10 months.

So Lylah's 10 months. She got her first teeth -- the two on bottom -- this month, and we paid dearly for them. In hours of sleep, in case you're wondering. They were expensive teeth. Also, this girl is feisty. She is the only child of mine who has pitched all out temper tantrums this early (ever?). She arches her back, stiffens her body, screams her head off, is inconsolable. The whole nine yards. My mom assures me that her stubbornness will pay off later in life. She says "dadadadada" when she's happy. She says "mamamamama" when she's sad or upset. Hmm. She eats a lot of Cherrios and anything else we'll give her. If you're eating, you better plan to share. She wants to nurse all the time. We've had to move her to the pack-and-play in the playroom because she doesn't sleep well with anyone else in the room, and waking 4-5 times a night was not good for my mental health. She's down to waking twice a night now. We bought a house in her 10th month, and each child will have their own room. We're going to work on learning to sleep all the way through the night once we move in sometime in June. I'm already planning her birthday party while simultaneously denying that it's coming. Mostly, she squeezes my heart so hard it aches. Mercy, I love her.

Lylah :: 9 months.

Quite a bit has happened the last month. We have crawling. We have pulling up. We have clapping. Head shaking, lots of talking, and LOTS of eating. No, teeth. Yes, allergies. Mostly, we have the sweetest little girl. She is happy and feisty. She is way too close to a year old for Mama's taste. Happy 9 months, Lylah. We love you on and on and on.

Ellie's 5th birthday party.

Ellie turned 5 on February 13, and we celebrated with a Strawberry Shortcake party on Saturday, February 11. We had ice cream sundae making, Strawberry Shortcake coloring pages and lacing cards, Strawberry Shortcake episodes playing on Netflix, a reading tent with strawberry-themed books, and, of course, presents and lots of conversation with friends and family. My baby officially seems like a big girl now.