My Own Little World

Sometimes Elizabeth starts playing with her toys and she seems to be unaware that anyone else is in the room. And when she eventually notices that she's being observed, she looks a little stunned at first. And then she grins as if she has been "caught in the act" and begins to giggle and entertain the crowd--even if the crowd is only Mommy and Daddy.

Who Needs Toys?...

...when you have Daddy's pants!!!

I think these photos speak for themselves, but I'll just add that Daddy's pj's provided a good half hour of entertainment--which is more than I can say for the Exersaucer these days!

Behind Bars

Well, we have a new addition to our "back room" that recently turned it into one giant playpen! We got a baby gate with a swinging door (gotta love Craigslist!) and put it at the base of the brick steps that lead into the back room. The room is carpeted and spacious enough for plenty of crawling! The only "non-baby-proof" area of the room is the computer corner, which is filled with all kinds of cords and wires.

But, we've recently begun some intensive "no!" training...and, with a tentative reach coupled with a permission-seeking glance over her shoulder to Mommy or Daddy, Elizabeth has demonstrated that she is already starting to "get it"--even if she doesn't always obey it!

Giggling!

Purple and Mom were reading Jamberry the other day, when Mom made some fun noises to accompany the book. Purple laughed herself silly for the next several hours, it seemed, and we took the following videos to document what a nutball she can be!

Record Heat!

This past weekend was SUPER HOT in Los Angeles! It was probably around 94 degrees at our house! (I know what you Texans are thinking...that's not HOT! But, when you pair that with NO AIR CONDITIONING...it sure is!!!)





Usually, we at least have some sort of ocean breeze to cool us off, but the air was still and stifling! At least we found a way to keep Elizabeth nice and cool!

"Stretchy-stretchy!"

We have a new game at our house.
Elizabeth stretches her little arms high above her head like this:And Mommy and Daddy sing-song, "Stretchy-stretchy!" She thinks it's SO funny and now she does it just about anywhere from the high chair to the changing table!

Adored...

Yep! That pretty much describes both of you!

Making Friends

Well, Elizabeth has reached the stage where she has become fascinated with other little babies. She doesn't necessarily want to play with them...but she definitely wants to learn more about them--hands on! (Oops...that's the Lakeshore rhetoric slipping in there!) Anyway, this little introduction to her dolly at home is a good demonstration of both her curiosity and gentle nature. When we go to Gymboree, she eagerly crawls toward her little counterparts and carefully reaches out to pat their hair or touch their hands. Sometimes, by the delighted expression on her face coupled with a cute little squeal or giggle, it seems that she is surprised that the other children are REAL! And in the case of this dolly, that didn't seem to matter...as she was just happy to have made a new friend!

"Mommy...Is that you?"

So, it seems Elizabeth is now fascinated by the camera. Until recently, we could take out the camera and she would just obliviously continue to go about doing whatever she was doing that caused us to want to preserve the moment for posterity! But her days of being the passive subject of our dozens and dozens of photographs have come to an end! Now, it seems we have to sneak the camera out while she isn't looking to capture our digital candids. or else the end result ends up being a picture like this!

...You Make Bathtime LOTS of Fun!

This post is dedicated to Elizabeth's Rubber Duckie! Because BOY, does she love him! Actually, Elizabeth still seems to love everything about bathtime as much as she always has...splashing, grinning, reaching for the faucet, and teething on her little yellow friend.



And, although it appears as though it may be time to graduate from this tiny little tub, I plan to hold onto this Duckie for a while...you never know when he may come in handy as a prop for an invented talent at some elementary school talent show! ;-)

Babyproofing!

Oh yes, faithful viewers, Elizabeth is now a CRAWLER!






And for about a week, I've been warning Peter of what is to come: "You better look out! All those piles you like to make are about to be under attack!" But, I think he was in a little bit of denial. He was going to haul his important papers out to "the cave"...but then, things just kept coming up! So he'd put it off yet another day. Until finally, yesterday, Elizabeth spied his cherished magazine, and...well...I'll let the pictures tell the rest!

Needless to say, the piles are gone and the rest of Daddy's papers are SAVED!

Toothy Grin!

Elizabeth has a full-blown TOOTH! It started to poke through the gums a few days before we left for our trip. And since then, it has blossomed into a cute little peg! Its twin is coming in beside it now, and yesterday I felt a hint of one against her top gums! So it won't be long before she has a mouthful of teeth with which to masticate her food (oh...and Auntie P's face, apparently!)

EXTREME CLOSE UP!!!!

This is what happens when babies become more and more curious about the world around them!

Bills, Bills, Bills...

Here are Daddy and Elizabeth, sorting through a pile of bills! It's a wonder either one of them can make sense of any of it!











In fact, after a while, it seems that Elizabeth has reached her frustration point! She looks up at me as if to say, "Mom...look at this mess! You gotta help us!"

Exploring the WORLD...

...or at least part of it! Elizabeth and Mommy were off to a short visit to Oklahoma and Texas last week! Yep...that's right, Oklahoma! Elizabeth made her first Alpha Phi chapter visit to the University of Oklahoma--to the newly renovated Phi chapter house! (Can you believe we got so busy I forgot to take pictures there?!?! Elizabeth was even sporting a trendy OU onesie from Team Sooner and an oh-so-hip Alpha Phi Legacy onesie from Susan S.! I will have to take pics of her in those another time!)

Ah, well! Anyway, shoutout to all the amazing girls who doted on Elizabeth and helped me out with her while we were there...and especially to Ali, whom Elizabeth seemed to take to right away!


Anyway, after that we jetted down to Houston to stay with Grammy and Pop-Pop and have a visit with Grams and Grandmommy as well! Daddy joined us in Houston and we were also fortunate to get to see Uncle Mike (didn't get any pictures this time around), Aunt Janeann, and Cousin Heather, as well as the Rineharts, Keith, and Mrs. Albers (I know, I know...I am probably supposed to call her Patty, but I just can't do it!) Here are some highlight photos from our visit!

Did You Miss Me?

Elizabeth and Mommy have been away for a while, but don't lose hope...we plan to post more pics and stories again soon!

"Take Human Bites!"

That line from a commercial defines my childhood...or something. If anybody can tell me the name of the show from whence that line came, there's a shiny nickle in it for ya. I myself have no idea. Did it run on Broadway? Off-Broadway? In a small, unused compartment of my mind?

But I digress. Below is Purple eating an entire peach. With huge, monstrous bites. Or was she simply sucking on the juices left over from Mom's giant inhuman bites? Is this quickly becoming the blog of exaggeration?

Ministry of Silly Walks, part deux

So, Elizabeth is walking. All by herself. Sort of. Kinda. Not really. But she is "walking" with the aid of Grammy in this video. She definitely needs some "core" work, as she has no sense of balance. John Cleese, eat your heart out!

Green Beans Bad...Carrots Good!

At least, that's what we think Elizabeth is trying to tell us here!



Actually, for a while she didn't like anything that was green, and Auntie "I'll just have one teeny slice of pizza and a salad" P (who insists on having a salad with everything!--Peter even accuses her of putting salad-like garnishes in her cocktail!) is beside herself with concern that Elizabeth will end up like her Mommy--with a strong aversion to veggies!



But, never fear, Elizabeth still LOVES carrots and has even recently reconsidered and decided that peas are okay, too!

Attention Deficit?...

I think not! Elizabeth has received nothing BUT attention for the last week--(well, arguably for the last eight and a half months--but we won't go into that!) And, it's the best kind of attention too...the unconditional love and adoration kind! The kind that comes from Grandma and Grandpa for just being--for breathing out and breathing in--and for being a precious little grandbaby!


Hooray for visits from Grandma and Grandpa and lots of hugs and kisses!