A Little Piece of Mama Heaven (Daniella 3 months, Elise 22 months) ⇒

It is the most beautiful day in White Rock today. The sky is bright blue and there are no clouds in it. It is hot but there is a significant breeze blowing so it doesn't feel too hot. I was just standing on the front porch of our home with little Daniella snuggled into me; awake and just peaceful. She loves the wind in her hair. Well, who wouldn't with hair like hers? She had a fistful of my t-shirt in one hand and her other little hand was wrapped around my left arm. The only reason I came back to earth was because she actually prefers to fall asleep in her bed by herself and she was just starting to fidgit so I put her down.

Daniella is 3 months old already. It's a cliche but the time is going by so fast. I think the reason Daniella was sent to me at this time was so I wouldn't miss these years with Elise. I would have been working today if Daniella hadn't been born. And if that was the case, I wouldn't be here to get the play by play of Elise learning how to talk: yayuck (yogurt), wi-me (come with me), Da lel alell too? (Daniella too?). Husha Husha fall down!

Daniella has lost her newborn face and is showing a personality all her own. She is very smiley and has these perfectly proportioned little features--obvioulsy not from me! Her eyes are blue still and she still has that spikey hair that you pretty much have to see to believe although it is laying down flat in the back now. She loves to watch Elise and tracks her every move, smiling all the time, if they are anywhere near each other. I predict the source of conflict between those two as they grow up will be that Elise is very protective of her personal space and Daniella is going to follow her everywhere! Daniella sleeps well and we've had a few nights of 9 to 5 but 9-3 is predicable for her. I've tried dream feeding her like I did with Elise but she doesn't seem to get it (she eats at 11 and still wakes up at 3!) I'm better off not staying up til 11 to feed her if she's going to wake up anyway. She is typically up for the morning at around 7. She never cries to wake me up, even for a middle of the night feed. I just hear her smacking her lips, chatting and waggling around in her crib. When I roll over to look at her, she gives me a HUGE grin--it is so nice to wake up to.

She is so close to rolling over and has a strong neck and can hold her head up quite well now when we're holding her. She loves to be outside and feel the wind in her hair. Every evening Erin takes her for a walk around our townhouse complex to settle her for the night. She has a favourite toy: her sunshine windchimes that hang from her carseat and stroller. She also loves to play on the Link-a-doos play mat I bought Elise at that age. She can pull the levers to make it play music. It keeps her happy long enough for me to get small jobs done. She likes to sit in her high chair while we eat dinner and will sit there happily while I make dinner or clean the kitchen. She is generally just happy to be near us to watch what's going on. She loves her bath and splashes a lot now so I'm afraid we've outgrown the baby bath as the carpet and I get soaked in the process. Into the big bath we go!

Elise is becoming a right chatterbox. I can't even count the number of words she knows. She strings 2-4 words together easily. She is 22 months old now and is so beautiful it breaks my heart. Those eyes! Oh, those eyes! She knows all her colours, basic shapes and can count to ten. She likes to choose what colour bib she wears, what colour cloth to use to wash her dolly. She enjoys playing with her dollies now--it's her preferred game at the moment. She puts them in the stroller and walks them around. Grandma and Grandpa bought her a doll with a little carrying bed and she walks around with it over her arm at their house. She recently got the notion to take dolly to the park and out her down the slide. I bought her a Little Tikes Tea Party Kitchen with a dolly high chair on it and she puts dolly in there and makes her tea with milk. Her favourite game is to lay out a blanket (so it's perfect) put dolly on it and put a diaper on her. Then she says "poopoo dolly. new diaper" and takes it off and starts all over again. This game occupies her for a long time, especially if I'm in the same room as her.

She also likes to play with these foamie shapes I bought her, read books with involve pointing out things she knows the words of. She is fascinated with my heart and that it's inside but she can hear it when she rests her head on my chest. She wiggles her bum when she runs. She likes to play chase with Papa-it's a madhouse here when he comes home! She loves her bath and likes to help give Daniella a bath too.

Yes, life is grand that the castle of the Clan Dalzell.