From the day she was born up until about a month ago, we were still swaddling Elizabeth like a baby burrito for all her naps
and when she went down to sleep at night! And I don't mean a light blanket tucked loosely around her body...I mean a very snug "no baby is coming out of this" kind of wrapping job that made her feel like she was being hugged all night long! What can we say? She liked it...a LOT! And we would have been more than happy to continue mummifying her in this way for as long as she liked it...if she had only stayed that way!
Unfortunately, however, at some point during the middle of the night, Baby Houdini managed to work herself out of the swaddle (yes...even the Miracle Blanket!, though this one worked the best!), and she would awaken (sometimes TWICE a night) and CRY until I would go in and rewrap her so she was all nice and snug! As soon as I did that, she fell right back to sleep again. After about three nights of this nonsense (well...what else do you call it when a baby who was sleeping through the night is now waking up to be reswaddled?!), Mommy and Daddy decided "no more!"
So, we braced ourselves for a long couple of nights of Elizabeth protesting to our harsh "let's kick the swaddling habit cold turkey" method...and I almost gave into my instinct to rush in and swaddle her several times in the first 20 minutes--until
Peter would remind me that to go in there and swaddle her meant that I would be getting up two more times that night and
every night that followed, to do the same thing until she learned to sleep without being swaddled! So, into her room we would go to shush and pat, first letting 5 minutes go by, then 10, then 20, until she
eventually fell asleep. (sigh!)
Needless to say, the first night was a little rough (for all three of us), but the second night she got the idea within a few minutes! Hooray! And now, she sleeps soundly in her crib all night just like this, with her little friend Mo (short for "Seymour") tucked right beside her!
This will teach us to leave the diaper bag unattended next to Elizabeth! Just when she was sure no one was looking, she leaned over the started digging for whatever she could get her hands on! Was she ever surprised when we called her name and snapped a picture!
Unfortunately, however, at some point during the middle of the night, Baby Houdini managed to work herself out of the swaddle (yes...even the Miracle Blanket!, though this one worked the best!), and she would awaken (sometimes TWICE a night) and CRY until I would go in and rewrap her so she was all nice and snug! As soon as I did that, she fell right back to sleep again. After about three nights of this nonsense (well...what else do you call it when a baby who was sleeping through the night is now waking up to be reswaddled?!), Mommy and Daddy decided "no more!"
Peter would remind me that to go in there and swaddle her meant that I would be getting up two more times that night and every night that followed, to do the same thing until she learned to sleep without being swaddled! So, into her room we would go to shush and pat, first letting 5 minutes go by, then 10, then 20, until she eventually fell asleep. (sigh!)
I love this picture of Elizabeth because it seems to capture her playful, yet easygoing personality. We were just hanging out on a lawn at Berkeley and she seemed to enjoy the feel of the prickly grass between her toes. It also reminds me of one of those stock photos that comes with a store-bought frame. Too cute!
Our last day in San Francisco was a lot cooler than the previous days, so we suddenly found ourselves on a mission to find a light jacket or sweater for Elizabeth. When we stumbled into the Wildlife Works Eco-Fashion Boutique, Grammy and Pop-Pop could not pass up the opportunity to outfit their grandbaby and save the planet at the same time!!! :-) (The owner of the shop runs a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya that focuses on helping endangered species, while providing jobs to the locals!) 
All that sightseeing REALLY wore her out! Up and down the hills, in and out of the car, strolling along the Wharf to Pier 39, poking in and out of shops in Chinatown, hiking the Berkeley campus and the nature trails of Golden Gate Park! PHEW! She was such a good little traveler...and somehow, she even managed to get a few naps in along the way! Hooray!
While we were visiting Chinatown in San Francisco, I couldn't resist these precious little pink shoes! ("Oh, Elizabeth...those shoes are SO CUTE! They make your WHOLE HEAD SPARKLE!") As soon as I bought them, we had to put them on her and document the event with a photo! Doesn't she look excited?!? (Well, maybe she doesn't YET...but I'm sure this will be the beginning of a shoe frenzy!) And we'll be able to point to this venture as the moment that started it all!
We just returned from a super-fun trip to San Francisco for the Fourth of July holiday! (We met Grammy and Pop-Pop there and the five of us poked around the city for a few days!) Before we left, we purchased this handy backpack carrier so that Daddy could easily trek all over town with Elizabeth in tow.
needs just fine...whether she was cheerfully taking in the sights of Golden Gate Park, or grabbing a little snooze--(that's the one where only her hat is visible)--while we were visiting Berkeley! 
