I Am Rose

Almost two,
time for a toddler bed...

A giddy response.
She saw it for the first time today.



Saying goodbye to the crib. It was painful, but the excitement of Allie's new milestone overshadowed my sadness about a certain reality: it may not be used again. I asked Chad to please store it with care, just in case! I plan to keep it forever anyway. All three of my babies slept in this crib! Someday, I hope a grandbaby will too.

First bedtime in the big girl bed. Jack is just as excited.
Allie saying "cheeeeese".

He's so happy for her!

Storybook in hand is the only thing that allows me to tiptoe out of the room without an outburst. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star is her absolute favorite. I bought a book of children's poetry that we are all loving, called Here's A Little Poem. Most darling illustrations ever, and adorable poetry, including some by a few of my favorite authors: Langston Hughes, Margaret Wise Brown, Gertrude Stein, and Rosemary Wells! There seems to be the perfect poem for everyone, so I have started telling them which poem is their very own, and I can tell it really makes them feel special.

Allie's poems:

This one is perfect for the obvious reason, but also because she is starting to sing all the day!

I Am Rose

I am Rose my eyes are blue
I am Rose and who are you?
I am Rose and when I sing
I am Rose like anything.

-Gertrude Stein

This one is Allie's because she loooooves cake, and says it all day. "Cake, cake, cake". And she loves soda, calls it "bubble juice". I love it because she can fall asleep dreaming of her cake.

Sugarcake Bubble
Sugarcake, sugarcake
Bubbling in a pot,
Bubble, bubble sugarcake
Bubble thick and hot.

Sugarcake, sugarcake
Spice and coconut,
Sweet and sticky
Brown and gooey,
I could eat the lot.

-Grace Nichols

This one perfectly describes her brother and sister. One is a complete night owl, the other my early bird who wakes me up first thing to report the weather to me. He wakes up like, "Hello world! What have you got for me today?" Sydney stays up all night in her room reading books and then wakes up like I do, a little grumpy.

The Early Morning
The moon on one hand, the dawn on the other:
The moon is my sister, the dawn is my brother.
The moon on my left and the dawn on my right.
My brother, good morning: my sister, good night!

-Hilaire Belloc


At 10:30, she finally sleeps. She was tucked in at 8:30, then 9:00, and 9:15, 9:45, and 10:00, approximately. I hope this gets easier soon!

Sweet Dreams Allie Cakes!