Daddy/Daughter Days

Elise has been getting to spend more time with her daddy lately, and she loves it! Here's a glimpse of what they've been up to.

playing fort

Elise showing Daddy how fast she can make a mess when you're not watching

Daddy teaching Elise new things, like how to stack the rings

being silly together

sharing treats . . .

. . . because Elise begs

Daddy teaching Elise some great new dance moves

(Daddy has also been teaching Elise how to play the piano.)

Slide, Baby, Slide

Elise figured out that she can push the kitchen chairs and walk behind them. She seems to be getting closer to walking every day.

[Please excuse her grunting. She does it when she's tired or frustrated or when she's trying hard to do something, like push a chair that is 75% of her weight.]

Bear Hugs

Elise is such a cuddly baby, especially recently since she has been teething again. I love that about her (the cuddliness, not the teething). She is just starting to like stuffed animals, too, and cuddling with them. The funniest part about these videos is how briefly she is interested in hugging her bear.

This next video is Elise saying bear. (At least, it sounds like that to me.)

How Big Is Elise? So Big!

This is Elise after she came home from her 9 month well child check yesterday. She didn't need any shots this time (hallelujah!), but they did have to prick her toe to check her iron. She didn't even cry! Her iron was great (12.4), and now we know just how big she is! Here are her 9 month stats:

weight: 19 lbs 2.5 oz (70th percentile)

height: 29 in. (90th percentile)

head circumference: 43.3 cm (30th percentile)

Elise is getting so tall! Her head has always been kind of small, and her weight didn't surprise me, but her height did. I knew she was tall, but I was surprised to learn how tall. She has grown 2 inches since her last well check! The doctor was pleased with her development.

I am so sad that Dr. Clayton won't be Elise's doctor anymore. He saw her from the time she was in the hospital after she was born. We really, really like him. Hopefully we will find a great pediatrician in Arizona. (If you know of one, please let us know!)

I also wanted to list of few of Elise's favorite things right now:

-playing on the outside of the jumperoo

-pushing kitchen chairs around and walking behind them

-imitating sounds Mom and Dad make

-cuddling with stuffed animals [I have videos for all of the above that I plan to post as soon as Blogger decides to cooperate.]

-knocking on everything with her tiny, chubby fists

-stacking the stacking rings

-flossing her teeth with a hair elastic (She has five teeth now! Her top two in the middle broke through in the last week.)

-cruising, cruising, cruising

-sticking her hands in the VCR

-practicing her pincer grasp and feeding herself

-using anything and everything (including Daddy's leg hairs) to pull up

-drinking bath water

-taking a bath

-eating whatever Mommy has (or at least begging for it)

-going outside

-eating paper

-seeing/touching/pulling the hair of/playing with other babies

-playing with the phone

-playing with the buttons on everyone's clothes

-unplugging the computer

-eating pureed peas and ham mixed together

-being noisy in church

-smiling at everyone

We are so lucky to have Elise as a part of our family. She is so much fun!

Bathtime is the Best Time

Elise loves the bath. Every night when it's bathtime, she gets so excited when she knows she's about to get in the water. She kicks her legs and gets so smily. Sometimes she loves playing in the bath so much I feel guilty taking away her toys so I can wash her. We got her a few squirt toys for her Easter basket, and she is pretty much in love. The pelican toy is her favorite.

One fun thing about the bath is that Elise is finally getting a little bit of hair, a very little bit, and I can style it fun ways.

Isn't she the cutest?

A not-so-fun thing about the bath: getting soaked. This is what I look like after pretty much every bath Elise ever gets. It looks like I've been in a water fight, which is not too far from the truth. I guess I don't mind, though, because she loves it so much. And I love her so much.

Moving Sale

We are moving soon and have some things we would like to sell. Let me know in a comment below if you're interested. All prices are negotiable.

SOLD

A/C: $40

6000 BTU

SOLD

chair and sleeper sofa: $40

SOLD

table: $5

SOLD

bookshelf: $5

30" Toshiba CRT TV: $40

coax connecter has been repaired - will only tune VHF spectrum (needs external tuner, like a VCR, to get all channels) ask Matt if you have questions

small crack in plastic in upper left corner

has both S-video and composite video inputs

great picture quality

loud speakers

SOLD

TV stand: $25

SOLD

bathroom space saver: $5

Prodigy

Elise has amazing musical abilities.

Here's a video of her practicing the piano.