She’s a growing girl

Hard to believe it’s been a year and a half since Jaenelle was born. Heck, I’m having trouble believing it’s been a month and a half since Rowan’s been born. O_O Time flies when you’re sleep deprived and on Mummy time!

To that end Jaenelle proves to us that she’s growing. She’ll say phrases, short sentences. Not really a lot of singular words. She’ll chatter at us, in discussing tones, and occasionally say a whole thing. The most memorable is when Rhys and I were putting the babies down for an afternoon nap a week or three ago. Rowan was snoozing in his cot, Rhys was rocking Jaenelle in his arms and I was telling our little girl that naps were a good thing. Suddenly, Rowan yelled in his sleep, startling us all.

“What was that?!” I said, peering into the cot. Rowan was still asleep.

Jaenelle, solemnly gazing at her brother, then very clearly said: “Vincent did it.” Then she looked away. We laughed and told the maligned big brother, who acted comically aggrieved and said he couldn’t be mad.

Jaenelle’s said a few other things, like “Almost made it,” when she almost succeeds at trying something; “try again, you can do it”, “good try” to encourage herself, for example.

Another of Jaenelle’s big achievements is taking her first steps! I was giving her small pieces of yakisoba noodles, having discovered that noodles are one of the things she will chew and swallow. I was holding out a piece and coaxing her to come and get it. Jaenelle pushed herself to her feet as she often does, but then took one step…two steps…three…four! I was happily cheering and swept her into my arms, kissing and cuddling her excited little face and heaping praises for her newest achievement. Jaenelle got her noodle and then went on to toddle around the room in sets of four steps before going down on all fours. Hail the power of yakisoba!

Feeding has taken some significant steps as well. She likes to sample our food and drink, if she sees us eating it. Lasagna, noodles, rice with sauce, bread with a bit of butter, crackers, cookies, as long as it’s a small piece she can moisten and gum into mush, we give her a sample. I gave her a thin slice of nectarine last week and today she went after the whole ones. She managed to scrape away some skin to expose the sweet, juicy flesh to suck on. I took a bite and now Jaenelle’s biting at it, going “yummm, yuuuum, nom nom!” Actually getting the soft flesh and swallowing.

Rowan has been focusing on mostly feeding, sleeping, and being cuddled. Jaenelle has learned that he likes his pacifier and helps by trying to give it to him. Sometimes even if he doesn’t want it. She’s trying.

These days he has some periods of where Rowan likes to look around and coo. His jaundice is fading and he is becoming cutely pink again. He has a bright, keen, and piercing gaze that reminds me of my Dad’s. I wonder what he would’ve said about his grandkids.

5 thoughts on “She’s a growing girl

    1. DGM

      Reminds me of the old joke about a boy telling his mother about his good deed for the day:

      “Six of us helped a little old lady cross the street.”

      “Why did it take six of you?”

      “She didn’t want to go.”

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