FINALLY POSTING!!!

It has been several months since I have blogged- and there is sooooo much that has happened in those past 8 months!!!! I'll TRY to catch you all up in this blog so that I can start blogging again regularly :) HOPEFULLY



Here is a picture of Elise is her "new chair" after her 1st birthday party!! We had a wonderful party- lots of friends and family, gorgeous weather- so we were able to play outside, good food and a wonderful cake... and Elise SMASHED right into her cake!! We all had a blast!








Here is one of our favorite pictures of Elise. We were playing outside in our back yard and loving the cool weather and the leaves!! Elise had fun picking up leaves and throwing them and running around the back yard. She enjoyed having the freedom of running and hearing the noise of the crinkling leaves under her feet!!







My baby girl with a pretty bow in her hair!!!! Her hair had just started growing longer and her hair was starting to get in her eyes. I tried to put a bow in her hair and- surprise- she actually left the bow in long enough for me to take a picture!!


Also- she's sitting in her chair that she got from James and I for her birthday. This is seriously the BEST gift that we could have gotten her- she sits in it every single day!! Also- we had her name embroidered in the chair. When Elise sits in her chair, she turns around and points to her name and wants me to spell it- E L I S E. And- when you ask Elise what her name is... she runs to her chair and points at it!!




Here's a picture of my "babies" sitting together. Elise is about 16 months old in this picture and Sieben is 13 1/2 years old (can you believe it?!) It seems like every month Elise gets more and more active- and Sieben becomes more and more tolerant.


James and I were so nervous about Sieben and how she would be with Elise- Sieben has never been good with children. But it's so clear that she loves Elise. She checks on her all the time, she greets her every morning when she wakes up, she sits close beside her at every meal (hoping for some yummy food) and Sieben even shares a seat on her bed!! I'm so happy that our "babies" get along well!! One of Elise's first words- of course- was DOGGIE.

Elise also helped us make a "big announcement" in February 2011. We found out this year that we're going to have another baby!! We waited until the baby was 12 weeks old- and then had Elise pose in her BIG SISTER shirt- so that we could announce through e-mail and Facebook to our family and friends!


Elise is very excited about babies- and if we ever see one, she must go over and see the baby up close!! We've been trying to talk about the baby as much as we can to try to prepare her to the change. I think Elise will be a good big sister- she is already to helpful and curious!



Here is a bit of a gross picture- but certainly something that I should blog about! Elise had her first visit to the Emergency Room in February 2011. She was pushing around her toy grocery cart, tripped and fell on the corner and ripped her labial frenulum (the skin that connects your lip to the gums between your front teeth). She kept bleeding and bleeding- and I finally got her into the pediatrician 3 hours after the incident. While the doctor was examining her, Elise bit him- so they had to restrain her in a papoose (which went completely around her and strapped down her arms, legs and head). Elise and I were both crying!! The doctor was concerned because the bleeding continued and he didn't think he would be able to stop it- so he sent us to Akron Children's Hospital. Elise was examined by two residents and one doctor- and the final decision was to keep feeding her Popsicles and the bleeding would eventually stop. One of the residents made a joke that Elise looked like she had just eaten a piece of dead animal or something- she was literally covered in blood from head to toe. It was a stressful day- but turned out fine and we went home an hour later and both took a very long nap!!!



The next two pictures were taken in March 2011. Elise started her second swimming class!! She had her first class about a year ago- when she was only 6 months old. She was the youngest in the class and wasn't really able to do much more than splash and kick a little.


James LOVES the water- so he was more than willing and excited to get in the water with Elise for her swim classes. It's so fun to see the change in Elise for her classes this time around. She is one of the oldest in her class now and she loves being active and doing everything! She is able to sit on the side of the pool, climb in and out, jump in the pool to daddy, kick, reach and pull, blow bubbles, put her head under and of course sing and do motions with all the song. One of Elise's favorite things to do now is KICK- even when not in the water... and sometimes I'll see her with one of her stuffed animals trying to get it to "reach and pull"- just like she does in swim class!!!! SO AWESOME :)




I'll finish the blog with a picture of me and Elise!! I know that it's not the best picture of either one of us- but it's the most recent.


This little miracle will be 18 months old on March 25th. She is the most excited and energetic child I have ever met- she runs EVERYWHERE!! ("hot in the socks" is what Grandma Ellie says) She loves her baby dolls and stuffed animals and hugs and kisses them several times a day! She talks all the time- even when trying to get herself to sleep. She knows many words (just to name a few)- momma, dada, papa, doggie, door, car, truck, plate, fork, juice, snack, cheese, book, teddy, Stella (her baby doll), piggie, ball, Mick (Mickie Mouse), horsie, push, pull, touch, hot, cold, shirt, pants, socks, shoes, yes and of course NO!!!!


We love spending every day together. Having Elise and staying home to raise her has been one of the best decisions of my life. I feel like I'm a totally different person than I was 18 months ago- and I have my baby girl to thank for it!! She makes me feel like I have more meaning and purpose to my life- and that makes it all worth it!!

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!!!!