Friday, December 30, 2011

A Very Merry Christmas: Part 1

Tim and I have established, with the blessing of our families, that we will no longer travel over the holidays. So this year, Tim's family (mom, step dad, & brother) joined us for Elliot's first Christmas! They arrived just in time to join me in one of my favorite traditions, making Christmas cookies. We had so many sweets covering our breakfast table, that the cookies actually hardly got touched. Elliot was a big help in the kitchen :) She made sure that the spatulas were accounted for. (And no, she is not eating dough, those are baked apple pieces).
On Christmas Eve, Tim took his family into DC to see the monuments. Elliot and I stayed at home and enjoyed a quiet morning. That afternoon, we had an early Christmas and Skyped with my parents! We love Skype! The grandparents were able to watch Elliot open their presents and chat with us for a long time :) Her favorite present from them was the jingle bell attached to one of the bows.
That night, we all went out to our favorite Thai restaurant, Thai Shirlington. We bring all our guests here. It's amazing! Elliot spent most of the night flirting with a boy baby at the booth behind us. I think she's already giving her daddy some gray hairs...After dinner, Tim, Elliot, & I snuggled up on the couch to read "Twas The Night Before Christmas" (my mom made Elliot a recordable version). Then I sent our darling baby to bed with belly full of warm milk and visions of teething in her head (yes her top two teeth came in, so needless to say it was not a silent night).

To be continued...

Friday, December 23, 2011

Countdown to 1st Christmas!

I cannot believe that it is almost Christmas! My parents instilled in me very early the LOVE of Christmas. Christmas carols always playing on the radio, constant rotation of treats through the oven, and decorating the house like we owned a Christmas novelty shop. Poor Tim has embraced my sometime annoying holiday spirit, and laughs as I try to pass down my good tidings to Elliot.

As a kindergarten teacher, we are always doing crafts this time of year. So I was in a particular ambitious mood when I decided my 9 month old was ready for some crafts. I was ready. Paint, wet wipes, glitter, markers, and a naked baby looking at me like a crazy person from her highchair. Elliot let me know right away that she did not appreciate paint on her hand. Baby girl's shrikes could be heard throughout the house. But I was determined to get one holiday craft for her 1st Christmas! Poor baby. Anyway, above you will see the product of our labor... it is a hand print Christmas tree. After our crafty adventure, Elliot took a long nap :)Elliot loves daycare, and I adore the lady who runs it! She had all the kids, including my baby, make adorable Christmas crafts all month! Yesterday, Elliot came home with a wreath made out of her tiny hand prints, a Santa she colored, and a photo album of Elliot during their little holiday party. I almost cried, I was so happy. Elliot also brought home her own gingerbread house which proudly adorns our kitchen windowsill :)I am so excited for Elliot's 1st Christmas! Of course, 80% of the presents under the tree are for her...but I wouldn't want it any other way. Tim's family (mom, step-dad, and brother) are joining us this year :) Stay tuned for more pictures...probably next week. Have a very merry Christmas!!!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

...and we're back!

Has it really been over 2 months since I blogged! Goodness! Well it's not entirely my fault, we've had internet problems (that still aren't resolved) and I cannot access the blog from work... so that's part of my excuse.

Well since it has been so long, I figured I'd update you through pictures...since that the best part anyway :) This blog will be about October and November.

Tim, Elliot, and I participated in the DC chapter of Light the Night Walk in honor of one of his coworker. It is a wonderful cause, and the route we take through the city is breathtaking. The streets are blocked off so you can stroll through our beautiful city surrounded by amazing caring people. Even though we had to take a short cut due to a tired baby, we still had a good time!
Elliot turned 8 months in October and crossed over to major personality. She so desperately wants to be a big girl, but doesn't want to take the steps, or crawls, to make it happen ;) She looks chubby in this picture which is deceiving ( I think she just ate), because according our charts Elliot is still thin.
Happy Halloween! Elliot was DeSean Jackson, the WR for the Eagles. Friends of ours got her the jersey when I was pregnan,t so we thought it was easy, and oh so adorable. And no, I did not paint her face. Come on. It is painters tape with very little stickiness colored black.

In November, we got Elliot a highchair. She and the dog love it! She was feeding herself before, but now she can sit up high with Mommy and Daddy. It is a nice wooden one that matches our dining set. When my parent came to visit I said "Did you notice the highchair?" My Mom: "No." Me: "Exactly!"

We had an amazing fall this year!!! The leaves almost made it to Thanksgiving...which is really long. With every light storm the leaves hung onto the trees and just got more vibrant. Here is the tree outside our kitchen window. Isn't it incredible?!
My parents came up from FL for Thanksgiving! They were a big help! I needed some support since I had been taking care of a sick husband (Tim had pneumonia for 3 weeks...only 1 hospital visit) and a baby on my own for awhile (it sucked). Although Elliot's "separation anxiety" kicked in again, they were able to get some quality time with her. We, minus Tim who was still sick, went to my Aunt Nancy's for Thanksgiving dinner along with my cousins and friends. As always, their visit seemed too short.

In November, Elliot turned 9 months. I love this age! No she's not officially crawling yet, but she makes up for it by hanging out and talking our ears off. I love it! Every day after I pick her up from daycare, we chat about our days at school. She mostly yells/sing-songs babble with a couple "mama" and "dada" thrown in there from the car seat. Elliot is also now very polite (aside from the loud talking). She loves to share her toys and food, and she gets really excited when you say "thank you!" Elliot also waves hello and goodbye to us...and the dog...and the washing machine...and basically anything. She did well at her 9 month well visit, where she got her second round of the flu shot. I am so thankful (thanks Brittany) that I had her get the flu shot, because through all of Tim's pneumonia, her and I did not get sick! Elliot is also still our long and lean girl at 28 1/2 in. long and almost 18 lbs.
Now that I flew through October and November, our recent events in December will be close by...if the cable company can fix the internet on Saturday...