I Scream, You Scream...E LOVES Ice Cream!

We took Elizabeth to another hockey game recently. I think this was her 3rd game. She does great! Loves the noise, the attention, the excitement! (and she doesnt even cry when the blow the horn when WI scores!) She tends to get fussy when there is about 2-3 minutes left in the game, but, its worked out that WI is always winning when this happens, so we just dodge the crowd, and head to the car before it gets crazy at the Kohl Center! At this last game, Jamie and I got ice cream cones. He just had plain vanilla, boring, I know...but, he was able to share with Elizabeth. I guess she LOVES ice cream! ( I had chocolate peanut butter, and b/c of the ultimate peanut allergy fear, I couldnt share mine with E!) The cone was bigger than her head (I guess that justifies why it cost $5.50! OMG! I could have bought a whole gallon for that! But, oh well...anyways...it was worth the laughs she brought to us and everyone aroud us!) So, she was entertaining everyone with how she was gobbling the ice cream down. We didnt give her enough to make us bad parents, but we gave her enough to make her gums feel better! (Thats what I keep telling myself!).

Bath Time Fun

Speaking of bath time...we have gone from using the blue plastic baby tub, to just letting Elizabeth splash around in the 'big girl tub'. SHE LOVES it! She has been liking baths since day one. (Well, maybe week 2! But none the less, she cooperates well in the water!). I think bath time is much more fun for her now that she's not constrained in the baby bath. I don't blame her! It’s MUCH easier to splash now, AND play with her toys, AND grab for the water that’s coming out of the faucet! She's most likely going to enjoy the swimming pool when she gets the chance to experience that next summer, if not sooner.

Elizabeth is more mobile than ever now. She follows me around the house like a little puppy! She scoots around pretty quickly and she has a goofy little thing she does with her one leg, she sticks it out to the side (instead of crawling on BOTH knees, she crawls on one, and does this thing with the other). Whatever works for her I guess! I am just assuming that she thinks she can get from point A to point B faster this way. This just means that I must keep my house even cleaner than I try to already to do. NOTHING on the floors, all chords out of reach....and nothing small enough to fit in her mouth can be out! She's stays pretty entertained with her "kitchen toys" (a tub of toys I keep in the kitchen for her to play with when I am cooking dinner), and her "bathroom/tub toys"-- obviously, the toys she plays with in the bath tub, also became every day playing toys when she wonders into that room! And then, there is her Excersaucer that I still LIVE BY! Love it! And of course, she has many of many of many of other toys that she plays with religiously! Every room, it seems, she has a little stash of toys to play with, so she's never bored!

Mirror Mirror, on the Wall...

Oh. And she LOVES looking at herself in the mirror! Who doesn't! LOL! I put a mirror in the kitchen/living room area that she crawls up to and starts making funny faces. Its hilarious! She also has a mirror in her bedroom, I was able to get a pretty neat picture with her standing up next to that. And the all too popular bathroom mirror. She ALWAYS has to make funny faces in it pre & post bathtime.

E's Infamous "OH" Face

Elizabeth will be quite the model when she grows up; she’s already posing for the camera. It NEVER fails that any time (and EVERY time) I get the camera out, she puts this goofy “OH” face on! So, I put a SMALL collage together of a few of my favorite “OH” faces of hers for you to see! EVERY SINGLE TIME! Never fails. She is hilarious!

She's so nosey, she won't sleep!

The night I made my last post was the beginning of a week of craziness when it came to Elizabeth sleeping. She didnt want anything to do with it (sleeping!). She was afraid she was going to miss out on something! She is SO NOSEY! We would go through our nightly routine. Dinner of solids, play time, bath time, more play time, snuggle time, bed time feeding, and off to play with the angels in dream land! This little girl would fall asleep in my arms, she'd be OUT COLD, but the moment I would go to lay her down in her crib, she would scream bloddy murder. OMG. It was horrible. We tried the theory of just letting her cry. Didnt work. She would cry, and cry, and cry, and yup...you guessed it, she would cry some more. She didnt want to go to bed. One night sticks out that it was after midnight that she FINALLY fell asleep. It was probably 9pm when we first tried laying her down. But, once she fell asleep, she was up every hour after that, just screaming. I didnt know what to do. So, we'd snuggle, or I'd feed her. It still wasnt enough. We dealt with this for close to a week. Then, on the following Tuesday, I noticed she was pulling at her ears. We took her in to the doctor, wanting to know if it was maybe an ear infection. We couldnt get into her normal doctor, so I just made an appt with whoever was available. Ends up, I really really liked this new doctor. I am still considering switching over. Anyways...she looked at E's eyes, ears, throat...ect. Nothing is wrong with her. GREAT! But why is she freaking out everytime I lay her down! Well, the doctor just suggested that we have a BAD teether on our hands, and a nosey little girl. She may be going through that seperation anxiety, knowing that once she is in her bed, mom & dad are no longer in the room. So, the new doctor recommended three things (that she has tried w/ her kids)....1) give her baby motrin, instead of tylenol. It works better for the teething pain. 2) run a humidifier...the light noise of the machine may be enough to calm Elizabeth and keep her sleeping and 3) put a folded up towel under the end of the matress that she lays her head. This SLIGHT elevation may be enough to make her happy, so she's not laying totally flat on the matress. I tried all three suggestions....and she has been (for the most part) sleeping through the night since! She has an occasional wake up, but, NOT like she used to, AND she has no problem sleeping in her crib!

Attempting to Stand Tall

Elizabeth STILL insists on "standing" while holding on to someones hands. Someone. Anyone! Anyone who is willing to help her up! You just give her your fingers and she pulls herself right up off the ground! She's still working on pulling herself up on toys/furniture on her own though. I am PATIENTLY waiting for this to happen. The more she tries, the more she falls, and the more she hurts her pride! I think she hurts her pride more than hurting herself!

Surviving Thanksgiving

I guess you could say I've been BUSY lately, as I haven't had (nor made) the time to update my blog. SORRY! So much has changed since my "Thanksgiving" entry. (I should have probably went back & read what I wrote about then, so, I know what I have already shared, so I don't repeat myself!). We all survived Thanksgiving (all all the travels that came with it!). I ate too much, and my clothes, well, they still don't fit!

So Much to be Thankful For

Thanksgiving is just a day away and this year, I have SO MUCH to be Thankful for, thanks to my Miss Elizabeth! She's been such a ham the past few days! I can't help but laugh just thinking about all of the funny things she has been doing. Whether it is a funny look or expression that she comes up with, a funny sound that she makes, or just the way she plays with her toys. She is still making an empty tissue box her favorite toy. Who would have thought!
Elizabeth's legs are getting so strong! When you go to put her on the floor to play (sitting down), she FIGHTS to stay standing (holding your hands of course!). She's attempting to pull herself up on thing....attempting being the key word. She just doesnt have all of the strength needed to pull herself totally up, but, she sure tries! And when you are helping her stand, she has such great balance, and even tries taking a few steps. She'll be walking before she crawls, I think! She gets so excited when she is standing up. Her mouth just opens wide and she has a grin on her face, ear to ear!
She is doing excellent when it comes to trying new baby foods. She drank more milk than usual at Grandma's this week (well, the two days that grandma had her anyways!)...so I think she hit a growth spurt again. I also think her teeth are really bothering her. She still just has the two bottom teeth, but I think she's working on some top teeth lately, just by the way she's been gnawing on things!
We had her 6 month doctors appointment on Friday. She is 27 inches long (90th percentile) and weighs 21.3lbs (97th percentile). The doctor always comments that she "eats well!". I mentioned to Dr. Johnson that she has been waking in the middle of the night to eat the past month or so...and that before that she was sleeping perfectly through the night. He suggested NOT feeding her when she wakes, and to just let her cry! OMG! I dont know if I can do that! LOL! Just kidding. It made my day to hear him say that. I know it will be easier said than done, but at least by hearing him tell me that I DON'T always need to feed her when she wakes, I feel more comfortable just nudging Jamie to "go & check on her!"...otherwise, he was sleeping right through the night because he couldnt wake up & feed her, beings I am still nursing! What a relief! So, I was interested to see how easy or hard it would be to "just let her cry"...but, it just so happens, that since her doctor's appointment on Friday, Elizabeth has been sleeping through the night! I couldn't believe it! She must have heard the doctor tell me not to feed her at 3am anymore, and so she figured.."whats the point of waking up anymore if mom's not going to feed me!"
I'm off work now, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday...so I will be spending LOTS of quality time with Miss Elizabeth! I'm not sure what we'll do, (I definately know I'm not taking her our shopping on Friday, thats for sure!), but, it will be nice to wake up with her every morning, and not have to worry about rushing about, getting ready for work, then getting E ready for Grandma's. This weekend....we'll do things at our own pace! I can't wait!
It will be a fairly busy weekend...we just wont have to be up at 5:30am everyday! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving at my mom & dad's. Friday night is a hockey game in Madison. Saturday is Jamie's families Thanksgiving in Black Earth, and Sunday we have to go to church so Elizabeth can get her Baby Bible. All babies that were baptized in 2008 will recieve a bible from the Pastor. I guess it's a tradition at Jamie's church. I guess it won't be such a bad thing! Its been a while since we've gone to church as a family!
Anyways, I must run to the store now to pick up my groceries for my salad I must bring to mom & dad's....then...a night at home with my babe...and we'll probably make some more funny memories! I will be posting pictures next week. I am running out of time! I hope everyone has a happy thanksgiving. Take a moment, and remind yourself of all the things in your life you have to be thankful for. I am going home now to see the two people that I am most thankful for! Jamie & Elizabeth. Then tomorrow, I will see the rest of the people I am thankful for...my family...then...Saturday...we'll be thankful to be with Jamie's family!
God Bless and Safe Travels!

Homemade Baby Food

Over the weekend, I attempted to make my own baby food for Elizabeth. It was a pretty successfull attempt, I must say! Making baby food is ALOT cheaper than buying it at $00.38/every 2.5 oz of food! (Give or take!) So, I bought some banana's, carrots, chicken and avacodo to steam & puree. Who would of thought it would be so easy! It was fairly time consuming, but, really easy! Now, I am not so sure how much Elizabeth will like the avacodo plain (as I only like avacado when its made into guacamole!)...it has a pretty hard taste to it, but, we'll see. For one of her meals this weekend, I mixed some pureed chicken & carrots together. She wasn't too keen on the taste (or maybe it was the texture) of this concoction, but, she managed to choke it all down! I think it was because it wasnt as smooth & creamy as the store boughten foods. It was still pureed up pretty well, but, not as well as the professionals get it at Gerber! In the meantime, I have bought some sweet potatoes, green beans, and pears to work on in the next few days. I'll prepare it all, and freeze it, and use it when I run out of the store bought food I have. I have some squash stored in the freezer from earlier. I plan to feed that to Miss E as well. She seems to like squash. Squash & pears seem to be her "favorites" so far. Well, these are the two foods that she makes the least amount of "icky" facial expressions with!
I plan to research some more on baby food recipes. A friend gave me a website today that I have to check out wholesomebabyfood.com. I havent looked at it yet, but will be sure to do so, right after I post this! I'm hoping it points me in the right direction for more ideas! Anything to save a buck!

And another tooth breaks through

Sunday, November 16- We found another tooth had broken through in Miss Elizabeth's little mouth! She now has two little teeth on her bottom gums. Too cute!! They are kind of hard to notice, beings they are fairly new, but, pretty soon, our little girls going to have a mouthful of teeth when she smiles (which is ALL THE TIME!). This little girls LOVES to smile. And she is very good at entertaining herself, which is a life saver when I am trying to do things around the house!!
Another weekend has come & gone, and I was so excited to be able to spend every minute with Elizabeth! Going back to work full time (which I have been doing for about 4 months now) makes me miss Elizabeth so much during the week. So, it makes me really look forward to the time I spend with her on the weekends. The memories we make are priceless! I try to capture as many memories in pictures or on my video camera, but, I've learned that I usually miss some of the best moments while I am gone looking for my camera!! So, my memory is jam packed full of memories & moments that I will (hopefully) never forget!
Sunday night I was feeding Elizabeth her supper (chicken/carrots). She didnt seem to like the new flavor/texture. The look on her face every time she took a bite was priceless. She would make a sour face, but, always open her mouth for another bite. I think it was just a flavor she needed to get used to! Anyways, after so many hilarious looks on her face, I paused the feeding, and went to get my videocamera. I just had to get this on tape! It was too funny! Well, low & behold, as soon as I turned the camera on, Elizabeth started being goofy & was smiling while she ate, acting like she really liked her chicken/carrots conconction. I couldnt believe it! She totally changed her facial expressions as soon as the record button was pushed!! She is such a ham. I think she knows when the camera is on and when a picture is being taken of her. She instantly turns into a little clown! I have so many priceless pictures of her! (Thank god for digital cameras and big memory cards!! And I can't afford to print off EVERY picture I take, so thank god I can pick & choose!). And going through all of the pictures I have, starting from Day 1, I can not believe how much Elizabeth has changed (& GROWN!). She used to be so long & skinny...almost too skinny! But, not she is (still long) but also...filled out! I have to be careful when talking about her weight. She is sensitive (just like mommy!).

More milestones...

Last night I continued to be entertained by my Miss Elizabeth! She's going to figure this crawling thing out if it's the last thing she does! Once she gets in the crawling position, she does this little "hop" thing with her butt and she moves. Wow! She's figured out a new thing! But, I think it takes up too much of her energy because she does this little hop thing once and then goes back to laying on the floor! However, along with the hop, I also noticed/witnessed Elizabeth actually take a "step" while trying to crawl...she made all the right movements with her hands/knees, but, once again, did it for a very short distance before going back to just laying on the floor & playing with her feet! She also has figured out how to go from the crawling position to the sitting position. I couldnt believe it. Well, I could, because my daughter is super intelligent, but...I was suprised it happen when it did! She still isnt too gracefull in going from sitting to crawling, or from sitting to laying down. Its usually more of a ker-plunk...and she hits the ground! I tell yah though, she's got a strong noggin b/c she has had her fair shares of hits to the head and has hardly ever cried. (Whether her head hits the floor, or lands on a toy, or she forgets that she is on hardwood now instead of carpet! Whatever it may be, she finds a way to clonk her head on something!) She has some very strong legs, and I am pretty sure she will be holding herself up against furniture soon as well. It really is amazing to witness her make all of these new accomplishments & milestones!

Eating my Fruits & Veggies

Carrots seem to be the messiest, but most fun to spit out!


She needs a drink of water to choke down some of the new flavors!



Mmmmmm...Yum!


Yeah, look at me! I'm a ham! (A messy ham!)

6 months old, already!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 marked Elizabeth's 1/2 birthday. I can not believe that little girl is 6 months old already! I have a weird way of looking at it...sometimes 6 months seems like an eternity, sometimes it seems like such a short period of time. I guess it all depends on what it is that we are talking about. It seems like Elizabeth's 6 months outside of the womb has gone by much faster that the last 6 months of her being in the womb!!

I don't even know where to start when it comes to talking about all the joys and memories E has brought to my life in the past 6 months. And all of the changes she has made in her development as well. It's really overwhelming! We've recently started feeding her cereal and stage one baby foods. I've let her taste carrots, green beans, applesauce, bananas and pears. (Pears being the most recent, as that is what she had for breakfast today, and I really think it's her favorite so far!). In the morning, I tend to like feeding Elizabeth fruits, as, they are really, the least messiest, and I dont always have the most time to feed E, and then get her all cleaned up for Grandma Bonnies! Usually at night, when she gets her veggies, I have to put her in the bath tub and scrub her up...from head to toe!

What has Elizabeth accomplished in the past 6 months? Well, she is sitting up on her own. Rolling over (this seems to be her main means of transportation!). She does the army crawl VERY well...this gets her from point A to point B pretty quick as well. She is getting up on her hands and knees and making baby steps (no pun intended!) when it comes to actually crawling. She rocks back & forth ALOT and does this little hop thing with her bottom. It works for her, I guess! She has wondered off her "play blanket" and is scooting all over the living room now. She has even wondered into the kitchen! She has noticed there is a different feel between the living room floor (carpet) and the kitchen floor (wood). She hits her hand on the carpeted floor...and then she hits her hand on the wood floor. She knows there is a difference in the feel and the sounds they make! OH! She got her first tooth on Friday (I've mentioned that in a previous post!). She' s growing like a weed. Her 6 month doctors appointment is next Friday, so I will let you know then what her stats are as far as height & weight. But, to put things into perspective, she is wearing 6-9 months clothes (12+ month PJs) and is ready for the next size up, sooner than later. She has super strong legs. WOW! She can stand up very well (if you're holding her of course!). And if you lean her up against the couch, she can hold herself up for a few seconds. When she is getting frustrated in the crawling position, she sometimes pushes herself up into the push up position. She's making all sorts of noises. No words yet, but...soon enough I am sure! She does this thing...she makes the farting noise with her mouth/tongue! Its hilarious! She will do that ALL day long. Covers herself in drool...then she pants like a dog!

For the most part, she is a very happy baby! I used to be able to say she only crys when she is hungry, but thats not the case anymore. Now she crys when she is hungry, as well as when she is tired. And boy, oh boy, is she a bear when she is over tired! And now that she is teething, I am quite sure some of the crying is due to the pain. I don't blame her. I wish I could take the pain away! (I've tried with baby Orajel and/or baby Tylenol, but, that only works for so long!).
She keeps an eye on mommy and daddy. Her little eyes follow us where ever we go! She does really good with following where sounds are coming from. Like, if one of us is in the bedroom and the other is in the living room, she knows to look towards the bedroom b/c she knows thats where the other voice is coming from. And last night...it was too funny! I was talking to Nana Ann on the phone and Elizabeth was beginning to get cranky (it was time for her bedtime snack!). So, I put the phone next to E's ear and let Nana Ann talk to her...she got silent! And she was looking at the phone, confused, wondering why she could HEAR Nana Ann, but she couldnt SEE Nana Ann! I really thought mom's voice was going to put her (ELizabeth) to sleep!

Anyways, lots of new things going on every day. Sometimes I think "I can't wait for Elizabeth to be able to crawl/walk/talk/ect"...but then other days I patiently wait for those things to happen, b/c I don't want to wish any time away! Time goes by fast enough! I will enjoy the happenings of now, and just look forward to the new things to come!!

A Friday of Firsts!

Friday, November 7, 2008- Elizabeth's FIRST tooth broke through her gums!! For the longest time she had a soft white dot (kid of looked like a white head on her lower gums), and now, where that white spot used to be, there is a tooth! It is on the lower right hand side. I am sure it bothers her upper gums when she smiles and does things with her mouth b/c I have noticed that she holds her mouth different when she smiles and makes certain noises! I couldnt believe how fast the tooth broke through though, b/c just the day before I was feeling her gums and felt NOTHING! So, we celebrated the new tooth by taking Elizabeth to the UW-Men's hockey game. (We were planning on taking her anyways, the new tooth was just a bonus!) She did AWESOME at her 1st hockey game! (WOW! Friday was a day of FIRSTS!). We had her dressed in her Wisconsin Badger hand-me-down outfit. She was too cute for words! While we were at the hockey game, we not only got to see Elizabeth on the big screen (the cameras really zoomed in on her! It was awesome!), but we got to get our family picture taken with Bucky Badger!

Elizabeth was definately the entertainment at the hockey game! Everyone thought she was just the cutest thing ever! Well no kidding! Look at her mommy & daddy! LOL! She did well through the whole game. She got a little fussy when there was 2 minutes left! It was a WIN for the Badgers and an awesome family night for us! Weather permitting, we'll be taking Elizabeth to many more hockey games!!

Monkeying Around

Elizabeth spent alot of time Monkeying Around this weekend!!
(And I think she may have found a new friend to play with!)

Sitting Up on Her Own

Elizabeth has also learned to sit up on her own! This just happen within the past week or two. I really wanted her to be able to sit up by herself before Halloween, so she could actually sit up in her pumpkin costume, and just the week before she learned to do it! She is getting so strong! Here, she has found the remote for the TV...she was having fun pushing the buttons. She watches TV just like her daddy...DO NOT DISTURB her when she is watching it! Just yesterday, we were watching the Packer's play. She loves to watch football! Anyways, she was happy go lucky when the game was in play, but as soon as there would be a commercial break, she would get fussy! EVERY SINGLE TIME! It's funny watching her sit up though, because, she hasn't totally figured out how to gracefully go from the sitting position, to the laying/scooting position. She usually just falls right over & is hoping that there is nothing hard under her that will break her fall! She has been pretty lucky that she hasnt bonked her head (too hard) yet! Pretty soon she will go from the sitting to crawling position like there's nothing to it! And pretty soon, she will be getting into EVERYTHING!

Taking Her First Bites...

So, despite the uneventful Halloween, It was however, the date of a big milestone! Elizabeth took her first bites of rice cereal on Friday, all dressed up in her (2nd) halloween costume. She seemed to like the rice cereal. I mixed it with breast milk. I didn't think it tasted too good, but, she liked it and kept wanting more!! I just gave her a few spoonfulls for now, beings I wasnt sure how she would react to it. Which, I am glad I didnt give her much more than what I did, because, she spit it all up about an hour later when she was playing with Daddy! I assume this is normal beings it was like putting foreign food into the little girls tummy! (And by the taste of it, I would have probably spit it up as well! ICK!). As I have mentioned before, I was pretty spoiled with Elizabeth sleeping through the night, but last week, wasn't so pleasant. Almost every night she woke in the middle of the night wanting to be fed. So, I thought with introducing cereal (and soon enough real food!) maybe she would sleep better through the night b/c her tummy would have a little more substance in it. Well, this didnt work either b/c she still woke in the middle of the night for a feeding. And Saturday night/Sunday morning she woke up TWICE in the middle of the night to be fed! This did a number on Mommy as I really didnt get any sleep over the weekend! We were pretty busy on Saturday, so she didnt get to try anymore rice cereal, but I tried again on Sunday. This time I gave her a mixed fruit flavored rice cereal. This tastes much better! Plus I mixed it with diluted apple juice. And speaking of apple juice, I decided I would let Elizabeth drink something other than "mommy's milk!", so I put some diluted apple juice in a sippy cup for her to see how she would take it! (She has never used a sippy cup before either, so this was an adventure as well!) She would taste it, give me a dirty look, and then go back to drinking it! She seemed to like this as well, despite the dirty looks! I'm not sure how much of it she drank, as her bib was soaking wet by the time she was finished, but, at least we're trying new things! Overall, feeding her the rice cereal went well this weekend! I will keep her on the rice cereal for a little bit, and then mix in some fruits & veggies with the cereal soon, so she can get a taste of those flavors as well. I am hoping that once she starts eating more "food" she is less demanding on the "milk" consumption. This weekend was hard!! Seemed like she ate every 2 hours on Sunday. I couldnt keep up with her. I wonder if she was going through a growth spurt this past week. She was due for one of those I suppose. Last night she slept right through the night! (AMEN!) But, she was OVER- READY to eat when she woke up and she let me hear about it! The girl has lungs! I am pretty sure her teeth are bothering her too. She was very fussy last night and it was hard to calm her down. So, because of this, I am very suprised that she slept through the night! She is also becoming attached to mommy, I think. Not that this is a bad thing, BUT last night, for about 4 hours straight, any time I left the room, she would just scream, and as soon as I would come back, she would calm down only to scream some more. And of course, I had a ton of things to do last night (laundry, dishes, other cleaning, supper,ect) that all had to be put on hold, so my little girl didnt have to freak out. I hate to say it, but once a parent is put in the position of letting a child cry, or tend to their needs, its so much easier to just let the child have their way!! (I HOPE I dont continue to do this!!) But, with knowing that Elizabeth is really usually a good baby, I feel that she was just in desperate need of some TLC when she gets in these moods. It really doesnt happen often that she needs the attention that she screamed for last night. Thank God! It was nice that I was able to get a good nights sleep last night as well! We'll see how long this keeps up! I am hoping it was just a phase or a growth spurt! Another week of sleepless nights could possibly send me straight to the loony bin!

All Dressed up with No Place to Go...

Friday, October 31, 2008....Elizabeth Grace's 1st Halloween! I'm afraid to say it wasn't too eventful, in the "dressing up and parading Elizabeth around town" aspect of it all. We did dress her up in a cow costume and Megan & Summer & Bonnie came over for pictures, but other than that, we didnt do much other than play & clean. I was ok with this as I really didnt have many places to take Elizabeth, and I had ALOT of cleaning to do. Elizabeth was tuckered out as well. She took a nice long nap, which helped me get some housework done! And by the time she woke up, Megan & Summer came over for pictures & candy. Once they left...we wondered into the next milestone...eating rice cereal!!

Happy Halloween 2008!

Halloween at Nana Ann's & Papa Dan's

EVERYTHING goes in her mouth! Even the pumpkin that is MUCH BIGGER than she is! She's not scared! LOL! She's thinking...."GET IN MY BELLY, PUMPKIN!"




Here are all the grandkids at Nana Ann's Halloween Party this past weekend. Marissa and Hailey were wicked witches with green faces, Cailyn was an adorable black cat, Elizabeth was a pudgy pumpkin, and then there was Hunter, he was himself, I mean, he was a devil.

Sleeping through the night...

So, for the past week, I have been intending on making Elizabeth's 6 month doctor's appointment for her. But for some reason, I just haven't made it that far as to pick up the phone and make the darn appointment. I'm wondering if it's for one of 2 reasons...1)I hate the thought of making an appointment for my daughter to be poked with a LONG needle. Like I have said in the past, I am not sure who it hurts more, me, or Elizabeth! Or, 2) I am in denial that my daughter is already ALMOST 6 months old! Where has the time gone! It seems like just last week when I was waking up at 4am on May 12, having some pretty painful contractions! Now, the pain I have is at 3am when Miss E decides to throw me off by waking in the middle of the night wanting to play!! (Where does the pain come from that you ask??? Well, it comes from the toothpicks I have to use the next morning to keep my eyelids open at work!!) I was just telling a co-worker today that I have been spoiled when it comes to Elizabeth's sleeping schedule. Since before I even came back to work full time (at 7 weeks) she has been sleeping through the night for us. Well, I shoud say she is sleeping through the night for me, as her daddy doesn't seem to hear her when she wakes up in the middle of the night! I've decided the next time she wakes up screaming bloody murder I will just push the little button on our smoke detector to make it sound like a fire alarm is going off. If THAT doesnt wake him up...nothing will!). Anyways, I got a tad off subject there, sorry!
We were talking about Elizabeth's sleep schedule...not her dad's!
She has been going to bed a little earlier that she used to as well. She used to stay up just about as late as we did (if you consider 10:00pm late!). She would have her last feeding anywhere between 9-9:30pm and then she would soon fall into a deep sleep. I used to think that she needed that last feeding so she could make it through the night without getting hungry. Now adays though, she is going to bed as soon as 7:30pm on some nights (and still sleeping through the night!). But her average bedtime lately has been about 8:30pm. And then I wake her at 6:20am to feed her & get her ready for grandma's house. And right around 9:30am she needs to catch up on sleep again! I feel bad for waking her up every morning, and I did once consider letting her sleep until she is ready to get up (which, on weekends, when I let her sleep, she sometimes sleeps until 8:30am!), but, if I did that, I wouldnt get to see the little squirt until 4:30pm every night, and I just couldnt handle that! Spending 45 minutes every morning with Elizabeth is what gives me the energy to make it through my day, until I see her again after work. I have a morning routine that I HAVE to follow. If I am even 3 minutes behind, it throws off my day! So, on those nights when Elizabeth doesnt want to sleep, and I dont want to wake in the morning...it usually calls for a LONG day at work.

Prop Me Up Beside the Pumpkin Mommy!

Elizabeth was able to hold herself up with a pumpkin propped between her legs. It was shorty after this that I realized, she was able to hold herself up just as well WITHOUT a pumpkin propped between her legs! She is getting so strong! And it seems she is entertained by the most simple things...whether it be a pumpkin, a noodle box, a piece of paper, tissue paper, the tags on her toys, or the strap that fastens her pacifier to her shirt so she doesnt keep dropping it!

The GREAT Pumpkin Patch with the Kiddo's

The Headaches are Worth the Memories!

One would say that I have been slacking when it comes to updating my blog, I would defend that by saying I have just been super busy enjoying my mommy time, and I just dont have the time to post updates every day! I have realized (& I have accepted) the fact that I am officially addicted to my daughter! I think that's because with being back to work full time, I don't get to spend as much time with her as I would like. She has been going to bed alot earlier than usual, so, that puts a damper on things as well! I spend a whole 45 minutes with Elizabeth in the morning before I go to work, and then by the time I pick her up from Grandma Bonnies & get gome, its close to 5pm, and lately, she's been in bed between 7:30-8:30pm. That's just not enough time!!
So, I was back home this weekend & at a baby shower for a friend, and someone asked to hold Miss E. I was ok with it...but I always feel like I am being a burden on someone when they have to hold Elizabeth so I can eat, or so I can mingle...b/c I know too many people that pawn their kids off so they can go do what they want, not taking into consideration the feelings of those they just pawned their kids off on. Anyways, it was commented to me on Sunday that "let me hold Elizabeth, you get to hold her when ever you want!"...I of course let this person hold Elizabeth without a problem (so I could shove my face full of delicious baby shower food!), but it got me thinking...I really DON'T get to hold E whenever I want. Granted, I see her & hold her more than what some people do (but that's because they live far away, or they dont make the time & effort to visit/see Miss E, Jamie & I!). So, it saddens me to realize that I only get to really spend 4 hours a day (give or take) with my daughter during the week, so when it comes to our weekend time together, I get pretty selfish. That's enough for me to want to quit my job and become a stay at home mom! Such wishful thinking...knowing there are JUST TOO MANY bills to pay to not have a job! Any-hoodle....
Life with E has been awesome lately! It gets better & better everyday! She is constantly changing! She is always smiling and babbling!! It will be soon enough when she says her first words. Of course, I am hoping the first word is "MaMa"...but, only time will tell! She has been learning that her tongue really helps make different noises and sounds. She has also figured out how to make a high pitched sound as well. It's pretty funny watching her make new noises. Then, over the weekend, my 6 year old niece Marissa taught Elizabeth how to make noises with her lips, while basically, blowing spit all over everything! (Similar to the motor-boating noise some "adults" make!) Its so amazing to see how she is catching on to things so much easier now-a-days! She likes to mimic others!
I have a rain forest music box attached to the side of Elizabeth's crib and every night when I put her down for bed, I push the button on the rain forest gadget, and it plays some soothing music that puts E into a deep deep sleep! Well, yesterday I had layed her down in her crib b/c she was acting as though she was tired...after she shut her eyes and was sleeping for a few minutes, I went to lay her down, AS SOON as she hit the matress, her eyes bugged out and she was ready to play again! That was a short cat nap! I let her roll around in her crib for a while as it seemed to be the only thing she would/could stay entertained by. I walked in after a few minutes, and I saw her rolling over to the rain forest music box, and she was reaching up trying to push the button to make the music start. She just wasnt strong enough to push the button in far enough to make the music play, so I helped her, but, its the thought of knowing that she knew exactly what she had to do to play the music, she just wasnt strong enough to make it happen! SOMEDAY! (That actually reminds me that I have to lower the mattress in her crib. Before I know it she will be pulling herself up and heaven forbit she be up high enough already to jump out of her crib! That could hurt!)
Gosh! What else has she been doing?!?!....she is slowly but surely learning to sit up on her own. We "practice" making her back muscles stronger & stronger every day! She sits up for short periods of time, playing with her toys, before she loses her balance and topples over!! I have a feeling that she will be able to hold herself up long enough for me to get some cute pictures of her sitting in her halloween costume. I cant wait to post pictures! She is also scooting ALL OVER now! Before she pretty much just stayed on the blanket that I lay out on the living room floor. It used to be big enough for her to roll over on & stay entertained by her toys. NOW she is wondering off the blanket...the other day I found her close to the front door. Last night I found her getting closed & closer to the kitchen. And she still hasnt figured out how to crawl on her hands & knees, but she is getting closer & closer every day!
This past weekend, we made the trip back home to Nana & Papa's. We took all of the kids to a pumpkin patch. Now, that was an experience....a 5 month old, a 10 month old, a 2 1/2 year old, a 4 year old & a 6 year old! Let's just say I needed a drink by the time the day/night was over! (I needed a couple, actually!) The pumpkin patch we went to back home wasnt as fulfilling as the one Jamie & I took Elizabeth too a few weeks ago. There just wasnt as much to do...and there was an admission fee. The one we went to a few weeks ago was not only better, but, it was FREE! It was nice to be able to get all of the kids together though, even if it caused more of a headache than anything! We will be having a Halloween gathering at Nana & Papa's this coming weekend, so I am sure I will be making sure I pack the Tylenol! I am looking forward to it though. I always look forward to all the grandkids getting together b/c its not very often (other than holidays) that it happens. No matter how big of a headache it causes in the end!

New Fall Decor, New People & A Parade...One Busy Weekend!

Well, we had yet another busy weekend! Miss Elizabeth was able to meet some new people, and see some new things. Saturday morning, my dear honey & his uncle FINALLY got my fall decorations set up in the front yard! My corn shocks, hay bale, and a half finished scarecrow (it still needs a head! Any suggestions!). I cant wait to dress E up in her halloween costume and attempt to take pictures.

My friend. Sara from high school was in the Dells, so we made the trip over there to see her (& her daughter Maddie, her boyfriend Jason, her brother Josh & his girlfriend Carrie!) YEA SARA! You made my blog! LOL! Anyways, this was Sara's first time seeing Miss E, so it was pretty special. Sara's daughter is 8 now, and Miss E is almost 5 months. I'm not sure if they will be close enough in age to want to "run around together" when they are older, like their mommies did...but...if they do, we will DEFINATELY have to keep an eye on them! If they have any chance to be like Sara & I were in high school, we're in for some T-R-O-U-B-L-E! We met for lunch at the River Walk, then walked the strip, and stopped at a few stores. It was GORGEOUS out! Then, Elizabeth & I went home, rested & when Jamie got done with work, we went back to see the gang, and ate pizza and visited. It was a long time over due for Sara & I to hang out again! It was fun! The guys did their thing (watched football of course & talked sports) while the girls...well, we shared recipes, talked baby talk, reminiced about old times! (Now, a few years ago, you get this group together and we wouldnt have been sitting at home, catching up, we probably would have been at Nigs' tipping a few back!

Anyways, it was a great night of catching up, but, eventually we had to go. It was way past Elizabeth's bed time (& mommy's as well!).
Sunday we made the trip back home to my Grandma's in Kieler. It was the big bad Kieler Parade you know! I have never been to the parade before, but, I guess, for being a small town, it's a pretty good parade, and, that it was! The weather was icky, and most of the family watched the parade from the dining room at Grandma's, but the older kids all went out on the street to get the candy (and they got ALOT of candy! Geesh!). We ate, visited, ate some more, before making the trip BACK to Reedsburg! I'm sure we spent more time driving, than we did at Grandma's but, it was definately worth going back for. I have definately learned, now that we have Elizabeth, that going home to see the family means so much more to me that it used to! Even though it probably cost us $30+ in gas to go back, for only a few hours, it was worth seeing my Grandma smile when we walked in the door. And it was totally worth seeing the smiles on my parents face when they pulled in the driveway. And of course...they all smiled and had to fight over who was going to take Elizabeth first! LOL!

We were all tucked out by the time we got home. E was in bed by 8pm, I was in bed by 9pm, and I have no idea when Jamie zonked out! Monday morning came way too soon...and another week has begun!

It Only Gets Better!

I was able to capture the moment last night when Elizabeth was playing in her exersaucer!! She LOVES the giraffe, and no matter what side of the saucer she plays with first, she ALWAYS finds her way to the giraffe, and the giraffe ALWAYS finds its way into her mouth. Never fails! She has a blast in this thing. It really is the best $10 I've spent in a long time! She's really amazed by every gadget & toy on the saucer though. It entertains her usually long enough for mommy to make supper! I really wish I could get into her mind and know what she is thinking at times! Lately, she has been so full of smiles. And she's starting to giggle on her own. At first, she would just giggle if Mommy and/or Daddy were tickling her, or being silly, now she giggles when she is entertaining herself with her toys. I'll come into the living room while she's playing with her toys, only to find her laughing at her puppet cow, or laughing at the plastic links she loves to play with. She is easily entertained, which really comes in handy when I am trying to get a few things done! This little girl has been a blast for the past 4+ months! And everyone says it only gets better! I can't wait!

Toe Sucking! YUMMY!

Oh yeah, and on Sunday, Miss Elizabeth learned something NEW...how to SUCK on her BIG toe! Yummy! So, she is rolling around alot more! She is continuing to TRY her darndest to figure this crawling thing out. She sticks her butt in the air and whimpers b/c she doesnt know what to do next! She's making progess though! The other night she was trying so hard, I swear I saw her push her tummy up off the ground, but, thats all she could do, and it only lasted for a split second! She's becoming more flexible, as you can see! She is sucking her toes now! She is still trying to pull her toes closer to her mouth so its not such a work out, but...hey, ONE toe is better than NONE! I'm thinking her next accomplishment will be sitting up on her own. We've put her up against a pumpkin and she held herself up for a few seconds, and I have put her up against the couch and once again, she has held herself up for a few seconds. I'm hoping she learns to sit up before she starts standing, but who knows! I tell yah though, my child has ambition! (I wish I had some!). When she sets her mind to something, she's pretty good about making it happen!

1st step: BIG TOE in the mouth, 2nd step: sticking her foot in her mouth! Ill have to make sure she has clean feet from here on out!

Rock On' Brew Crew!

We watched the Packer's LOSE on Sunday, but we also watched the Brewer's WIN! Elizabeth was pretty excited! (Almost as excited as Daddy!). Looks like we should have had her wearing a Brewer's outfit instead, but...she looks so darn cute in this Packer's outfit that her Great Aunt Debbie gave her!

A Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

WOW! I've been slacking a little on this blog page. I should have looked to see where I left off last week. Any-woodle...We had a wonderfull weekend! (Friday night Mommy & Daddy enjoyed a date night to the movies. We saw Burn After Reading with Brad Pitt & George Clooney. It was a good flick.) Saturday though...OH! Saturday was a blast! In the AM I made a trip to Spring Green to meet up with the girl that had an Exersaucer for me for $10. She emailed me pictures, it looked decent, so, hey, for $10...let's get it! We met in the parking lot at Culver's. When I looked at the exersaucer, I couldnt believe she only wanted $10 for it! It was in GREAT shape and was used by FOUR kids! What a steal! I couldnt wait to get home so I could wash it up (it looked clean, but, you know those germs like to hide!) so Miss E could start playing with it! We went to a couple garage sales on our way back home. I found a few things for Elizabeth for when she's closer to 18 months!
Once we got back home and after I wiped down the saucer, I got E in it to see what she thought! SHE LOVED IT! She had a blast, but only for a few minutes, b/c the poor girl was starving! In the meantime, Jamie had called to let me know he had the afternoon off from work (well, I am sure he could have found SOMETHING TO DO, but, he chose to want to spend the afternoon with us!). We packed the vehicle back up and headed BACK to Spring Green. This trip was to Pecks Farmer's Market. I've never been there before, so I wasnt sure what to expect, but I had just heard it was a neat place to go in the fall with the kids. And sure enough, it was AWESOME! There were pumpkins galore, and there was a petting zoo, horse drawn wagon rides, mini-haunted houses, and of course, the farmer's market! And it was ALL FREE (except the farmer's market!). We donated a few dollars to help feed the animals, but otherwise, everything we did was FREE! The animals were GREAT! Donkeys, Llamas, Goats, Birds, A Pig, Miniature Horses, Deer, An Aligator, and MUCH MUCH MORE! Elizabeth was very good the few hours we spent there. I wasnt sure how she'd do, but she was great! We had her in her stroller part of the time, carried her around the other part. I hate to keep her cooped up in that thing for too long! But most of all, mommy & daddy enjoyed our day much more than we expected!! We found a mini-pumpkin for E to bring home,and then we called it a day! And what a day it was! We had SO MUCH FUN making memories as a family! And the weather cooperated! That was the best part! We were all pooped by the time we got home. What a great day!

Saturday night we didnt do too much. Elizabeth slept most of the evening, which, I was worried she wouldnt sleep that night...but, she did! She woke to get her PM dinner in, and was back to bed by 10pm!

Rockin' Rollin' Little E

A couple weeks ago, Elizabeth learned to roll over. She could/can only roll over from her back to her belly, and only to the left side. (I think I've mentioned this before). Anyways, there were times when I could tell she was trying so hard to roll back onto her back from her belly,but she just didnt have the strength to do so. Well, NOW SHE DOES! The first time it happen, I missed it. But I KNOW it happen because she was 1st laying on her back in the living room on the floor, and I saw her roll over onto her belly. I went into the kitchen to get something,and when I came back out, she was back on her back again. Magic? I dont think so! My girls got skill! So of course, I was treating her like a little pooch saying "roll over, roll over!" Come on mom! She's not a dog! She doesnt do tricks!
With time though, later that evening, she did it again, all on her own. She was rolling back & forth from back to belly, and belly to back. I was so proud of her. I couldnt wait for Daddy to come in from the barn so he could see it too. BUT, of course, by the time he came in that night, she was so tuckered out, she didnt have the energy to perform her newly learned "trick"! She is still trying her hardest to get scootching around, but she just can't get it all figured out. This still frustrates her! Someday! Someday soon, I'm afraid! I better start baby-proofing the house. I know I keep saying this, but its about time I actually do it so its DONE!
She has a little v-tech ball that her grandma gave her,and it makes noise, sings songs and rolls on the floor, on its own. It's a unique toy, but very entertaining for both E and I! Anyways, one of the songs it sings goes "Rockin Rollin' little ball, how I wonder where you'll roll..." So, now I sing that song to Miss E "Rockin' Rollin' little E, how I wonder where you'll roll!" Doesnt have quite as nice of a rhythm to it, but it works! Now that she is capable of rolling over, she is usually rolling off of the blanket that we lay down for her, which, for the most part is fine, because we have carpet, but, no matter how many times one vaccuum's the floor, you never know what kind of bugs are living beneath the surface! ICK! I get the willy's just thinking about it!

Stealing the Bink!

The past couple days have been fun, and full of accomplishments! First off, I TOTALLY FORGOT to mention in my shopping trip blog, about how Miss E stole the pacifier from me. I put Elizabeth's pacifier in my mouth (gross & full of germs, I KNOW, I KNOW!) and I picked her up to carry her. Now, we've (Jamie & I) done this before...had her pacifier in our mouth...and she has NEVER done anything. She looks at us a little goofy,but thats about it! But, on Saturday, lil' ELizabeth saw that Mommy had her binky and she YANKED it right out of my mouth & tried sticking it in her mouth. She obviously knows now that the pacifier is HERS and only HERS! LOL! So, she TRIED sticking it in her mouth, but was sticking it in backwards. She couldnt get the darn thing turned around so the nipple would go in her mouth. She has that problem alot lately. Even when she is laying on the floor playing. If her binky falls out, she can reach for it and pick it up, she just cant figire out how to get it from her hand, and into her mouth...the right way! She uses the nipple as the handle to hold on to and she just can't seem to get it turned around so she can suck on it. Its pretty entertaining to watch. She eventually gets frustrated and just flicks her pacifier away and either fusses, OR continues to play with something else. That's her new things now, though..since Saturday. Anytime I put her binky in my mouth she takes it right back away! It's kind of our little game we like to play! Sometimes she likes it and thinks it's funny, and sometimes she just gets plain ole' mad because "Darn it Mom, that's MY bink!"--if only she could talk!

Elizabeth's First Shopping Trip (To Madison)

I packed Elizabeth up on Saturday and we headed to Madison to do some heavy duty shopping! The main intention was to get me (Mommy) some new clothes, but of course, now-a-days, that NEVER happens. I find it hard to buy for myself knowing there are things Miss E either needs now, or will be needing in the future! I will just have to make due with the hundreds of articles of clothing that are in my closet, in my dresser drawers and lingering on my bedroom floor! (For goodness sake, I have even taken over 1/2 of Elizabeth's closet with clothes I NEVER wear!). I really need to go through everything and DONATE DONATE DONATE! Whoa, what a tangent, back on subject now, Kate!
Anyways, we met my long lost friend, Stephanie in Madison. (It was SO GOOD to see her! She came to visit us in the hospital the day E was born, and you know, she is the ONLY one that came to visit us that I DONT have a picture of in the hospital...and we took LOTS of pictures!). So we met up and the 1st store we went to was a 2nd hand store called "Once Upon a Child"...on Gammon Road. AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! (Thanks Jessica for letting me know about this place!). It was basically like one big garage sale. Tons of kids clothing, all barely used. One outfit I got STILL had the tags on it! It was maybe a $15 outfit and I paid maybe $3 for it. I was able to find a winter jacket (in perfect condition) and a winter bunting (again, perfect condition) for Elizabeth to wear this winter. Everything else I bought her will be for next summer. She doesnt need any more clothes for now! The girl has a ton of clothes (she is already taking after me!). For lunch, we went to the OLIVE GARDEN! I know, you're jealous! Soup, Salad & Breadsticks (& DESSERT!) YUM!
We wandered over to the Mall, then to Shopko, and then to TJ MAXX and final destination...Target. It was a LONG day, but we had so much fun, and Elizabeth was SO COOPERATIVE! She had so much fun! (well, I am assuming she did beings she was SO GOOD!). She didnt even fuss when she got hungry!! I definately rewarded her with lots of new stuff (for next year!) for being such a good lil' shopping buddy! Shopko had some really good deals as well. I bought her 2 new swim suits for next summer, for les than $5 (total).
Needless to say, Elizabeth was tuckered out by the time we got home. (It was about 7:30pm when we pulled in the driveway!) She slept most of the way, and was very hungry when we got home! We let her stretch out and play around for a little bit in just her diaper, before we dressed her in her PJS and left again for another birthday party! WHAT A BUSY DAY! She was so happy to be out of the stroller/carseat/or having someone hold her, she loved playing on the floor with her toys (after she ate of course!). She was all smiles! When I went to pick her up to get her jammies on I noticed WHY she was all smiles! She happen to relieve some "pressure" and it squished out of the front of her diaper and smoooshed all over the blanket she was playing on! Thank god for Dreft Stain Remover! Thank god, after some scrubbing & soaking...the "stain" was removed and we are all able to play on that blanket once again! LOL!
What a successfull shopping day! I probably shouldnt start her out so young with these shopping trips...but we had so much fun! It was so great to spend time with Stephanie and catch up on lost time. Miss E loved spending time with her as well! Maybe someday Aunt Steph & Josh can make Miss E a little friend to play with! :-) (HINT HINT WINK WINK, Steph!)We will have to meet again, sooner than later!

The Weekend with Nana Ann & Papa Dan

Last weekend my parents came to visit. I LOVE IT when my parents are able to come see us. They came up on Saturday early afternoon. We had a birthday party to go to for my cousin's hubby. Elizabeth didnt take to Paps Dan very well b/c he scared her from the get-go with his goofiness, and that poor girl did not forget all weekend. I felt bad for my dad b/c everytime he held her, or even looked at her, she cried. She has never had a problem with Papa before, so I'm hoping it was just a one time deal! She has always been a Papa's girl. Everytime we see my parents, it seems my dad is the 1st one to take Elizabeth from Mommy and play goofy with her!
This time around though, it seemed as if Nana Ann had the upper hand, and could make Elizabeth happy and comfortable! Nana Ann was also able to spend more time with E beings there were no other kids or distractions that she had to "attend" to! They were able to witness Elizabeth's roll-over, and smiles, and laughs. They even got to watch part of the Packer game with her. She LOVES her packer games!

Like always, their trips are never long enough! There is never enough time in the days/nights! It's hard living 1 1/2 hours from my parents (but I do realize it COULD be worse!). There is jealousy at times when I know my parents get to see the other grandkids way more often that they get to see Elizabeth, but that's just something I will have to deal with, unless I move closer to home, which at times, I am tempted to do! I just dont want Elizabeth to play strange when it comes to seeing Nana & Papa. It will break my heart. It makes me remember how things were when my niece Hailey was younger, and I had moved away. For the longest time, she played strange with me b/c she never saw me, and this broke my heart. But, once she got older she would remember me, and I wasnt a stranger anymore.
Before my parents left on Sunday my mom layed Miss E down for a nap. That little girl MUST have been tuckered out from her visit with Nana & Papa because she slept for 4-5 hours STRAIGHT! It's been a while since she has taken that long of a nap! I had to periodically check on her to make sure she was still breathing b/c this long of a nap was just unheard of lately!
It was a great weekend, and of course we were all sad to see mom & dad go. But, I know we will see them again soon, and I am sure that there will be new things for them to see next time.

We Survived the Shots!

Well, we survived Elizabeth's 4 month check up on Friday morning. She got her shots *again*, and of course, she cried and I cried *again*. (Not as bad as I did the first time. The first set of shots at her 2 month appointment, I think they hurt me more than they hurt her. This time around, it was just a few tears on my part,and then I grabbed her off the table after the last shot was given, and we both felt MUCH MUCH better!). I rewarded her with a *cheeseburger* (I fed her!) after the nurse left, and a shopping trip to Madison on Saturday! Sounds like she got a pretty good deal!
Before I get too far off subject, I should probably tell you that Miss E weighed in at 17lbs 3oz and is 25 inches long. She is at the 90th percentile for her height and 97th percentile for her weight! The doctor commented that it looks as if she is eating "plenty"! LOL! I think he was just trying to be "be nice" and not say "WHOA! Look at the leg rolls on that girl!" I think he knew better b/c we warned him that she gets upset when people talk about her weight (and age!). He told us that we can introduce some rice cereal to her diet if we want...once again, stating that she looks as if she is doing JUST FINE on breast milk! I still haven't decided yet when/if I will giver her any cereal quite yet, but, we have some on hand if I decide to any day soon. We'll see how her eating habits go for this week (last week she seemed to eat alot more than usual, so I dont know if she is going through a growth spurt, or just needing to be fed bigger bottles b/c she is just hungrier). Anyways...we'll see if I can or can't keep up with her demand and then we'll go from there. Ideally, I'd like to wait until 6+ months before introducing anything else. There are alot of things I would like to "wait for" but only time will tell. We continued to give her tylenol a few hours after her appointment, as well as before bed, b/c I am sure her chubby lil' legs were going to be sore. She didnt fuss much, if at all, Friday afternoon/night. She did take a super long nap once we got home though. Once again, she took a much longer nap than what I was used to. It worked out for everyone...I was able to sneak a little nap in myself, as well as get SOME housework done! I am sure I also created more mess than what I wanted as well! Ahhh...that just means there is more for me to do if/when she takes another "long nap" in the near future!

On The Move and in the Mouth!!!

Elizabeth is in the beginning stages of being a mobile unit in our household!! (I think it will be time to "baby-proof" our house sooner than expected!) She is able to push her upper body up when she is laying on her tummy, playing on the floor.She then sticks her little but up in the air and kicks her feet. She resembles a fish out of water at times! Soon enough she will figure out that she has to use her arms to push up her stomach off the gound in order to move about. She gets frustrated when she can't figure things out, but that just means she tries even harder! Elizabeth has found a way to move about though. She does the infamous "ARMY crawl"...kind of anyways! Somehow she manages to move on her belly, but I dont think she realizes what she is doing! I can put her on the floor with her head facing the kitchen, and with in 5 minutes, she is totally turned around and facing the front door. This my friends (and family!) is a true sign she will be scooting around soon!
Elizabeth loves tummy time, but, like everyone, she gets bored when she gets stuck doing the same thing over & over again for long periods of time! If you put her on the floor, on her back, within seconds, she is rolling over onto her tummy trying to reach for anything she can stick in her mouth! Even if there is nothing around her (within a 1-foot radius) she finds her way to it!! (And whatever she finds...it she finds a way to get it in her mouth!)
Elizabeth chews on everything....her toys, mommys hand, my shoulder, arms, stuffed animals, blankets. Whatever she can get her hands on! I am sure that she will be getting some teeth in soon as well. It's just a matter of time! She has a pretty firm grib, for being such a young one! She LOVES to hold onto Mommy & Daddy's fingers. I think it gives her security, especially when she is trying to fall asleep! Speaking of sleep, now that she is moving around more, I have noticed (when she is with me anyways) she gets tuckered out quicker, and likes to take her naps. This past weekend, she slept for FOUR HOURS straight! I couldnt believe it! She has been sleeping through the night since before I even came back to work. This has been absolutely awesome!
We have her 4 month doctor's appointment this Friday. She gets her 2nd round of shots. Once again, I am sure Mommy will cry! I think it hurts me more than it hurts her! When we took her in for her first round of shots, I really think that was the hardest thing I have had to do as a parent, thus far. It is this doctor's appointment that they will probably tell us that we can start feeding Miss E ceral/rice with her "mommy's milk". I know some people/doctor's suggest introducing cereal at 4 months, some say 6 months, because it gives the child more time to develop, and introducing foods too soon is a great way to find out if your child has allergies. So, I am debating when I want to start her on cereal. Any suggestions?!
It's not like she is a starving child! She eats very well! Sometimes too well!
That's enough for now. But, I will be keeping you posted as she keeps on the move!

I created a collage of Elizabeth's pictures from the past month or so...just to show how much she has changed, and how adorable she really is! She looks different in every picture! MOST of the time, she looks exactly like Jamie. SOMETIMES she looks like me!! She gets her BIG eyes from me, but, everything else comes from her daddy! She is her Daddy's daughter, that's for sure!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Elizabeth Grace turned 4 months old on Friday and I realized that I have not been doing a good job of documenting her life. Sure, I make notes in her baby book, but, I decided that I really should do a detailed documentation of her life so I can share her life with my family and friends!

She has accomplished so much in the first four months of her short life. She is jabbering baby-talk all the time. She has the most beautiful smile that a toothless infant can possibly have. She is rolling over (from her back to her tummy, and so far, only rolling to her left side!), and pushing her shoulders & chest up off the ground. She watches things very closely. She LOVES to watch baseball & football with her daddy! She seriously, will sit and just stare at the tv screen in great determination to figure out why the guys are wearing such silly outfits, and running with a brown ball on the pretty green grass!

Elizabeth has been such an amazing addition to our lives. I wake up every morning, patiently waiting for her to make her morning noises to let me know she's awake and ready to get going for the day. (Unfortunately, there are some days that I have to wake her from her slumber so I can get her dressed and fed so she can be ready to go to Grandma's for the day.)