It won't be long...

...until she'll be all-out crawling. She gets faster and faster at creeping every day. Her favorite things to "chase" are phones, remotes, and mommy. She tried to scoot out of the pack-n-play to me today (with no luck, but she got picked up!). I seriously need to babyproof the house!

A big afternoon

Well, it has been a big afternoon at the Powell house! We got back from church (Elise refuses to nap in the nursery) and I put her down for a nap. After she woke up, she did the following:

-practiced her scooting
-practiced getting up on all fours (when she lunges forward, she still falls into the ground)
-signed "more" several times during lunch
-waved back and forth with me
-took 5 shaky steps holding onto the coffee table (I put a toy at the opposite corner where she was standing)
-turned from holding on to the coffee table to holding on to me and back several times (she was standing, I was sitting behind her)

She is growing up way too fast!

I like to move it move it

Here's a quick glimpse at what Elise has been working on this week. I'm not sure if she'll be army crawling or regular crawling first, but she's definitely got the swimming thing down pat.

She also has much more control over her babbling... her voice is a little softer and slower. I'm not sure if that makes sense. Anyway, she's been combining different consonants. Today she told me "ma be ge dada ba"... whatever that means :)

Happy 8 Months!

We went to the doctor today so that she could get part 1 of her 6 month vaccines. We will skip the 9 month appointment and go back at 10 months for the second part of the vaccines. She weighs 20 lbs 3 oz and measured just over 28 inches. She's still in the 90th percentile for length but dropped to the 85th percentile for weight. Between 0 and 2 months, she gained about 3 1/2 lbs (from her 2-day old weight), between 2 and 4 months she gained about 3 1/2 lbs, between 4 and 6 months she gained about 3 1/2 lbs, but between 6 and 8 months, she gained 1 1/2 lbs. I wasn't surprised at all... the growth is supposed to slow down after 6 months. Thank goodness! She pooped (a really disgusting poop, but my cloth diaper miraculously held it all in) while they were measuring her head so I don't remember the head measurement. The doctor says if she continues on the same height curve that she will be around 5'10'' as an adult. He can better predict that at age 2... we were just having fun. Maybe I have a future volleyball player on my hands! She also waved bye-bye to the doctor today.

The doctor thinks she is having some stomach issues stemming from the vomiting incidents last month. She's not been crazy about solids ever since then and the last 3 nights, she's woken up around midnight screaming hysterically. Nothing will calm her down... she isn't hungry, doesn't want a teether, doesn't want to be rocked or walked around the house... nothing. I just have to wait for the tylenol to kick in and she's good for the rest of the night. She doesn't have a fever or an ear infection. He thinks there may still be some bacteria in her stomach that is causing all of this, so he advised me to give her just yogurt and cereal for a few weeks and see how that goes.

Elise has also decided that she is too big for a bottle. I try to give her one every now and then to make the pumping worthwhile. Tonight was the night. She did some crazy crunches trying to sit herself up while drinking from the bottle, so I decided to pour the milk into her straw cup and see what happened. It took her about 30 seconds to shift gears from bottle to straw, but then she happily sat in my lap and gulped down the rest of her milk from the cup. What a big girl!

My Beco baby carrier should be arriving tomorrow... I am so excited! I broke out the Baby Bjorn yesterday and it turns out that I can't snap the top part over her shoulders anymore. She's getting so big!

Finally, here are the fun facts for the month. I'll be impressed if you make it through the whole thing, unless you are Mike :) I made lots of extra notes for him. I love you, honey!

At 8 months, Elise…

-Will turn around while sitting or on tummy to get to me or a toy, will reach for me when she wants to be picked up

-Will do the splits and chew on her toes (my best picture is blurry, argh!)

-Will get on all fours by herself from her belly

-Will drink out of a straw cup (she figured this out on her own in about a minute... I was so impressed!)

-Will get frustrated if she can’t figure out how to scoot herself forward to get a toy, previously, she didn’t really care, she’d just roll over and find something else to do

-Loves to make the “ieeeeeeeee” sound

-Says mama, dada, baba, lala, oioi, guyguy, bubba, gigi and experiments with the p and k sounds

-Will get into a crawling position from sitting, but then sit right back down... chicken!

-Gets almost all finger foods in her mouth on the first try

-Prefers nursing to solid food

-Wears 12-18 month clothes from babyGap/Old Navy (except she can still wear her 6-12 month dresses)

-Will play independently either sitting with toys or rolling around the floor... here is her new way to play with the activity gym...

-Objects when you leave her sight or when you take something away that she really wants (camera, cell phone, keys, sunglasses, etc)

-Loves boss... he always gets a smile or giggle

-Has an excellent pincer grip... yesterday she knocked a puff off of her tray and was able to pick it up from her lap and eat it

-Examines toys very carefully and doesn't immediately stuff them in her mouth

-Doesn’t spit up anymore

-Knows that objects are still there if you turn her around so she isn't facing them... she'll turn herself back around and look for them (the remote, camera, and cell phone are her favorite prohibited items)

-Goes into 'sleep mode' whenever she gets in her crib at naptime or bedtime... it is wonderful!

-Decided that there is too much going on to take naps in the church nursery... this will make our Sundays very interesting.

-Will sometimes wave bye-bye or hi... we practice a lot :)

-Sticks her tongue out and plays with her teeth

-Still loves to stand up... now she thinks she is a big girl and only holds on with one hand at a time...

My bet is that her first word will be some variation of 'puppy'. She LOVES her Bossman, and I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual. The orange toy she is playing with is actually his... he brought it to her to play fetch.

And finally, here are some pictures of her with Mike's sister Jennifer, his brother Ben, and Ben's girlfriend Kara.

I'm not quite sure how to explain these pictures. Elise is wearing an outfit that Mike wore at almost 2 years old. Mike and Ben have always given their mom a hard time about these green velvet jumpers, so Ben decided to make Mike a proud father of his green-suited little girl. Elise is obviously happy to be wearing this outfit.

Happy 8 months, sweetheart! Mommy and Daddy love you!

Update

Just in case you were wondering, I decided to go with the Beco in espresso. It comes with black straps, so therefore I think it will look okay with either a brown or black outfit on me, Mike, and Elise. I haven't worn it around yet (except a quick test-drive in the store), but so far the deciding factor on Ergo vs. Beco is the waist strap. It can buckle in the middle for the Beco, which makes it much easier to fasten while holding the baby. It is also more comfortable when wearing the Beco on your back, because the buckle is in the middle and not digging into your hip. I ordered it tonight so it should be here soon!

Look for Elise's 8 month post tomorrow!

What'll it be??

Well, I will post more about this later, but yesterday I decided to return my Ergo carrier in favor of a Beco carrier. Jenni asked me if I had looked at both of them, and therefore I wasted naptime looking at the differences online and then took a quick trip down to Round Rock to compare them in person. I'll write a review of it after I have used it, but I believe it will be much easier to put on by myself. The only problem is that I can't decide which to keep. Out of the two that Baby Earth had in stock, I picked the less girly one. Is it too girly for Mike to carry a boy in? The colors are the same as Elise's room. The other options that they have online are even more girly than this... but I could also choose solid black or brown. The main dilemma is that most of Elise's clothes have brown in them, my regular clothes are probably split between brown and black, and all of my workout clothes are black. I can't win! Help me decide! The picture of the Beco is at the top of the next post.

#11 and #3 and cute

Okay, I have one more thing to add to my list...

11) Kiddopotamus Tiny Diner Placemat

I used this at Olive Garden tonight and it works great!

But, the real reason for this post...

On a side note, Elise got her 3rd tooth today (top right center). Last night she woke up screaming at midnight, stayed up for about 10 minutes (but wasn't hungry and no tooth), and went back to sleep. That was the only indicator that tooth #3 was approaching. She was totally normal all day today, and I might not have noticed her tooth except that she leaned back when we were playing and I saw white on her gums.

Another note for the baby book: She's also been scooting, turning towards me, or trying to climb up me when she wants to be picked up...outstretched arms and all...very sweet.

Get excited... she also pulled up for the video camera.

Ten...

... baby things that I'm glad I don't have to live without! I'm going to try to narrow it down to my top ten baby things for this point in our lives. Elise will be 8 months old next week. I actually linked them to a place where you can buy them/read other reviews. In no particular order...

1) Ergo Baby Carrier

Ok, so I loved my Baby Bjorn Air Carrier. It is still in perfect condition and I will love it again for a future baby, but once Elise reached 19-20 pounds, my shoulders started getting knots in them. I think next time I will start using the Ergo around 18 pounds. Anyway, she's over 20 now and therefore heavy to carry around... but not when I am using the Ergo! It can go on the front, back, and hip. The main drawback is that the baby can't face out like they can in the Baby Bjorn, but Elise doesn't seem to mind. I've only tried her in the front position because the back position seems like it would be hard for me to do by myself. The hip position requires some re-threading of straps and I just haven't taken the time to set it up. I bought the dark chocolate one. It is an excellent product. I can see it doubling as a backpack carrier for hiking.

2) Fisher Price Rainforest Jumperoo OR Exersaucer

I have both of these and I bought them both used. I really don't need them both, but it is nice to have 2 when friends are over to play. Elise loves them. If I could only have one, I think it would be the Jumperoo because she LOVES to jump. However, as she's gotten older, the Exersaucer's toys have become quite enticing. Either way, these are the fallbacks for distracting her if she is bored or fussy or is wanting attention when I need to be doing something like eating, showering, etc. I actually only use them when they are "needed".

3) RazBerry

She loves these teethers. I have about four of them. HEB carries them as well. She actually gets excited when she sees them.

4) Sophie the Giraffe

Boss ate the original Sophie (she was a gift) but I decided to buy one later on because I had heard so many great things about them. She loves to chew on it and hold it and sometimes manages to squeak it too. This is a perfect toy for stuffing in the diaper bag or leaving in the car.

5) Britax Boulevard CS Convertible Car Seat

I love this car seat (minus the fact that the cover is boring but hey, it matches my car). She seems so comfortable in it and I love that her head rests comfortably on the wings when she is asleep. It doesn't fall forward at all (unlike some other car seats that have been recommended to me). The seat cover is very plush and comfortable. It doesn't feel "cheap" like some other car seats. It is very easy to transfer to another vehicle.

6) Beaba Babycook

I have really enjoyed making baby food for Elise and it is way easier than I had anticipated. I have actually used the Babycook to make food for myself! You steam and puree the food in the same container so you have fewer dishes to wash. I believe it only holds 2 or 3 cups, but it is very easy to make 2 batches of something if you want more. I will make mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes in here from now on. I also enjoy making applesauce. It is a great little dessert :) This gadget is pricey but I will be using it for years to come (and it will be cheaper than buying baby food).

7) Stacking cups

This is the link to my mom's favorite cups. She is so proud of them that I know she will want them advertised! Really, any cups will work. Elise is obsessed with knocking over stacks of cups. If I take a Razberry, Sophie, and a few cups in my diaper bag, she is good to go for hours. A bonus... they must be yummy because she loves to chew on them.

8) Gro Baby Diapers

Ah... I love my new diapers. The only bad thing is that occasionally I will forget to put them in the washer or dryer and will have to use a few disposables until they are dry. I've been using them for nearly 3 months and have had zero blowouts. In that time, I've had quite a few blowouts using disposables (even though she started on solid food). You have to change them more frequently than a disposable, but they don't have the chemical urine smell of a disposable. I never noticed this smell until I started using cloth. I also think the cloth diapers are way cuter :) I have snap closures on all of my diapers and they are actually easier to put on a wiggling/rolling/foot-grabbing baby. I know which snaps to fasten and I can be sure that the diaper will stay on correctly, unlike the closures on velcro diapers or disposable diapers. Feel free to ask if you have questions about them.

9) Bebe au Lait Nursing Cover

I actually have two of these. I keep one in the living room and one rolled up in the diaper bag. It is large enough that as hard as she tries, Elise hasn't been able to expose us. I'll have to keep my fingers crossed on that one. They have a lot of cute prints :)

10) Pottery Barn Kids Canvas Toy Bucket

I have a medium light pink canvas bucket for Elise's toys. It is the perfect height for her while she is sitting. She likes to pull the bucket over so that the toys spill out. I want to get another one but I can't decide if I should go one size up :)

Honorable Mention: Baby Bjorn Babysitter 1-2-3

I love this bouncer. In her newborn days, Elise took many naps in this. I love how it is made so that the fabric cuddles her when she's in it (instead of already being shaped). Hopefully that makes sense. Anyway, at almost 8 months, she still enjoys playing in it while I take a shower. I keep it in the bathroom and use it when I take a shower. She loves to 29 lbs


If you've made it this far, I am impressed! Today Elise has made more progress with her "scooting" and has figured out that she can push off of the floor and move forward to get something that is out of her reach. Scary! :)

Changes but no pictures

This is probably a boring post because there are no pictures. Since I look at the blog when I am writing entries in the baby book, I have to record things as they happen :)

Elise has changed so much in the last week. Last Thursday, she pulled herself up to a standing position on the bed frame of our bed. I let her sit in front of the bed frame or crib so that she has the opportunity to practice. Well, I sat her down in front of the bed frame on Thursday and she immediately grabbed the frame with both hands and struggled a little bit to pull herself up. She repeated it and then I set the video camera up and she refused to perform. I'll be going home tomorrow so we will try it again.

On Thursday she also discovered that she has a tongue. She now loves to stick it out and swirl it around. This has increased her repertoire of facial expressions.

She is starting to experiment with crawling. She will get up on her hands/knees or hands/feet on me if I am laying down. When she wakes up in her crib, she does a little round of rolling and stretching which includes getting up on her knees. She doesn't do it when she is playing with toys, but she is getting very close. She will sit and reach for things until she is *almost* in the crawling position, and then she will use her hands to push herself back up to sitting. If she is on her tummy and trying to reach for toys, she basically just swims. She will also scoot herself backwards and in circles.

She loves to stand holding on to anything. Her balance is very good and she looks so happy and proud of herself as she stands. I still sit close by because sometimes she forgets she has to hold on.

Ever since the two vomiting incidents last month, she's been much pickier with her food. I finally found a fruit that she will eat... Sprout's "Oatmeal with Cinnamon Applesauce". I make my own food for her at home, so I am going to try adding a cube of fruit to her oatmeal. She will always finish her sweet potatoes and Happy Bellies oatmeal. She will sometimes finish her peas, carrots, and avocado. She will never finish squash, green beans, bananas, or applesauce.

Her pincer grasp is getting quite good. She likes the Happy Bellies puffs and gets about 2/3 of them in her mouth on the first try. Boss loves when she practices with puffs. He camps out by the high chair. We have also tried cheese and cubed bananas. She did not care for the cheese and she had a hard time picking up the bananas.

She definitely understands the word "milk" and the sign for milk. She gets really excited when she hears/sees it, and really frustrated if I am too slow to get things "set up".

She has been saying "ma" and "mama" more lately. She's still got a long way to go to catch up to "dada" and "baba", but it is a start!

She has taken a break from clapping and moved on to practicing her waving. We still have a ways to go, but she will wave sometimes when I wave hi or bye to her. I've gotten it on video a few times.

She is still a fabulous sleeper. I've gradually been changing her schedule in preparation for daylight savings time. She used to go to sleep at 8 and wake up at 8. Then it was 8:15-8:15. Then 8:30-8:30. Now I can safely say that we're at 8:45-8:45 most of the time. Twice this week I had to wake her up at 9 am! She is also a superb napper. She still takes 2 naps of about 1.5 hours each. She wakes up, eats, plays, then naps about 2 hours after she wakes up. Then she eats, plays, eats solid food, plays, eats, and takes her second one is about 2.5-3 hours after the first one has ended. Nursing her twice and feeding solids once during this window really helped me to move her nap and bedtime later. When she wakes up from her second nap, we play, she eats, we play, she eats solids, we play, she eats, and then goes to sleep. I know this is a deviation from the "eat, play, sleep" cycle, but at this point, it doesn't matter at all :) She goes into "sleep mode" whenever she gets in her crib and hardly ever makes a fuss at either of the naptimes or bedtimes. I hope this continues into toddlerhood :) Sometimes I wonder what baby #2 will be like because I can't imagine an easier baby than Elise.

We've had a fun 5 days in Austin. We got to hang out with family and friends and I discovered that I'm in decent shape when I run without the baby/jogging stroller.

I promise to post pictures when I get home. Have a good week!

Sweat

Today Elise and I took a trip to the shipping place because we don't do lines at the post office. I decided to drive the Accord since it has been stuck in the garage for quite a while. Elise's infant carseat is in the Accord until she reaches 22 lbs (won't be long). We drove our 2 miles to the shipping place and she was sweaty. By the time we made it to the mall, she was drenched. I couldn't believe it! What a difference her convertible carseat makes with added air circulation! I am so glad that I decided on the Boulevard CS. There are so many reasons why I am happy with this purchase. It is so cute when she rests her head on the "wings" when she's asleep. It looks so comfortable.

Now, I must admit to those of you who voted for Cowmooflage... I actually wish that I had kept it instead. If you feel like spending $80 on a cowmooflage cover or $264 for a new carseat with the cowmooflage cover, my birthday is January 2. Christmas is December 25. If you don't want to wait that long, "Happy halfway through the deployment" is October 24.

Wow, it is a sad day when I want a car seat cover for my birthday. On that note, good night.

Elise and Boss

Here are some recent videos of Elise playing with Boss... she thinks he is SO funny. At the end of the first video she does her new trick... lifting her legs up and balancing herself and putting them back down. I bet it is a good ab workout.

And here is a video of Elise clapping in her new high chair. She has been clapping with noise for the last month or so and got a few loud claps in this video.



Boss has really enjoyed the cooler morning weather. I did not stage this video... I simply opened the back door and grabbed the camera because this is what I found.



You might be wondering why videos get posted in spurts... for some reason, blogger times out when I try to upload videos from my "real" video camera. Every now and then I try to remind myself to take videos with my camera so that I can upload them.

Stay tuned for some baby product reviews this week!