9 Months of Elyse

Even though I posted Elyse's 10 month post last week, I realized I had never shared some of my favorite pics from her 9 month photo shoot we had a few weeks ago.  I just love our photographer & how she captures Elyse's cheeky grin!  Enjoy!

She had pulled her bow off by this point...the last shot of the day!

Christmas card worthy for sure!  

I'm so glad that I have requested a family photo at each of her shoots...maybe one of these days I'll do a fun collage somewhere in our house of family pictures from Elyse's first year!

Weekend Rewind~Cardinals, Pumpkins, & a Date Night!

Last week it didn't seem like we had much planned for this weekend, but as I'm sitting here going through pictures & thinking of everything that happened...it was a pretty jam-packed October weekend.  

Friday I stayed home from work because both of our babysitters (aka Elyse's grandma's) were out of town and she's to the point where taking her to the office with me just isn't really a feasible option anymore.  I'll always take the excuse to stay home and play with my baby girl...and I did manage to do about an hour's worth of work during her morning nap.  

Friday evening I drove down & met Hubby at my parents' house for dinner & to watch the St. Louis Cardinals game.  We ordered in pizza & I brought dessert...PW's Quick & Easy Apple Tart.  Kendra posted about this recipe last week & it seemed so easy that I couldn't wait to try it!  It truly was delicious & super fast...well, it was super fast if I hadn't had to make it a second time since I mistakenly grabbed the Ground CUMIN out of the cabinet instead of the Ground CINNAMON!  I wanted to add some cinnamon to the top & yeah...cumin is completely different from cinnamon!  Thankfully I still had the ingredients to whip it up a second time!  

The Cardinals game was really anything but exciting if you're a Cards fan, but we still had a good evening with my parents!

I'd like to say that she was actually giving this look to the puppies outside, but I have a feeling I just managed to catch her in a funny transition!  Either way, it's hilarious!

The ladies of the house, me, Gigi, & Elyse!

I wish Elyse didn't go to bed so early, she was much more entertaining than the baseball game!  

Unfortunately we lost, but we're still hopeful for a repeat trip to the World Series....but we're gonna have to win it on the road!

Saturday morning we had some fun playtime with Elyse before Hubby headed out for his LONG, 12 mile, training run.  I put Elyse down for her nap & worked around the house while Hubby was gone.  I also admired my new diaper bag purchase...Vera Bradley's new Messenger Baby Bag in Ribbons.  I've never actually been a Vera Bradley fan, but I actually really love this bag & I think that cross-body bags are a must with a baby!  

After Hubby's run, we loaded up the car & headed to a local pumpkin patch.  It's actually owned & ran by some good family friends & one of my high school classmates was taking family fall pictures on Saturday.  We met up with my parents and took some fun pictures of Elyse with all the pumpkins & fall decor! 

Right after the visit to the pumpkin patch, we sent Elyse home with my parents & headed out.  Elyse was having a sleepover with my parents anyway so Hubby & I decided to make a day of it and run several errands before our evening plans.  We stopped at 7-8 different places and it was an afternoon that would have taken 3 weeks to complete if we'd had Elyse with us!  It was an extremely productive afternoon and just a fun time to hang out together sans baby.

Saturday night we had made plans to have dinner with our pastor & his wife (Tony & Dana) & another couple (Brandon & Jacinda) who are connected to us in several ways including small group, church, & high school friends of mine!  We went to the Branson Landing for dinner at Cantina Laredo.  It was a super fun evening and so nice to not have to worry about Elyse for an entire evening.

Dana, myself, & Jacinda 

This morning we went to church with my parents so we could pick up Elyse & then spent the rest of the day at home.  We had some quality fun with Elyse, did some laundry & Hubby worked in the yard all before heading off to small group.  A pretty typical Sunday, but exactly what we needed after a busy day yesterday.

One of our stops yesterday was to pick up a new toy for Elyse...a walker that will double as a stroller for her baby dolls!  She loves it already!

Of course she also loved sitting on top of the toy box & just laughing...she was throwing her head back & laughing at me!  

Hubby also did a few honey-do things in Elyse's room, which included hanging this shelf.  One of my good friends (Brandon, who went to dinner with us) made this shelf for me which I almost paid $$$ for instead!  It's exactly what I wanted and he did such a great job.

It's perfect for books right next to the chair in Elyse's room!

Elyse's reading corner is complete...check out my little bookworm reading in the floor!  

 Hope you all are enjoying the beautiful fall color!  I always have to snap a picture of the tree in our backyard, it's always gorgeous this time of year!  

Now, if only my St. Louis Cardinals can pull this one out...otherwise we're looking at Game 7 tomorrow night for a trip to the World Series!  

An Extra Offering

The Greene County Baptist Association supports a food pantry called Grand Oak Mission & they have been in serious need. The pantry wasn't necessarily asking for monetary donations, they were needing food...and lots of it.  So, for the last several weeks, our church has been urging us to bring an extra offering each week to be donated to the local food pantry we help to support. That extra offering might be nothing more than a single canned good...but at this point the pantry needs anything they can get. 

It was brought to the attention of one of our small group leaders that they have even had to close their days a few days each week because they ran out of food.  And so a challenge food drive was on...small groups had 2 weeks to gather as much food as they could and in the end, the small group with the most poundage of food would have dessert served to them by the challenging small group. 

The contribution from our small group...all of this for $119.25, $0.75 under budget!

Our group, like several others, decided to take up a collection & then myself & another girl went on a shopping trip.  We knew that we could get the most food for our money at Aldi so that's where we headed...and I was quite pleased with our haul.  We loaded up our cart with apple juice, condensed soup, peanut butter, jelly, pancake mix, syrup, canned vegetables, cornbread mix, etc.  and headed to the checkout.  We of course had a limited amount of funds & were watching our pennies...but God had us right where we needed to be.  We checked out $0.75 under budget, I know we couldn't do that again if we tried. 

just some of the food brought in for weighing...

This past Sunday was weigh-in day & between 6 small groups almost 1,300 lbs of food was donated!  Honestly, our group got smoked in the final standings, but that wasn't really the point we were all just hoping to help others in need in just a small way.   The sad part is that I have a feeling all that food will be gone within just a few days.

& the results...way to go Northbridge Church!

I don't write this to toot my own horn, but more as a reminder that maybe you should take an extra offering to church with you this week.  Maybe that offering is simply one can of soup, or an extra bag of food from your weekly grocery trip, or maybe you'll decide to challenge the small groups or Sunday school classes in your church to a food drive!  Times are hard right now & we need to do what we can to help...even if it's just one can of chicken noodle soup. 

Elyse Love~10 months

I seriously cannot believe how fast Elyse is changing & developing, it makes me so excited for what to come but so sad to think that time is passing by so quickly.  We had another fun photo session this month...I feel like I might as well say "cheese" and she'll smile at the camera!  ha!  

Weight/Height: I don't have any official measurements this month, but I know she's still growing.  Her precious chubby cheeks are plenty of indication for me that she's still a growing, healthy baby!  

Clothes: We've moved into all 9 month or 12 month clothing at this point.  She's going to need some new sleepers soon, because with her length she's bound to outgrow those in another month or so.  She is still wearing size 3 diapers and we'll be sticking with that for the time being.  Anything new that we purchase is either 12 months or 12-18 months simply so it will make it all the way through the winter....fingers crossed!  She is wearing size 4 shoes & honestly doesn't seem to mind having them on.  

Food:  I love that we have such a good eater on our hands!  We've been trying to transition her to items that she can easily feed herself for quite some time now.  I just have a few different puree's in the freezer that I need to use up.  She loves almost anything that she can feed herself & if we're eating, then she wants to eat as well.  She's started to lack an interest in carrots, but I'm hoping that's just a phase...if not, oh well, she eats plenty of other veggies.  It's so nice that we've been able to start feeding her from our own plate, especially when we go out for dinner.  She is starting to have a snack 1-2 times a day & Cheerios are definitely a favorite.  She also LOVES dill pickles!  Guacamole/avocado is also still a favorite...but just not the guac from McAlister's Deli.  I made the mistake of giving her some without taste-testing it first and it was quite spicy.  She did not enjoy that at all & we couldn't get the "hot" taste out of her mouth quick enough...note to self, be a taste-tester for your baby!  ha!  She is also still nursing/taking a bottle of expressed milk 4 times a day...normally an hour or so before each mealtime and then again at bedtime.  

Sleep: Wow...we've had major developments in the sleep department since last month.  If I'm being completely honest, she started to sleep through the night again right after she fell on her head...not saying this had anything to do with her sleep habits, I'm just saying...;o).  However, her naptimes were starting to get ridiculous and even with CIO methods, she would cry right through all of her naps or only sleep for 30-45 minutes.  After a LOT of troubleshooting and even an Elyse day off work for me to try something...I think we've finally got her new schedule down.  Whether it was just a phase or something we changed, I guess we'll never know but my assumption is that she was overtired & just was past the point of no return.  For the most part, she now sleeps from 7:30-6:30 or 7, goes down for nap at 9 for 1-1 1/2 hours and then naps again at 1 for 2ish hours.  We are following Moms on Call (which I highly recommend, another post, another day) and even if she cries out in the night or during her nap we are leaving her be until official wake time.  So far we've had some pretty great success with it and she is going down to sleep while she's still completely awake.  

Activity:  Um....yeah, this girl is a busy  body!  She is everywhere, all time, and into EVERYTHING!  And while I'm sure I'll get frustrated with her getting into everything, it's also pretty stinkin' amazing to watch her little brain develop and to watch her learn about her surroundings.  She loves books and will sit & look at books on her own, complete with turning the pages, even if I'm working around the house or doing my own thing.  This may make me sound like a bad mom to some of you, but oftentimes she is so content to play on her own that I feel more like a supervisor just because she is perfectly independent.  She of course crawls over to me when she wants some attention, but it's so nice to be able to leave her playing in the floor while I fix dinner or do laundry or just do general household chores.  Our PAT teacher came over a couple of weeks ago & gave us several different activities to do in order to encourage various developments, one of them is playing with paper or magazines & she LOVES her magazines!  I have a stack that are just for her & are ripped to shreds, but she loves them!  

Personality: Along the same lines as activity, I think we have a very independent girl on our hands.  She enjoys playing by herself, content with me just being nearby and she just moves from toy to book to toy to book all day long.  She is such a happy baby and I can't tell you how many times I've heard that from other people.  She truly does smile so much and it fills this momma's heart with joy!  She is also learning the art of manipulation and we're starting to recognize those whiny "But I want it my way & I want it now" cries...we are trying to resist those so we can begin teaching her patience. 

Communication:  She talks non-stop!  Especially right after a nap when is completely awake, she will take to herself, to toys, to books, and to nothing in particular...just making lots & lots of sounds.  She has started waving bye-bye on a fairly regular basis & has even started making sounds as she waves her hand in the air, as if she's trying to say bye bye.  It's so precious & certainly makes it easier to walk away when she's waving bye!  I haven't been very good about teaching her any signs, but I think we might need to start teaching her the sign for "more" at the table...it would be much preferred to her high-pitch squeals when she wants more yogurt in the mornings!  ha!  

Likes:
~household items as toys:  she will crawl around with a clothespin or a long rubber straw or a measuring cup & be perfectly content to carry that with her!

~the Tickle-Monster:  If you haven't watched my video of her giggling, it should definitely bring a smile to your face!  

~Food:  Elyse LOVES to eat, I'm just hoping this doesn't ever go away!  She loves to eat & wants exactly what you're eating!  

~Susan Boynton Books:  She is starting to sit & listen to books for brief moments & these are always guaranteed to get her attention

~Mickey Mouse Clubhouse:  I really try to limit her tv time, but before her nap in the morning Mickey Mouse is on so we almost always have it playing in the background.  She loves Mickey & his friends!  

~life in general:  we have such a happy happy baby...I know I've said it a thousand times but she is normally always so happy unless she's tired or hungry! 

Be still my heart!

 Dislikes: 

~diaper changes:  I think she's decided that diaper changes are a waste of time and she would much rather be doing other things than laying on the changing table.   

I'm pretty sure she was yelling at me in this one...saying something like "I'm DONE with pictures MOMMA!"

10 Month Milestones:

~First phone call:  911 9/19/12

~Fell out of crib:  9/19/12

~First Wedding:  Hubby's cousin Logan & Jessica 9/22/12

~Pulling up on everything: End of September 2012

~First teeth brushing:  10/4/12

~First overnight with Mamaw & Pappy:  10/6/12

Weekend Rewind--Lots of Fall Fun!

I'm so thankful that fall is in full swing now...the temps are perfect most everyday & I just love all the smells of fall. 

 

Friday evening we stayed home and just chilled.  I had made chili earlier in the week so we had Frito pie for dinner, spent some good quality time with Elyse & then settled in to watch the St. Louis Cardinals attempt to win their game vs. the Washington Nationals.  Yeah, if you're any sports fan at all you know that it was quite the finish as our beloved Cards came back from being down 6-1 to make it into the NLCS.  Hubby & I were both wound up after watching the game and had to just chill a bit before even attempting to go to sleep. 

 

Saturday morning Hubby had to work so I spent the morning hanging out with my girl.  He also had a long run for his 1/2 marathon training that he had to complete on Saturday afternoon so Elyse & I practically had the day to ourselves.  After her afternoon nap we loaded up to meet Mamaw & Pappy at a local corn maze.  They also had hayrides, bounce houses, pumpkin painting, some small animals for petting, & a trash can train!  Elyse was obviously a little small for most of the activities, but she enjoyed swinging and just spending time with her 2 cousins Hunter & Jackson.  These boys seriously LOVE her! 

Hanging out with Mamaw

Jackson trying to turn Elyse's head for a picture!

Jackson resorting to his "bousha bousha" (I have no idea what that means)...but he loves to rub Elyse's ears & say "bousha bousha"  It's hilarious!

Finally a smile!

Elyse is starting to wave, but sometimes she just sticks her hand out like this and cocks her head to the side with a big smile...it's pretty stinkin' adorable!

Elyse & Pappy

Mamaw, Pappy & 3 of their grandchildren! 

The best I could do for a family photo...Elyse was NOT interested in the camera, there was too much other stuff going on!

After all the fun fall activities, we headed to Ruby Tuesday for dinner & just had some more fun letting Elyse hang out with her cousins.  Saturday night was a stormy night, so after Elyse went down Hubby & I spent the evening watching football & keeping our eyes on the sky. 

Elyse got a new hat!  but obviously she was not interested in another photo shoot!

Sunday was a regular church day & we came home for lunch.  We spent the afternoon napping before Hubby headed off for a church meeting & then we met back up at Small Group. 

Loving this girl's jean jacket!

Saying hi to Bogey!  ha! 

It was a nice weekend with very few plans...which hardly ever happens!  It's another busy week, & I'm still fighting hard against my stupid head cold.  Hopefully it goes away very soon!

Where's Elyse's Voice?

So Elyse & I have been battling a little bit of a virus this week with basically the only symptom being drainage that is causing a sore throat & what I think will be the eventual loss of voice for both of us.  Yeah, did you know that babies could get hoarse?!  Yeah, me neither...I just never thought about it.

She is starting to sound like a little man and her voice cracks when she cries, laughs, or talks.  It's seriously the most pitiful thing, but sounds so adorable!  I was determined to get it on video & this is what I got this afternoon.  Please ignore my lovely chicken wing-tickle monster...for some reason she thinks that elbows are absolutely the most hilarious thing ever!

Thankfully we both feel basically fine, we just both sound terrible.  As you can see...my little girl just really hates life!  ha!  She's so incredibly happy all the time...even when losing her voice!

Thursday Tidbits

*Hubby had a last minute opportunity to travel to St. Louis on Monday for the Cardinals playoff game vs Washington...yeah, this momma wasn't jealous at all!  He had a great time & saw a great win, if only the Cards can pull of 12 in '12!

*We've got a little girl who's a little out of sorts this week.  We're blaming it on some new teeth probably trying to bust through, and a little bit of small fall allergies.  She is going hoarse & it's just pitiful to listen to her talk, cry, or laugh as I know her throat must be hurting her.  I hope she feels better soon...after 3 weeks of sleeping completely through the night, last night was not a fun experience!  

*I've been drinking some really fresh, super yummy, totally local Apple Cider this week...hot or cold, I love it!  It's my first gallon of the fall & I think I need to buy another gallon very soon!

And can you see the ingredients down there right above the barcode?  Contents:  Apples...& nothing else.  Just the way it should be. 

*I made my first batch of chili yesterday...Mmmmm....I always long for the first batch of chili in the fall much like I long for the first opportunity for hamburgers & french fries in the spring.  I even made a double match so I could freeze half for another day.

*And in other food news, I had my first attempt at homemade granola yesterday to use for yogurt parfaits, breakfast, and just a good healthy snack.  It tastes wonderful but isn't quite as crunchy as I would like...any recommendations for a yummy, crunchy, homemade granola?