Heat Wave

We're having a mini heat wave here. Really hot and humid - yuck! Last week's gorgeous spring weather is now feeling sticky, muggy, and too hot for fun outside (unless spent in a body of water). There is even an excessive heat warning, weird because I think of this weather as typical Minnesota summer stuff but I've never heard that warning before.
Anyhow, it's making Parker go crazy! (nothing really happens after about 30 seconds so feel free to move on then :)



Parker jumping through leaves. He is now on the look out for Snakey (the snake that Tom so graciously left in a box on the deck).


Some Eloise firsts of the week. I didn't take a photo of the first "first", poor Eloise woke up with her foot wedged in between her crib bars. She is always scooting around in there, kicking the sides of her crib, and rolling this way and that. She started crying really hard all of a sudden around 11pm and I usually wait to see if she falls back asleep but for some reason I could only give this cry a few minutes. Poor little thing, I un-wedged her foot and picked her up and she was back to sleep in seconds.

Onto a more fun one...First time riding in the front of a shopping cart. This really made shopping a LOT easier. There was room for groceries, I wasn't worried her infant seat would somehow topple to the ground and Eloise enjoyed her new view. Finally, I can go to Costco again with a baby. THAT was an impossible trip with the infant seat since everything is over-sized.

I even let her gnaw on my purse strap the entire time...


Another first, a bottle from grandma! Um, kind of never thought I would see this before my eyes.


Before the weather turned super hot, we had a chance to visit the MN Arboretum. We love that the arboretum is about 5 minutes from our house. The gardens, flowers, and waterfalls are beautiful. It's neat to see the varieties of plants that can grow here. Tom was very inspired and is planning on creating a mini arboretum in our yard...well, maybe not but perhaps we'll get some cool new plants. Here are some of the views we enjoyed.






This was pretty cool. An artist created an all twig house that is currently on display. It is huge!

Just because Eloise is cute:


Last week we were able to pull off a last minute get together with good friends Rachel and Mike (more like, they were able to pull it off since they had to find a babysitter for four kids on a week night!). We had a great time enjoying a spring evening on the deck (pre-heat wave) and they were gracious enough to share a bottle of wine from their Napa trip - yum, thanks again! Rachel and Mike like to take advantage of "date" nights and borrowed Mike's dad's collector car for the drive up from Mankato. Somehow, Tom convinced them it would be a good idea for him to test drive it and I think he had fun. (note - I should really remember what type of car this is and I can't for the life of me, I do remember that there is an a-track player in it though)


Going to give Parker some "ice cube" treats now. The cheapest dog treats out there!

May So Far

Here is an attempt at catching up! (While I like to share cute photos and updates on Eloise, I also use this blog to record events since I have an awful memory-prelude to my super long paragraph later in this post)

To celebrate mother's day I had a little brunch with my mom, sis, and Eloise at our house. My first mother's day as a mom, surreal. Last year on mother's day we were at Good Earth and I had a teeny tiny Eloise growing inside of me. Luckily I was having a "better" morning that day and was able to eat brunch without getting sick. Love that morning sickness was really all day sickness and extended well beyond the first trimester. I digress... So we had our family favorite of bagels and lox and then some playtime with Eloise. I love my mom so much and absolutely wanted to celebrate her, I hope Eloise feels the same way about me when she's 30.

Ellie and Aunt Meredith


Eloise=Big fan of Parker.




Parker=mild fan of Eloise. He will endure some ear pulling for a few extra pats from me and Tom. I have a feeling this will all change as Eloise begins to eat real food and to drop real food on the floor.

Dad bought Eloise a new "toy" and we got a big kick out of watching her in it!!

It's kind of neat to see how she will work her way around the kitchen to "walk" over to us. It must be cool to suddenly be semi-mobile!

The 6 month photo shoot happened a little late since we had some professional photos taken too.

!
The whole time she kept purposely rolling forward from her sitting position and trying to dive off the chair!

I snapped this photo and caught her just in time. How young is too young to do a somersault? I think she would really find those fun...

And of course practicing standing, it makes her so happy to be on her two feet.


We had a pretty major development last weekend. I decided it was time for Eloise to accept a bottle. The doctor had advised us before that "when she's hungry enough she'll drink" usually by the 2nd or 3rd missed feeding. Well, our dear Eloise took until the THIRD DAY to accept the bottle. I was a wreck all weekend (perfect timing for our photos to occur) and Eloise went between upset and okay. She was NOT happy about the bottle and went on a mini food strike. I did not expect how emotional I would be. Part of it was realizing that I could not nurse her and "give in" or she would never take the bottle, she would just hold out longer the next time. It really made me sad that my time nursing her was over, I didn't expect to quit cold turkey! But I don't think Eloise is open to switching back and forth from bottle to boob, so unfortunately I can't have it both ways. It's so funny since I felt a little weird about breastfeeding before she was born and then I was so happy to do it for her and then I was "stuck" since she would only nurse from me and now I'm still sad that it's over. I'm so thankful for Tom, he kept encouraging me and repeating that what we were doing was okay (and that I wouldn't stunt her growth from a few days of lackluster eating). I shed more tears than Eloise last weekend but now, a few days later, things are much better and we're working on a transition from breastmilk to formula. Glad I got that off my chest (pun intended). Since I'm in the baby-zone, this feels HUGE to me but as time goes on I'm sure I will look back and forget just how hard this was (okay, probably not for a looooooooong time but I still wanted to record my experience for my own benefit).

Moving to a lighter topic..the nature of Chanhassen continues to impress us. The other day Tom stopped home over lunch and left me a note that said "check out the box outside and then dump it out". A small part of me thought that perhaps my thoughtful husband surprised me with a cool gift (wishful thinking) but the "dump it out" part made me skeptical. I went to the deck looked in the box and one of THESE jumped up at me:

Not the surprise I was hoping for.

We are having THE most beautiful week of weather. It's comfortably warm, the humidity and bugs haven't set in, and the sun is shining. I am feeling SO lucky to be able to spend these days with Eloise. We went to my old stomping grounds and walked around Lake Harriet with some friends. I think Eloise is enjoying her first Minnesota spring too.
She seems so...relaxed.


Whew, that's all from me for now!

A Quick Pick Me Up

I have so much to catch up on and not enough time. I wanted to post this video though. Eloise at 6.5 months being smiley and laugh/screaming (apologies for the roller coaster style recording). I get such a kick out of her. It definitely brightens my day. I hope this also brightens the day for my grandpa Rolf. I'm sending positive thoughts and prayers your way grandpa!

The Scream

I think Eloise is having fun but her shriek can get a little unnerving after awhile. So why not capture two+ minutes of it...

Enjoy?

Farewell Charlie & Robyn!

We are very sad to lose a playdate friend this week! 12 weeks came and went in a hurry and now Robyn is already back to work :(

It only took us about a month, but we finally coordinated matching outfits and all babies awake (and not eating, crying, getting a diaper change) at the same time. Eloise pulled her usual moves on Charlie, look closer, it is HER hand in his mouth! I feel like myself and the moms of Charlie, Colin, and Gwen were pregnant FOREVER so it is a little surreal to see all of our babies lined up in a row (and aren't they just so darling in their matching outfits?!).


We'll miss our playdates with Robyn and Charlie!!

6 Month Stats

All went well at the 6 month check up. Eloise got very positive reviews which made her parents very happy.

Weight: 15lbs 8oz - 50th percentile
Height: 27 1/8" - 95th percentile

I thought it might take a while for Ellie's boy friends who are 4-5 months younger to surpass her in weight, but now I think it will happen very fast! This was the most tolerated round of shots so far. Of course there were major tears at the first prick but when it was all done the crying stopped almost immediately and I think dad even got a smile. Tom commented that it was weird hearing a "real person" cry from her. Or as Oprah calls it, the "ugly cry".

I failed to notice at the previous doctor appointments that there is a mobile hanging over the scale. This time it captured the attention of Eloise.



And here is an example of just how awful my voice is...and of cute Eloise sitting up.

The Wild West

We're not THAT far west but it has been fun seeing more nature in our own backyard. In the winter there were lots of deer and the other morning I saw a huge turkey wandering around! This must be a loner turkey because about a week later I was driving on the highway very close to our house and I looked over at a field and saw a single fat turkey wandering around. I wonder what his story is. Maybe his friends all left him last November and he is still confused? Or maybe he planned the great turkey escape of 2009 but he was the only survivor? It would be fun to have a "neighborhood turkey" but unfortunately I haven't seen him since. On a slightly scarier note, our neighbors told Tom that they saw coyotes in their backyard this spring! Entertaining to watch out a window but not if they decide to eat Parker for a snack!


I celebrated my 30th birthday last weekend. It was a low key celebration but just what I could handle for this year. A lovely birthday brunch at one of my favorite restaurants, The Good Earth, plus a night out to dinner and a movie with Tom.


Tom's enormous cinnamon roll. As my dad said, Eloise's expression reads "and all I get is this lousy smashed banana"




Ellie (sophie) and Grandpa


Abuela y su nieta

It's nice to be able to bring Eloise out to a restaurant and actually have her sit at the table but it's also a much more intense experience! Good Earth is a perfect family friendly spot.

I often hear how much Eloise looks like me (and she certainly looks like my baby photos) but I think she is taking after her dad's enjoyment in EXTREME activities. Not that we're about to sign her up for baby sky diving but she definitely likes hanging upside down, being held up over our heads, swinging around...Here she is sitting on dad's shoulders which she found to be VERY fun.





I thought this photo was so cute. She is getting "attached" to her teething ring and falls asleep with it. I also hear her banging it on the side of her crib. Whatever works... Tom got me an iphone for my birthday. It is AWESOME. I have wanted one for so long that I gave up hope so it was a huge surprise. One of the best features for me is being able to take photos and videos and email them immediately. I took some cute photos of Eloise at bath time. She loves to sit up for her bath now. I just have to work a little harder to clean the food that is stuck in the folds of her neck!






Coming up this week...the 1/2 way mark, 6 months old! Grandpa and Abuela just had to drop off a few little gifts. Eloise liked the wrapping as much as the gift, to be expected I guess.



Eloise also got her very own phone from her great aunt Sheila and uncle Larry! She was MESMERIZED. We made a thank-you video since she isn't quite up to speed on writing yet.



Not looking forward to the 6 month shots but excited to see the latest stats on weight and height!