10 Months!

10 Months!

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9 months already??!!!

I am so sorry I have not blogged in such a long time. I really have no excuse, as I have only been back to work for about 5 weeks now. Elizabeth is growing by leaps and bounds. She started to crawl at about 8 1/2 months. Now she has discovered her freedom, she is all over the house. Rich and I enjoy watching her chase the cat (Chloe is much too fast for Elizabeth) and try to climb up everything. She loves the fact that she can now reach her toys and play with them. She continues to babble mama and baba and ya ya. Rich is waiting with bated breath for her to say "da da" but we are sure that will come with time. 

Returning back to work has been the hardest thing I have ever had to do. While we realize it is what is the best thing for our family, it is a tough decision, and I miss her sorely each day. I would love to stay home with her, but the economy being what it is, that is not an option for us. I am lucky to be a teacher and have the job that I do that allows me so much time off with my daughter. I have many shorter days and holidays, so all in all, things could be worse. And Rich and I both have a job, which is a blessing. 

Elizabeth is a very social butterfly, so daycare really does suit her. She loves watching the toddlers play. Elizabeth is the only baby at daycare and is given special treatment. They all protect her and look out for her. Currently, Elizabeth's favorite toy is a plastic lizard that she LOVES to chew on (oh, did I mention that she has 8 teeth??). 

Well, it's time to go. I will hopefully keep this blog updated more and will post video soon. 

Love to all. 

The Douglas family. 

Monterey, CA

The Douglas family spent a few days at the beach in Monterey, Ca. Our little girly was her usual laid back self, and loved the sand, beach, and fishes at the Aquarium. She slept through the night easily in her new surroundings, and enjoyed the fresh salt air. Overall, the trip was a nice getaway, and was a success!

Prune Face

OK - I know I need to stop posting photos of my kid eating, but it's all so funny and fascinating to us. We don't always let her feed herself, but we're just so darn proud of her for being five and a half months and figuring out how to get the spoon in her mouth and suck the food off of it. She loves it all, and her little feet wiggle when she sees us getting out the jars of food. Man, could time just stop please? 

She LOVES green beans!

We couldn't feed her fast enough! She went crazy gaga for string beans!

Goodbye Rice Cereal, Hello Sweet Potatoes

So rice cereal was constipating...WAY constipating. An RN at Kaiser Pediatrics told us that they recommend rice cereal to breast fed only babies as a way of giving them extra iron. Since Elizabeth is already getting formula (we are still breastfeeding about 3 times a day) with iron, rice cereal isn't really necessary. Many people use rice cereal as a "filler" so babies can sleep at night, but that the nutritional value of rice cereal is slim (even oatmeal has a little fiber, but that's it). Babies aren't really ready to sleep from 7pm-7am until about 9 or 10 months, and since our little one is already a great night time sleeper, we quit the cereals and moved on to sweet potatoes. She loved them even more, and surprisingly, it was less messy. 

We sit down as a family each night and mommy and daddy eat dinner and alternate feeding Elizabeth. Family dinners are so much fun!

mmmmm.....food

Rice Cereal Time!

We started Elizabeth on Rice Cereal today, because, well, we felt it was time. She is eating all the time, and is so curious about us when we eat. She grabs our forks and spoons when we eat. When we gave it to her tonight, she actually grabbed the spoon and shoved it in her mouth herself (ok, she actually got her cheek first, but the spoon eventually made its way into her mouth). She loved it and managed to swallow most of it. 

High chairs and teeth

Whew! This Mother's Day marked Elizabeth's fifth month birthday. I can't believe how fast the time is going! On Mother's Day daddy made mommy a big breakfast (his pancakes are to die for) and gave mommy a beautiful white gold locket inscribed with Elizabeth's name and birthday on the back. I can't wait to put pictures in my locket, but it will be difficult to decide which picture to put in! I guess I will have to rotate.

Elizabeth loved sitting in her big girl chair. While not on solids just yet, we put her in this chair at a friend's house so mommy and daddy could eat dinner. She loved being at the big table and loved interacting with everyone. She is truly a social butterfly. Elizabeth has been much more interested in watching mom and dad eat food, so we are thinking of giving rice cereal a try here pretty soon.

Elizabeth has cut her first two teeth. Yesterday was pretty bad - as the poor girl couldn't sleep and ran a low grade fever. We thought it was just the one tooth, then noticed the second one coming all the way through. We are doing our best to relieve her pain - tablets, gels, frozen washcloths, rings, pacifiers, the works. Today she was better, and plays with her gums as much as she can. Our little girl is growing up!

It's all about the legs

Elizabeth moves moves moves. She is scooting, wiggling, and rolling across our living room. Her legs are ready for her to crawl, but her arms just sort of lay there, unwilling to comply. She's reaching for her toys, and mommy's hair, both of which usually end up in her mouth. Time for mommy to get a hair cut! Elizabeth is making more sounds, and practicing her high pitched squeaks. Lately, our house has been filled with hustle bustle since we are landscaping our front yard. Rich and Dad recently put in sod and spent several days building a deck. As the weather heats up, we are looking forward to buying Lil' E her first bathing suit and going swimming!

Happy Easter

Elizabeth had a busy and fun Easter visiting family and friends. She had brunch with her Grandpa, Gia, Aunt Airin, and Uncle Dan in Newcastle then dinner at home with her Grammy, Uncle Nick, and Taryn. She was introduced to bubbles for the first time and followed them wide eyed. She loves being held by family members and is most easy going in chaotic situations. She loves to socialize, but our little bunny was worn out by seven pm when she finally conked out giving mommy and daddy a chance to drink some wine and play games!!

Our Little Cutie

Here's the precious little girl asleep in her car seat. She is now grabbing at things and putting everything in her mouth. She also is holding her own bottle which makes mommy and daddy realize that she is growing up an becoming a little more independent each day. Elizabeth Grace is now sleeping in her own crib. I think mom and dad had a harder time with that one that miss Elizabeth. On most mornings she sleeps 8 hours, giving us plenty of much needed rest! She is continuing to practice her voice, cooing and ahhing all the time. Every day is more magical than the last one. Enjoy the pics. 

Happy St.Paddy's Day!!

3 Months

3 Months means:

finding your toes
spending time in the Bumbo
grabbing mommy's necklaces
sleeping longer at night
laughing and giggles
fake cries to get attention
oodles of cuddles

Mommy, I found my hands...

Elizabeth has found her hands and they always seem to be clasped together and/or in her mouth. Some people tell us she looks like a little old lady worrying. One person told us that she looks like her hands are always clasped together in prayer; I think I like that comparison best. 

Elizabeth continues to be an easy going baby who is extremely alert and curious about the world around her. When she looks at you, it is with intent scrutiny, as though she is trying to figure out what to make of you. Usually her critique ends in a reassuring and heart warming open mouth smile. 

As some of you may know, we have been battling Elizabeth's weight gain and continue to supplement with formula although we mostly breast feed. Since introducing formula at night, she continues to gain steadily. Mommy and daddy were so relieved! 

Elizabeth recently lost her great-grandfather last Thursday. We are all so grateful that he is no longer in pain although he will be sorely missed.  Elizabeth was able to enjoy Papa's jokes a few times and had the chance to give him her best baby smiles before he went to Heaven to be with Elizabeth's Aunt Amy. We hope to instill Papa's generous spirit and kind nature (not to mention sense of humor) into our daughter.  

Ready to go to the park!!

Almost 7 weeks!

We can't believe it's almost been 7 weeks since little Elizabeth (peanut) has been born. Elizabeth has started to recognize people and has started smiling, which totally melts our hearts. She loves her swing and little duck mobile. Mommy and daddy have been getting a little bit more sleep, which is great. Last night she actually slept for 5 hours in a row. Amazing! More than anything our little Saggitarius is a mover. She is constantly moving her legs and arms and loves being carried around to look at the world around her.

First Bath

This was totally fun. Prior to Elizabeth's first immersion bath, we had been giving her washcloth baths as we waited for her umbilical cord to heal. Elizabeth loves the water, and while her little frown emerged at first, there were no tears, and after a while, some happy sounds!

Little Milestones

Elizabeth is 3 weeks and 2 days old. She continues to amaze us every day. Although she is still very young, we are noticing small milestones and changes in her every day. Here are some significant ones:

1. Thumb sucking & arm control. While she hasn't achieved it yet, it is clear that Elizabeth cannot wait to suck her thumbs. One hand holds the other hand as she attempts to get her thumb in her mouth. The other day she actually got it in there for 10 seconds! Her arms are more in control and less spasmodic. She seems to be surprising herself less and less with her arm movements. 

2. Rolling over. Yes, we have friends that witnessed this, and I promise it has not been something we have been practicing with her, but rather something she has done on her own. Elizabeth is a mover, she loves to move all the time, and the other day she rolled from her back to her tummy. She still can't roll back the other way, but we're amazed she has come this far so quickly. 

3. Happy sounds. While we were used to a newborn who just cried when she was wet, had gas, or was hungry, we're now starting to notice other sounds from her. When on her changing table, Elizabeth is in love with her name tapestry, and will stare at it for about 3 minutes, then move her arms and legs up and down and give a little squeal of delight. She also does this when mommy and daddy read to her.