SPOILED.

A little peaches al fresco, apres swimming

A man and his Itty Bitty

IF ONLY SOMEONE WOULD PLAY WITH HER. WHY WON'T ANYONE SPEND TIME WITH HER?

And then, the funniest picture of the day. She is saying "Grandpa, come home and save me from unsafe things! Danger, danger!"

Inching Closer.

So, Sara and I have a bet going as to when the baby is going to crawl. She said she thought Ellie would start moving forward on Auntie Bee's birthday, the 1st. I said she wasn't close enough to forward mobility, so I said it probably wouldn't be until Uncle Jake's birthday, the 12th. Well, tonight Ellie managed to actually throw herself forward a few paces. Not quite crawling, but moving in the right direction. I'm beginning to think Sara might be right.

Then again, I thought Ellie was going to roll over for about six weeks before she actually achieved the feat. And then it took her another six weeks to do it on the regular. She gets how to pull herself forward with her arms, and she gets how to push herself forward with her feet, but she hasn't figure out how to do both things in concert.

Com'n, hands and feet!
(this blog entry refused to post yesterday. Stupid internets!)

Irish Eyes are Smiling.

She definitely has the Fitzpatrick pretty eyes!

Thiel Resort and Spa.

We've had a busy, fun weekend. Saturday we went down to Encinitas for Chris and Jolie's baby shower for their upcoming twin girls. Ellie was the only baby there and was very popular with the new grandparents to be. She rode on the swings, she snuggled with her mama, she petted a dog, and then cried if anyone else tried to hold her. Sorry great aunts! It was not the right moment in terms of her naptimes.

This morning we got to talk to Grandma and Grandpa from France. Their hotel looks over Omaha Beach, and they had some good adventures getting their rental car and finding the hotel. Today we went to the first birthday party for one of Tim's coworker's kids, where again, Ellie was the hit with grandparents. She also petted Pat and Megan's incredibly cute cat, and played with the multitude of toddler toys they have in their living room. She likes the stand up toys, but doesn't get that she could push them forward and walk. Probably because she's the laziest baby. Wile she took a nap, I stuck out and get a pedicure, which is what keeps a mommy from going nuts. Love me some massage chair and hoof care.

We started our morning talking to people in France, and then ended our evening hanging out with people from France! The Vogeleers are in town staying with mom and dad, so we went over for pool time, dinner time, and drinking nice wine time (well, wine for Tim. Water for me and milk for Ellie.) It was Ellie's first real trip into the fabulous pool and spa at the Thiel resort, and she LOVED it. She was a little freaked out by the waterfalls, but was happy as a clam as Auntie Sara and I swam around the pool with her. Then we spa-ed for awhile, which she liked even more. She is the swimmiest fish, and once we get her the appropriate pool floatie, she's in business for the summer months.

Dinner was lovely, and mom was thrilled because I let her give Elizabeth her first taste of ice cream, which she liked more than the squash and peas I was trying to feed her. While we were packing up, the Vogeleers caught sight of Sophie the giraffe, and they said yes indeed, Sophie has been around for many generations in France. It's not just a crazy marketing ploy. They were very interested in Ellie's bumbo chair - perhaps we should have a cultural exchange!

A little sketched out by the waterfalls in her cutie bear bathing suit

Enjoying the heck out of herself in the spa

The swimmiest fish!

And a little bit of "only in California." Check this out.
At first, it looks just like a guy on a motorcycle with a lot of gear on the back.

And then you realize, it's a guy with a dog in a special dog carrying case. Almost as good as the people I see on my morning walks with dogs in special dog strollers.

Friday!

Tooth #2 is coming in with even more fussing than Tooth #1. We were very low on naps today, but high on cuteness in her little gingham romper. Tonight I went through her closet and pulled out all of the 12 months clothes to sort and wash, and tomorrow when everything's clean I'll go through and pull out the stuff that she's days away from outgrowing. It's always a bittersweet process - there are so many cute new things for her to try on, but it's sad to see some of my favorite outfits get folded up for another baby on another day.

We have a busy weekend in store - a baby shower and some time with our friends the Vogeleers, in from France.

Lulu came up to investigate if Ellie was getting anything delicious for dinner. Just veggies tonight, cat girl.

Those of you who have been to our house since the baby's been born may have noticed my giant big gulp hospital cup, which I fill with water and drain a couple of times a day. Ellie likes for me to offer her the straw to chew on, and tonight she figured out she can suck water out through it. You can't figure out the bottle, but can do the sippy and a straw cup? You confuse me kid.

Mostly Photos.

Life updates:
-We have managed to Skype with Grandma and Grandpa once from Paris. They have a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tour from their hotel room, but they seemed more delighted to see their little granddaughter's serious face via the magic of the internet webs (it was right before nap time, and she was hoping I'd let her smash the keyboard. No can do!)
-Ellie had her first trip to the Mission on Wednesday, so her Grams could get some pictures of her with a fancy night blooming cactus, that had been tricked by the June gloom into blooming during the early afternoon.
-Swim class on Tuesday was wonderful as usual. I swear, she is the only baby in class who has NEVER cried in the water. Not when she gets her head wet, not when she gets her face dunked, not when she's forced to float on her back. Mission Viejo has a great swim team, and I think she's well on her way to being their newest junior member.
-We visited Daddy at work and saw his office! Did you know that his fancy workplace has the kitchen bake fresh cookies every day at 3pm? And he'd never invited me? So I invited my own fat ass and enjoyed a cookie and an iced coffee.
-Tooth #2 is on the way in. It hasn't popped through, but the gum line has broken, so I figure we'll see it in a few days. In the meanwhile, she can be a real crab apple at moments. Knowing that we're up against makes it easier for me to stay calm, but I am quite ready for Tim to get home in the evenings.
-And of course, always thankful to have mom and dad nearby for when I need a break.

Tomorrow, mommy class, lunch and a park date!

Checking out the koi in the Mission Fountain

Ol' Scowly with some of her ladies - Jackie, Grannie Ceannie, Grams and me. I think Ellie is just peeved that I forgot her sunglasses

So tiny and cute next to the hollyhocks.

Evidence of Minor Mobility.