Baby Wrangler

Look at that big girl!  I feel like I'm nursing a toddler sometimes!  She is so big and strong, she kicks her legs and flails her arms when she nurses (see above :).  It's pretty cute, actually, though it takes some baby-wrangling to get her to nurse when we're out and about these days.  In this photo we were at a little cafe where we had coffee and a snack after going to the zoo on Saturday.  She was doing so well (she must have been hungry!), I had hubby take a picture.  It's funny how nursing changes -- when she was tiny, Eliza was so calm (well, usually), and focused on nursing.  Now, she still looooooves it just as much, but sometimes she thinks she has more interesting things to do or see, so she makes it quick and gets back to playing.  

I love this milk-lovin' babe and I still love nursing her just as much (if not more!) than the day she was born.  I hope I get to continue doing it for a long while!

Wordless...Thursday

Title: "Yogurt on baby canvas"

Father's Day Weekend

We had such a nice weekend.  It started on Friday evening when an old friend of ours from college visited with her sweet baby boy.  We hadn't seen her for a few years, but it was like old times talking to her - we just picked up where we left off.  A mutual college friend came over too and brought his baby boy, so all three of us had our babies there together.  It's kind of surreal that we all have kids now!  Hubby made dinner and I made cookies for dessert.  It was a beautiful night so we ate outside while the babies had fun playing:

On Saturday morning, hubby took Eliza to the zoo while I had some mama-time.  It was nice!  I didn't do anything special, just ran a few errands and went to a coffee shop for an iced latte (mmm).  They came home and Eliza took a nice long nap.  We did some things around the house and in the yard, and then that night hubby and I went out on a date!  My parents watched Eliza -- we had already put her to sleep, although she ended up waking up for about 30 minutes RIGHT AFTER we left the driveway - of course!!  We went to a local Jazz festival that is held outdoors at a park in downtown.  Even though it's a Jazz festival, they had a salsa band playing when we got there!  There were people dancing in the street, having a great time.  It was so much fun!  We ate at a great south american/latin restaurant right off the park that I'd been wanting to try for ages.  It was SO GOOD.  Totally worth the 30 minute wait to get a table.  After dinner we listened to another band (this one was definitely Jazz) and then headed back home.  It was a fantastic date.  We are so lucky to have my parents so close by and so willing to babysit!

Oh, and earlier in the day, we gave Eliza her first strawberry!  My parents went berry picking and brought us home a bunch.  She seemed to like it, she kept on eating them even though she gave this sour face:

Sunday was Father's Day of course, so we woke up and gave Daddy his presents in bed.  Of course I forgot to take a picture of him opening his gifts.  DANGIT!  Eliza gave him a mug with her hand prints on it (oooh, that was fun and messy to make!), and a cool desk organizer with her beautiful photo on it.  She has gotten quite good at online ordering, this one.

We went to my parents' house for a Father's Day brunch, where Eliza was showing off her newest move:

She goes from sitting to this pose quite quickly, but then her leg gets stuck (see that little foot sticking out?) and she can't quite figure out what to do next.  She's getting closer though, she works on it every day.  Oh!  And Eliza got to eat one of my mom's famous breadsticks, too.  SO NUMMY.  She seemed to agree:

Hubby had tickets to a local craft beer festival, so he went to that while Eliza and I hung out with my parents.  We filled up a little cement tub with some warm water and plopped a VERY CUTE naked baby into it:

She liked splashing around in it so much that today we went and bought her a kiddie pool to set up in our backyard.  It's been so hot here, we'll get to use it soon I think.  I'll post photos of course! ;)

It was such a fun weekend, I just had to get all the details down lest I forget some part of it.  These days go by so fast... I guess that happens when we're having so much fun with our baby girl.

Oh! Teething!

Bah, I'm so bored by my blog design lately.  I've been playing around with it and probably will continue to do so until I'm happy with it... bear with me!

Nothing much is new around here -- Oh, OH, okay here's something little and trivial: I'm having ridiculously extreme mommy-guilt for not taking a photo of Eliza ON her 7-month birthday.  Isn't that silly?  I know.  I took her photo the day before and the day after... but none on THE day.  It never ends... the guilt!  Oh the guilt!  Just add it to the list: no baby book, no calendar that marks the day she first popped a tooth, the day she first sat up... will it never end?!?!?

Oh! Teething!  Yeah, I think she's definitely teething (but really, when are they NOT teething??).  She woke up four times - FOUR TIMES - last night, and not just her usual 'heyhowareyoumama' nursing session (after which she falls right back asleep), but she woke up crying and didn't want to nurse until I rocked her a bit and calmed her down :(  I felt so bad for her, it really seems like something is hurting her, and I am just assuming it's her top teeth trying to come through.  I guess you never really know for SURE what's hurting, but I think I can see a little white tooth bud on her top gum.  I'm almost positive that's what's bothering her.  Come on, teeth, please make your appearance soon!  I guess we got lucky with her two bottom teeth, I didn't even know they were coming through, she didn't seem uncomfortable at all.

I haven't given her any meds, I've just been giving her cold washcloths to suck/chew on (instead of, you know, MY NIP.PLE).  Any other home remedies anyone has to share?

Wordless Wednesday: First Swing

7 Months

My mind is having trouble wrapping itself around the fact that Eliza is really seven months old.  I just can't believe it.  Where did my teeny little newborn go?  When did she grow to be such a big girl?!?!  It happened so fast.  And yet, in so many ways it feels like she's been with us forever.  It's weird, and hard to describe, I guess...

Eliza is a B.U.S.Y. seven-month-old.  BUSY!  She is such a little mover, she doesn't sit still anymore except when she is asleep.  Seriously!  She's not even crawling yet - we are sooo in for it when she starts to crawl.

Her beautiful, sweet little personality is coming out and I think this girl is going to be a real sweetie (well, she's already a real sweetie... :).  She is a lovey, wonderfully happy girl.  She smiles sooo big when she sees me or her daddy, or her grandma or grandpa (or, really, at most people who smile at her!); it is heart-melting.  I feel so lucky to have her in my life.  I count my blessings every day that she is with us and that she is healthy.  It still kind of blows my mind that she is here, that *I* have a daughter.

Eliza, you are my world!  Being your mama is what I was made to do; I have never felt more at peace or more sure of my place in this life.  I love you!

Wordless Wednesday: Pho

Water Baby

We started our 'Water Babies' swim class last night and it was so much fun!  Even though she was tired, Eliza seemed to really love it - she's clearly a water baby, just like her mama :)  She has always enjoyed bath time, but she liked the pool even more, I think.  It was a therapy pool, so it was warm, which mama appreciated.  I think hubby and I are going to switch off going in with her - Daddy wants to get in on the fun, too!

Right when we entered the pool - Eliza is looking down at the water, she was sooo interested in it.

Practicing kicking!

We had so much fun in the water together!!!

Random Updates

What's new, my bloggy friends?

I've been a bit behind with blogging lately, having been unable to find the time to sit and type with my little active girl (almost) on the go!  We've been keeping busy, which is both good and bad as everyone knows.  I love getting out and doing things with Eliza during the day, but then I come home and see all the work I've been neglecting... yard work, laundry, dishes, cleaning, school work... the list goes on!

We've been going to play dates with our mom and baby group about once or twice a week.  Yesterday, Eliza and I hosted a play date, which was a great success.  I thought my house was too small for five moms and babies, but we made space by moving the dining room table to the corner of the dining room and putting blankets down on the rug.  All the babies rolled around and played with toys and the various extremities of their neighboring baby, it was cute!

What else...?

Eliza LOVES our cats.  Especially our female cat, I think.  It is so adorable the way she lights up and squeals when she sees them.  She has been laughing a lot more lately, too; she does this little throat laugh that kind of turns into a belly laugh... it's hard to describe, but it is the best sound in the world!

She is trying to get moving and has started showing the telltale signs that crawling is in her near future.  She props herself up with her arms and can swing her legs back behind her, but then she just collapses onto her tummy and rolls over.  It's funny - it's like she knows this move has potential... she just needs to figure out the next step.

Oh, and the FUNNIEST thing (that had hubby and I nearly in tears tonight) is that she's figured out that she can blow 'raspberries' on my shoulder.  And she's REALLY REALLY good at it, too - the kid is a pro raspberry blower.  We were in the bathtub and she did it for like 5 minutes straight.  She's got it down so well that she can even control the duration and pitch of the sound - and you can tell that she prefers the really low and loooong raspberries as opposed to the more high pitched, staccato ones.  HA!  I've got to get it on video, it is hilarious.

BLW is going really well so far, and I can see that Eliza is liking it, too.  I know hubby and I are having a ton of fun watching her explore the foods we offer her, and a cool side effect is that mealtime is a family affair now - we all eat together at the same time around the table.  One of us doesn't have to feed Eliza - she does it herself!  Although she sometimes needs some help with especially slippery foods, and she hasn't quite gotten the hang of her sippy cup yet, so we're still pretty busy at dinnertime :)

So much to say, so little time!  She is changing and growing so fast, it's really quite amazing to watch.  I just had to get a few things down so I wouldn't forget them!

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!

(Couldn't post without a few recent pics:)