The Latest

We enjoyed a visit from Cousin Paul and Emmeline.  I couldn't get a photo of the two girls together, but I will try next time.

Elsa is limited with her cuddles but is warming up to the idea.

Elsa loved all of the extra reading time with Grandma and Grandpa.

Cuddling with Cousin Caeden at Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Elsa!

Elsa wore her special birthday outfit for her party.

Elsa took just a nibble of the frosting and did not like having messy hands.  She was very well-behaved with her cupcake.

I made homemade cupcakes for the celebration.

First Halloween

Elsa had a great first Halloween.  We went to visit our friends TC and Laura.  Elsa was a fairy.  She was a lil' shy at first, but she was ready after we took the tutu off.

October Days

 Elsa is saying "Skol Vikings!"

Digging for toys!

Our first family trip to the pumpkin patch.  Elsa is holding her first pumpkin.

Big Girl

Elsa loves her ball popping machine.  She doesn't believe me when I tell her that it isn't sturdy enough to hold her up so she takes a tumble sometimes.   She can stand for about ten seconds on her own until she realizes that she is not holding onto anything.  Then, she drops.

Elsa continues to be a very happy baby.  She is happiest when she is climbing on the steps, eating finger foods and yogurt, and wrestling her stuffed animals.  Catalogs never go to waste at our house because Elsa loves to tear them apart and throw them around our living room.  She freezes and checks out the television if any kind of music comes on the screen.  She loves music.

Diaper Time

Tim has coined the after dinner hour "DIAPER TIME" because Elsa likes nothing better than to play in her diaper.  She gets this burst of energy and insists on climbing on everything in our house.  I guess it is just easier when you are semi-nude.

Like everyone, Elsa has her likes and her dislikes when it comes to food.  However, we found out that she loves spaghetti and meatballs.  I have never seen her try to get food into her mouth at such a pace.  She made those little baby sounds when they are so happy about their food.  She squeeled when she saw that I was putting more on her tray.  So far, these are her favorite foods...

blueberries

green beans

turkey breakfast sausage

turkey

BBQ chicken

sweet potatoes

pierogies

cojack cheese

cottage cheese

pears

bananas

graham crackers

yogurt

Cousin Caeden

We are finally home from our midwest adventure.  I thought that I would continue to post pictures from our visit along with our latest update.

We took Elsa's eight month photos in Grand Forks with her cousin Caeden.  It proved challenging to get an eight month old and a 16 month old to sit together to take a picture.  They were too cute. 

Elsa loved playing with Caeden all summer.  One thing we know for sure about Elsa is that she is a social girl.  A bit like her mother, I guess.  I am sure she will be pleased to be at daycare with all of her baby friends. 

Grandma Bette

We spent an entire month with my parents in North Dakota. Very special.

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Catching Up

You have all been so very patient! We have been away on our annual summer midwest adventure. More than any other year, the car was very full. Traveling with an infant by car is a challenge, but we are experts now.

We started in St. Louis where we spent time with Joe, Ellie and cousin Leah. A great time!

I'll post more in the coming days.

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Swingin'

Elsa enjoyed her first swing ride today.  We went to a park and enjoyed the perfect day.  She is a little tiny for the swing, but she is strong and can sit up.  I think we will add the swing to our list of activities to make Elsa happy.

My First Mother's Day

I am not the kind of person who usually gets caught up in holidays...except Christmas.  However, I really enjoyed Mother's Day.  Tim and I do not exchange gifts for many occasions and I was curious how Mother's Day would play out. 

He knows me so well.  He had my car professionally cleaned.  It was exactly what I wanted.  We also went to get Elsa's six month photos taken on Mother's Day.  I was so pleased with them, but it is easy.  She is such a happy girl who is quick to ham for the camera.

Teeth

Since recovering from her first significant cold, Elsa has made big gains in babyhood!  It started with the emergance of her first tooth.  We had a feeling that it would appear with all of the drooling and chewing.  Then, a few days later, another tooth appeared right next to the first. 

Elsa is like her mom.  She enjoys meal time.  She has let us know LOUD and clear that she wants more cereal.  We were following all of the baby books and taking it slow, but Elsa wants to take it fast.  We've tried oatmeal and rice for the past month.  She is a fan.  Today, we are trying bananas. 

I attempted to make some of my own baby food for Elsa.  We had success with peas and froze a bunch.  However, carrots were not as much of a success.  I'll try again. 

Can Do...

Elsa can do a lot.

She can get her pacifier back in her mouth with about 70% accuracy.
She can turn from tummy to back...sometimes.
She can turn from back to tummy...sometimes.
She recognizes her bottle and gets upset when it doesn't get to lips fast enough.
She opens her mouth when she sees her spoon.
She prefers rice cereal to oatmeal.
She makes lots and lots of raspberries with her mouth...especially when she is supposed to go to sleep but has decided not to.
She gets so excited when she sees her daddy.

Finger Lickin' Good

Elsa is enjoying her second solid food, oatmeal.  We are looking forward to the days of sweet potatoes and bananas too.  I have all of the equipment and will soon start making Elsa's baby food.  I am not going to break my back with this task, but will do what is doable.  If she is anything like her mother, she will enjoy each meal and every bite.

The Week in Review

Elsa loves her links!  It is the toy that she can hold onto the easiest.  They are hard and bumpy and feel so good to her when she gums them.  She is turning five months old this week and we wonder if teething is just around the corner.  There is a lot of drool these days, but she is as pleasant as ever.

Tim enjoyed opening day with Elsa.  They both wore St. Louis Cardinals gear.  They won too!  Go Red Birds!

Spring Break!

 

We have been enjoying a visit from my family -- my mom, my brother, my sister-in-law and our super cute nephew Caeden.

  It has been a special visit because it was the first time that Caeden and Elsa met each other.  We toured the city, Villanova and a few more local things.  Sean broke the record for most cheesesteaks eaten on one visit.   We are touring Villanova in the photo above.

Along with our visitors, it has been a big week for Elsa.  She tried rice cereal for the first time.  Most of it came dribbling out of her mouth, but in time, she will get the hang of it.

We are loving spring!  Lots of walks in the stroller and lots of walks with the baby carrier.

Strollin'

Thank goodness for spring time weather.  Elsa was a winter baby and we can finally get outside and enjoy the fresh weather in her smart orange stroller.  She loves it!

Spring is Here!

Elsa turned four months old this week.  She is such a smiley, happy baby.  It is a rare thing to have a crabby Elsa at our house.

Elsa has also learned how to suck on her toe.  It makes diaper changes a real challenge but very funny.

We are so glad that spring is finally here.  We are enjoying our evening walks in the stroller and the fresh air.  I think it is helping Elsa sleep consistantly through the night.

See...she is always like this.

Star Wars

Elsa continues to learn about her body and all that she can do with it.  Her latest, holding onto her toes.  She has rolled over twice from tummy to back but has not repeated this act since last weekend.

We received some cute onsies from Tim's friend Rick.  One is an AC/DC and the other is Star Wars.  Whenever Tim holds her like this, I see a striking resemblence.

Big Weekend for Elsa

Elsa has had two great weeks at her daycare.  She enjoys seeing Miss Joann and Miss Sali each day.  She is the youngest in the infant room right now so whenever I come in the classroom, they are holding and cuddling Elsa.  It makes me feel good knowing that she is getting attention even when I am at work.  We feel very confident with the daycare and the schedule that we've come up with for our family.

This weekend, Elsa had two milestones!  First, she rolled over from her belly to her back, TWICE!  She didn't repeat it on Sunday, but we know it will come back to her at some point. 

As you can see, Elsa sat in her highchair for the first time.  We are having her sit with us when we eat dinner so she can start to get interested in eating.  Eating rice cereal is just around the corner.  We'll wait until our four month doctor appointment to start cereal if Elsa is ready.

Elsa's Loves

Tummy time used to be hated.  Elsa let you know her feelings by screaming until you turned her to see the world.  However, all that has changed now that she realizes her own strength.  We try to make it an appealing activity.  We surround her with all of her favorite treasures.  In honor of all that Elsa loves, here is her list....

Elsa loves...

• her book about colors.  Orange is her favorite page.
• chewing on her bib.
• her orange rattle fish.  It is one of the few rattles that is light enough for her to control enough to get it into her mouth.
• putting things in her mouth.
• of course, her mobile.  Can't get enough mobile time.
• her Fisher Price vintage radio.  We call it her boom box.
• watching her parents unload the dishwasher while sitting in her bouncer.  She likes it when you give her a play by play..."I am putting away the small plates now."
• morning talks...as Elsa lays in my arms after her first feeding, she makes the sweetest little sounds.   Lots of coos and oos and ahhs.  It is soft and special and it my favorite time of the day with Elsa.

Look Alikes

After our first week back in the working routine, we enjoyed a snow day on Friday.  It was a nice surprise after four days at daycare and kindergarten.  Everything is going very well with the new routine.  Elsa seems to enjoy her time at daycare and is happy each and every day.  As always, I enjoy kindergarten and the many adventures that it brings.

We spent a lazy weekend around the house.  We are beginning to think that Elsa might be getting bored with our activities after the excitement that daycare brings.

Tim and I are always having the conversation about who Elsa looks like.  Sometimes, I look at her and see Tim.  Sometimes, I look at her and see my dad.  Sometimes, I see her and think I am looking in the mirror.  But when I saw this picture, I thought she definitely looked like Tim.  Maybe it is the lack of hair, but it is also the little half grin.

Three Months Old

I never appreciated the phrase "time flies" until I had Elsa.  Just three months ago, she joined our family and it has been a whirlwind ever since.  Each day we marvel at her newest accomplishment. 

Today, I swear that we played our first game of peek-a-boo.  She was all snuggled in her blanket, just about ready for a nap when I started hiding my face and saying the phrase "peek-a-boo".  Then, she would turn her face into the blanket and turn her face back to me with a huge smile.  I would say the phrase again when she looked at me.  This went on for about five minutes.  It was just one of many first fun times with Elsa.

Valentine's Day Visitors

For Valentine's Day, we had visitors from Brooklyn.  Our friends Amy, Anna, and Wes drove down to spend the day with us.  We always enjoy seeing them!

Elsa looks a little stunned in this picture, but it was during the "crabby hour" which is from 6 - 7PM.  Everyone tells me this is very common for babies.

We are spending our last week of maternity leave preparing for daycare.  We are getting up to alarms...us, not the baby.  I don't like to dwell on all of the feelings that I am having about daycare so I just move onto the next step in our family life.  Also, I have to keep reminding myself that it is for three months and then, the three of us will have three months off.  I love being a teacher.

Some Tummy Time

Elsa is NOT a fan of tummy time.  We have to coax her by surrounding her with all of her toys and books.  This will keep her interest for no more than three minutes.  She likes tummy time with her boppy more than directly on her tummy.  Each day, she likes it more and more, but the timing is very important.  Elsa is a spitty baby so we have to do tummy time long after a feeding.  Otherwise, it turns into spitty time.

Winter Fun

Elsa has been read to since she was born, but she is finally starting to be interested in the pages in the books.  Her favoritte book is her color book.  I assume it is a favorite because of the bright colors faces of other babies.

We had blizzard in Philadelphia that mirrored what we've experienced many times in the midwest.  I couldn't resist taking Elsa's picture in her snow cap.  We stayed inside, but Tim was a shoveling maniac.

The view from our front yard in the middle of the storm.

Elsa's Mobile

We have gotten into the habit of bringing Elsa into our bedroom in the morning.  She is so pleasent in the morning and is ready to have lots of conversations with her mom and dad.  Elsa is like all other babies and has her moments when she is unsatisfied, but we've yet to wake up to her crying in the morning.  We hear her on the monitor having conversations with her friends on her mobile.  When we go in to great her, she is happy and smiling and ready to start her day.

This is a photo of Elsa having what we call "mobile time" because she tends to get over-stimulated by her mobile to the point that she does not want to fall asleep.  So, we schedule mobile time into the day to get it out of her system.

Bath Time

During the first two months of Elsa's life, Tim and I have tried to figure out "what works" for our daughter and our new family.  One of the tried and true events during our day is bath time.  Elsa loves her bath.  She likes it even more now that she can really be immersed in the water and be cozy with the warm water.  It is part of our night time routine.