Merry Christmas!

A long night towards better sleep

Elizabeth hasn't been her usual great sleeper since this summer.  With all of the traveling, different time zones, different beds, different routines, her sleeping pattern got way off.  She hasn't been napping as well, and has been getting up in the middle of the nights every once in a while.

At first I thought that this would all go away when we finally were able to be home for more than just a week at a time, but I was wrong.  Some days would go just great, but for the most part she was off.  I thought maybe it was all of the teething she's been going through, or she was growing, but I finally realized the truth that was staring me in the face...I was the problem.

I had been taking the easy way out at nights, but causing a worse problem in the long run.  I would go and get Elizabeth out of bed, and nurse her, then she would be ready to go back to bed.  This meant no more crying, no bugging our various hosts from the summer travels, no keeping Brian up in the night, and I got back to sleep sooner.

I realized this a while ago, but I wanted to wait for the right time to retrain Elizabeth.  This have been really stressful around here, especially for Brian, so I didn't want to add anymore stress for him.  So, this weekend was the perfect time since Brian went camping.

This is how the night went for us....  I put Elizabeth down to bed at about 8:30pm.  Elizabeth woke up at about 3:30am crying, but not her desperate cry.  She continued crying off and on until about 4:30am, there were times I almost went and got her, and even ended up right outside her door once, but I didn't go in.  I was proud of myself for holding back, but hated myself at the same time, wanting to go and comfort my little girl.  At 5:30am I heard her again, but luckily this time it only lasted about 15 minutes before she went back to sleep.  She then made a sound at 7:15am, and I thought she was ready to start the day. I was wrong, she quickly went back to sleep.  Then I heard a beautiful sound at 9:00am...Elizabeth playing happily in her crib.  I quickly went and got her, and we started the day with a well rested, happy Elizabeth {Mommy could still use a bit more sleep}.

I am hoping to be able to keep this up, and soon have her sleeping like her old self again!

Gone to Holland

Today we went as a family to Holland, Michigan.  It was so fun to see all of the beautiful tulips that lined the roads as we drove into town.  We then quickly found a beautiful park and enjoyed watching some dancers practice some traditional dances for the weekends festivities.  I of course had to take millions of pictures {mostly of Elizabeth} and here are a few from the day.

Elizabeth loved watching the people that were watching, waving, and even taking pictures of her.  She's my little social girl, that loves having everyone's attention on her.  Makes it hard to get her to look at the camera though.

Elizabeth is using Brian as a stabilizer as she works on standing.  She just can't wait to walk.

I am so glad that we were able to find someone to get a picture of all of us together in this beautiful park.  I love the vibrant colors of the tulips!  This shot actually reminds me of Brian and my engagement picture.

We accidentally stumbled upon a small college that was just down the street.  I got so excited I loved the buildings and had to take pictures!  Elizabeth fell over while sitting in front of one, and I thought her feet were so adorable!  I think Hope College looks like a nice school to go to.

We then made our way to see this windmill.  It is so big, and neat!  We got to go inside for a tour.  This is the only windmill of it's kind in the US.  They had actually moved this here from Holland.  It went through WWII  and has a bullet hole from that time.

After getting our fill of the gorgeous tulips we made our way to a nearby beach for a nice evening walk.  It was fun to see how much Elizabeth loved the wind {it was extremely windy!}.

Eight months

My little girl just continues to grow each day.  This last month she has been working hard and becoming more and more mobile.

Here are some of the things Elizabeth has learned and loved this month...

• Pulling herself up to stand
• Walking along the furniture
• Wave "Hello" and "Goodbye"
  
• Sitting down without any help
• Pass things from one hand to another
• Pick up small objects
  
• Figured out how to crawl forward
• Sit up all alone
• Bang two objects together
• Makes kissing noises
• Walking around with Mommy and Daddy is still a love of hers

Elizabeth's size

• Clothing~3-6 months
• Diapers~3

Tornado Warning

Elizabeth and I spent about an hour playing in the closet today.

Brian had listened to the weather radio in the morning and heard that there was a tornado watch, so he told me to listen throughout the day to check how the watch was going.  He then later emailed me from work mentioning that the weather was looking like a possible tornado.  As I was replying he called, and as soon as I answered, the tornado warning at MSU went off.  He quickly told me to grab Elizabeth and get somewhere safe as he headed to the schools basement.

Well I grabbed her and was hoping to go to our downstairs neighbor {since we live on the top floor of the apartments}, but she wasn't home.  Brian had called back, but I didn't reach the phone in time so I tried to call Brian back to let him know what we were doing, but the lines were all tied up.  So I just took Elizabeth {with some toys, snacks, and other stuff} into our most central closet.  We played in there for about an hour, and I tried to call home to just give me something else to think about, but no one answered.  I was so glad that I had thought to bring the weather radio with me so that I knew when the warning was over.

It was not only Elizabeth's first Tornado warning, but mine too!  I am so grateful that everything was all right, and I hope that I never have to do that again!

Easter Time!

This Easter weekend was wonderful!  Having a little girl makes holidays so much more exciting, as I enjoy sharing the traditions and fun as she experiences them for the first time!

On Saturday, our friends invited us to join them for and Easter egg hunt, and then a delicious brunch with crepes and fresh fruit!  It was INCREDIBLE!!!

Elizabeth loves walking to get things while holding onto our fingers, so this was perfect for her!  She loved walking to the eggs and picking them up.  She only got a few, but she can't eat the candy yet anyway.  We just enjoyed taking it slow, and of course taking a bunch of pictures.

Elizabeth finding her first egg...

Brian snap a picture of me on the ground snapping a picture of Elizabeth...

Enjoying her egg...

The entire group...

{Funny story, we recorded Elizabeth walking towards an egg, and one of the other kids didn't realize what was going on so he snagged the egg before Elizabeth got to it, and then did it again.  The third time Elizabeth finally was able to get the egg!}

Elizabeth was thinking about crawling upstairs after the fun, but she's not ready for that yet...

Easter morning we woke to some fun Easter treats.  Elizabeth was so excited...

I had been completely surprised to walk out and find these bright and beautiful flowers from Brian...

We then hopped into the car to play Easter Bunny for some kids we know...

I love when Easter and Conference are on the same weekend!  It is the perfect combination!  During sessions we got to enjoy a beautiful walk outside.  There were blossoms all around, I love this time of year!

We then dyed and painted eggs.  I had never painted them before, but loved the idea.  I had a great time coming up with different ways to paint them, and enjoyed Brian's sunflowers that he painted onto his.  Elizabeth even got in on the fun.  Brian painted her had all white and then we had her grab onto one of the eggs.  It turned out PERFECT!

All the eggs...

It was so much fun helping Elizabeth get the eggs.  She was great at it too!  The cutest part was when she would stop about a foot away from the egg and sit down, then proceed to reach all the way over to the egg.

Brian's Birthday!

This year for Brian's birthday I decided to use this as an opportunity to try dome new things.  This year I also had some help from an adorable little girl!  Elizabeth loved helping me with the balloons!  She had to try them all out to make sure they worked properly.  It was fun watching her roll all around chasing them.

I loved the expression on Elizabeth's face that I had captured when I was just testing some lighting in our apartment.  I had a great time quickly putting this simple card together for Brian using the picture.  I think it turned out great!

And what's a birthday celebration without any gifts!  I loved using Dad's way of gift wrapping for the really big box...NEWSPAPER!!!  Elizabeth couldn't wait to help Brian tear into the wrapping!

Since Brian's class ended a little early, and it was such a beautiful day, we decided to walk the river tail that is near us.  We has a great time being outdoors, and just spending some time together as a family.  Afterward, Brian put Elizabeth on top of the car, while I put the stroller in the trunk, and she got a hold of his hat {and did not want to let go!}

We then went home to have cake.  I made an ice cream cake with fondant icing.  These were first for me, but they are some things that Brian liked so I gave it a try.  The fondant was to hard to get twenty-seven candles in it, so we simplified with just one {we had to use a toothpick to make a hole for it}.

 It was just wonderful to make the day special for a wonderful guy!

Happy Birthday, Brian!

Seven months

My little Elizabeth is now seven months old, and I wonder where the time has gone.  She is growing and learning some much everyday!  Here are some of the things she has been doing this last month...

Started eating solid foods
She loves to say Dada all the time
Working hard at crawling
Can get onto her hands and knees for a little bit
Starting to move forward bit by bit
Backwards is easier for her by pushing
Can get around really well
Found that when she rocks side to side on her tummy she moves forward
She is learning how to wave, and waves goodbye to Brian in the mornings
She started to do a Caterpillar crawl backwards
She calls me Nana {which is her way of saying Mama with her tongue sticking out}
She can do full body push ups with her feet pressed against something

Pictures from this month...

First time eating solids {she wasn't sure about it to begin with, but Elizabeth soon decided she liked it and finished it off}...

Still enjoying her toes...

Inched forward to get her toy...

 Ready to go to Grant's birthday party...

Pictures taken today for seven months {she's got personality!}...

Her size~
Length~26 1/2 inches
Weight~17 pounds 10 3/4 ounces
Clothing~Some 3-6 months, and 6-9 months
Diapers~Size 3

My new unexpected name

For quite a while now Elizabeth has been saying Nana, over and over.  I just recently realized what it was...it's Mama with her tongue sticking out!!!  I always expected that my baby would call me Mama first, but Elizabeth doesn't like doing things the normal way, and if she can keep her tongue out, all the better!  I love that she has a name for me, and I love that she calls me Nana!

Here is a video that I got of her this morning calling to me after her morning nap...

St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day started out with a green bath for Elizabeth.  She liked it so much that she wanted another one {or something like that}, so she had two St. Patrick's Day baths this morning with her green cup to play with.

I made her a four leaf clover bow to wear today {isn't she cute!}

The sun was actually shining, so I took her out for a little outdoor photo shoot

During Elizabeth's nap I got to work...

I made some Sheppard's pie for dinner, and dyed the potatoes green, then served it with a green salad for dinner...

I also made some rainbow cupcakes from scratch for the day...

Before Brian had left this morning, I couldn't let him leave without any green so I made him a four leaf clover to pin on, he put it on his netbook cover...

I had also made myself a matching four leaf clover like Elizabeth's, just bigger, to wear in my hair...

So, all three of us were armed with our four leaf clovers today...

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Coming out of Hibernation!

I love it!  The weather has finally been warm enough to go outside!  So I have been taking advantage of this with lots and lots of walks...

I usually will go out in the middle of the day with Elizabeth, where we sometimes meet up with some friends that live nearby.  Elizabeth loves to watch the other kids, and she loves being out in the sun too.  Elizabeth almost always sneezes as soon as we get outside, and then whenever she sees the sun.  Most of her life it has been dark days of winter, so the sunshine is a nice change.

Often after Brian gets home we will once again find ourselves outside for another walk as a family.  We have really enjoyed the longer days that make it possible to do this.  We have found some new places to walk around as we have explored the neighborhood near us.  My favorite time was when we found the horses...I was surprised when Elizabeth didn't get scared when one got right up in her face, and she even reached out to it.  Such an adventurous girl!

I love Spring!!!