THE GREEN(wald) HOUSE … (growing rosemary & raising a little wolf)

Thought I would share this lovely photo of my white trash baby - pantless, one sock on, eating dog food….

I’m such a proud mama….

So, Rosie was happily playing today and I wasn’t really paying attention - but was taking pictures of her off and on throughout the day…

Then, she crawled over to me and when I looked up I noticed she had pulled her arm out of her sleeve and was sporting the bare shoulder “flashdance” look….

I started cracking up - Luckily, I had the camera handy and I took a few photos, and the more I laughed, the more she laughed and hammed it up for the camera….






Sometimes I can’t get over how adorable she can be - It makes all the sleepless nights well worth it…

So, nursing has become a full contact sport lately - Rosie does not want to ever sit still and insists on squirming and attempting to stand up while nursing. My friend S explains this “gymnurstics” much better in her blog. Rosie also has started coming over to me and grabbing my chest when she decides she wants to nurse - and likes to nurse standing up while I sit on the couch - the below is a photo journal of one such nursing session….

hey mom - I wanna nurse now - gimme the boob!

Mother’s day happened to be the same day as Rosie turned 10 months old…

We had a great day - I got to sleep in - then got served breakfast in bed - then went to visit Bubby Rose

and went to brunch at Aunt Betty’s house with Aunt Betty (duh) Alissa and Jacob, Mom Carol, Pauline, Emil, Marisa, Noah, Cory, and Ari…

Then I got a mani-pedi on the way home and just relaxed for the rest of the evening…it was a great Mother’s day and I am so happy to be a mom…

Rosie is getting so big, her new trick is clapping - she gets so cute and excited when she does it - she knows she is doing something new and she is so proud of herself…

Sleeping is still something that we are working on - she has finally gotten used to sleeping in the crib at night - she usually is asleep by 8:30 or 9pm and wakes up a couple times and fusses and cries for a few minutes but then puts herself back to sleep - now she sleeps pretty solidly until about 6am - when I go get her after she wakes up and bring her in bed with us to nurse and she goes back to sleep until around 8am. Naps are a different story - she will NOT nap in the crib - the most I have gotten out of her is 1/2 hour - and that is only if I manage to bounce/nurse/rock her to sleep and place her in the crib wihout waking her up - usually she wakes up the second I put her down and she screams and cries until I pick her up - then she promptly goes back to sleep - until I try to put her down again - we repeat this pattern for HOURS every day and it is getting exhausting - I just hope that she will get used to sleeping in the crib at night and that will transfer to the day for naps eventually… Until then, I have just been letting her sleep on me (after 1-2 hours of trying the crib) just so she will get SOME nap time in during the day….

She is starting to eat a little more food - still loves cereal and those gerber puff thingys the most- she likes the texture I think - she crunches it with her two little bottom teeth (still waiting for more teeth to come in).. she also has seemed to like cauliflower and pear and mango - but still is just basically tasting things - only eating very small amounts…She was really loving chewing on the pickle slices we had at dinner the other night - she likes the sour taste I think…

She is seeming to be able to entertain herself more now - she has been exploring more of the house, frequently I will be doing something, and I will look up and she will have disappeared and I will have to go looking for her and she is by the front door, or in the dining room, or by the back bathroom - she no longer needs to stay right next to me, which is nice…

She is also playing with a different variety of toys, and will rummage around in her moses basket (currently the holder of toys in the living room) pulling different things out - though her favorite toy right now is a straw - or a pen - she sticks her bottom jaw out and chews on it with her two little teeth - it is so cute…

She is getting close to really talking and is constantly babbling and squealing and chattering and likes the sound of her own voice… says “dada” “daddy” “mom” “mama” “doggie” and “nana” which I think is her word for nurse - but she also uses “mama” for when she wants to nurse too…

She understands the nurse sign when I make it - and promptly dive bombs my chest looking for milk - but she has not yet made the sign back to me yet… I have also been showing her signs for “book” “eat” “more” and “drink” and “change diaper”.. we will see if she catches on soon - it would be SO nice to be able to really communicate with her…

I can’t believe she will be 1 year old soon, and as hard as it has been, it has been so rewarding and amazing too. I have already been thinking of having another baby and find myself wishing to be pregnant again. I kind of hope that now that Rosie is sleeping longer at night without nursing, that is will kick-start my system and I will start to ovulate again soon. I would love to be pregnant by the end of the year… On one hand, I kind of want to wait and get my life and my body back, but on another hand, I also think “Hey, no need to lose those last 10 lbs if I am going to get pregnant again”
We will see how things go - I kind of have to leave it up to the universe to determine when my body will physically be ready for another baby - I know I am ready emotionally some days, and other days I think there is NO WAY I could handle 2 kids! But the older Rosie gets, the more independent she is and the easier it is to do the day-to-day mom stuff, plus, I think I am getting used to it more, and some days I am amazed by how seamlessly she fits into my life and my day. She is such a huge part of me now, of who I am, and I look at her sleeping and I wonder how I ever survived without her in my life.

Rosie loves taking baths, I wonder if it has to do with her being born in our bathtub…

She also loves to nurse while in the bath…

it makes my heart melt to see her look up at me with those loving eyes……my sweet girl - I love her so much!

I took Rosie down to Florida last weekend - making that her 5th plane trip in 9 months! What a little traveler she is! Plus, we just applied for her passport for when we go to Germany for Jay and Mel’s wedding in July. I think it is so funny that a one year old will have a passport…
Anyway- we went to Florida for several reasons - My sister Rochelle turned 30 on April 30th, my sister Renee just found out her baby due in August is actually TWIN BOYS now due in July - so we planned a shower/blessingway for her, my sister Emily was down in FL for a wedding, and I planned to teach a prenatal yoga workshop at my family’s yoga studio, Joyful Yoga. Plus, Rosie got to spend time with her great grandparents (G-ma and G-pa) and grandparents (GiGi and Papa) - and we got to have some relaxing time on the beach - so it was a trip that accomplished a lot in a few days.

Renee is beautiful and glowing

and seeing her round belly really makes me think about getting pregnant again soon (am I crazy?). We bathed Renee’s feet in rosewater, made her a nursing necklace and two bracelets with the babies names on them (Anthony Michael and Joseph Marshall) and decorated her belly

and did some affirmations that the babies will stay put until they are fully developed and will be born healthy without need for a c-section.

Since we had all the cousins (on this side of the family) together - we tried to take a photo of them all together - which was challenging - this was the best I could do. Ella and Kylie in back and Rosie and Stephen in front…

Rosie had a great time playing with her cousins - cousin Ella kept pretending to be a baby like “Baby Rosie” (I have a feeling she will still be calling her “Baby” Rosie even when they are 10 and 12) - and Ella was cracking me up with all the fun things her mom teaches her like “Don’t harsh my mellow, man” and “Don’t make me snap my fingers in a Z formation”. Most of the time Rosie just sits back and watches Ella with fascination.

Rosie was loving playing at GiGi’s house, they have a puppy (Lucy) who is a little crazy - but provided hours of entertainment for Rosie - she was cracking up at the dog and loved to stand up and bang on the sliding glass walls at the doggie running around outside. She also loved standing on the couch and looking at herself in the mirrored end tables.

A great time was had by all and we are looking forward to visiting with family again soon!