Our Big Big Girl + Knits for our Purl

Mmmmm. Delicious chewy giraffe.
I have mentioned before that Josie is a big strong girl for her age. In fact, at almost 5 months she is wearing mostly 12-18 month clothing (in part because the cloth diapers add some junk to her trunk, but mostly because they fit!) Last night we had a visit from Josie's good friend Baby MoMo and her big brother, Ducky. As they sat together on the couch I was once again struck by the disparity in their sizes. (Keep in mind, MoMo is a week older than Josie, and was a pound lighter when she was born.)

Sweet babies.
Pattycake?
–
When Noonie came to visit awhile back, she made a charming hat and thumbless mittens for Josie out of beautiful variegated merino wool yarn. At the time, the weather was still quite sultry, so the lovely knits were displayed, unworn, on the shelf in Josie's room. The time has come, however, to layer up, and the other day I prevailed upon Josie to model them. She was surprisingly obliging. Thanks again, GA Noonie!

Josephine, Queen of the Bumbo.
I love the pointy elf top!
Bonus Picture: Josie wearing the Elizabeth Zimmermann Baby Surprise sweater that Noonie made as a shower gift. What great colors!

(She is) My Sunshine

Then
Every so often (usually in the presence of a new baby) Mom will remark that she remembers when I was so little that she could hold me against her shoulder and my bottom would be above chest level (this is always accompanied by the same cradling hand gestures: See, this small...) Before Josie was born, I really didn't appreciate how fleeting that time of fragility and just plain NEWness actually is. At 4.5 months, it's long gone. Oh, it may linger longer for some people–Baby MoMo, who is a week older than Josie, (or Baby JoJo as Ducky calls her) is a feather of a baby–but with a 5'10" Mama and a 6'5" Papa, I suspect dainty peanutry is not in Josie's genetic cards. What she does seem to have inherited, besides being the first sip of what I suspect will be a long tall drink of water, is a cheery outlook and an easy sense of humor. We joke that she is the poster child for procreation because she's such a smiley baby that she makes our childless friends re-think their lifestyles. As I write this she is hanging out in her exersaucer and cooing and giggling at me.

Last week the weather was lovely, so Josie and I walked over to Minnehaha Falls park, and she got to try out a swing for the first time, which she seemed to enjoy.

Now