casting call: Toy Story 4

After her first taste of Hollywood, Pixar producers called on Rosa to star in the 4th sequel to the popular Toy Story series, taking over the role of Bookworm. I think you will find the role to be quite fitting:

first date night

First date night without Rosie! Our wonderful neighbor, who is great with babies and loves Rosie, offered to be with her. So we walked down the street to Opa! for some tasty greek food then got frozen yogurt. This is the first time Rosie's been with someone other than us and it sounds like she did pretty well, only getting a little upset the last 5 minutes. Meanwhile we were able to talk uninterrupted by any cute babies calling our attention :)

Milestone for mom and dad.

boo hoo hoo

Rosa is learning to be more and more expressive and dramatic. This was an entertaining evening.

(Vi was experimenting with some editing apps on her iPhone. pretty fun)

splish splash photo montage

Yesterday we went swimming again and, thanks to friends, got some more good photos. Rosie was sporting her first bathing suit.





With her baby friend Avery. It looks like they're having a serious heart-to-heart, especially with the hand on Avery's shoulder!

6 month check up

Went to the doctor's today and Rosa, once again, was a rockstar. She seems to really like that place. Even more specifically, she loved to crinkle the paper they put on the exam table.

Here are her "specs":
Weight: 16 lbs (49% of growth percentile), gained a little over 2 lbs since her 4-month
Height: 2'1.75" (49% of growth percentile), grew 1 inch
Head circumference: 17.01", apparently 71% of growth percentile. No jokes please. She's sensitive about her head size:

6 months!

Happy half birthday Rosa!
Yesterday marked her 6 month anniversary of being cute. To celebrate, we invited 250 people to dinner and dancing. It just so happened, our friends were also getting married. :)

Month six milestones:
* sitting up n her own
* started solids (bananas)
* rolling over from tummy-to-back much more gracefully, back-to-tummy when she wants something out if arm's reach (and whenever we're not looking)
* eyes tracking even better now, especially on whoever is speaking (even if said person is the storyteller across a crowded room of babies)
* sticky fingers mcgee grabs anything and everything in her wake
* recognizes Mom and Dad and usually greets then with big smiles
* reaches out to be held (kinda)
* sucks on feet (more accuratey, foot. The left one.)
* easily distracted while nursing
* and core strength of an ox:


Six of the quickest months ever! We often marvel at how big she's grown. Our little baby, not so little anymore!

Bonus video: "what's up, doc?"

all around good night

Monday night was one of those nights that were simply good for the soul.

Short story:
I went to an awesome yoga class.
Mike and Rosa went on their daddy-daughter date.
Happiness ensued.

Random picture:
This particular picture has nothing to do with this post, but I know what the masses want...cute baby pictures! This is the social butterfly fluttering her wings.

Longer story:
On Monday nights there is a great yoga class that I'd been to once and had been wanting to go, only it's late on Monday nights. With Mike's encouragement, I went. This meant Mike and Rosa got a father-daughter date night, which he was very excited for. They apparently were so cute together that at the restaurant a couple walked over from across the room ...unsolicited, mind you!... and offered to take a picture of the two of them for prosperity.

Meanwhile, I was really enjoying my yoga class. The instructor has this very calming energy and combines challenges of the body and mind. During certain poses she reads quotes or poems. This night the readings centered around Attachment. I really appreciated having the time to reflect and be reminded to be mindful. There were two readings she did that stood out. I've posted them below for your enjoyment.

Attachment was a good theme for the evening because my reluctance to go to this class in the past was centered around my attachment to my family. So an added bonus to the night was realizing that in detaching myself, I was able to appreciate and enjoy my family even more. I was eager to go home, and my heart fluttered when Rosie was excited to see me. AND Mike and Rosa will get to do even more special bonding. So basically....win win!

Readings:

Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky.
Rainer Maria Rilke

Song for a Fifth Child
Mother, oh mother, come shake out your cloth!
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking!
Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat- a- cake, darling and peek, peekaboo).

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard and there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

Oh, cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
But children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby. Babies don’t keep."

1958 Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

baby's got rhythm!

Here's a video from last week. The first time she held a maraca she fell asleep. It took some warming up but she's finally gotten into her groove.

p.s. This was taken last Tuesday, when Mike treated us to a wonderful night for Día de La Madre (Mexican Mother's Day). Here we're at the sushi restaurant down the street. Everyone was going gaga over Rosie. After dinner we went to Petroglyph to paint. Then we finished the night with frozen yogurt. I'm a very lucky Mama!)

can't resist: banana take 2

Already a pro.

go bananas

Rosie's first solids!



5.5 months old

communication breakdown

Rosa and I met up with a bunch of other families at a family event on Santana Row (the Emeryville/Blue Back of San José). Afterward we went shopping since we have a wedding to go to in a couple weeks. Rosa was chatting up a storm the whole time. Perhaps she was trying to communicate with the other babies nearby (like how whales can communicate miles away using sonar) or she was giving me fashion advise. Or both! Which might explain why I left with a dress made of krill.

mother's day montage

A rose by any other name...


...would taste as sweet!


She got a taste for food (of the rose persuasion) and moved quickly onto bread (kinda).


These days, she prefers to stand...


...or fly (with cousin A watching on. Notice how calm he is...apparently he played the same way with his baby).


Relaxing with Vavô. Is that the Sharks game on TV?


Catching up with Vavó.


Sad to leave cousin N.

sitting meditation

To the untrained eye this video is just of a sitting baby. But to the baby expert, this is a pretty cool milestone! Rosa's not reliable on her own yet but she's close. Next we work on her mindful breathing...!