Friends

In the more difficult patches of my pregnancy with Samuel, I would think to myself, "One day, this will be the one who will keep Rose Marie company...I am giving her a friend...I can do this." Little did I know that, the first buds of that friendship would come so early. He is only 5 months old, but it is there, it is beginning.

I am quickly gaining time in my day, that was not there before. At least three mornings this week, I had a half hour all to myself because Rose and Sam were "playing" together. This is not something I have asked her to do, it is something she does on her own accord. She sees him laying on the floor with a toy and decides that it is more fun to play with him than with her doll. In the picture above, she brought her toy castle over and gave him the prince to hold while she played with the other characters. As long as he could hold the prince there, she was content to make up conversations for his and her parts.

He looks for her throughout the day, and tries his best to make her laugh. She does the same for him. When I go for a jog with them in the stroller, they hold hands and she keeps the bugs off his legs. She rejoices in all of his developmental milestones and is working hard on teaching him to talk (that may be awhile yet, but he thinks it is funny to watch her!)

I am not so naive as to think that this will last forever, but for now, I am loving it. I love watching them interact together and realize that they have a special need for one another. It is beautiful! I have been given such a gift in my own siblings and I am so excited to see that my two, have already begun to form a bond. This is what being part of a family is all about...and it is wonderful!

Congratulations Samuel!

You "officially" have a home. :)

Today your sister announced, "Mom, I think we should probably keep him forever. He is a cutie baby."

And, I agree. I think she is on to something.

Edible Alphabet

We have started our adventure into phonics! We now have at least three days a week in which we work with letters and sounds. It has already been more fun, (for both of us) than I could have imagined.

About three weeks ago, we began a regular game of "I spy" using the sounds of the letters. Rose Marie caught on very quickly, and it became a fun game to play at almost anytime of the day, most especially in the car. :)

Then we began working with this book. The plan is to work on three letters a week (or a little longer if necessary). Thanks to advice from a very dear friend of mine, we are learning the letters according to their sounds, as opposed to their names. Because of the "I spy" game, this seems to make a lot of sense to Rose Marie.

During the week, we practice tracing the letters with our "feeling fingers" and then do various letter themed works. Today was a particular favorite for her. We matched foods to the letters and she LOVED this one. She spent a good part of the morning doing this work over and over (until it made her hungry and then she decided it was snack time) Because we already had all of the food in the pantry, this didn't cost a penny extra, so I thought I would share.

For the letters:

a: Apple slices, Apricots, Almonds (although, I don't think I would do this one again, it is not an easy sound to identify)
b: Banana Chips, Brownie Bite, Buttered Bread
c: Cookies, Crackers, Carrot

Because You Asked

We have been asked many times where our daughter's name came from. While I would love to say were came up with it on our own by spiritual inspiration, I am afraid that is not entirely true. However, I love that her name encompasses both, one of our favorite saints and Our Lady as well. The true origins of her name can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jPiWKodOZ4. This is a beautiful movie that is beloved by both my husband and I and our families. We watched this movie often during our dating years and it will remain a family favorite in our home. The year was 1936, and they just don't make movies like this anymore. If you ever get the opportunity to watch this movie or any of their others, we highly recommend them! They are all fantastically romantic and hilariously funny.

On a side note, the week after Rose Marie was born, I was approached by a lovely woman of 80 years of age. She held Rose Marie and asked me what we had named her. When I told her, she gave a happy little sigh and said, "There was once, the most beautiful song called, Rose Marie...but I am sure you have never heard it." I began to sing the words and her lovely face lit up and she sang with me, with tears in her eyes. She simply said, "I am so glad that you have given that name to your daughter!" It melted my heart and I am so grateful that we fell in love with this old-fashioned name.

And yes, Rose Marie knows this song by heart, because her Daddy enjoys dancing with her to this one. :)