First Frost of December

First frost of December 2013

 

Frosty and cold outside, cozy inside

 

Only in the California valley, is it appropriate to get overly excited and take photos of the first frost of the season. Us valley dwelling Californians are so spoiled with temperate weather year-round, that when temperatures fall, and weather reports state that there are chances of snow, we all go crazy. Just this past week, temperatures dipped as low as, 40 degrees during the day, and 25 degrees overnight. All of us finally had good reason to pull out (and dust off) our gloves, hats and scarfs from hiding. While we didn't have snowfall in Citrus Heights, the nearby cities of Roseville and Rocklin did see a little bit. We haven't seen true snow in our city since a very cold streak back in December of 2009. I remember it well. It was Elise's very first December, and the fact that we actually had snow, that stayed on the ground, was cause for serious celebration. As much as I complain about the cold, I have to admit that I am glad that it finally feels like December here. The overly warm weather was outstaying its welcome (at least for me) this year.

 

 

Icy leaves and bark

 

This is what the girls wanted to see. They were
wishing for snow here, but alas, no such luck

The girls stayed warm, as did our resident cat-dog, Link

Elise Acrobatics

Cheeky little Elise escaping the changing mat as usual

I’m slowly learning that I have a little acrobat for a baby! When I change her diaper she now likes to try and turn from her back to stomach midway through. I hold up both her legs while the rest of her upper body is twisting like a pretzel. She finds it amusing each time I’m forced to turn her back around and attempt to hold her down. I now offer her a toy, to serve as a distraction, at each changing. It has helped somewhat, but she is still a little squirmy terror when it comes to diaper changes.

In fact, just the other day when I had Elise on her changing mat, which (formerly) sat on top of her dresser, I turned my back for a second and when I looked back she had completely flipped over from back to stomach. She had her head up in the crawl position with the biggest smile on her face. Naturally, I wanted to freak out, as she looked ready to crawl off the dresser, but she stayed still just smiling huge. It was the cutest thing ever! I’m not sure how she managed this on the small space of the changing mat. Usually she rolls across the entire floor to turn. Of course, I’ve realized that I will have to change her on the floor from here on out. That was certainly a bit too close for comfort.

Elise and Link, our resident house cat, are beginning to make friends. Link is basically a dog in cats clothing (the perfect pet if you ask me). He LOVES being around us and craves constant attention. He has never been wary of Elise. Even when she grabs his fur, ears or tail he will simply wait for her to let him go. Sometimes he takes his paw and pushes her hand off, but he has never scratched. He loves to nuzzle his head toward Elise and wait for her to pet him. It is so cute watching the two of them play!

Elise and Link making friends