Frannie

So, who is this little new little friend who has invaded our hearts, our home, and our refrigerator?  Frannie has been with us for 8 weeks, and while she doesn't exactly have the warm fuzzies for us, she has certainly become a fun, funny, smart, and adorable member of our little (or big?  are we big yet?) family.

Loves to eat, loves to cook.  I had to keep re-cheesing the left side
of this pizza because as soon as I put it on, she stuck her hand in the
cheese and sauce and ate it off.

Frannie is a big girl, with a personality to match.  She's around the 75th percentile for height and weight--11 kg to Rosie's 11.4 at their last transfusion!  It's no doubt...she is the best eater in our house!  She loves everything from pastina to chili to noodles.  She loves to "dip" things like hummus or salsa or sauce.  She likes brie and risotto.  And she has quite a sweet tooth for Nutella and candy.  When we put her up in her chair to eat, she literally giggles and cheers.

Nothin' to dip?  Not so!  I've got my fingers!

Yeah, I'm dipping my finger.  So what?

Anyone want a lick?  Anyone?  Anyone?

The last foster family report we got said that she loved to hang out in "the square" and go to shopping places.  We have definitely found it to be true that she enjoys going out whether it be to the supermarket or the playground.  She also likes playing in the house, sitting at the girls' little table coloring or pretend cooking in the play kitchen.  She enjoys following her big sisters around and playing along with them, but she also has a good time playing on her own.

Liked sitting there, not too keen on sliding down yet.

Lots of laughs at the playground.  This was right before the never-ending snow
started.  Too bad the playground is buried under 40 inches of the white stuff now.

She is very bright, and the best baby at imitating I have ever seen.  She notices everything and loves to copy.  She plays peek-a-boo and claps and absolutely loves to dance to everything from commercial jingles to Taylor Swift.  She gets out the microphone and pretends to sing.  She says "Mama" and "Baba" and "moh" (for more) and "Bye-bye".  She's just starting to say "All done", although we don't hear that much when it comes to food.  She babbles a lot, walking around chatting as if she really knows what she is saying.  It is so adorable.

More cooking with my little helpers.  I thought cooking with two littles was crazy.
Cooking with three is insane.  My kitchen will never be the same, but I wouldn't have it
any other way.  OMG I'm in love with them!

If you can't eat the ingredients, eat the recipe.

Frannie is very quick to catch on to routines.  After watching my morning routine just a couple of times, she figured out where everything is and in what order I do things.  Now she helps me get dressed, handing me pieces of clothes.  Just like Emmie used to do, she gets the hand towel off the hook and stands there holding it for me while I wash my face.  She's also catching on to my cleaning activities.  After seeing me get down and dustpan the floor after meals, now if she gets down and sees food on the floor, she goes and gets the dustpan and brush to clean it up.

Frannie loves the dishwasher.  Anything to do with the dishwasher.  If it's open, she likes to put things in it.  Spoons, forks, dolls, toy cars, you name it.  She also likes to empty it.  If she sees drops of water on it, she takes off her socks and dries it with them.  No matter what she's doing, if she sees someone open the dishwasher, she drops everything and runs over.

(That's Rosie to the left watching Frannie through her pirate telescope.)

Busy at work with the dishes.

She definitely knows who to look to when she needs help.  If she's stuck on her ride-on toy she'll yell for me.  If she can't reach or open something she calls me.  For every small injustice involving her sisters, she calls me in for back-up.  Whether it's to get a toy she was playing with back, if they are touching something that is "hers", or if they are eating one of her favorite foods, she loudly yells, "MAAAAAMA!!!"  And, of course, I'm happy to come running.

"Rah, rah!  Sis-Boom-Bah!"  Cheering at her food!

We are all having so much fun watching her personality emerge and blossom.  It's particularly fun when we figure out something new that makes her laugh or that she likes and Emmie says, "Mama, look!  That made her smile!  She liked that!"  Emmie and Rosie are continuing to enjoy their new little sister.  Sometimes they love on her so hard that we have to remind them not to squash her.  Although, at the rate she's eating, soon enough she'll be able to squash them!

First bowl of spaghetti.  An amazing amount fell on her bib, an
even more amazing amount went in her belly.