times, her scream is used to let me know I’m not going fast enough for her. She’s perfected the fake cry and gets it worked up in no time…and I’m a huge sucker for it, too, fake as it may be.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 5 months. 5 months ago we became a family of four, but it sure feels like she’s been here all along.

Well, it’s official. Lately, or, “baby” (as she’s become known around our house) is growing up too fast. She’s only 4 months old and the child is on the move. She rolls all over the place and is (no joke) starting to try to push herself forward using her knees and toes when she’s on her belly. I can only assume this is a precursor to crawling. Knox skipped that whole phase, so I can’t be sure, but it sure seems like she’s working pretty hard to get that little body moving. When she’s not on the floor playing, she like to be propped up on her little wobbly feet, one of which turns under but that’s not stopping her from wanting to be standing up and bearing all of her weight on those chubby chunky legs of hers. This baby is ready to sit, too. She refuses to recline against a surface behind her. If you try to sit her in a seat or on a couch, she struggles the entire time to lift her head and chest to a sitting position (even in her car seat!). She must have some crazy abs beneath all that flubber. She can actually balance pretty well if you position her to sit, though she leans all the way forward since she can’t hold her head and chest up just yet. I’m really wishing she would just continue being immobile for much much longer. I’m just not ready for all that goes with having a baby who can get around on her own. 

She has also entered the GRAB! phase. She wants everything she sees in her tiny fist. She’s just started to be able to hold on to ring toys and loves her other grasping toys. She wants every glass of water I ever hold and loves to try to take the cup away from me when I’m rinsing her in the bath. She’s starting to eye Knox’s little toys & he’s not taking too kindly to that so far. Her grasp is so strong, though, that he actually has a lot of trouble snatching things from my feisty little gal. 

Her little personality is perky and precious. She has little hyper periods of time when her top lip pokes out and she makes the cutest little coos and squeaks. Her laughs are reserved for those who work to earn them, but she gives her bubbly smiles away all day long. She seems to like everyone she meets and doesn’t mind being doted on by new people who want to give me a break and hold her for a while, as long as she gets to be a part of the action. 

I’m loving watching her develop into a little lady. She loves to be close to me and hates being left out. She still spends a lot of time on my hip, watching my every move with wide-eyed curiosity and wonder. Her face lights up when she wakes up and sees mine and I can’t help but feel the same way.

Slow down, baby girl, I’m enjoying and savoring your isty bitsy days…

I continue to be stunned at how much she can change in just one month. She has absolutely become her own little person with a big personality. I really had forgotten how fun babies are. Part of me assumed I would be a bit bored with her seeing as how entertaining Knox is at his age, but, alas, I was dead wrong. I could lean over the bed talking to and smiling at her for hours on end. 

As you can tell from the picture, she’s found her hands. She looks like a little nun as if she’s always praying or sitting contently waiting for something…until she realizes she can chew on them and then she goes to town. She has also started playing with small toys now that she’s able to grasp. Her hands are still too small for a ring or a very thick rattle, but she has a few small toys that she really enjoys (I’m trying to put together an infant montessori post to share the materials I have for her, but time is not on my side. Hopefully I’ll get it together one of these days).

Her giggles and coos are the most precious thing in the entire world. She’s recently started squealy, squeaky laughs, but she doesn’t give those away so easily…I’ve got to work hard to hear that wonderful sound. She will, however, imitate certain sounds if she’s not too distracted. I don’t remember Knox being so clever at such a young age and I can’t get enough of that game! She’ll blow raspberries back to me, imitate me saying “Ohhh!” (including the inflection in my voice!).

We’re still working through some challenges because she is still a pretty fussy baby, especially when approached with the idea of riding in her car seat for any length of time or asked to endure past the hour of 5:00 p.m. I’m still holding out hope that these things will get easier for her very soon, but for now, we’re pushing through and trying to keep her as comfortable as possible. I can’t answer every cry like I did with Knox, but I try my best to let her know I’m here and I care. Being a baby can be tough work, after all.

I told Tarrell the other day that I wish she would stay this age forever, though I really don’t mean it, there are definitely some days I wish would go on and on as we stare into each others eyes having our first girl talks; tiny secrets, squeaky giggles, millions of kisses and snuggles. It really, truly never gets old.