Missing!

We have been missing from the blog because our computer died but now we are back! I am vowing to write on Eliza's blog two days a week, Sundays and Wednesdays. So what have we been up to? Well, Eliza has started solid food. We were interrupted by a brief stomach virus that didn't bother Eliza too bad, but hit mommy pretty hard. I'm desperately hoping that my milk supply recovers because it was pretty dodgy last week. I've been drinking tons of water and taking fenugreek, which might make me smell like maple syrup. Yay!

Eliza has been making many developmental gains. She is "this" close to crawling! She's getting up on her knees, but then she just ends up going backwards. She ends up in some pretty interesting spots! She loves Hank and she loves her duckies! Seriously, we've been having an epic battle at bath time over her duckies! When we scoop her up out of her bath, she's always clenching one or two of them. When Wes goes to dress her, she has an absolute fit if the duckies are taken out of her hands. Um, it's kind of impossible to dress the baby when she's holding things! So the duckies were hidden and now they are part of her toys that she plays with on the floor.

She's been sleeping better and better at daycare. We are continuing to work on her sleep at home. This girl can play until she drops. She has so much energy it's unreal. And she is always, always in a good mood. Even if she got up at 5:30 in the morning. Even if she didn't nap that day. She was having some major teeth pain last week, but no teeth have popped and the pain has subsided.

We get such a kick out Eliza. She has the sunniest personality. We went to the Redhook for dinner last night and she was a superstar. Everyone was laughing and cooing at her. In turn she was smiling and jumping up and down and eating up the spotlight. We love her so much!

Waiting for her food!

Her cute teeth (not so cute when she bites when your are nursing her!)

She loves Hank and she is going to be after him!

Nom nom nom nom nom

Beautiful little baby

Solids!

Well, this was an adventure. Eliza had her first solid food: rice cereal smoothed out with breastmilk. At first she wasn't sure, but by the end she was practically ripping that spoon out of our hands! Thatta girl! She's going to love food just like mommy and daddy do!

6 months old

How are we at this point already? Why won't time slow down? This has been, hands down, the best 6 months of our lives. Eliza, you are so much fun. You can sit up on your own really well, only toppling over occasionally. You smile and giggle at everything. You are also very determined. You try and try to master a new skill. We love the face you make when you are concentrating. You purse your lips and your cheeks puff out and it makes us laugh and swoop you up in our arms and swing you around! You really like Hank and Quinnie, but especially Hank. Quinnie is kind of afraid of you, but Hank isn't. He wags his tail at you a lot and you are always trying to reach out a dimpled little hand to him. When you play on the floor, Quinnie stands guard to make sure everything is as it should be.

Chubby Baby

We are going to be starting solids with you soon, and I can't wait. I can't decide if we will try rice cereal or oatmeal. Our goal this weekend is to go out and get you a highchair. Hank is totally going to be your best friend now! You've been kind of sick this week, which makes Mommy and Daddy pretty sad. But every morning you have a smile and you don't seem too bothered by it. We can't wait for Spring so that all of these colds will go away!

Ready to walk?

You really want to crawl. You push up on your hands and you are starting to lift your butt in the air. Right now you go in a circle or backwards. You really like our iPhones! We put them just out of your reach and you try with all of your might to grab them!

So pretty

Well, Eliza, you've been in our lives for half a year already. We can't even remember what life without you was like before. I think we might have slept more. But who cares? Sleep is for wimps!

All smiles all the time

Chillin'

Hey strawberry girl!

Rosy cheeks

Loving her story!

Happy New Year

The only resolution we are making this year is to spend as much time each and every day with you, Eliza. We love you! Thank you for making 2010 the best year of our life!

Happy Holidays

We had the most wonderful Christmas in Montana with my parents! We finally had a chance to catch up on our sleep and recover from working, colds, and daycare. It was wonderful to lounge on the couch and know that a delicious dinner was being cooked up for you! Or to go take a nap and know that Eliza was being played with and well taken care of. Also, it was nice how Grandma swooped in when Eliza did a little something in her diaper... thanks Grandma!!

Eliza was showered in presents from her Grandparents and her Aunt Natalie.  She was able to meet her Cousin Ruby and some of her extended family. She went to a Christmas Eve Party and mommy and daddy were given a preview of what awaits us (man, 3 year olds have ENERGY!).

She took her first plane ride and she was a ROCK STAR! She saved daddy from an hour and half of misery by convincing someone to switch seats so that he could be by us. We really owe that guy a drink. She was danced with,  cuddled with, and was given so much love by everyone!  She is sitting up on her own amazingly well. Sometimes she topples over, but mommy and daddy are always there to catch her. Finally, she cut her first tooth! Two teeth actually! My little girl is growing up. We are so proud of her and we love her so much.

Eliza loved the fluffy bed that mommy and daddy slept on in the basement. Best.Bed.Ever.

Look at her sneaking a present! Busted!

Sitting up, holding on to her little Santa

Such a cute baby!

Testing out the snow in her new hat, coat and shoes.

Grandma Downey look-a-like

My favorite picture of her

New hat!

Eating her presents!

Getting into her opening them. She had a blast.

She was so enthralled and she knew they were all for her!

She started ripping the paper herself.

Cowboy boots! Yee Haw, she's a cowgirl!

They don't quite fit yet!

Is that all?

Baby in the middle of wrapping paper tower.

Christmas Day

Grandma putting on her hat

My 2nd favorite picture of her

Happiness

We love our baby girl

The girls

Eliza's own personal Christmas tree from Grandma.

This girl has style

5 months!

I am a week late in posting about Eliza's 5 month birthday. Eliza is starting to hit some major milestones in the 5th month, including her first ear infection... boo! She is talking up a storm. She started with "ya ya ya ya," now it has progressed to "blah blah blah blah" (she says that when daddy is talking... ha!). She's already doing initial consonant blends! So advanced! She is sitting up unassisted for longer and longer, although she is still pretty top heavy. When she starts to topple we yell "Timmmmmberrr!" She smiles when we do that. She goes in a circle when she does tummy time; she wants to crawl badly!

Such a poser!

She continues to dominate at daycare. Yesterday Sandy, the director at her daycare, commented to me how "tenacious" Eliza is. Apparently there was an altercation between her and another baby. They both wanted to a toy, a struggled ensued, Eliza wouldn't let go and "persevered." HA! Thatta girl! She's going to go for it in life, we just know it!

Yo! Don't take my toys!

Wes and I get a kick out of some of these incidents that take place in daycare. Baby dynamics are quite dramatic! Apparently Eliza plays hard all day and is quite fickle in her choice of boys. She's already moved on from the little boy whose hand she was holding just a mere week ago.

I want to be a yoga teacher like my daddy.

Unfortunately Eliza did develop an ear infection from the cold she had in November. She's a tough little thing though; she showed no symptoms until last week when she woke up with her eyes crusted over. I thought that she conjunctivitis, but apparently that is a symptom of an ear infection! Who knew? We've spent the last 10 days shoving pink bubble-gum flavored medicine down her throat. Glad that is done!

Dressed up

We've also spent a considerable amount of time dressing up lately. Eliza is amazingly tolerant of the many outfits that we put on her in a day. All for the sake of pictures.

She has a glint in her eye

Still loves bath time

Pretty in pink

Eliza and her buddy

We are looking forward to Christmas in Montana !

Our Week

Eliza had a great week in her return to daycare. She was out of daycare for one week because of her cold, and then out for another week because of our snow days and Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving

Eliza had a great Thanksgiving! She wore her new dress and laughed and played all day. Having a baby adds a new sparkle to life and the holidays. Wes and I constantly say that we never knew it was going to be so much fun. She has made everyone's lives so much happier and we are so thankful for our little Diva.

Mommy and her girl

I can't believe what I've turned into. Last Saturday, I spent an hour at Michael's buying scrapbooking supplies. I'm now scrapbooking (about Eliza, who else?) and I LOVE it. I've even been looking at Martha Stewart's website and signed up to be emailed the "craft of the day!" Who am I and what have I become?

Bath time, her favorite time. New blanket from Grandma!

Eliza spent most of the week on a nap strike at daycare. She used to take wonderful, long naps two times a day. Now she'll take one (usually in the morning) and refuse the second one. At daycare, they said the only time she complains is when they tried to make her nap! We think it's because she's so alert and interested in everything that is going on around her. She's actually really quite nosey. She wants to be in the middle of everything and everyone (hence the Diva status). Apparently she is also the object of boy affection at daycare as well (would you expect anything less from a Diva?). On Monday, one little boy wouldn't let her out of his site or he would cry. Yesterday, she was sitting in a Bumpo next to another little boy her age and apparently they were holding hands! We're going to have to have a talk with Eliza about all this flirting!

Yes, I know I'm beautiful!

 On Thursday we broke out the Christmas outfits. I cannot wait till we go home to Missoula for Christmas so that we can take her to the mall and get her picture with Santa. No childhood is complete without standing in a long line in a hot mall surrounded by crying children. I wonder if she'll cry in Santa's lap? Probably not this year, but maybe next.

Merry Christmas

I also spent too much money on flowers for her hair. Eliza now has a headband to match every outfit. In fact, she might need a couple new outfits to match her headbands!

Nom nom nom nom

It doesn't get any cuter than this!