Seven months

I'm late with this post - sorry. Marisca had a cold last week, and I got some yukky virus which meant I had no energy so blogging was not top of my list of priorities. Still, we're all better now:

It's been a fun month. Sitting is old hat now, no pillows needed for support any more! Marisca now gets up on her hands and knees and rocks back and forth, but is showing no signs of wanting to crawl just yet. This is good, as it means I can still pop out to the kitchen to get a cup of tea knowing she won't have got into mischief while I'm away. Favourite toys at the moment are ribbons, an old necklace, juggling cubes and anything Mummy or Daddy are holding and trying to use. You will note there are no *actual* baby toys in that list...

And - whisper it - sleeping is getting better, with much less protesting. Or maybe I've finally got to the stage of coping with the crying! Marisca is pretty predictable with nap times, which means we have a routine of sorts to our days. It's not Gina Ford, but it works for us. The best bit of my day? Walking into Marisca's room after a nap and seeing the huge smile she gives me every time. Melts my heart :-)

Giraffes

We thought for a while that Marisca's animal would turn out to be lions, what with the MGM connection and all, but it seems that giraffes are the way forward. Never more so than in these photos, wearing a giraffe vest and a giraffe jumper, and doing one of her favourite things, playing with Raff's tail.

The photos are a month or so old but I just found them again and wanted to share!

Snow

Marisca's first snow, while dressed as little red riding hood. I think we were more excited than she was!

Away

I've been away with work for the last couple of weeks. 2 nights away last week and 3 this week, and it'll probbaly be the same for the next two weeks. Although I'm in another country, it feels the same during the day - thinking about Marisca invades my thoughts with a similar regularity. After work though, I miss her. On a normal day in London, I'll get home just as she's going to bed or more usually once she's asleep, and she's waking up the next morning just after I've left, so all I'm really missing is looking in on her a couple of times and a quick stroke or kiss of her head, and settling a crying baby back to sleep. Those moments are so fleeting or supposedly unpleasant, but I really want to be there for them. I'll get home tonight tired after travelling and intense 12+ hour work days all week, but if Marisca wakes up at 1 in the morning, I'll be there first.

Because I don't want to do the washing up

It's been quiet around here for a few days. Have a couple of pictures of our gorgeous girl:

Learning to untie Mummy's laces!

Sleeping like a baby. Isn't she lovely?

six months

What a beautiful, happy, smiling daughter we have! The last month really has been fun: Marisca is generally a happy person who loves to smile at anyone. Rolling over is well established now, and she's much happier to play on her own for a while - the whole of the sitting room floor is now her playground, as she rolls so much there's no way she'll stay on the playmat.

The new skill this month is sitting:



Marisca can't sit up by herself yet, but if you put her in a sitting position she'll sit unaided - until she gets bored and flops down. She's usually surrounded by cushions just in case... all of this movement and new positions has given Marisca a new view on the world, and she's loving it.

We still have crying at nap times, which still breaks my heart, but I know we can cope with it as I know it is just her way of settling. I look forward to the month where the update says she's grown out of crying to sleep though! Meanwhile weaning continues, which is great fun for all of us. I'll post a separate entry on how that's going as the pictures are classic.

It seems a very long time ago that we brought home our little scrap of a newborn girl. That baby has vanished, to be replaced by our little girl with her own personality, likes and dislikes. It's been a hard six months with so many new things to learn and worry about, but I wouldn't change a thing. I'm looking forward to all the new things Marisca will learn over the next six months, and all the joy she will bring to our family!

Happy half year!

Happy half birthday Marisca. The past 6 months have been amazing and we love having you around.

Daddy