Elise 10 months & trip to Atlanta!!

Elise turned 10 months old on July 25. My mother suggested that we take Elise's picture with all of her books- since she loves books soooo much!! One of her favorite books is "I Love You, Good Night"- which she is holding in the picture! We read Elise two books before each nap and before going to bed at night- she loves to turn the pages and seems to be taking in every single word!!! It's a wonderful bonding experience for both James and I to share with Elise.

Sieben turned 13 on August 1st. She's such a good dog and has been such a wonderful "big sister" to Elise. James and I were both nervous about how Sieben would react and adjust to Elise because Sieben has never been very good with kids. But I think she has learned to accept and love Elise- because she is so gentle with her. Sometime Elise will crawl over to Sieben and grab her paw or her nose and try to pet her (which really means that she's just pulling her fur)- and Sieben doesn't react. If she gets annoyed, she just stands up and walks away!!! She's been GREAT! Happy Birthday Sieben!!!






This past week James was on a SCUBA diving trip. I was going crazy being stuck at home every night, so I decided that Elise and I would take a plane trip to Atlanta to visit Brian, Beth, Garrett and Lucy White! I went to Milligan College with Brian & Beth.





Garrett is 2 1/2 years old and Lucy is 1 year old. We had a BLAST with them!!!!!! Garrett is so fun and full of energy. The girls loved just sitting and watching him run, play and make noise while they enjoyed the pool. I don't think Garrett even stopped moving the whole time we were outside- hehe






Because it was so hot when we were in Atlanta- Beth found a few places for us to entertain the kids that was inside. We went to a place called "PLAY" which has a trampoline, an area full of balls, blow up toys and many other fun things to burn off energy. The girls loved sitting on our laps on the trampoline while Garrett and the other big kids jumped and bounced. It was sooo fun!!!!!

We also played at "Geronimo's." They had a huge room for kids two and under- so that's where I spent most of my time with Elise and Lucy. They had fun playing with blocks, climbing on the bus, playing on the airplane, pushing cars around and crawling and having fun!! Elise had a blast and never sat still very long (you can tell she's still moving in this picture I tried to take of Elise and Beth).









Lucy is so different from Garrett and Elise. She loves to sit and play quietly and observe everything that is going on around her. She sat for a while and played with this brick. She looked it over closely and studied it while watching the other kids play. She did eventually join in and crawled over to the bus where Elise and the other kids were climbing. She looks so stinking cute in her pretty blue dress!!! She's such a good baby!





Elise and I had a blast with the White's!!!! The kids got along great and Elise adjusted by sleeping pretty well during naps and at night. My favorite part was in the evenings after we put the kids to bed- Brian, Beth and I would talk and laugh and enjoy each other's company!!!!! It was just what I needed to pass the time while James was away! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

Elise 9 months & July 4th weekend

19lbs 9 oz (57th percentile)

29 1/4 inches long (91st percentile)

Elise is now 9 months old and really starting to lose her "baby fat." She is very active and constantly on the move. She loves to crawl everywhere and pull up on the couch, tables, her toy buckets, chairs- anything she can get her hands on.

Her favorite toys are her blocks, balls, BOOKS, her phone and anything she can fit in her mouth to chew on. She seems to have lost interest in her "ball toy" but loves taking the balls and throwing them towards the floor to try to bounce them (a game daddy taught her). She likes to let you build up towers with the blocks so that she can knock them down. She loves playing and wrestling with her puppy- who sings songs and says colors and body parts when you press his paws, tummy and ears.

We don't watch much tv, but when we do- her favorite show is still Mickey Mouse Club House!!!!

Elise can say MaMa, DaDa, ADa (which she says when she sees Sieben- so I think it's "dog"), Ball, Hey, Hi, Bye (and waves). She loves to greet people and smiles and waves when we're at the store or restaurant- she loves the attention she gets when people notice her!! When she waves at someone and they don't respond- she starts yelling at them to get their attention (great- huh?!?!) She does "so big," plays "peek-a-boo" and claps when you sing "if you're happy and you know it."

She will try to walk if you hold her hands and has even gotten brave enough to try to take a step on her own. She will cruise down the couch by stepping side to side while holding on. She also moves from one toy bucket to the other, if you put them close enough, without falling down. And she has crawled up stairs- which MUCH supervision!!!!!

She's growing by leaps and bounds and seems to learn very quickly!

For July 4th weekend we went to Milwaukee to visit Grandpa Harry and Grandma Ellie (James' parents). We found a direct flight from Akron Canton to Milwaukee- so we took Elise on her first plane ride. The flight was delayed about 20 minutes, but other than that- Elise did great!!!!We took lots of "crunchies" and drink for the plane ride to help her clear her ears- and it seemed to do the trick. She didn't fuss at all on the plane!!

While in Milwaukee, we took Elise to the zoo. She got to see elephants, giraffes, bears, monkeys, peacocks and many other animals. She seemed more interested in people-watching than anything else. We had a great time!!

On Saturday afternoon Grandma Ellie bought a pool for Elise (and Lacey) to play in. Elise LOVES the water- so she was very excited to get wet- and it was nice to cool down because we were enduring some HOT weather!!!!!

Grandma Ellie found some ducks for Elise to play with in the water- which she of course had to have one in each hand while playing (and trying to stand up) in the pool.

We celebrated the 4th of July by watching, and eventually joining in on, the neighborhood parade. The parade is led by 2 police cars and a small marching band. Then, as the parade goes through the neighborhood, everyone joins behind and walks to the nearby park.

At the park you enjoy ice cream and the kids play games!! It was a lot of fun to watch the neighborhood kids decorate their bikes and skateboards and join in the parade!!

Elise entered her first foot race and, with daddy's help, won a blue balloon!!

We had a fabulous weekend and are looking forward to spending time with Grandpa Harry, Grandma Ellie and the entire Moseley family in August when we travel to Maine for the Family Reunion!!!!!

James' First Father's Day

Even though this post is a couple weeks late, I wanted to be sure to write about James' First Father's Day (or Father's Day Weekend)!!!!!


I let him know that we would do ANYTHING that he wanted- so of course the weekend was packed full of fun activites!!



On Saturday morning, Elise woke up at 8:00 and after we ate breakfast we went to Price Park. We walked around the path twice (about 2 miles) and then headed for the swings!


James pushed Elise on the swings. She's always seemed a little afraid in the past, but I guess she's gotten over her fears because she LOVED it!!!!! She laughed and squealed as daddy pushed her higher and higher. She even seemed to be pumping her legs to go even higher. I loved watching the two of them have so much fun.


Saturday afternoon we headed out to find a swimming pool for the back yard. Ever since Elise's swimming class- James has been wanting to get Elise in a pool to play. He's been dying to put a pool in the back yard- but for now we'll settle for a small plastic pool to play in.



They had a blast playing and splashing. Elise, of course, just wanted to find a way to stand up. She did do a few nose dives into the "deep end"- but I was happy to see that she didn't seem to mind her face getting wet and quickly recovered and wanted to play again. I'm soooo glad that we took her to swimming class so that she's comfortable in the water.



We had my mom and dad over for dinner- made steak kabobs and baked potatoes on the grill. It was a great day!!!!


On Sunday we headed out early to Metzger Park. We hadn't taken Elise for a ride in her Chariot behind the bikes and thought that it was a gorgeous day to give it a try. Elise did great and James and I had a BLAST!!!!!!!


The Chariot is just the right size for Elise and all her stuff- snacks, drink, toys, books... so she seemed to have a good time and we were able to get some good exercise (biked 5 1/2 miles).


Sunday evening we headed over to Grandma Leslie (Lisa's grandma) pool for more swimming. We put Elise into a raft and she kicked her way around the entire pool. She never stopped moving!!!!! She had a wonderful time and it was a great ending to a fantastic weekend!!

Elise and I made James a plate for Father's Day. We went to Glazed and Amused and they helped me make a butterfly out of her feet prints. She liked having her feet in the paint, but didn't like having her feet held on the plate to make the print. It was a bit of a challenge- but turned out pretty nice for a First Father's Day!!!!!!

Happy Father's Day to James- the most incredible man I know! Thank you for being such a wonderful father and example to Elise. Thank you for loving us both!!!!

My First Mother's Day

I woke up on Mother's Day to find my wonderful husband and baby girl making me pancakes!!!

James loves to carry Elise around the house in the Bjorn- and Elise loves being in the center of all the action (which is usually anywhere James is)- so they had a very fun morning!

James and Elise made a hand print for me for Mother's Day. It's so wonderful because it's something special that I will always have to remind me of my first Mother's Day!! I'll always have a reminder of how tiny Elise's precious little hand was in 2010- and how wonderful James was to spend time with Elise to make such a thoughtful gift!!!!

We spent most of the morning together just enjoying each other's company. James has been so busy with work lately and has had to work several weekends. It was nice to have one day just for the three of us- with no distractions!!


Elise has been very interested in pulling up to standing... She loved having daddy to play with and having mommy as an audience as she showed off her skills (with one eye on Sieben the whole time).

We had a late lunch at A1 Steakhouse (one of my favorite Japanese restaurants), went for a walk at Diamond Park and watched movies at home. It was the most perfect day!!!!

My First Mother's Day... so amazing!!! I think that I say in almost every blog post that I can't believe how quickly time has passed- but it's so true. Eight months ago I gave birth to the most amazing little girl that I have ever known. I love her more and more every day as I see the thrill and excitement in her eyes as she learns new things and grows bigger and stronger. Even when she is sick with a 103 degree temp- she smiles at me and loves me in her own special way!!! One of my most favorite parts of my day is going to her room in the morning... even though she usually smiles up and me and says "da da"- hehe.

Every change and sacrifice that I have made is worth it because we have an incredible daughter who makes me PROUD to be a Mother!

A Week of Firsts!!!

This week has been a week of FIRSTS for Elise!!!!!

On Monday morning, she figured out how to get up on her knees all by herself. James and I have been working with her and helping to push her up on her knees. She would stay on her knees and rock back and forth a little bit and then fall back down. She would push up on her arms- but never figured out her legs until early this week!!

Unfortunately, all I had close by was my phone to take the picture- so it's not the best quality. And- of course it was morning, so Elise isn't quite dressed in her best and is missing her pants... but she was up on her knees (and almost on her feet!!!)

On Wednesday morning, Elise figured out how to get from her knees to the sitting position!

I wonder how babies figure out how to do these things on their own. James and I haven't shown her how to get into a seated position- but she DID IT!!!!

Of course- once again- this is a picture I took with my phone... so not the best quality. Look at that face though!! She was soooo proud of herself. I think I screamed that morning when I went in to get her. It's odd seeing your child sitting up in her crib when you're used to walking in and she's usually laying on her back or belly.

I'm sure she was thinking "why are you taking my picture?? Get me out of here and get me some breakfast!!!"

Now when we put Elise on the floor- all she wants to do is push up into a sitting position. She hasn't tried to crawl or anything for a few days because she wants to practice her new "skill." If she wants to get a toy, she sits up- then she dives towards the toy. If she's not close enough, she pushes up into a sitting position again and then dives again. It's so funny to watch!!!!

Another thing Elise has done this week is finally start playing in her jumper.

Bryan & Lisa got the jumper for her for Christmas and she's acted afraid of it and every time we put her in she starts to fuss and cry. Well- with her new confidence... she's not afraid anymore.

Here she is this week playing in the jumper. She's not exactly jumping- but she's having a good time. She became very amused with the mirror and started reaching and playing with it. She was so enthusiastic about it that she pulled herself over to one side so that both of her feet are actually off the floor.

We're going to work with her more on the jumping- but the best thing is that she's excited and wants to play in it!!!! So glad!

Below are a few pictures I wanted to share from the photo shoot that we had with Elise a few weeks ago. Our friend Chris (the same one who took our Christmas pics) took them for us. Amazing enough- Elise started sitting up on her own two days before the pictures were taken. So eventhough I have my hands behind her in most of the pics- she's sitting up all on her own!!!!

OUR BIG GIRL!!!! WE JUST LOVE HER SOOOO MUCH!!!!

Swimming class and other fun

We have had a very busy week filled with special visitors, play dates and swim class!!!!

This past weekend Grandpa Harry and Grandma Ellie (James' parents) traveled from Wisconsin to pay us a visit. This is the first time that they have seen Elise since Christmas- so it was a very special visit!!!!

Elise loved seeing her grandparents! She smiled wide for them and showed them how fast she's been growing up. One night at dinner, Grandpa came to the table to sit down and Elise looked right at him and said "hi." Elise was also able to give Grandma and Grandpa a few good waves- which she's just learned to do in the past week.

On Saturday, Elise and I went shopping with Grandma Ellie for a new bathing suit!!! Of course Grandma couldn't resist also buying Elise a few pairs of pants and a cute pink plaid dress...

On Sunday, after Grandma fed Elise her cereal with bananas and her favorite sweet potatoes, we decided to go for a walk in the park.

We enjoyed the beautiful weather!!! And- as usual- Lacey (Harry & Ellie's golden retriever) found the mud and rolled in it...hehe- I think I was the only one that thought it was funny?!?!

Because their visit was so close to Easter, Harry and Ellie brought Elise's Easter gift with them.

They gave Elise a soft, stuffed bunny rabbit and the classic children's book "I am a Bunny." Elise LOVES her books- so she made Grandpa read her the book right away!!! She loves having you read to her so she can sit in your lap, look at the pictures and turn the pages!!!


The weekend ended too quickly- as it always does. And- as usual I had tears in my eyes as they pulled away on Monday morning to head back home.

The beautiful weather continued throughout the week. Robin and I finally coordinated our schedules so that we could meet at Metzger Park for a walk.

Here is a picture of CUTE Gabe and Elise in their strollers at the end of our walk. We got about 3/4 of the way around the path and Elise started to fuss- so Robin suggested we take the short cut back to our cars.

Considering that Gabe and Elise have opposite nap times (Gabe got up from his nap at 1:00 and Elise was scheduled to go down for her nap at 2:00)- everything went very well!!!!! I hope that we can meet again soon and get even further along the path next time.

Elise started her 6 week swimming class at the North Canton YMCA today. I think James was as excited as she was to get into the water!! The instructor was very nice and she made all the parents and children feel comfortable.

There were 8 kids in the class ranging from 6 months to 2 1/2 years old. The instructor had the children sit on the edge of the pool and put their feet in the water. Then they held onto the edge of the pool and kicked. She also had them get all the way into the pool with their parent and splash and kick.

They sang songs and played with balls. It was such a wonderful experience and it will help Elise to be comfortable in the water and learn a few basic skills. She was by far the youngest child in the class and was more brave with some of the exercises than the 2 year olds! I was so proud of her!!!!

I hope that some day Elise has the passion for the water just as James does!!!!

Six Months Old & Easter

17lbs 12oz (80th percentile) and 27 1/2 inches (95th percentile)

SIX MONTHS OLD!!!!! WOW... I remember Elise being born like it was just yesterday. I remember holding her for the first time, sharing that first special moment with James as we realized that our lives would be changed forever. But- never in my wildest dreams would I have even believed that I would feel the love for her that I do!!!! She has changed everything about me- and I know that I am a better and HAPPIER person because she is here...

As you can see from the stats above- Elise is growing by leaps and bounds. She started eating cereal approximately one week after she turned 5 months old. She didn't really like it at first and just let it roll around on her tongue and would spit it right back out. Quite honestly- at 6 months old... she hasn't changed her opinion much about cereal. I started adding a small spoonful of banana baby food to the cereal to make it taste better- and now I can get about 5 good spoonfuls in her before she wants to move on!!

Elise's favorite thing to eat is sweet potatoes!! This was the first vegetable that I tried and she LOVED it!! This picture was taken after I had already cleaned her face twice... she was such a mess- even had it in her nose!! Since introducing sweet potatoes, Elise has tried squash and sweet carrots- but doesn't like either one as well as she likes sweet potatoes... so I bought her some more so that she can enjoy them this weekend!!

This past weekend was Easter Sunday and our entire family was invited to dinner at my dad's sister's house (Aunt Eileen). I was lucky enough to get a picture of the three girls... Marissa and Abby smiled great and took a wonderful picture!!! Elise, on the other hand, didn't want to have her picture taken- she wanted to play and watch Aunt Eileen's dog run around the house...

Marissa turned 5 in January and Abby is 7... three beautiful girls!!

Elise got her first Easter Basket from the Easter Bunny. She received a Winnie the Pooh crinkle book and a stuffed yellow duck (which she was holding her in 6 month picture at the beginning of the blog). The Easter Bunny also brought candy for mommy and daddy!!!!

We had a wonderful Holiday weekend with James being home with us ALL THREE DAYS!!!!! He has been working a lot lately- so it was wonderful to have him home and enjoying the weekend with me and Elise. We were able to spend lots of time together- reading books, playing with toys and even taking a walk in the park! I cherished every second with James and Elise!!!!!!

FIVE MONTHS OLD

It's absolutely amazing to me that Elise is already five months old. The time has passed so quickly and she is growing and learning new things every single day!!!

Above is one of Elise's four month pictures. Because James was working late that night, I took Elise's pictures on my own- so I didn't get any pictures of her smiling. In most of the pictures she was either looking around or grabbing onto the bear or the paper- but having fun!!!!!

The yellow dress that Elise is wearing is from Bryan & Lisa. They had a garage sale before I was even expecting- and I just couldn't let her sell this dress... WOW- must have known we were having a girl?!?!

Elise has been rolling over for over a month now- but at five months old she is rolling everywhere!! When I put Elise down on the floor and step away for a minute- I just hope that she's still on her gym when I come back. She's getting so curious and wants to explore- and will do everything in her power to go after a toy if she really wants it.

Here's a picture of her pushing up on her arms. She's getting so strong. Once she figures out what to do with her legs- she'll be crawling soon... and I will be SOOOOO busy chasing her around the house (let's just say- she definately has her daddy's go-go-go personality)!!

Elise has finally found her feet!! It seems like she was late in finding her feet- but I remember my friend Beth saying that once she took off her baby's socks, that she quickly found her feet. I think the same happened with Elise. I've been keeping her bundled up because of the cold winter- but lately I've been leaving off her socks... and she quickly found out how much fun her feet can be!!!!!!

This past weekend we fed Elise rice cereal. The dr recommnded that we start her on cereal before she turned six months- so we thought that now would be a good time to get started.

She took a few good spoonfuls- spitting most of it out. It's hard to tell from her expression if she enjoyed it or not?!?!

I tried giving her cereal yesterday and she didn't want it at all. So- for now it's going to be trial and error. I'll try maybe every other day and see how it goes. She's still gaining weight and doing great- so there is certainly no need to rush her on eating!!!!

At five months, Elise is sleeping 10 to 11 hours at night. Most nights she fusses around 2AM- but I have started letting her cry a little bit and most nights she falls right back to sleep. She is a great sleeper and knows her schedule. If she's a few minutes late for a nap- she lets you know!!!

James and I have been so blessed with a wonderful baby!!! She is our true pride and joy!!!

Fun with Snow

Elise is now officially 19 weeks old- only 7 more weeks until she's SIX MONTHS!!!!!! I am amazed by how quickly time has passed and how much she is growing up.


Below are a few fun pics that we took this weekend.


Last weekend was Grandpa Moseley's birthday- so we had to take a picture of Elise wishing him a "Happy Birthday." Abby and Marissa helped make the sign and birthday hat.


Above is a picture James took right before I put on her hat- I just LOVE the way she's looking at me here!!!! She's so sweet!!!






Friday night/Saturday morning we got about a foot of snow!!


Since it was so cold- we didn't think we should take Elise outside, so we brought the snow inside to her!!!!




She played with the snow a little bit- but didn't play too long because it was cold on her little fingers. We did get a few cute pictures of her playing with the snow and also with the "mini-snow dog" that James made for her.






Elise had her 4 month doctor's appointment this past Thursday and she received some of her 4 month vacines (I get to go back in two weeks with her to get the rest). She did great- didn't even cry!!



Elise has had quite a few skin outbreaks lately- which the doctor checked and believes that she has Eczema. She shoulders were so bad that they he believed that they were getting infected (so sad). He prescribed her with a special skin ointment and an antibiotic to give her for the next 10 days. She's doing great after only 3 days- I see tons of improvement!!!! She's such a trooper!!

FOUR MONTHS OLD!!!

We have been taking monthly pictures of Elise with her bear (I have to admit- I copied this idea from Beth White). Since I haven't blogged her monthly pictures, I wanted to catch up with her last FOUR months' pictures.

Elise at one month old- 11 pounds 2 oz and 23 inches long

Elise at two months old- 13 pounds 13 oz and 24 1/4 inches long

Elise at three months old (she had a head cold and ear infection... poor baby!!)- approx 15 pounds and 25 inches long

Elise at four months old- 15 pounds 13 oz and 25 3/4 inches long

Elise didn't have a doctor's appointment at 3 months and her 4 month doctor's appointment is scheduled for next week...

At four months- Elise is rolling over from belly to back (and only once from back to belly), grabbing toys, cooing and “talking” all the time, Elise also loves to scream just to hear herself (she’s scared me a couple times with her screams- I go running and she’s just smiling away!!). Elise also loves to laugh out loud- it’s so fun to hear.

Last night in her bathtub she “found” her foot. She hasn’t grabbed it yet today- but it’s certainly an exciting new discovery!!!! Elise has also been on a consistent 4 hour schedule (awake, eat and play for 2 hours and nap for 2 hours)- and she sleeps 8 to 10 hours at night. She’s doing just great and, as you can see, growing like a weed!!

We are SUCH proud parents!!!!!!

Elise pics

I honestly have no idea how many people read our blog- but I just wanted to share some random pics of Elise over the last (almost) four months!!!

I can't believe how quickly she's grown and how our lives has changed!! She's so precious!