Letter to My Hallie: 5 Months

Hallie,

Another month has slipped through my fingers, and here we are, celebrating FIVE months of you!

You continue to be the SWEETEST baby. You are so happy and are always on the verge of being delighted. Your smiles light up entire rooms, and we will all say and do the silliest things for you. I am just so grateful that you eat and sleep so well, which plays into your general contentedness and happiness. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

A new favorite activity of yours is blowing raspberries. You do it all the time! Even when you're almost asleep, you'll blow some raspberries for us. Also, much like the Bulgy Bear in Prince Caspian, you WILL suck your paws. We're trying to keep it from becoming an enduring habit...but it is very cute.

A very recent development that we all LOVE is your new skill of growling to communicate with us! It is absolutely hilarious (and you know it). It's especially funny when you get going and then have to cough to clear your throat. I hope you keep doing it for a long time.

Right after Christmas, Poppy noticed that you had a touch of torticollis affecting the left side of your neck (that basically means that the muscles on that side had contracted). Because it's my personality to research and make a plan, I RESEARCHED and MADE A PLAN. We started positioning you so that you would be encouraged to turn your head and stretch out those muscles. We've been working on it for the past month, and you've done so well that when we went for your last pediatric appointment, your doctor could only see the slightest evidence of it. I'm very proud of us.

On January 18, you accidentally rolled from your tummy to your back during tummy time. It absolutely confused you and you could not figure out what had happened to you! Your sisters were thrilled because they all happened to be watching you when you did it. It was the highlight of our morning, for sure.

You are always so excited to see your sisters, you are still calmed by having me near, and you will laugh for Daddy but no one else currently. You bring us all so much joy and light up our days. We are so grateful for you, our baby Hallie.

Love you,
Mommy

Began taking a bath with Brynna

Reflux-y babies have to wear full-body bibs

Trumpkin regularly serves as your sentry

Your "Lola" onesie from Helen, Cody, and Lola

Courtesy of Lily

What a gal

18 Weeks

19 Weeks

20 Weeks

21 Weeks

5 Months

Brynnie chats: November 2020 edition

WHEW BOY. This girl is a sassafrass. Enjoy!

CRYING BABE!
Alerting me to Hallie crying

My hands are too busy!
"I can't do this other things you asked me to do because I'm doing something I'd rather do"

Holdy, Holdy
Holy, Holy, Holy

My hands were full, so I picked up something for Brynn
Thank you Toe!

Coming down!
Announcing to the room that she heard me open my bedroom door and that I was headed downstairs

I FREEEEEEE!
Unbuckled from her car seat

I'm blowing.
Standing over a floor vent, which was blowing her dress.

Where the thunder? Where McQueen?
We were reading Otis and the Tornado, and she was looking at the pictures trying to find the lightening, which she calls McQueen...like from the movie Cars. Also, if you have little people in your life, the Otis books by Loren Long make a great gift.

I have sweethearts!
Hearts on her shirt

Give me a snuggle, Hallie!

I got a poh-eent!
Point

I CANNOT eat that apple.

Brynna: That's mine.
Nana: Can I read it?
Brynna: No.
"That" was a Costco circular.

I'll never, never, NEVER get out of this chair!

Brynna: I won't watch this.
Referring to Robin Hood, our Friday night pizza-and-a-movie choice one week
Erin: That's fine. You can close your eyes.
Brynna: *closes eyes and eats with eyes closed*

Topia : Zootopia

That's my own baby!
Hallie, of course

LILY-ISMS: November 2020 edition

Y'all, this girl keeps us in stitches. Hope she entertains you, too!

I have a fur-lection friend named Lily.
A reflection friend

Barbara: Lily, your dress is so pretty.
Lily: I"m going to be president of the club.
Barbara: What club?
Lily: The Pretty Girl Club.

It's so quiet in here except for my talkin' and Hallie's noisin'.

Trumpkin got really frustrated at you when you didn't make her a matryoshka costume. But she still likes you.
Lily lobbied HARD for me to make Trumpkin a Halloween matryoshka costume to go with our set. I just couldn't pull it together, though. This was the response.

Trumpkin's Thanksgiving meal

I can click-sing!
Making a song by clicking her tongue

Brynnie, would you keep social distance, please?
Wanting Brynna to keep away from a tower she built

Mommy, you did a good job standing up for what's right.
After I had disciplined Brynna for doing something to Lily. I guess she wanted to make sure I got positive reinforcement.

I ate it so fast- just like Claire's fast reading!

She made a paper doll of herself

Hallie, you are the sweetiest sister to Owney!
Owney is a stuffed dog

Belt seat : seat belt

Oh! Mommy! Hallie did a waterfall out of her mouth!

What?? What is the Trumpkin pain??
She heard someone on the news say "Trump Campaign"

The squirrel looked at me and didn't run away because I smiled at it. We're going to have our own squirrel pet.

Stop, Daddy! You're hurting it!
Shredding the brisket he had spent all day smoking

Erin: Lily, I love that dress on you.
Lily: You have to say "Bagheera."
We had just watched Jungle Book

Don't worry, Claire. Don't cry again. You JUST cried!

Popcorn dog : corn dog

My heart was beeping SO FAST!
beeping : beating

Erin: Good morning!
Lily: Mommy, I have a gorilla friend at the woody-woods.
Erin: Oh...right.

I KNOW. You've told me MANY times, Claire.

That was too much funny!

Injury balls : energy balls 

The injury balls in question

I can't just stop getting my eyes off of her.
Her = Trumpkin

She can juggle with her tail.
Trumpkin, apparently

It's not juice. It's SOUDER.
Actually, it was cider.

Erin to Nana: She is a good color-er.
Lily: Yes. I am.

Thank you for giving me Claire's old jammies, Mommy!
The next-size-up hand-me-downs, bless her sweet heart.

Drops her toothbrush
Whoa! That was a fun ride for a toothbrush!!

We stand by the thing that's like a hat with our name on it.
Referring to our family cone at co-op, marking our socially-distanced spot for morning assembly

Nana, I once went to A REAL post office! In Jonesbarrow with Gran!

My hands are covered with flowers!
Flowers : flour

Did you see me go booty-naked?

Wearing new, striped panties
I look like a chair at the beach!

I know the mystery. That Jesus had rose again. That's the mystery.
Leading up to Christmas and Easter, the Sunday school lessons talk about the Great Mystery.

I wrangled up the cows.
Pretend cows

It's cold outside. That's why we need to wear these warm ingredients.
Coats, hats, mittens

Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy...
Mommy, I have a lot to say!
Wanted me to stop talking so that she could speak her thoughts

Nana: Can y'all stay in here and behave?
Lily: Oh yeah! Claire can be in charge. She can do all kinds of grown-up stuff.

Can you fast-forward it back?
Rewind

This is what I call "pump the jelly." See the jelly coming up?
Squeezing her sandwich so jelly would come out the sides

I just saw them kiss lips together!

Brynnie just loves the samples that are goodies.
Referring to Brynnie sneaking gingerbread house-making supplies

We're just troublemakers.
Referring to herself and Amiee while making gingerbread houses

Yay, Auburn! He just rolled over a Redcoat!
During the Iron Bowl

Bo, aren't you just so glad to have guests up here?
The girls were "keeping her company" while she was trying to get ready for the day

Trumpkin and Gracie are going to a Frenchpolean dance. And it's a blutenberg.
I have no idea.