Look what I can do!

Proud of her newest achievement

Elise just turned 7-months-old on Wednesday and she celebrated the occasion by standing up in her crib for the first time. A few days later, she discovered how to pull up her body and stand, balanced against the sofa and her favorite play table.

We find it nearly unbelievable, how much she's progressed in just the past month. She went from immobilty to full-fleged crawling and standing in less than a few weeks. I guess this should be expected, but as first time parents, Elise never ceases to amaze us with her rapid development. It's made us realize that the next few months are going to be full of new milestones and surprises; the only question now is whether we will be able to keep up with her! I already had to chase her down this morning, when she crawled toward my hair dryer cord and reached out her little hand ready to tug it off the countertop. I intercepted her just in time, but it had me thinking to myself that this is just the first of many quick saves. A curious little troublemaker is slowly emerging.

Is this the face of a future troublemaker? :)

Seven-month growth update

Elise had her seven-month checkup today. She is now 27 1/2 inches (75th -90th percentile) and 17 lbs 1 oz (25th - 50th percentile). Every time Dr. Jammal sees her, she comments on how alert and vocal she is. Elise is so well behaved and seems to really enjoy being around her. We feel fortunate to have such a great pediatrician!

Elise's First Trip to the Sacramento Zoo - Daddy's Birthday Weekend

Our happy little girl on her first trip to the Sacramento Zoo

This past weekend, we celebrated daddy's birthday by taking our first family trip to the zoo. Elise got to spend the day with her two favorite people in the world plus her grandparents, aunt, uncle and little cousin Tyler. As usual she loved being out and about, and was all smiles for most of the day. It was wonderful to share in her excitement; daddy couldn't have asked for a more rewarding birthday present!

Little cousins

Tiger

Elise has an aquarium at home, so she loves the fishies

Lemur

 

Littlest butterfly

 

Red panda

 

 Elise playing around

Zebra

Having fun

 Orangutan

Daddy and Elise sharing a smile

Lioness

Her hubby Lion :)

Chimpanzees

Mommy and Elise enjoying the day

Leopard

Giraffe

Solid Foods; Bringing diaper changing to an entirely new level of unpleasantry

Since the introduction of baby food and formula, Elise's once mild and non-offensive diapers have transformed into malodorous stink bombs! Mom and dad have both become adept at breathing through our mouths during such stinky diaper changes. I love that she is branching out into the world of solids, but I now have a new appreciation for how easy diapers were before solids.

New day, new milestone

Elise sitting up in her new and improved playroom

Turn your back for a second, and you may miss something incredible. This is exactly what happened to me last night. I set Elise down on the floor in the crawl position, then turned my back momentarily, and when I looked back she was sitting completely upright and staring straight up at me. I was surprised to say the least. I had no idea she was anywhere near being able to fully sit up on her own. I was so proud, that I ran to tell daddy, who was equally delighted. What an exciting acheivement for little Elise!

She is getting quicker and more agile with each passing day, and at this point we forsee her transitioning to a full-fleged rugrat within the next few weeks. In all her newfound mobility, she has become less interested in her own toys and instead gravitates towards new and different household objects. It’s almost as if she knows that these items are off limits and therefore they’re all the more captivating. This, in particular, applies to mom and dad’s items. Everything we have is much more fascinating than what she has, which subsequently results in her immediate desire to obtain whatever it is we are holding. Keys or cell phones will always trump any of her own toys, regardless of how brightly colored and appealing they may appear.

We find it amusing how inquisitive Elise has become. Even more so, we find it remarkable that she is now fully aware of the world beyond her grasp, and is beginning to show signs of her own personal preferences. She's a little stinker and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Watch out world...I can sit up on my own

Baby friends getting reacquainted

Baby Lillie (6 mos) and Baby Elise (6 mos 3 wks) sharing a moment!

Little cuties :)

More teething and baby food favorites

Teething is no walk in the park

For the past week, we've had an extra cranky little teether on our hands. Elise's third tooth just cut through and her fourth one is well on its way. The score is now: bottom gums: 3 | top gums: 0. It has us wondering when her top teeth will come in to even up the score?

We are also happy to report, that she is now eating baby food on a regular basis. Over the past few months, we have been slowly introducing her to new foods and she has done very well transitioning. She loves sitting up in her high chair and smacking her hand down on her tray to signal that she's ready to eat. During feedings, we twirl and spin her spoon like a high flying jet, she smiles huge and opens her mouth wide every time. I never imagined that feeding her could be this fun! So far her favorite foods are bananas, peas and oatmeal. She usually gets a little messy, but thankfully we've gotten to the point where more food goes in her mouth than on her bib.

Messy little Elise enjoying her peas

First Milestone of 2010!

I'm ready to crawl!

Here I come

I think I can

Woohoo...this is fun :)

The New Year has officially kicked off (literally) as little Elise took her first steps toward crawling today! She finally synchronized her hands and feet and crawled about six feet before finally plopping down on the floor; tired yet proud! It was an exciting and momentous occasion for mom and dad, especially since we’ve been working, for the past several weeks, to get her to this point.

Each time we cheered her on, she got extremely excited and proceeded to smile, rock back and forth on her knees and then crawl. There were also a couple times that, in all her enthusiam, she managed to jump off the ground. It was adorable. We’re so proud of our little girl, but also a bit nervous as we now need to baby proof and watch her more cautiously. Gone are the days where we can place her in one spot and count on her still being there when we come back. She’s officially gone mobile!