Soul Pajamas

If pajamas had the ability to reflect the heart and soul of the person wearing them, these would be Reilly's Soul Pajamas.


I mean these are HER, in the form of sleepwear. Her eyes are even the same color!

Oh, hi. I'm obsessed with you.

I love her in them so much, I felt it was a waste to confine their use to nighttime. We rocked them all day.


But everything, down to the "happy" in different colors and materials. If her heart were to sing, it would sing a song of giggles and polka dots. Just like these pajamas.

"Really, Mama? Now this is just too far."

Sorry, babygirl. You look like Martha Washington when I do that. And it makes me giggle.

And a profile pic, for Mima!

And look what else I caught on camera! My babygirl saying "Da". She says it so deliberately, with her mouth movements so exaggerated, which makes me laugh.

Scroll down..."D-Ah"
Shout out to the Speech Pathologists in my life (ie: Aunt Janet): Isn't she advanced?! ;)

This is what goes on in my head, ladies and gentleman.

I wonder what my Soul Pajamas would look like...

Love & Polka Dots,

Dirt Road Mama

Sitting Pretty!

SHE DID IT!


You may remember a few days ago, I was chronicling the trials and triumphs of Reilly learning to sit up. We had a lot of rocking, a lot of leaning, and lot of slow topples.

But yesterday, she just decided that she would sit up!! No trouble, no toppling, no leaning! Look at my baby go!



Okay, so there still is a bit of toppling. But I'm allowing it to slide, for now. We now have the recessed boppy, if you'll notice. Just in the correct place to prevent a head bump.

And today, she leaned forward for a toy that she couldn't reach. And ended up on almost all fours. She kind of stuck halfway there, and then looked at me, unable to move. I giggled, and then sat her up again. But that is darn close to moving in the world of Reilly.

Or, she'll probably be so content sitting that she'll just chill out for 6 more months. My happy little pumpkin. This is the funnest thing ever, watching how proud she is of sitting. That face that you see? That's her ALL DAY today. No kidding.


Love & Sit Ups,

Dirt Road Mama

My Babies

Look at these two. My babe, and my baby. Try not to melt.

Those smiles.

I love this one. She's holding his face.


This is what she does when he comes home from work. Look at the little teefies!!


He's totally in love.

Stick a fork in me, I'm done. I fainted. My heart just burst like the Grinch at the end.

I love you, my Babe.
I love you, my Baby.

Love my Babies,

Dirt Road Mama

Socks: An Update

Some of you may remember Reilly's favorite new game.

Which is not so much a game, as it is a way of life.

Mama puts sock on Reilly.
Reilly waits till Mama turn around.
Reilly pulls off socks and eats them.
Mama turns back around.
Reilly smiles. And continues chewing.

Well...Mama found a solution to this never ending circle.

I bring you: Reilly New Toys. Socks that she has grown out of.

Yes, they are clean. Thank you.

They are really in her toy basket in her room. She loves it. Billions of socks at her disposal. Mama's happy because feeties are still warm.

And look at that smile! Everybody wins!

Point for Mama.

Love & Growing Feeties,

DR Mama

Six!

Hi Reilly! Is there something you'd like to tell us?!

Yes, we know you got a doggie. But can you look at Mama instead of Penny?

Look Daddy's here, too! What are we celebrating today, Baby?

Oh!! You are six months old today?! That's so exciting!!

If you're excited and you know it, blow bubbles at Daddy!

Reilly's face says, "Say what, Mama?!"

Yes, it's true Reilly Belle. You fell out of me 6 whole months ago.

"But Mama, I feel like I've known you my whole life! I can't believe I didn't know you 6 months ago!"

I know, peanut, Daddy and I feel the same way!

You are our best friend, babygirl.

Meeting each other was the best thing that ever happened to Mama and Daddy.
And then we had you, and life lit up like never before.

Dirt Road Mama, Baby, and Doggie. Just hangin out.
Nobody cares about this photo being taken except me.

Here is what we learned about our Reilly this month:

1. We can make her smile or laugh on a DIME. She is literally always smiling. Or laughing. And therefore, so are we.

2. Her eyes get bigger and brighter every day.

3. She gets more curious each day. She thinks she can do things that she can't, and she will just try! Like moving. Or jumping off of our laps. She thinks she is super baby, but it's so fun watching her learn.

4. She is talking up a storm! Making so many sounds, singing, babbling. She has said "Da". Not "Da-da", just Da. But she did say it twice, two separate occasions!

5. She has 2 teefies!! Which are teeth, in Mama language. They are her 2 bottom teeth, and I love them like they are my own. Actually, I don't even really love my own teeth - I just love hers.

6. She can take off her bibs. Well, she just took her bib off right now for the first time. So I felt like I should mention it.

7. She sleeps like her Mama. At least 13 hours a night. LOVE IT. Is there a word stronger than love? If there is, that's what I feel for her sleep. And therefore, my sleep. Yay sleep.

8. She is thisclose to rolling over.

9. She is thisclose to sitting up.

10. Take your time, baby, Mama's in no rush for you to grow up.

11. If you want, you never have to roll over or sit up. I'll just carry you everywhere your whole life. Okay, deal.

12. I like saying thisclose.

13. She's such a good little eater! She eats carrots, apples, bananas, pears, prunes, peaches, green beans, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash like a little champ. Next up: PEAS!

14. She is so great in new situations. She doesn't cry around new people, she will just get quiet for a little bit. We can take her to football games, happy hour, or restaurants and she goes with the flow.

One more time, because I'm obsessed with her...

Happy 6, babygirl. You are an angel.

Love & 6,

Dirt Road Mama

Freedom!

This is a little poem by me, Reilly. I call it "Freedom".

(ahem.)
Freedom

Freedom is rolling around on the floor.
Freedom is Daddy walking through the door.
Freedom is no bedtime, ever again.
Freedom is playtime, no matter where or when!

Freedom is feeties in my mouth, not in clothes.
Freedom is Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.
It is mama letting me play before the bath,
I love wearing no diaper more than Daddy loves math!

Freedom is breaking free of my blanket sleeper.
Freedom is no jammies - Mama, wouldn't it be cheaper??
Freedom is chewing on my socks all day long,
Mama play some music - this should be a song!

Love, Rei Rei

We all define freedom in different ways.
This is how Reilly views it.
I told her about Veteran's Day, and how people protect our freedom. And this is what she came up with. Oh well, some lessons will have to wait till the first birthday, I guess. :)

Thank you, soldiers. Reilly loves ya.

Love & Freedom,

Dirt Road Mama

Baby in Blue

Sometimes, when all other games have been played, my favorite game is "Make Baby Laugh and Take Pictures on Mama's Bed". It's so much fun. Reilly sits right in the center of our enormous bed, and looks like a little proud potato with really good posture. She always sits straight up against the pillows the first 11 times I sit her down. She sits straight up, eyes WIDE, smiles huge, and then falls forward. This happens, like I said, 11 times, and then she leans back a little. It's very funny.

Anyway, these games always end up in me getting slightly odd pictures of her. She will rarely smile when my camera is in front of my face. That is why I always get the frightened faces. I get smiles when I take the camera away from my face, hold it to the side, and then she can see me.

But then I get pictures like this.

Adorable, yes. Frame-able? Well yes, I frame everything. What was I saying?

But I actually love the faces I get of her. The smiles will always be there. But these little funny babyfaces full of chubby cheeks and curiosity? Those will not always be here.

I mean I can't imagine that when she is 16 heading off to her first of many school dances, I'll say, "Okay babygirl, now don't smile, give me the little babyface chubby-cheek face full of curiosity!" Come on, just like when you were a little banana!

So for now, I love these face. Every single one.



Wait, what's that Reilly? Okay, yes, I know. I was going to show them your trick. Oh, YOU want to tell them about it? Okay, go ahead.

Okay, okay, hi guys!! I'm so excited. This is MY new favorite game. It's so much fun. You should all try it. Okay here is how you play. First, you have to grab your feet. Did you know I could grab my feet?? I know, I'm such a big girl. Mama tells me.

So anyway, you grab your feet. And there will always be a sock there. So, you pull it off like this...

See here, guys? Here's my sock!


Okay, then, you chew on it. It's so much fun. But Mama will take it away and put it back on your foot, so then we do it again! But then the sock gets really wet, and Mama takes it off. But, it's winter time, so she ALWAYS puts on more socks! It's a never-ending game!

Mama says that it's yucky and I have lots of clean things to chew on. But then she laughs when I keep doing it. She likes my game, too!

Love,

Reilly Belle

I've Always Wanted an Elephant!

Look what showed up on our front steps the other day!

An elephant!!
She's very cute. We think she escaped from the zoo.

Here's what we know about her so far:
She is a girl.
She is not house trained.
She blows bubbles when she is happy.
She can sing! (which is impressive, given the wild animal status)
She likes to cuddle.
She smiles all the time.


I think we'll keep her. She'll have so much more fun at our house than at the zoo.


I can't wait for Reilly to meet her.

Speaking of which, where did Reilly get off to?

Love & Ellies,
Dirt Road Mama

Baby in the Forest

Last weekend we took a field trip to the forest! Now, we live in the forest, surrounded by trees and woodland creatures. But this was a different forest, one for chopping firewood.

People around here say "woods" instead of "forest". I prefer forest. Isn't it more magical?

"Yesterday, we went into the woods."
"Yesterday, we went into the forest."

One seems factual, one seems mystical. Ah, the English language. Such choices we have.

Anyway here we are watching Daddy chop down a tree!

I know, the hat. I want to squeeze her every time she wears it. So I do.

Go Daddy!
Nothing is cuter than these cheeks. Nothing in the world.

Hi babygirl! Are you having fun?

You look very snuggly in there, can I come in with you?


That's her new musical toy from Mima and Poppy. She was slightly more obsessed with that than with watching the chainsaw action. But we had lots of fun in the forest!


Love in the Woodland,

Dirt Road Mama

Sleepy Little Eater

So the other day, I was feeding my little Reilly. Daddy was nearby, and was able to capture what happened after. She sat on my lap while I burped her, and was very sleepy and snuggly. So I leaned my face in close to hers and said, "Hi sweetie, how are you my girl?"

And then she looked at me, and her eyelids got all heavy and droopy, and then she did this...

My little sleepy munchkin. It was the most precious thing.

I love how safe she must feel to be able to just fall asleep sitting up against my cheek. Like a little newborn sleepyhead.




My favorite moments are the little ones.

Love & Sleepies,

DR Mama