elodie *18 months*

Oh little miss "e" how you are growing too fast.  It seems like only yesterday it was last summer and you were laying on the blanket in the back yard cooing and staring quietly up at the blue sky.  Now you run, you scream, you have opinions, you feed yourself and climb up on everything, you love books and babies and snuggles and snacks.

You've been on this planet twice as long as you spent in the womb and it is such a pleasure to watch you grow and change and develop into your own unique being.  Here are some updates on what you've been doing lately.

• Talking: you are catching onto new words and intonations all the time.  Currently these are the words you know and use regularly: apple, bubble, push (for the swing), up, no, uh-uh, Eleanor, Dada, Mama, wawa (water), pza (pizza), chs (cheese), ouch, mouth, nose, Ethel, ba (for book or bird), shs (shoes), more, ma (for binky), bus.  It seems like you are good at repeating the sounds of words back to us if we say them to you.  We were walking home yesterday and you were pointing at everything, I said "red car, blue truck" and then you made the sounds like you were trying to figure out how to say them.  You love to sing and make sounds and "talk" all the time now especially when you are not being overshadowed by your older sister :)  When you don't use words you still point a lot to communicate and then nod affirmatively or shake your head or say no.  It works pretty well to get your message across.  In addition, although you seemed more go with the flow than Aven ever was as a little one, you have finally realized that you need to speak up for yourself to get your desires met and sometimes that is met with a firm "no" and a funny pinched up face or a high pitched (Daddy calls it sonic) scream.
• Eating: you are such a funny little girl about your food and you seem to like mostly carbs…a few fruits and plenty of dairy.  You would eat cereal, pancakes or crackers all day if I let you along with yogurt, cheese and milk.  You like apples without skin, frozen blueberries, strawberries and bananas sometimes and the rest is hit or miss.  Sometimes you surprise me and like something totally random like pesto crepe or red lentil curry.  You are totally weaned as of 16 1/2 months….it was a natural process and it seems like it was so long ago that you nursed.
• Independence: like many second children you like to play with your big sister and other children but I am glad that you seem to like to play by yourself and be able to entertain yourself.  The other day you probably spent about 20 minutes just taking water from the pool in the backyard and watering the plants around the perimeter.  
• Activities: You like to move things from place to place and you love to have something in each hand whether a book or a toy or some random object.  You love playing with dolls and will carry them around (although you have no interest in stuffed animals). you are really starting to love books and music.  This seemed to take awhile to grow on you and really captivate you but now you will often say "boo"  "boo" (meaning book) and bring them to Daddy or I and ask us to read them to you.  And when you're in the mood, you'll patiently sit on our lap and listen to us read.  You love music and are starting to "sing" to yourself while you are playing, riding in the stroller or on a drive in the car.  You love when we have "dance parties" as a family and you love to move your little body and hands with the music.
• Sleeping: oh you were finally doing so well after almost a year and a half you were almost always successfully sleeping through the night….and then we left you for our trip to Europe.  Who knows if that was the impetus to change things and its only been a week and a half since we got back but you've had a hard time settling down to go to sleep at night, you've been resistant and hit or miss on naps and you've been waking up at night.  But I'm sure, this too shall pass.  I feel much more tired then when Aven was a baby but then I am also juggling two kids and you've kept yourself from sleeping through the night for much longer.  I'm sure that when you are older I'll miss the times that I just held you in the middle of the night snuggling your warm body.

still our snuggly girl 

It is truly a blessing to be able to watch your little healthy body grow and to see you interacting and discovering the world around you.  I only hope that I am molding you into the best version of yourself you can be.  I (we) love you so much little one.

Elodie 17/18 months

{A look of sweet silliness and cleverness}

Oh Miss "E" you continue to capture our hearts and delight our spirits as you learn and grow and become more and more a part of our family.  Daddy always says what a sweet disposition you have, and I couldn't agree more.  Today at the park Aven scraped her wrist and being the sensitive girl she was she came running over to me, held back the tears until she was in my arms and burst into sobs.  You took the wet wipe you had in your hands and gently tried to wipe the tears away from her face and the snot from her nose.  It was seriously the sweetest thing ever.  And a few weeks ago when you were upset about something, she gently reached over and patted your back when you were sitting next to each other.  You unashamedly snuggle into me and have no problem being picked up or carried just to be close to your people.

I can hardly believe my baby is almost a year and a half (18 months) and it seems like this last year and a half have gone so quickly.  I know I always say this but it is true how fast time flies and how hard it is  to slow down and really capture each day and to cherish every moment.

Some milestones to recap the last few months:

• you started walking and now you practically run with confidence!
• you started talking and though you don't say much boy do you understand a lot and you certainly have an opinion about even more!
• you (finally and thankfully) started sleeping through the night
• you have started to stay in the nursery at church during service (this may not seem like a victory but it is so nice to be able to receive and listen to the sermon)
• you stopped nursing (May 7th) at about 16 1/2 months….a little bittersweet but it was a gentle transition and needed to happen before we went on our trip so it was perfect timing

{Always something in each hand if possible}

Here is a more detailed summary of where you are at on things.  It is so interesting to have two kids and each girls and see how different and similar they are and how their personalities are developing and how their relationships are growing.

• Talking: I would say that you "started" talking at about 15 months with just Mama and you've progressed to a short list.  So far, you consistently say the following: Dada, Mama, Eleanor, Ethel, More (boor), Pizza (Pza), Cheese (Chs), Shoes (shs), Uh-oh, No, Bubbles (bubb), book/bird (ba/ba).  You are finally getting more "talkative" whether humming to yourself, chattering while playing or just generally making happy noises.  You do have a loud older sister so I can understand being overshadowed but its nice to hear your little voice too.
• Eating: you are just about the opposite of Aven when it comes to eating, at this age she would eat beans and rice and any berry if nothing else…..you won't touch black beans and you don't eat much beans, rice or quesidilla….and so far you don't care for any berries unless a strawberry slice strikes your mood.  You are queen of the carbs whether cereal, pretzel, toast, pancakes, waffles, pasta or what have you.  You love diary especially cheese, milk and yogurt and you've finally decided (I'm surprised it took so long) that you love ice cream too!



{Unfortunately you spent half the month with a black eye}

• Play: you love babies and it is so sweet to see you carrying them around, patting their backs and wrapping them up or asking to have them wrapped up (again and again).  Aven didn't even get a baby doll toy until she was 2 so it is so sweet to see you really playing with them now.  You like to do repetitive tasks like move objects around or even from place to place and back again.  You like to put things inside of other things like stacking objects or just using the play kitchen dishes to put food or other objects inside.  You are so much more adventurous than Aven too (not that it is a comparison but its interesting to watch!).  You like to climb things and then stand and smile….you are a bit mischievous.  You have started to really latch onto reading books and it is so cute to see you find a book and bring it to Daddy or I and ask for us to read it.  You pat the couch for us to lift you up and read or you put the book in our lap and signal for us to pick you up.  While I can't trust to leave you unsupervised with crayons or other writing materials, you really like to "scribble" and draw.  You have a pretty good hold of a writing utensil and the ability to actually control it as well.  You have no interest so far in stuffed animals, puzzles or TV (although we don't really let you watch).  You love slides at the park and moderately the swings although after a few minutes you'll often say: "all done."  You like to walk back and forth on the walkways outside to Daddy's shop.  And you get into all sorts of silly things if we don't keep an eye on you: the toilet paper, the trash, the dirty clothes, etc.  You are doing a nice job of learning to play by yourself, parallel play with Aven and actually playing with her (mostly being goofy).  You like music and will move your body if the mood hits you.  You like to play with the musical interments and if I let you touch/play the big piano you are actually quite controlled and gentle and have an interest in playing.

My sweet girl, it is so fun to see you growing, to see you laugh and giggle, to feel your warm breath when you are nuzzled into my neck and to hear your little words and sounds developing.  It is an honor to be your mother, to love you and to nurture you and I am so thankful for you.  Happy 1 1/2 years my little miss "e."

{Happy, toothy grin}

{Mommas girl, happiest when along for the ride}

{So sweet to finally see you bonding with Dada}

{Bates girls: Aven 4, Mom 34 and Elodie 17 mos}

she walks and talks **miss elodie**

Well, I am declaring today March 27, 2014, the day that Elodie started walking.  She has taken upwards of 3-4 steps the last week or so but today was the day she was doing it all on her own.  Gosh it was so cute!  She would hold a baby or a toy and she would walk back and forth to the kitchen and Aven's room.  Then when Aven was having her quiet time, and Elodie finally had some quiet time to herself, she started really practicing.  She was going back and forth from the kitchen to the living room and back.  Ever so quietly and nondescript.  It was so cute to see her tottering and making her way around and carrying a little dolly or toy at the same time.  Of course she still is crawling to get from here to there but its only a matter of time before she's off and running.

I supposed I'll go ahead and declare today the day that Miss Elodie started talking too.  She has slowly said a few sounds these past few weeks but today she really implemented the "all done."  She chit chats and makes sounds and grunts and points and uses some hand gestures but today she kept saying "all done" when looking in her dish from dinner.  She said "all done" after I nursed her and offered her more!  She also clearly said "dada" this morning before Abe went to work.  Now, I won't lie that I wish it were me (she does babble Mamam, mamma sometimes but mostly when she's upset) but it is still so exciting to hear actual words come from her.

 Miss Elodie is officially 15 months old and really starting to shine.  Her little gap toothed smile and sweet demeanor is so affectionate.  She loves to squeal and be silly with her sister and she is really fairly good at manipulating objects like blocks and puzzles and toys that go in and out.  She has much more inclination and interest in these sort of activities than Aven did at that age.  Elodie still likes her dairy and carbs and is only now starting to eat some fruits that aren't pureed.  She still likes her pureed baby foods of sweet potatoes and bananas/strawberries.  She loves yogurt and fruit smoothies and she is  starting to like peanut butter too.  She doesn't care much for any vegetables and not for many raw fruits.  She is really starting to take to her toys and dolls and books.  It is so neat to see.  Also, she was baptized at FPC this last Sunday.

As always, it is a pleasure to watch this little sweet pea growing and changing.  We do love her so.

miss elodie turns *1*

Selfie of the Birthday Girl & Mommy

Birthday bath in your birthday suit :)

I like to list the milestones and idiosyncrasies of my kiddos at each age more for myself than for anyone else so that when I look back I can remember all the funny, silly, even frustrating moments and to give perspective.  Here is an update on miss elodie 12-14 months.  You are growing so fast and the time is going to quickly but we are enjoying watching you grow, seeing your personality unfold and observing your relationships with those around you.

In no specific order:

• eating: you love food (especially carbs: waffles, bread, crackers, pancakes, toast, cheerios & cereal, oatmeal) you mostly like dairy (cheese, yogurt) and carbs, some fruits (bananas, apples & applesauce and cranberries); you don't seem to like frozen fruit at all (which your sister loved) and you don't seem to like any veggies other than pureed ones like pumpkin and sweet potatoes, you occasionally like some chicken and you like eggs, we haven't introduced cows milk to you yet other than in dairy products mostly because you have had such a nasty cold for the last month and because you still like to nurse quite a bit.  You have really figured out the sippy cup and love water.  You also get jealous if your sister is using a different water bottle then you sometimes.
• sleep/naps: you vary between 1-2 naps a day depending on when you wake up.  Lately you've been sleeping close to 12 hours a night going down between 7-7:30 and waking up between 7-7:30.  You will often wake up once to either nurse or to snuggle but other than that you are mostly sleeping through the night now and are much better about self soothing when you wake up.  Sometimes you'll fuss a little and then get yourself back to sleep.  Most naps you are good to sleep in your crib although on days you are having trouble napping I still use the swing now and then.  You like to be swaddled with a blanket with your arms wrapped up and you like to sleep on your tummy.
• toys: you are starting to be interested in books more.  You like to pull all of Aven's books off the shelves in her rooms but you also look through the books and especially ones that have textures interest you.  You have started to like holding dollies and stuffed animals snuggling them up now and then (so so cute!) but mostly you like to play with cups, musical instruments and manipulatives.  You like to put things inside other things like the "What's inside" box Grandma got you for your birthday.  You do silly things like carry around extra binkys or people's dirty socks (one in each hand).  
• Movement: you like to crawl (and you are really fast), climb (the stairs, watch out) and up onto coffee table or stool. You are a mover!  You are not usually content sitting unless you are tired or snuggling.  You will walk 1-2 steps and then fall into Mommy or Daddy's arms.  You are curious about crawling up on things and into things.  A few times you've taken everything out of a kitchen cabinet and crawled on in.  You like water and love taking baths especially with your sister.  You like to watch the water and play with the toys in the water and you are intrigued by bubbles.  You like to do High 5 now and patty cake and do silly daring things when we're holding you.
• Personality: you are still a Momma's girl through and through but you really are starting to bond with Daddy more (having a few weeks off at Christmas really helped).  You like to wave to people and you like comfort like your binkys.
• Talking/Sounds: although you don't say anything recognizable yet you "talk" a lot and make the cutest cooing noises and sounds.  You giggle when you are tickled or laugh sometimes at your sister when she's silly.  You also understand words which is apparent in the way you respond to us.  You can point out Eleanor, Ethel, Mommy, Daddy and Aven when we ask you to.  When I say, "say goodnight" you wave to Daddy & Aven when I take you to bed.  You don't scream nearly as much during mealtimes and mostly because you have mastered the "more" sign which really helps.  You also use a lot of pointing which gets your point across.  This has really helped us have a bit more peaceful eating time as a family.
• Other: you transitioned into the Toddler 1 room at the Y (1-2 year olds) and are starting to venture out into the classroom and be less shy.  You love your sister and are curious about the dogs (pointing and grunting and occasionally petting them).  You are a sweet girl with a somewhat cautious and pensive personality but you also can light up your face with a smile when you're happy.

It is so fun watching you develop a relationship as a sibling and meander your way through life learning.  You are such a sweet girl and I love kissing your squishy cheeks and watching you smile.  I feel privileged to be your Mommy each and every day.

We love you Miss "E" Elodie Clementine.  Happy first birthday!

miss elodie's first birthday party (a few months late)

Birthday Girl:
Miss Elodie Clementine

Miss Elodie turned one two months ago and yet I haven't updated this blog.  Sad, I know.  I thought I'd be so much more on top of things and keep up more with my second; in fact I vowed not to let her pictures be so few and far between and neglect all of her milestones.  It is crazy how fast time goes and how demanding life can be and how little free time seems left at the end of the day.

The birthday trek story:

Having a birthday 9 days before Christmas makes things hard and I'm sure it won't get any easier throughout the years.  I should know having a birthday 12 days after Christmas how hard the logistics can be.  For Elodie's first birthday, we didn't want it to be overshadowed by Christmas or passed over just since it was so close to the holiday.  So, we planned (albeit a bit last minute) to celebrate again in Portland by renting a house and getting the family together to celebrate the one year mark.  My Mom and her husband, my Dad, Abe's parents and my brother and sister and law were all able to come help us celebrate.  We rented a cute little place (4 bedrooms and 2 baths) in the Alberta Arts District of Portland, Or.  It was a great little spot with walking to so many cute shops and wonderful restaurants and coffee shops.  We arrived Friday night after a full week and got the kids to bed after a bit of snoozing in the car along the way.

We started our celebration on Saturday morning with fruit, my favorite (and Elodie's too) cottage cheese pancakes, bacon and morning star sausages and coffee.  It was nice to just hang out and spend time together and not have to worry about the logistics of a large group of people eating out (see Sunday ahead….).  After breakfast we walked to nearby coffee shop (awesome) Extracto Coffeehouse.  We then attempted to drive to Beaverton for some indoor, blacklight mini golfing (agreed upon by the group).  After a drive and some wandering around, we discovered our location….well…didn't exist.  So, on to the next plan?  We drove back to Portland with plans to do the same activity.  Along the way people got a bit grumpy and a bit hungry so we delayed the activity in lieu of eating lunch.  Abe voted for Lucky Lab brewery but we chose the location closest to downtown.  After caravanning there and parking, we realized this location was cool….but no pizza (the agreed upon lunch).  Aven fell asleep in the car and then subsequently slept on the bench in the restaurant.  Plans were falling apart but we were determined to have a good time :)  After lunch the day had gotten away from us already so we opted to head back to the house and give the baby a nap and hang out for awhile.  After such a late lunch, we decided against going out to dinner and planned on viewing the Christmas lights at the Portland race tracks.  We watched Elodie open her birthday presents (with help from big sister) and then had some snacks before heading out.

Well, I guess it wouldn't make a good story if everything went as planned (in life it rarely does) so here goes.  We headed out to see the Christmas lights.  An affordable activity that we could all do regardless of weather.  By the time we waited in the insanely long line snaking around the entrance to the race tracks (1+hours later) Elodie, Aven and even my Dad fell asleep.  We were able to rouse everyone but the baby to enjoy the lights though.  Sunday morning we gathered our things and got ready to head out to breakfast.  Well, as Abe says, "a failure to plan is a plan to fail."  Which sort of happened with our breakfast.  We wandered around the restaurants searching for one where we wouldn't have to wait an hour and who could accommodate our large group only to end up back at the first place (Petite Provence) which although the food was amazing, we were all eating split up throughout the restaurant. The baby was getting exhausted and breaking down, people were a bit grumpy from wandering around waiting to find breakfast and some parents (Abe and I) were a bit exhausted from lack of sleep (we were all 4 sleeping in the same room; or sharing the same room I should say).

Overall it was a good time mostly because we were all together.  That was really the point and I am always so thankful when we get to spend time together as a family whether it is eating, wandering aimlessly around a neighborhood looking for food or going on a wild goose chase looking for indoor black light mini golf.

Extracto Coffeehouse (Portland, Or)

Extracto Coffeehouse (Portland, OR)

Lucy Lab Brewing (best place for a nap sleeping beauty?)

Boppa & Elodie snuggles

Digs curiosities (waiting for breakfast finds)

Auntie Elisa & birthday girl

Elodie opens her presents (with a little help from big sis)

Thank you to our family for helping us celebrate and to take the time to spend with us commemorating Elodie's first birthday.  We love you.

family pictures 2013

In October (yes, I know, I'm quite behind).  We had the privilege of having the wonderful Joe & Patience Photography capture our family.  It was a lovely afternoon, the kids were in great moods and the sunset was casting a wonderful glow on the day.  They did an amazing job of capturing our family, the playfulness of our daughters and their presence was overall awesome.  Aven was quite taken with both Joe & Patience and had no problem going to them when we were taking pictures ourselves.

Growing up, my Dad refused to have his picture taken (still does today) so I don't really have any family pictures of us growing up let alone when we were so young so when we had Aven, I really wanted to start a tradition of getting our pictures done every few years and especially close to our kids first birthday.  These images are a great reminder of love, joy and how time truly can go too fast.  I treasure looking back at the pictures we took with Aven when she turned a year old and I love looking at these of our growing family too.

There were about 100 edited pics but I'll post just a few of my favorites here.

elodie {10 months}

My little Miss "E" how you've grown so fast.  Sad that my last blog post was your 9 month post....means that time is going fast, I'm not blogging enough and you're growing up so quickly!!

Some rather exciting things have happened with you in the last month and I don't want to forget these important milestones and dates.  Probably one of the most exciting things is that you started crawling on October 1st.  You were 9 1/2 months old.  You were just a few weeks later starting crawling than your sister.  You have approached it rather differently and haven't been as quick to want to get around but now after about 2 1/2 weeks, you are getting the hang of things, going faster and really moving both legs well.  The first few weeks you would do a combo army crawl, three legged crawl (with one leg dragging behind tucked under you) and a regular crawl.  You've mostly transitioned into a full crawl.  At the same time you decided to go mobile, you cut your two top teeth and started to pull yourself up onto things.  Here's a little summary of what you've been up to this last month.

• moving: you started crawling on October 1st (9 1/2 months) and started to pull yourself up to standing by holding onto the bench, chair or other objects, you love to move around and can go from sitting to crawling and back up
• sounds/words: you occasionally say Mamama and Dadada but not consistently but you love to make little gurgly sounds, clicking sounds and sweet little cooing sounds.  You are often overshadowed by the sounds of your older sister so you seem a bit quieter.  Make no mistake, when you are upset or really need your opinion heard, you let us know.  While you don't really say any words yet it is clear that you are really starting to understand certain things.  You have pretty much mastered the sign for "all done" when eating and use it pretty consistently.  You can wave hello or good bye and when I say "tell Daddy or Aven good-night" you wave your hand towards them and look at them.  So sweet.  
• food: while you are already starting to transition away from purees you don't have too many things that you can really eat so it is getting challenging not to always just give you Cheerios!  You like cheddar or string/mozzerella cheese, breads and cereal, chicken, yogurt, applesauce, pureed carrots, pancakes/waffles, scrambled eggs, sometimes banana, craisins (dried cranberries).    You think it is fun to drink out of a big cup but don't really get the sippy cup concept...you just like to chew on it.  You are still a good nurser and nurse throughout the day 3-4 times and still at night several times.  You generally wake up between 11-12 and then around 2/3 and then often make it until 7 but then again still wake up around 5 for another nursing.
• toys/activities: you are a very tolerant child and put up with a lot from the dogs, your older sister and with our schedule hauling you everywhere and not always getting good naps at home.  You haven't adopted any toys that you especially seem bonded to and you are content to play and look at just about anything.  You don't seem to like soft toys like stuffed animals, blankets or soft baby toys.  You prefer plastic or wooden toys that can be chewed, banged together or gripped tightly.  You will often go in your jumper when I'm in the shower or need to make dinner and can't keep an eye on you but you get tired of being in one place and want to move around and explore.  We went to storytime at the library for the first time in a long time with you and you really loved listening to the stories and songs and observing the other kids.  You seem to like music and stories but you get pretty wiggly around story time and want to move!  We just started with swimming lessons for you and Daddy starting last week.  You did okay but you seemed nervous at first.  I think you were a bit hungry and tired but you did pretty good for your first time.
• my little sweet one: you are really a Momma's girl.  When I leave you with someone you don't know you really cry and pull away from them and want me to hold you.  You often do this at church and sometimes at the Y.  When I arrive to pick you up you now crawl to me and start to fuss since you want me to pick you up.  You'll let Daddy comfort you but you really want Momma.  You love your sister and she is sometimes  the only one that can make you laugh so hard (and it is often by doing the silliest of things!!).  You are pretty easy going about most things in life: getting woken up from a nap, eating meals, playing with toys, getting "manhandled" by your sister and licked by the doggies.  You go with the flow and are generally pretty quiet.  You are the perfect fit to our family and I am enjoying watching you grow so much.  

Happy 10 months little miss "E"

elodie {9 months}...so I don't forget

Well, I don't think I'll ever forget how sweet and cute and charming and perfectly lovely you are but I may forget all the other little things that are so fun and make each day interesting with you my little miss "e."  So for that I'll recollect a few of the things that you are doing right now so I don't forget.

• Moving: You are scooting everywhere (backwards, around and sort of side to side) but you are not crawling....yet!  You love being on your tummy and scooting your way around and I can tell you are really thinking about crawling too.  When I set you down sitting up you get your hands down and move one leg behind you and start to rock back and forth while trying to get the other leg behind you too.  It is almost like doing the splits.  It is funny and cute to watch and it is neat to see the organic process of you trying to figure it out.
• Eating: so far you really seem to have taken a liking to food and rather quickly.  I didn't really get you started until around 7 months although I introduced oat cereal to you at 6 months you weren't really interested but you were always watching us eat at the dinner table (like you wanted to eat too).  So far you have had: turkey, chicken, yogurt, cheese, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, mac & cheese, carrots, strawberries, peaches, oatmeal, avocado, bread, banana, eggs, butternut squash and peas (and tons of puffs).  While you don't seem to truly dislike anything yet you really like to feed yourself.  You will try just about anything if you can feed it to yourself.  I have let you have sippy cut a few times but you don't really know what to do with it other than chew on the spout.  You still like to nurse about 3-4 times a day and usually get up between 2-3 times a night still.  You are a good nurser and usually do so within about 5-7 minutes.  You do well with grabbing food by yourself and feeding yourself.  I haven't given you a utensil yet but thats next; just putting off the big messes.  As a funny note, you don't seem to mind having your face and hands wiped after eating...curious?
• Toys: you don't seem particularly attached to anything as of yet but you like the Fisher Price Stacker and love holding the rings.  You like about anything that is a little bit harder and you can suck on even the little plastic blocks or connecting rings.  You like to clap the blocks together or rub them on the floor and you like to play with them in the bath too.
• Activities: you just started clapping a few weeks ago around 8 months and if we say "yeah" when you do it you light right up and keep clapping.  You have also been steadily sitting up without any support or without falling since a little over 8 months.  You love to take baths and roll over onto your tummy and kick your feet or sit upright and splash your feet back and forth in front of you.  You are in a phase where you sort of shake your head and it looks like you are saying "no" and then you'll sort of wave at the same time.  You are saying "Mamama" and "Dadadada" but you don't necessarily seem to coordinate them with one of us or the other.
• Temperament: Overall you are a pretty laid back baby and go with the flow.  Your naps are not often the same time since we are often on the go either doing activities or running errands or visiting friends.  You are generally content to play by yourself or with Aven or be held and snuggled.  You are getting better at riding in the car.  You still don't do well with "disappointment" and when something happens that you are not expecting or something doesn't happen that you do, you certainly get upset.  A few examples: tonight I took away the sippy cup and you stuck out that bottom lip and cried (real crocodile tears);  a few days ago Aven took away a basket that had hats and gloves in it that you were exploring, again you burst into tears.  Other than that you are a happy baby and usually easily calmed if upset, especially by Mom (you are a real Momma's girl).  You do well playing by yourself and having kids in your face (ie: your sister or the doggies) and you love playing with anything that has texture.  

While I am truly enjoying all of your new phases and watching your personality blossom and your abilities grow and expand I get a little sad thinking of how fast the things go by.  Some things you only do for a few days or a week and it is easy to forget about them and other stages you just move so quickly through it barely gives us time to adjust.  You are a sweet girl, happy and smiley and you love your sister and your family.  You love to watch and observe all of us and your big sister can really make you laugh.  I love you so much and continuing to watch you grow and learn is such a blessing.  Happy 9 months my little flower.

*pictures to be added to this post soon

Elodie {7months}

Elodie,

I cannot believe you are already 7 months old!  You are such a happy and smiley baby now it is so sweet.  I am loving watching your personality grow as you explore everything and watch everything around you.  It is such a pleasure and blessing to be your Momma each and every day.  You have such a sweet disposition and gracious spirit.  You have a genuine happiness that just exudes when you smile and it melts my heart.

Sissy can always make you laugh the hardest even when you won't crack a smile for me; you will for her.  She is so playful and fun with you and you really seem to love watching her.  You certainly let her know when you don't like something though.  That cute bottom lip will still curl into a pathetic frown and then a sad cry will ensue.  You generally let anybody hold you and aren't too shy about it.

Suncatchers & daydreamers.
I have a vision that this might be you girls in 10 years on a sunny day laying in the grass sharing your hopes and dreams (and I hope 20, 30 + years as you grow older together as sisters).

Your first 4th of July bash at the Young's House.  Daddy snuggled you up in a blanket and then lay you in the grass while the fireworks and chaos surrounded you.  You slept....like a baby. 

You are really starting to sit up now on your own without too much support.  Here you look so proud!  I don't leave you yet since you might relax and topple over.  It is cute to see you upright now though.  You love to go into the ball pit at the Y and sit and feel all the textures of the balls there.

You've really decided that you like to stand and to jump.  You like to move and be active not just sit around all day.

*******

Here are a few reminders of what you are doing right now:

• starting to sit up regularly (although you still need a bit of support or the boppy pillow)
• started eating some solids, just bananas and oat cereal so far although you mostly just blow your tongue and spit it out so far 
• starting to push back and move around the floor (tonight I lay you on your back on the activity mat with the boppy pillow and you somehow rolled over and out and around the mat and then ran into the wall!
• you are starting to make it slightly longer stretches at night for sleeping getting closer to 4 hours and a few times longer
• you are really starting to "talk" and engage us with sounds and grunts and lots of Mama....I secretly love to hear my own name :)
• You are getting better at being in the car now that you can hold your toys and put them in your mouth.  You still don't seem to love being in the car for long periods of time yet.
• I've started weaning you from the swaddle blanket by leaving one arm out when you sleep so that you can roll/push yourself back over.  Last night I left both your arms unswaddled and you slept fine.
• You are a much squirmier baby than your sister....you like to move and be on the move.  In church you don't want to sit and be held, you want to roll and kick your feet and stand and move.  
• You are really good at grabbing things now and I need to watch out for little hands.  You pulled a whole container of strawberries off the table at TJ's the other day.
• You and Daddy are really starting to bond.  He sneaks little pockets of time with you early in the morning or at night before/after sissy goes to bed or gets up.  He is learning how to soothe you and take care of you the way you like.
• You have your favorite pacifiers: the Mam brand.  It was what you started with and you still really like them.  This is fine except when they all seem to disappear!  It is nice in the middle of the night though because they don't have an up or down side; you can put them in any which way.
• You are still a good nurser and are working through the distractable phase although with an  older sister who likes to play, play with you and make noise, that can sometimes be hard.
• This week your two little bottom teeth finally started poking through.  It has been a long process but I think the most painful part of those two teeth is over.  It will really change your smile when they finally come through.
• You seem to like to watch cartoons or listen to the books when we watch and read.....
• You are a very observant baby watching the dogs walk and move around; watching Daddy or Aven and just observing life and interactions around you.
• You always know when I've left the room and often smile and even coo when I return or cry and start to be upset when I leave.

You are really coming into your own.  I love getting you out of bed in the morning because you always give me the biggest widest and cutest smile.  Joy comes with the morning is what I say.  I am so thankful for you and your health and spirit.  Happy 7 months Miss "E."  We love you.

elodie (6 months)

Our little Elodie.  Hard to believe you've already had a half birthday.  You are growing up so quickly and yet it is so exciting to see you develop and change and really become who you are!  I am honored to be your Mom and to watch you grow as a part of this family, as a beloved child and sister.

Here is a quick summary of what you are up to:

• You just started eating some foods- I started you on 6/12 with some oat cereal and you've also tried avocado;  you are already really getting the hang of it and seem to have a big and healthy appetite.  You lose patience with sitting in the Bumbo chair when I'm feeding you so we'll probably have to get out the highchair soon.
• You consistently roll over.  Typically you roll more from the back to your front (to a stomach position) but you are starting to push yourself around now too a bit.  I will place you on the activity mat and then come back and you've rolled off and are completely on the wood floor.
• You like to sit in the green bouncy chair and love to kick your feet and hear the rattles of the activity bar and the little silly sounds (when they are turned on)  You seem to really enjoy kicking your legs and feeling the chair bounce up and down and see the rattles make their gentle rustle.
• You still consistently wake up every 3-4 hours at night (and during the day) to eat.  You have a good appetite and eat quickly although you are getting to that distracted stage where you keep coming off the breast and looking around....there is a lot to see though!!
• You love your sister and love to watch her and smile and laugh at her.  Sometimes she is the only one who can get you to smile.  I love to watch you two interact;  it is so special to see the bond you are sharing and forming as sisters.
• You are starting to really make some fun noises.  It sort of depends on the day as you are often really quiet and observant but you are starting to make some squealing noises; cooing like talking and also saying "yayayaya" sort of sounds like Mama or Dada.
• You just started taking a bath in the regular bathtub last week and you don't seem to mind it although all the space seems to make you a bit unsure so far.
• You wear mostly 3-6 month clothes and last week you weighed in at 14lbs 13.5oz already.
• You (unfortunately) don't really seem to like to be in the car for long drives.  You like to see other people and you like to move around.  The car doesn't really offer you either of those.  This could prove to be challenging but we'll take this one as it comes.
• You still love to be held and snuggled.  If it were up to you you'd sleep being held each and every night.  You often wake up in the evening after you've gone down for the night but then want to be held for a bit.
• Your routines are pretty flexible but you definately like to have certain things throughout the day.  You seem to have adjusted well to being at daycare 3 days a week since I went back and you seem happy and content there and give everyone there lots of smiles.
• You are good at grabbing toys or (really anything) with your hands so I am having to start to be careful what I have in reach.  It is fun to watch you reach out and grab a toy or look at it and then grab it and put it in your mouth or play with it.

(June 2013)
Snuggling with your sister; she loves you so.

(June 16, 2013 your half birthday)
Sisters.

(June 2013)
I love your expression in this one so giddy and smiley.

(May 2013)
Can't get enough little baby toes....too cute!!

(May 2013)
I love this little shirt my friend gave to us as a baby gift.  The sewn on fabric is so darling and I love this color on Elodie.  Most baby clothes, especially girl clothes, are typically in pastels I love this bright purple. 

(May 2013)
This girl does about the cutest little pre-cry face.  Here she is puckering up for a wail.  Too cute either way.

You are a beautiful girl.  I love watching you grow and the sweetness that you have and patience with everything that goes on around you.  Happy 1/2 birthday my little sweet miss "e."

Elodie (4 1/2 months)

Wow little "miss-E" you really are a cute baby!  We are falling in love with your big open mouthed smiles and your adorable giggle when I am changing your diaper and accidentally tickle your belly.  You have cute little folds in your thighs and a sweet disposition.  Don't get me wrong, much like your older sister, when you are upset about something, you have got the lungs to let us know!  Here is a brief summary of how your day goes and what you are up to lately:

• you can roll over from back to front and front to back although you don't do it consistently, often you will roll to your side and look around
• you are a really drooly baby (maybe getting some teeth?) and constantly have your hand in your mouth- just yesterday you started to put your thumb in your mouth (wonder if you'll suck your thumb?)
• you now weigh over 12.5 pounds, your 4 month check up hasn't happened yet but I am curious to see how you will compare overall in your percentiles (weight & height), you've gained 5+ pounds since you were born
• even when you won't laugh for anyone else, Aven can make you laugh.  I think she is too much in your face and personal space but then you just smile and watch her contently.  If she does something you don't like though you cry and tell us about it.
• you love to make little squealing noises and will "talk" to us, you are really discovering your voice
• so far, you don't love to ride in the car (you took your first long trip to Spokane last weekend and it was tough)
• you are a very alert and observant baby, always looking around and watching what people are doing
• you really seem to have an awareness of being by yourself if I leave the room and you don't have anyone else there, you will start to get upset until I come back
• you still wake up every 3 ish hours at night to nurse and are pretty consistent about this during the day, you typically go back to sleep very easily and don't need much rocking or holding
• you are starting to solidify a sleep schedule but you are flexible, you like to be swaddled and held burying your face into my armpit to sleep
• you can now grab at toys and put them in your mouth and you've also discovered your feet!  you kick them and stick them out and you can now kick the toys on the bouncy chair
• you will bring something close to your face and really focus on it, its pretty cute to watch
• you love to be held standing on your feet and if I try to hold you in a sitting position you will often arch your back and squirm until you get to stand
• you love to be held- you like to sit with us at the table when we are eating or be snuggled by Mama or Daddy in the evening when we are zoning out at the end of the day
• you have an opinion about what you want when you want it and you are not afraid to let us know (must have gotten this from your sister)

You are so sweet and adorable and I love watching you and Aven interact and can't wait to watch this relationship grow as you girls get older.  I am always curious who you are learning to be and who God has created you to be but I know that you fit into our family perfectly and I can't imagine it without you now.  I love you more and more each and every day, cannot give you enough kisses or snuggles.

You are doing an excellent job of holding your head up and don't mind being on your tummy too much.

This pic looks so much like your big sis, great bright eyes :)

I think your silliness shows through in this one, you look like you are about to laugh.

On your actual 4 month mark (4/16), an inquisitive and unsure look.

Grabbing & holding toys, your new skill.

Best smile and beautiful eyes.

Keeping me company when I was sick in bed.  You honestly look concerned for me.

We love you Elodie Clementine.