Fun in the sun and water!

Our little Coppertone baby

With the 100+ degree days we've been having, the pool has become a welcome escape from the sweltering summer heat. Elise has been swimming more frequently now, and absolutely loves the water! The first time she took a dip in the pool she wasn't too thrilled, but thankfully that has all changed and she has become a little water baby. She loves to splash around, and has even learned to propel herself by kicking her feet. She now cries when we take her out of the pool. We definitely have a future swimmer on our hands!

Elise exploring the pool

Having fun

Lounging in the water

Sunflowers

Red dragonfly and his lunch

Elise's First Birthday - Photo Album

Her pink party decor

 

The birthday girl arrived fashionably late :)

First year photos!

 

Great day for a party at the park

All dressed up!

Balloons

Pink roses

Birthday BBQ

The birthday girl on the playground

 

Party guests

1st birthday cake

 

She loved her cake!

Digging in

Mischievous little grin

Messy face

Elise with daddy

 Celebrating with daddy and mommy

 

 Family shot 

 

A few of her gifts

As usual, we took way too many photos! For the full photo gallery click the link below:

http://picasaweb.google.com/eliseliana628/EliseSFirstBirthdayParty?authkey=Gv1sRgCPXHjomKj9n5IA#

Happy Fourth of July!

Daddy and Elise watching the fireworks

Happy 4th of July!

Last Fourth of July, Elise was only one-week-old, so this was really her first time enjoying the festivities. During the day, we took her to the carnival, and she had a great time. In the evening, we went to watch the Sunrise firework show. Elise loved watching the fireworks! She made sure to point out each one for mommy and daddy. We also couldn't stop laughing at how she would blink her eyes every time a firework exploded and then flash a huge grin. We had a great time watching the night sky all lit up!

On the baby rollercoaster train

Exploring the funhouse

Pointing at the stuffed animals

Ferris wheel

Elise all dressed up for the fourth!

The three of us ready to celebrate

12-month growth stats

Our one-year-old

Elise had her 12-month checkup this afternoon. She is growing well and healthy as can be.

Weight - 21 lbs 14oz (50 - 75th percentile)
Height - 31.5 inches (Above the 95th percentile) She is a tall girl - evidenced by the fact she is already able to reach and open doors in our house!

Her pediatrician was impressed that she is walking and already saying five distinct words; "mama, dada, baba, cat and up". She uses these words all the time now.  She will also repeat back words and sounds we say to her.

A bit camera shy while practicing her words

She got her 12-month immunizations and all went well. After administering the shots, the nurse asked if she could give her a sugar free lollypop. She was upset and crying, so I said yes. The second she was given that lollypop, she was grinning ear-to-ear once again. I tried taking it out of her hands, for just a second, and she let out the biggest scream I've ever heard. Lesson learned, don't try and take candy out of the hands of an upset baby.

Teething and upset we took away the stamp she discovered

In teething news, Elise's first molar just came through, which explains why she was extra cranky for the past few days! She now has nine teeth total.

Watch out world, we have a little walker on our hands!

Our little walker

Elise has been taking steps for over a month and has finally learned to synchronize her steps into full-fledged walking! The look of accomplishment on her face is so adorable. We are so proud! Right now, I have video stills of her walking. I will replace this with live video footage sometime soon.

Toddling around

Excited to be walking

Proud girl standing up on her own

Watch out mom and dad, here I come!