Discoveries.

Things the lovebug is working on this week:
-Still has not crawled. She just can't figure out how to take her front paws forward. She's got her legs going double time until she flops over, but as dad says, it's like her hands are nailed to the floor. Hence, very little forward progress. But oh, once she figures out her hands can move? It's on like Donkey Kong.
-Waving. It is the cutest thing ever when she flaps her little arm at you or opens and closes her hand.
-More babbling. She's definitely not to the point where we're thinking "first word," but she's mimicking and repeating things more closely. For example - whenever the cat comes around, we say "kitty, kitty, nice kitty, meow!" or some variation and so when she sees the cats, she makes this spitty sort of k and t sound. The other day someone said hi to her and she made a little noise that sounded surprisingly like "hi." And she'll say da da da all day long, when she's not busy just making the face without also making the sound. Her language is weird and cute. I can't wait until she says mama like she MEANS it.

Today we went and met some of our little girlfriends for a pool party. My friend's condo pool is heated, pretty empty most of the time, and in a central location, so a couple of us met and zoomed the babies around. Dad let me bring the duck and the other babies LOVED it. Ellie was tired and refused to ride in it. And then she basically refused to nap for the rest of the afternoon, the little turd, so hopefully she'll make up for it tonight.

Tomorrow is her first trip to LA's Chinatown! Perhaps I will buy her some pearls.

Hanging Out.

We have had a pretty quiet weekend, mostly because I've been felled by mastitis. I feel like a hot bag of garbage, but the good news is that it doesn't bother Ellie at all, and she has no problems nursing. Of course, nothing ever bothers the baby as much as it bothers me, ha! We took advantage of the grandparents, who were more than happy to play with Elizabeth and relax with Tim while I laid in bed and alternately boiled and froze. AWESOME.

This weekend we took apart and put away her playmat, since she doesn't really lay down and play in it anymore. And it's easier to sit her on just a regular blanket when she's hanging out in the living room, since the playmat isn't supposed to go in the dryer, and babies are kind of messy. Of course, we packed it away on Saturday, and on Sunday, she pooped out the side of her diaper and on to the blanket. You'll show us, won't you kid?

Here she is, hanging out with her daddy-o!

How She's Spending her Summer Vacation.

Round about 2pm, we leave our house, which is growing hotter than Hades, and go do this:


There is usually also a portion of the pool time where she floats in her duck (and we call her Bearducken) and then she floats with Grams for awhile. Then her tiny butt gets a bath in Grams' GIANT bathtub, which she enjoys. I think Grams is also enjoying having some bath toys around for when she takes a soak. I mean, who wouldn't.

Then once we're all cleaned up, lotioned and fed, she has music practice.



Because if she can't win an Olympic gold medal for swimming, she better win a Grammy.

Lefty.

We're pretty sure we've got a lefty on our hands. Elizabeth consistently reaches for things with her left hand first. She holds toys in her left hand, she feeds herself with her left hand, and if you give her something in her right hand, she'll move it to her left hand. It's going to be nice because she and Sara can sit together on the same side of the table and not bump elbows. Sara has also volunteered to help Ellie cut her meat at dinner time. SCORE! Less work for me.

Here is a video demonstrating Ellie's excellent left handed skills. Please excuse her lack of outfit - it's 85 degrees by 9am lately, and she'd just gotten out of her high chair.

What the Duck?

When Gramps realized that his Itty Bitty does indeed love the pool he built for her, he knew he should have some sort of float, so she can lounge with the ladies when not diligently practicing her back float, her face dunking and her kick, kick, kicking. So he bought her a ducky float, which she reacted to by crying on Saturday afternoon. We probably went about it wrong, plunking her straight into it after a nap, so today we took it a little slower.

Et voila, she loved it!


It even has fabulous toys for her to play with.

And of course, Gramps can always zoom her around.

We hung out with Judy today but are otherwise having a pretty low key Fourth. I have to be honest, if I'm not in Door County, it doesn't really feel like Fourth of July, and since we have a little lady who screams and cries about sudden loud noises, and who goes to bed at 8:30, we skipped out on trying to attend fireworks. So it's basically another night in our household, except that Tim didn't go to work today.

The baby slept great last night, though she was a terror to actually get in bed. And then she took some huge, fatty naps this afternoon. I suspect we are hitting the 9 month growth spurt. May the baby have mercy on our souls.

Welcome Home Grandma and Grandpa!

Hooray, hooray, Grandma and Grandpa are home! We went over today so they could refill their baby love tanks. We got to catch up on their trip to France and they got to make googley eyes at their favorite little girl.

First off though, Ellie and I did a little posing in our yard with our fabulous Fourth of July headgear.

Man, I love the Target dollar bin.

Grandma also got to try out the great looks

And yes, even Grandpa got to hold the baby and help in a rousing game of patty cake. She's so happy to have her grandparents home!

OMG, SERIOUSLY, WILL SOMEONE PLAY WITH HER?

Finally, Uncle Jake will show her a smidgen of attention.

Mama's Night Out.

Friday night I got to see all of these guys LIVE IN CONCERT at the Staples Center. That's right, mama had a night out! I went with my friend Kristen (who's daughter Lexi is Ellie's "oldest" friend, as they have known each other since 27 and 17 days old, respectively.) We were wild ladies out on the town, while the husbands were at home with the babies. It was such a blast, and my folks and Tim did a wonderful job entertaining Itty Bitty in my absence. I came home and she was sound asleep in bed. She woke up once and I gave her something to eat, and then she slept through until morning. The only problem was dealing with a cat fight around 4am (not sure who the outside cat was, but hopefully he or she won't be back any time soon.)

Yesterday we hung out with some of my girlfriends and went over to Thiel Resort and Spa. Dad bought Ellie a duck to float in, but sadly, the duck sort of freaked her out. We'll work on it this summer. Today though, she will finally be reunited with her chic Parisian grandparents, hooray!