All You Need Is Love...

I know this blog is supposed to be all about Elizabeth, but I have to sneak this one in! Peter and I attended the wedding of one of my special friends, Sheri, on Memorial Day. She looked absolutely radiant and you could just tell that the joy in her heart was overflowing! We are so very happy for Sheri and Tom and know that they have a lifetime of happiness ahead of them! We were also thrilled to be able to spend some time with these two amazing Alpha Phi sisters: Alicia and Jessica! Too bad Peter couldn't get us to smile for the camera! ;-)

Miss Independent...

...Miss self-sufficient...(Jennifer, you finish the rest since you have the album! Heehee!...meanwhile Good Ol' Pop-Pop is saying "Huh?!") Anyway, I thought this was an appropriate title for today's entry because Elizabeth is no longer sitting idly by while we feed her whatever concoction is on the end of her spoon. Instead, she is taking matters into her own hands, reaching out and grasping the spoon herself and directing it to her mouth--or at least somewhere close to her mouth! It's the cutest--if not the messiest--thing ever!

Doll Baby

And to think I used to laugh at all those Mommies who dressed their little babies up like dolls.

I have no defense for it...I just couldn't resist!

Tender Moments

I just thought this was a lovely picture of Elizabeth with her Grammy, so I wanted to share it. This was taken last Friday while we were having Tea at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Elizabeth is a Tea veteran (well on her way to rivaling Mommy!)...as this was her second time to experience Tea at the Peninsula! Her first visit was with Grandma, Mommy, Dina, and Dina's mom when she was only ten days old...and she slept through most of it! There was, however, no sleeping on Friday! She was awake and alert and seemed to enjoy the sound of the harp playing in the background. I should also add that, although Mommy has seen a fair share of celebrities at this location (Pierce Brosnan, Luke Perry, and Taylor Hicks--all on different occasions--and yes, I realize that these cover quite a broad spectrum!), there were none that we noticed on this visit! (sigh) Ah, well!

And the little one said...

Roll over! Roll over! ;-) This week, Elizabeth has become quite skilled at rolling over from her tummy to her back! And now she does it all the time! So much so that I am afraid she will never learn to crawl because she only spends about 3.2 seconds on her tummy before she starts to lean into a roll! Anyway, I don't have the most recent pictures uploaded yet (Grammy and Pop-Pop have been in town and I am just now getting back to blogging), but for now, these pictures from "back in the day" (we call this the BRO period: Before Rolling Over) will have to suffice! Awww...doesn't it make you feel sorry for her?!?!

P.S. I forgot to add HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grams!

Caption Contest

Okay all you lurkers...it is time for a CAPTION contest! This photo is just crying out for some kind of caption! Here is Peter's: "SPOOOOON!!!!!" (For those who don't recognize it, that is the battle cry of the superhero known as the Tick!) Any others??? Come on...you know you want to comment...;-)

"Take the key and lock her up..."

Last Friday night, we took Elizabeth over to the Johnson's to see "Auntie Julia" all dressed up for her Junior Prom!
(Julia is on the right and her 20 year-old sister, Samantha, is holding Elizabeth on the left!) Of course, she looked BEAUTIFUL and so very grown up! But the thought that we have known these two girls since Samantha was 8 years old and Julia was 5 years old is incredible to me...and it scares Peter to death! Now he is demanding to know how to prevent time from passing so quickly, or at least how to prevent Elizabeth from growing up into "dating age" overnight...because he is certainly not ready for THIS! ;-) Love you, girls!

Not quite ready for prime time!...

Well...today we started the Level 2 class at Gymboree! That's the one for 6-12 month-olds. Needless to say, Elizabeth is not quite developmentally ready for all that this class has to offer. Not only were there twice the number of babies, but most are crawling and exploring around them, shrieking at random times, and generally a lot more excitable than she!
Elizabeth had a look on her face very similar to this one throughout the class--which was MUCH louder and more active than our very calm Level 1 experience. In fact, Elizabeth reminded me a lot of the little stuffed bunny in the cherished children's book, The Velveteen Rabbit, during the part of the story when he is sitting on his "hind legs" (because he doesn't really have any hind legs...as he is just sewn together in one piece), watching the "real" bunnies hop and frolick and play in the thicket. For much of the class, Elizabeth just stared at the other babies as if to say, "How do they DO that???" Truthfully, both Mommy and Elizabeth were just a wee bit intimidated and overwhelmed by our first experience with Level 2, but, after talking with a few other mommies who insisted that "Elizabeth did really well...my baby bawled the first three times we came to Level 2"...we plan to stick with it! ;-)

Sweet Potatoes for a sweet potato!

Elizabeth had an adventurous day today! Today we added sweet potatoes to her diet! (We went back and forth over whether to give her fruit or vegetables next...so we settled on a vegetable that is sweet like a fruit! haha!) Anyway, she seemed to really like them and we got tons of cute (if not, really messy!) pictures of her eating them! She still hasn't quite mastered the art of swallowing without her tongue getting in the way, but every time she takes a bite, she leans foward and seems to want more! However, from the look on her face in the picture below, one could argue that all that I am telling you is a lie...as she seems to be saying "You're gonna feed me WHAT?!?"

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy...

This is a picture of Elizabeth expressing how I feel when I get a bargain! Haha! Today, Mommy went to Santee Alley with Auntie P and Lindsay (I know, Dina..I know...but it was SOOO last minute!...next time we will plan ahead and you can come with!) and got some nifty new designer sunglasses ;-) and two new "purses" --woohoo! (Well, they aren't exactly purses...they are really just small little $10 wristlets that hold all my essentials--credit cards, phone, cash, lip gloss--and tuck conveniently inside my massive diaper bag, which has now become my purse!) Anyway, E spent the morning with Daddy. He even took her on an adventure to the Apple store in Manhattan Village Mall. Now she is sleeping soundly--taking her afternoon nap while I get some blogging...er...I mean WORK done! ;-)

Morning Moments...

First off, if there were ever any doubt about where Elizabeth's eyelashes come from, this picture puts those doubts to rest! Haha! Here is E in our bed with her Daddy in the morning. (Sidenote: No, we don't have a "family bed"...are you kidding?! She has a perfectly beautiful crib in her own room that allows her to be smoosh-free!) Anyway, this is after she gets up in the morning--and by "morning" I mean 6:00am--UGH!-- and I bring her into our room. She has her first meal, and then she and Daddy go through pretty much the same routine every morning: Peter pulls her over onto his chest, while he is still half-asleep (okay, mostly asleep!), and he tries with all his might to convince his "little Pot" (through modeling) that sleeping is much more fun than playing! And just in case you are wondering, NO--she has not yet been won over by Daddy's efforts. Instead, she kicks her legs, flails her arms around, squirms, and makes a bit of an irritated fuss--inadvertently slapping Daddy in the face (or, in the case of this picture, sticking her fingers in his mouth)--until he gives up his quest for a few more precious minutes of slumber and rolls out of bed! (Hmmmm...now why didn't I think of that?!?!)

Strolling Along...

We got this "new" jogging stroller from our friends, Emily and Steven. Their daughter, Abby, is four and she outgrew it! It's a fantastic BOB stroller in amazing condition!! But, well...you can see that Elizabeth has a little growing to do herself before we run it into the ground!

Meal Time!

Today, Elizabeth had her first taste of "solid" food. (I don't know why they call it that because it is no more solid than a watery milkshake...but, whatever!) She sat in her high chair like a "big girl" for the first time! And then Mommy fed her (rice cereal mixed with milk) from a little spoon. She was a little unsure at first, but then quickly became VERY eager and interested. She managed to swallow some of it, but most ended up dribbling down her chin and onto her bib, which she then grabbed to her mouth to lick up! YUMMY! haha! She was also very interested in grasping for the bowl of mush, so that will be a challenge when Daddy is not around to help! Anyway, we have a cute little video of the event, but Peter was also able to capture some stills of the various stages of the process.

Birthday Shoutout!

Today we are giving a "birthday shoutout" to Grammy










and to our dear friend, Dina!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Their special day also happens to fall on Elizabeth's HALF-Birthday (which means nothing to her NOW, but, from my teaching experience, I know that this will come to be an important day to acknowledge when she is in elementary school!) Heehee! Today, we celebrated this monumental event with a visit to the doctor's office for SHOTS ! Woohoo! ;-) Actually, she handled it pretty well...and Mommy is getting better at it, too!

Not enough words...

to describe how it feels to be a MOTHER celebrating my first Mother's Day! So I won't even try. Besides, all of my family and friends who are reading this already have an understanding of how much I needed to be a mom and an appreciation for the roller-coaster journey we went through to welcome this precious baby girl into the world! I feel truly, deeply blessed--especially today. My heart is bursting with love, joy, and--most of all--gratitude!

"I'm so clean...I'm PUCKERED!"

Yeah, that quote is a shout out to my mom and sister because they are the only two people I know who can immediately identify what movie it comes from! (Poor Dad will probably know too, since--living in a house full of women--he was constantly subjected to all kinds of chic flicks...but I won't make him admit to having seen it...about 80 times!) Anyway, just wanted to share one of the many photos we have of Elizabeth at bathtime--one of her favorite activities of the day! And yes...I know...eventually we will have to think about NOT having the baby dry off right next to the knife block! I guess this pretty much answers any inquiries about whether or not we have done any "baby proofing!" Ah, well! ;-)

Happy Baby

I just thought I'd take a minute to put in writing how grateful I am to have such a HAPPY baby! Watching her smile and hearing her laugh are two of my favorite things about our everyday life together, and I am glad that--at least for now--she seems to enjoy both as much as I do! No doubt that in her teen years, she will make up for it with lots of DRAMA (hmmm...now where would she get that?!?!), but for the time being, I will give a big shout out: Hooray for Happy Babies!

Things Mothers Do...

All I can say is "WOW!" I don't think I realized how easy it is to become that mother who picks her own child's nose! GROSS! But, yesterday, Peter snuck up on me in the act and captured the photographic evidence to convict me of that disgusting (and highly addictive) deed!
Well...you can't really blame me! I mean, no one wants to see a baby with "bats in the cave" (as Peter likes to call it!) Besides, it just proves that a mother will do anything for the good of her child! ;-) Next up is the old "lick my finger and use it to wipe the smudges off of baby's face" trick! I just regret that these new-fangled child safety laws that require children to ride in the back seat (until they are 21?) will prevent me from being able to perform the heroic (if not, useless) role of "human seat belt" the way my mother did! (You know the universal Mom maneuver: car pulls to a quick stop, mom's right arm reaches across child's chest in a vain attempt to "prevent" child from flying out windshield!) Ah,...those were the days! Love you, Mom!

Daddy's Little Girl

There is something about Daddies and Daughters. Something that makes a little girl know that Daddy is her HERO! Every morning, after Elizabeth is fed, Peter gets up with her and takes her into the "back room" and the two of them spend some bonding time together for about an hour (E plays under the Gymini while Daddy reads email and talks to her...or, more often than not these days, she sits on Daddy's lap and they read the email together while she sucks on her hands!) And then he is off to work for the day (or, in the case of this week...off to JURY DUTY!). When he comes home and steps foot in the door, the second they make eye contact, Elizabeth grins from ear to ear and often has a little giggle or shriek of delight for Daddy as well! He picks her up, zooms her around in the air, and plops her onto his lap where she is content to wriggle and kick and play. I'm learning every day that motherhood certainly has its share of treasured moments, but one of the greatest joys I have found is in watching the two people I love most find joy in each other!

Gymboree

On Tuesday afternoons, Elizabeth and I attend a Gymboree class at Westside Pavillion for 0-6 month-olds! We have tons of fun as we sing songs, play with little toys, have "tummy time" (which she only tolerates through the distraction of other babies' faces and the spinning balls that they place in front of her on a mirror!), enjoy baby massage, and finally, play with her little puppet friend named "GYMBO"! She LOVES Gymbo! Whenever he comes out, she gets this look of surprised excitement (as though she has never seen anything quite so amazing before!), and then she laughs and kicks her feet and flaps her arms with delight! I tried to illustrate the excitement with this photo, but somehow it fails to capture the magic that is the "Gymbo Experience"!

Why do I have this BLOG?

So...Elizabeth and I went to meet good old Lindz and Beck for a walk today...and Lindsay says, "Hey...you're on facebook, but you don't have a BLOG??? You need to get a BLOG!" And I figure she is right! After all...as she explained so eloquently, facebook is for college kids, and Blogs are for grown-up types! And since I have 10 more years of experience at being a grown-up type than she does, I certainly ought to have a BLOG! So...VOILA! I now have a BLOG! (See, Lindsay??) ;-)