Elise's Journal

January 6, 2012
You are such a big, smiley, darling girl! Your smile comes often and almost splits your face! You are often content to sit in the highchair or exersaucer and just watch the goings-on of our busy household. There's always someone doing something work watching! Often you like to be holding a toy, however, and the more interesting the better. You've already figured out how to work many of our “push-button” type toys – if you bang a certain spot, it makes a noise or lights up. Rattles are not the favorites anymore.

You are making all kinds of sounds when you babble. K-S-M-N-P-F-T consonants are common. You consistently say “Kkk-kkk” when you see the cat but you also say the same thing to your siblings, so I am not sure if I can call it a first word yet. But it's so funny because you still love your pacifier, so sometimes you'll be sucking contentedly away and I'll be thinking that you're sooo quiet. Then I pop the paci out and boy do you have a lot of loud things to say!

We are down to nursing just in the morning when you first wake up. Your choice, not mine. I would have liked to do more, longer, but you have discovered real food and don't feel much need for boring old breastmilk. You eat a ton! And so far you've liked everything! I've given you scrambled eggs, french toast, waffles, soup, yogurt, pizza, potatoes, broccoli, beans, rice, just about anything you can manage without teeth. You are also rocking the sippy cup of formula.

You are a very strong sitter and can push yourself backwards all the way across the tile floor, but you are still not crawling. You rock forward on your hands a lot but have yet to get your knees under you. It's just as well since my life is going to become a lot harder when you become mobile. You put EVERYTHING in your mouth – including sticks, rocks, stickers, tape, legos – so I am nervous about this next stage! Your siblings are not the tidiest creatures in the world and it is hard for me to keep things picked up!

We spent Thanksgiving in Minnesota. One day was at Grandma Drewry's, one day was the Flanegan celebration and one day Grandma Kim took us to the aquarium in the Mall of America. Then the rest of the time was charming your grandparents and anyone else who stopped by. I'm so glad we were able to see everyone, especially Great Grandpa Ed, because he passed away on Christmas Day.

We took the week before Christmas off of school and did lots of fun Christmasy things: caroling at a nursing home with our friends from church (Fagreys, Jacobs and Kennedys), decorating sugar cookies with cousins, and making gingerbread houses with Grace and Nadya Belcher. Christmas Day you got a teaset with a singing teapot and a baby doll (whom we named “Maggie”). You seemed quite pleased – when you “opened” the dollie, you spent about a minute squealing and hitting her head.

Then after Christmas Daddy left for MN again to be with his family and you and I flew out a few days later for Grandpa Ed's funeral. It was special to travel just with you and have a few days of holding you non-stop. You weren't sure about going to others so I got a lot of snuggle time. It was good to have you there to help people smile. I'm glad you were able to meet Grandpa Ed three separate times this past year, so though you won't remember him we have pictures of you two together.