Yeah, I know...

...this story should embarrass me, but instead it makes me laugh. You see, I've always been a big fan of storms. Having spent a few years in the tornado basins of Illinois and Indiana, the news of funnel clouds and touchdowns is not terribly upsetting to me (though, perhaps it should be!). SO, last night when we were under a tornado warning, I should have been able to continue my evening routine, but I just couldn't. You see, two things prevent me from fully relaxing during a storm these days. The first is being surrounded by huge, wobbly pine trees. You get the picture, right? The second is now being a paranoid mother. The combination of those two is extraordinary. Elyse was taking her evening nap yesterday when the weather got a bit crazy. I checked the news, only to see that we were under a tornado warning. Yes, I woke my daughter up. Yes, as these pictures indicate, I took her into the innermost room of our place, the bathroom. Yes, she still had to eat. Yes, I fed her in her bumbo on the bathroom floor. Yes, she sneezed carrots and giggled. Yes, I took pictures. End of story... except for the fact that my neighbor did have a tree branch fall through their roof!

"Mom, why am I in the bathroom?"

"I don't get it!?"

"Ha! Clean that up!"

7 Months Old!

Yes, another milestone post :) The months just keep getting more fun. I will try not to blubber on and on this time about where time has gone, since it's going somewhere for everyone. Instead, I'll just give you the facts. Elyse is really into slapping lately (not violently, thankfully!). She slaps at my shoulder when I hold her, at the table when she's in our laps, at Daddy's face when he gets close to her, at the water during bath time... She also has this new mischievous look when you call her name and she's purposefully not going to look at you. Maybe we're seeing some personality? I almost captured the look in the first picture. She's still not rolling at all, but she really loves sitting up, doing her modified crab walk, and chewing on everything. Here are my traditional fave's and not-so-fave's :)

Favorites:

* She wanted an earlier bedtime, so I complied. We're up to 13 (sometimes 14) hours of sleep, folks! *aahh!*
* She is thrashing all over the place, in a funny way... dancing out of her bumbo and out of our laps...
* Saying "ma-ma" and "ba-ba"

* She's still cuddling with us.

* She likes "playing" the piano with me, adding so much expression to the song!
* Chubby, chubby thighs & arms
* Summer clothes that bare those chubby thighs and arms!

...not-so-favorites:

* She's starting to lose interest in her beloved evening nap. How long can I make it?

* Now that she's getting more curious, naps are not near as happy.

* Will the teeth ever come in?
* Seriously, why does it take so long?
* Drool :-/

The "I'm not smiling at you" look :)

Sheer innocence, right?
Yea, I thought not...

$.97 well spent

I am by no means a bona-fide bargain hunter, but Jordan and I hit the jackpot last August. In fact, I've probably told all of you about it because I think it may have been the only real bargain I've ever found in my entire life. Seriously. That's why this story has to live on.... in case I never find another one. I remember this shopping trip vividly, since it was the afternoon we found out we were having "pink" and not "blue." We decided to buy an outfit on the way home in celebration, but we had no idea that we would come home with an armload! We walked into JCPenney's and found a rack of clothing (NICE clothing) for $.97 apiece. This included dresses, pj's, onesies, rompers, etc... We had so much fun that afternoon, all the while wondering if we'd kick ourselves for spending $19 on clothes :) Ha. I think it was well worth it. SO, all that to say: I love this dress. BUT, not nearly as much as the pumpkin wearing it. Period.

Say Cheese!

We took Elyse the other Monday to get her 6 month pictures taken... a little late. I had scheduled the sitting, and as you know, it's hard to schedule a child's mood! Elyse woke up that morning a bit cranky after a busy Sunday, and in her crankiness, she scratched up her face (lovely). Thankfully, Jordan was able to come with me, and any smile the photographer captured was to his credit this time :) Daddy can always coach out a sweet smile! They charged $ to have access online to the proofs, but I was too cheap to buy that. These are the pictures we chose, after some minor hassling :)

A Workin' Man...

I've been struck this week especially that having a great husband & father to our baby is such a blessing from God. Yes, it does sounds quite obvious, but some things aren't appreciated as much until circumstances accentuate the truth. This week, Jordan has been able to resurrect his painting business (laid to rest in October 2008, RIP). It is such a mixed blessing for me, and I'm learning to be grateful for God's provision in even "non-ideal" ways. This extra work will meet some needs pertaining to some very expensive paperwork that will get us moved to the great north someday, but it does require my husband to be out early every morning and home late every night for a few days. These days are long for me, but even longer for him. I've had lots of time to talk to myself and talk Elyse's ears off (I'm sure she is really BEGGING to go down for her naps to shut me up), but I've also had lots of time to reflect on God's provision for our family and his greater plan for us. I'm so thankful for a husband who is not afraid of work, and who misses us as much as we miss him during the week. I'm thankful that the extra work is only a temptation for him when it comes to meeting our needs, and that he's not a lover of money. I'm thankful that he misses Elyse and wants to hear every little thing she's doing in his absence. I love that he takes advantage of any time with me & her during the day to remind us of his love. Men like this are hard to find, so Elyse had better learn now to be picky! :)

Sittin' Pretty...

I've delayed posting this for quite a while since sitting up is not an overnight accomplishment. There were quite a few tumbles in the beginning, but thankfully, they have become fewer and fewer. SO, I guess you can say Elyse is sitting up? She is finally learning to totally relax while she's sitting (which means I actually see her smile now instead of seeing only the look of deep concentration), and she seems to enjoy looking at the world a little differently. She stills gets tipsy, but it's a little less "harsh" when she does topple. I do enjoy watching her learn new things! We spent some time yesterday enjoying a perfect, humidity-free day in the backyard, and here are some pictures to prove it! See, Babe, all that work you do outside pays off! :)

Starting to move... a little!

Well, yesterday Elyse started moving (as in relocating. I know, you were worried, right?). It was more than just spinning sideways or inching along this time. She actually seemed to do it intentionally! I know, it doesn't take much to amuse me, the ever attentive mom looking for any sign of mobility to encourage me that my daughter will not lie on her play mat forever. BUT, it is highly entertaining to watch! She is crab-walking around the room, looking so funny as her fat little legs & arms flop all over the place. It's just another reminder that she won't be a baby forever... and that I had better think about getting this place baby-proofed! Tonight was one of those nights *cough, cough* that just made me anticipate bedtime so my little monkey will be bright and cheery again in the morning. Bedtime actually ended up at 6:15pm to help the process. Need I say more? After some reading and cleaning, I took the time to download the camera and found all the recent pictures of her (over half of which I deleted since I snap WAY too many), and it made me want to go wake her up. Okay, not really, but I already can't wait to see her in the morning, especially knowing that a good night's sleep makes just about everything better (even teeth?). I uploaded a video here, and since I'm not motivated enough to upload it again, you'll just have to see it there if you're remotely interested!

My, my, this crib looks small these days! :)

Expressions

A camera can only capture a millisecond of time, but every once in a great while, I am able to capture the exact expression I want from this little monkey. She is a girl of many changing faces, so I have to be quick :) Eyes really do say a lot, don't they? Maybe she'll be more mischievous than I originally thought... I love each expression, even the grumpy face!

Celebrating our Independence!

We woke up to a beautiful, warm 4th of July this year! My sweet neighbor brought this little outfit over for Elyse a few weeks ago since it's very vital for Elyse to have an appropriate outfit for her first 4th. Thankfully, it was darling, so we used it. I even put a little band on her head for the pictures we took, which was a first. Daddy survived :) We spent the morning at home together and the evening with good friends having pizza and watching fireworks. We even squeezed in a visit to Elyse's new friend, Brynne, which made me very happy. We ended up watching fireworks on a tug boat (since the owner graciously docked right in front of our spot), but minus the fuel smell, it was great ambiance :) Elyse was astounded by the loud fireworks (complete with opening her mouth in astonishment), but didn't whimper until the boats started making noise with their horns. Mean ol' boats... Fun was had by all, I think :)







Julie & little Brynne!

Killin' time while the big people eat pizza...

"When's this party going to start???"



Saying goodbye to dear friends - we will miss you guys!