We've cracked the baby code!

Mischievous little smile

Elise has been gradually mastering grabbing and holding her toys. She is now able to: pass toys back and forth between her hands, grab objects dangling above her, grip and maneuver toys, and now successfully direct toys to her mouth. She also enjoys chewing on her hand and sucking on her fingers. I can’t believe the progress she has made in just a matter of weeks. Her movements have become more fluid and precise, and she continues to challenge herself to progress even further.

Her smiles, coos, and baby babbling have also become more and more precious every day! Often times when she smiles, she will stick out her tongue and coo. It is so precious that she wants to show mom and dad just how happy we make her. Just the other, day she gave us the cutest little mischievous grin! I was able to capture the moment, hence, the darling photo of the week (pictured above).

Elise can now reach the ground in her jumper! She can tap the ground and push off with her tiptoes. She is starting to enjoy jumper time and bouncing around. It is so cute to watch her. All her energy and excitement makes mom and dad the most proud parents!

The best part of this week, is that Elise is now officially on a regular daily and nightly schedule. She has a morning and afternoon nap, and regular 3 ½ - 4 hour spaced feedings at roughly the same time each day. She has always been good about sleeping through the night. She will usually go to bed around 9:30-10pm and sleep for 8-9 hours, waking up around 6:30-7am. She rarely ever wakes up during the night anymore, which is fabulous news for mom and dad! I am so happy we’ve finally got her on a schedule. It has made a huge difference.

At this point, I think I can safely say that Clint and I are finally in the position where we feel we’re speaking the same language as Elise. We are able to decipher her cries, we feel confident in our abilities to calm her, and overall have gotten into the swing of her routine. She is a good baby. We’ve never dealt with excessive crying or fussiness. She knows that she’s loved and finds ways to show it all the time now!

"This is your cue to pick me up"

On the twelfth week - New discoveries and baby friends!

Elise holding her rattle

Elise is getting noticeably stronger this week. She now holds up her head pretty well for short periods of time. She is also starting to hold up her own weight and stand. She LOVES to stand, and daddy makes sure to work with her every day. Daddy takes her hands and then she pushes upward with her legs to stand. Sometimes she gets upset and voices her frustration through squeals and yells. She has a feisty little personality emerging and I love it!

One thing she’s recently discovered, that I wish she hadn’t, is mommy’s long hair! She has decided it is fun to pull and grab. It also makes a great support rope when she wants to try and pull herself up. I don’t know how many strands of hair I’ve lost at the hands of Elise, but I figure with my thick mane I can afford to lose some here and there.

In just one week’s time, Elise has significantly improved upon her hand eye coordination. I’ve been dangling toys and rattles in front of her each day as encouragement. She now is able to move her hand, somewhat robotically, to maneuver her toys. Once her hand hits the toy, she then slowly grasps it within her palm. Before, it would always fall from her grasp, but she now grips on and holds her toys! I was so thrilled the first time she did this. She then holds the toys and tries her best to get them to her mouth. It is so funny watching her attempts. She holds up her arm, stiff as can be, and jerks it every which way trying to find her mouth. She usually gets frustrated after about six to seven attempts, but every so often she will make it, encouraging her to continue the progression.

Elise also got to visit with her “baby friend” Lillie. Baby Lillie is just three weeks younger than Elise. It is always cute seeing the two of them together, as they are so close in age. We first got them together as newborns, when baby Lillie was 1 week and Elise was 4 weeks old.

Baby Friends - Lillie (2 1/2 mos) & Elise (3 mos)

Newborns - Lillie (1 wk) & Elise (4 wks)

A celebration of all things three!

Daddy, Mommy & Elise - celebrating all things three!

3 months, 3 years and a family of 3

This week, mommy and daddy celebrated their three year wedding anniversary. Three years, a family of three, plus Elise turned three months old this week! We had grandma and Aunt Darcy babysit Elise, while we went out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary. It was the first time mom and dad got out together sans baby. Dad loved it, and mom couldn’t stop thinking about Elise. We had a great time, but I missed my little girl so much! I never realized leaving her at home, for more than a couple hours, would be so hard.

Our little three month old has now graduated to sleeping in her own room. For the first couple weeks after we brought her home, she slept in her portable baby bed positioned right smack in between mom and dad. I remember being so cautious and worried; I wanted her as close as humanly possible! She then moved on to sleeping in her baby bed, placed inside her playpen, next to mommy’s side of the bed. We’ve taken baby steps (no pun intended ha) in gradually moving her to the crib. It’s been quite difficult to do, as I love hearing her breathe and knowing she is close.

She woke up around 2-3 times the first few nights in her crib, though now she sleeps the entire night through. I sleep with the baby monitor adjacent to my ear, and some nights I turn up the volume, a bit more than usual, just to hear her little rhythmic breaths. It is soothing and puts mommy to sleep. I must admit, it’s been hard moving her to sleep in her own room. I thought I would have done this much sooner. I joked to Clint, “our baby is growing up too fast”, while puckering my bottom lip just like Elise. While I miss having her so close, I’m glad she has now adjusted to her crib. She is sleeping there much more comfortably and had completely outgrown her portable baby bed.

Little sleepyhead!

She is also starting to hone in her motor skills and use her little hands and feet. She began to uncurl her hands a few weeks back, but now she is discovering that she is in control of them. It is so thrilling to watch her awkwardly bat at objects, put her hand in her mouth, and begin to hold her toys. I can only imagine how it feels for her; a new world at her fingertips! I look forward to her grabbing and holding her toys. I also keep thinking about how amazing it will feel the first time she reaches up her arms for me to pick her up.

Elise multitasking :)

Ten weeks along...Our little water baby!

Elise loves her baths

Elise just had her two month checkup. She now weights 11 lbs 9 oz and is 23 ½ inches long. She is in the 75th – 90th percentile for her weight and height measurements. Elise’s pediatrician even commented on how alert and healthy she is. We also discussed doing her first vaccinations and ultimately decided to wait until her next checkup. I couldn’t bear to give her the eight shots suggested. She is still so little right now and I figured waiting a few extra months won’t do any harm.

One thing Elise loves is her baths! Clint and I recently took some adorable photos of our little water baby. She smiles, coos, and sometimes even sticks out her tongue to taste the water. It is so funny watching her do this. Bath time has become a fun activity for mom and dad. Even when Elise is cranky and fussy her baths always seem to calm and relax her.

Smiling after her bath

After her baths, I enjoy swaddling her in her hooded pink bath towel. This is the only time she likes to be swaddled. Usually she kicks and pulls off all her blankets. I also love dressing her up and brushing her hair. She gets the cutest little ringlet curls after her bath, but they usually dry out to be straighter. I’ve had fun in my attempts to “style” her hair. After considerable effort, I finally got bows to stay in her hair! I have given her a single ponytail and pig tails. She has had a full head of hair since the day she was born, yet it is just now long enough, and filled in, to pull up in cute little bows.