Pulling up and standing

With each new skill, it amazes me how little time it takes for her to really master it.  We're already there with pulling up and standing. This time last week she was a wobbly mess. Now, she's a pro.  And she's even starting to officially "cruise" down the sofa, window sill or from the music table to the ottoman (when I have them adjacent to one another).

This little girl has some serious new skills to show off to her grandparents this weekend. They are going to be so proud of her!

Here are a collection of several practice sessions.

 

Then I started setting up props so she could try "cruising".

Like I said, she's a total pro now:)

The Lady with the Alligator Purse

This is the cutest book - The Lady with the Alligator Purse. I highly recommend it. It was sent to us from Grandma and Grandpa Vail and has landed itself right into our regular book rotation. It makes the Monkey giggle and I'll admit, me too.  Another great one to add to your "Must Read" list:)

And.....the message you never want to get on Facebook

Eloise had a not so stellar day in the nap department so I'll admit, I complained a teeny bit on FB today.  2 - 27 minute naps and 1 - 22 minute naps makes for a very busy, no break ever filled day.  Nonetheless, one of the responses I got back said...."Jenna was up quite a bit last night and woke up this morning with a sore throat and now has a fever:( I hope she and Eloise aren't headed down the same path! Good luck."

See Jenna is a sweet little 4 year old who met us at the hockey game yesterday.  So sweet that she was giving Eloise mouth kisses.  Like lots of them. Ummm....it was really sweet at the time (actually made me a little nervous but what can you do? kids are kids and it was really cute. i know, i know. i can't keep Eloise in a bubble forever.) but now.....I'm praying that Eloise stays the course. "Keep that runny nose (only!) baby girl, and we'll be just fine. You hear mommy?? Just a runny nose, ok??" 

Wait, maybe it's just teething

Are the symptoms of teething similar to a cold? I'm thinking I was fooled and really, her incessant nose drain is courtesy of her new tooth poking through. And her fussing as well. Makes perfect sense. I thought it was a cold because she was coughing last night - on top of all other said symptoms -but now I'm figuring that was just the result of her post nasal drip and really there is nothing wrong with her other than a canine rearing its head.

Hmmm.....

Further analysis continues.

Tooth number 3

Another tooth popped through this weekend for the Monkey. I believe it's called a canine. It's on the top and it's not one of the middle two but sits right beside one of those middle two. Tooth status - nearly 3 teeth at nearly 10 months.

And it's official, she has developed her second cold, which means she's a serious nose drain and is acting quite fussy. This may explain why we had to bail from the park during our playdate on Saturday and also during yesterday's hockey game. Poor Monkey.  And, I've decided we will not attend today's nursing home visit with the neighborhood kids. I'm pretty bummed about it but hopefully it'll be a good time and they'll schedule another.  I thought it was a bad idea to get Eloise and her germs around the other babies and then of course, around the seniors.  But what a great idea that one of the local moms thought of - bring the babies into see some of the patients in a nursing home. Eloise might meet another Eloise! I hope there is a next time.

We have some errands to run today per the Monkey's status. I need to get another noise machine for her room. Hers has all of a sudden cranked up a level and is really loud. Even though it's on the same low setting.  Weird. And to be honest, hers (even when working) was too loud in my opinion so I'm going to try and find a quiter one at Target. I'd like to break her of this habit all together (another bad habit that I created) and so during naps this week, we're going to leave it off maybe every other nap and see how she does. As of this very second, it's off and she's sleeping just fine.  The true test will be garbage day on Wednesday morning.

Also, I have some jeans to drop off at the seamstress for patches. I found the place to take jeans that are still in perfectly good condition but have a tear that is about to take off unless it's patched.  Anna's Alterations on Park Road is money. They do a really great job.

We'll do all of the above and also go running based on how the Monkey is doing. Oh and before I forget, here is her new favorite book - Tarzan - Me and You. It's super cute. Thanks Grammie Judy!

Mike is gone until Friday and Grandpa and Grandma Vail are coming for Easter Weekend. I'm planning an egg hunt for the back yard! (although there are several egg hunts we could go to - I'm contemplating whether that's a good idea since she's got a serious disadvantage over the other kids - she's a crawler, not a walker (scares me that she'd get trampled.). oh and also, she doesn't really "get" finding eggs to score some sweet goodies inside. might be best to rig my own egg hunt in the backyard and have it all to Eloise. stay tuned here...)

If you're lucky, maybe you'll see a snotty pic of the Monkey later today:) Have a good Monday!

Friday's update

First off, Graham keeps me on my toes with the Friday song so here it goes. Who doesn't love this song?? While you're enjoying this tune, I'll carry on.

Let's start with today and back track. The Monkey was acting very bizarre most of the day and I couldn't figure out if she was getting sick or what. She slept 12 hours last night (awesome), took a great morning nap (55 minutes) so I was none the wiser until we got to music class. She's typically very curious and wonders around, interacts with the instruments, the scarves, balls, etc. but today she didn't want me to put her down and she barely played with any of the activities. She even busted out that pout face and bottom lip and cried a few times. That has never happened in music class. So we snuggled up the entire class and then bolted as soon as it was done. I was afraid she was getting sick and we were also nearing her next nap time so I wanted to get out of there and get home so I could get her down with no problem. Which I did. She went down for the nap fine but then only slept for 25 minutes and refused to go back to sleep. The rest of the day we spent snuggling because, again, she wouldn't let me put her down. She didn't have a fever. Her appetite was fine and so I couldn't figure it out. She then took a late afternoon nap, which she hasn't done in weeks, to make up for that 25 minute joby and out of nowhere, come 6pm...she was back to the regular Eloise. How strange! She not only wanted down but she was all over this place playing with everything. I'm hoping this was just a fluke and that she's not coming down with something. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Speaking of tomorrow and this weekend, we're busy. Tomorrow am, Florida Tile Charlotte is having a "sidewalk sale" and so Mike, the Monkey and are going to head over to see the crew. It's open to the public but they expect current customers (builders, tile contractors, etc.) to be the ones who swoop in and get tile on the cheap. But for any of you weekend warriors looking for tile or tile laying equipment and materials, stop on by. They are cleaning house so there should be lots of deals to be had. Here's where they are located. (click on "store locator".) And there's more scoop here.

Then tomorrow afternoon the Monkey and I have a play date set up for 4pm with some friends. Very much looking forward to some good catch-up sessions here. And also, we're heading to a park we've never been to so the adventure of discovering a new place will be fun.

Come Sunday, we are going to another Charlotte Checkers game at 2pm. This might just become a regular thing for us. It's such a great outing for the baby and the games are fun (even if I don't watch the game). It's a great arena and we have a good time. For those in the area, I highly recommend going to see a Checkers game.

Ok, let's now back track on this week. The Monkey and I had a great time visiting Paige and Nicole on Wednesday. I forgot to mention (thankfully we have "Friday's updates", right?) that Miss Eloise LOVED Nicole's dog Charlie. It was seriously the cutest thing she did this week (aside from kissing me on the cheek, of course). Charlie is an enormous dog. Like probably would have had 4-5 inches on Jack. Seriously. And he's a total lover. He’s such a great dog! He was outside and the screen door was closed. Well, apparently Mr. Charlie poked through that screen a little while back and although I'm sure he got into trouble for his bad acting, I loved it because it allowed him to poke his head in and give Eloise sniffs and kisses. Envision this....Eloise was on the inside. Charlie was on the outside and the two were facing one another with just the screen down between them. Eloise then threw her hands up into the air while Charlie would bob his head in and out and in and out putting his nose right up to the Monkey’s face. She was a complete giggle-fest! Ah, I swear it.....SO stinkin’ cute! We need to get another dog. I don't know when but we need one. This little girl needs a doggie around here! Thanks Nicole - great seeing you guys!

Food - Eloise tried grilled cheese this week and it went over ok. She'd eat it and she seemed to like it but she definitely didn't go to town on it like waffles or some of the other foods that she definitely enjoys. This time I used provolone, a nice mild cheese, and like I said, she was just "whatever" about it. Good that she didn't flat out reject it, I guess.

Also, and my final note for the evening, the Monkey is pulling up on everything. Like everything! The shower glass, the window sills, appliances, the ottoman, the sofa, the chair, the bar stools, her mommy, her daddy, her baby whisperer, the front steps, the stairs inside, the side table, the console take, the music table it's non-stop around here. As a tribute to Eloise's fantastic pulling up performance this week, here are some pics...

The sweetest moment

Must document asap....I was just walking through the house carrying the Monkey. I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. As soon as I turned my head, she leaned over and gave me a kiss on my cheek. Seriously??!!  My sweetest girl!

Sleep revelation

This is in regards to night time sleep. No, naps haven't changed. I'll get an occasional 1 hour nap out of her but things are still pretty "standard Eloise" around here.  But for the night time, this is what I've discovered. The last two nights I've left Eloise's room without the night light on (used back when I fed her in the middle of the night and I just got in the habit of leaving it on for her) but instead with the "Twilight Ladybug" (a gift given to us awhile ago and we never used until now). The Ladybug stays on for 45 minutes then clicks off but most often, Eloise is asleep within minutes so she's not really star gazing. Point being, I'm leaving her room completely pitch black at night now and for the past 2 nights she's slept for 12 hours and 15 minutes and 12 hours, respectively. Big win!  She was sleeping 11 or 11 and 1/2 before so not earth shattering but in the morning, that extra 30-45 minutes seems like eons so I'll take it!

Some other tid bits that are on my mind. My neighbor told me about a Charleston-based traveling childrens photographer, Dubose Blakeney, that I wanted to share. Check out his web site. He has a very unique style. His prices are not listed here but she said it was very reasonable. You can click on his calendar and see when he's in the area.

Also, game on for finding a landscaper to help this pathetic yard we have. I've refrained from complaining on the blog but let's just say, the "do it ourselves" method did not net the results I was looking for. Our yard was trampled on repeatedly creating ankle breaking divots (the last of the construction crew really did a number on the front yard). The seed thrown down was all weeds and the garden areas have bad soil and do not properly drain water. All combined, the front yard is driving me closer and closer towards insanity daily and since it's now beyond my ability to change or improve, professional services are being called in. I'm getting quotes over the next few weeks to see what the damage is. Hopefully it'll be something we can bump up on the priority list around here. Stay tuned.

Oh and Mike and I are getting our taxes done this morning. This ought to be quite interesting.  Fingers crossed on this "work for yourself" gig I thought was such a super idea before. (not thinking that will be the case any longer. boo.)

The parking garage

I swear I come up with things around here just because they crack me up. The baby is a fantastic audience and goes right along with whatever I've concocted so we're a really good match. This go round I've created a parking garage. The Monkey is way into cars and trains and so after too many consignment sale/shop trips, we've collected quite a few. Today I decided when she wasn't using them, we'd park them in the "garage". Swell idea. The perfect part of the "garage" is it's in birds eye view for the Monkey as soon as we come down the stairs. She gets pretty excited when she sees her cars all lined up in the "garage" ready for her to play with. Organizing clutter and chaos. Mom of the year for sure.

Here's the garage...

and the Monkey playing with her cars and train...

And my personal fav...

Also today, the Monkey and I visited Nicole and tiny little Paige. She's 9 weeks old and a total nugget. It was great catching up and meeting her beautiful little baby girl. She's too cute!!

 

Almost a cruiser

The Monkey is officially pulling herself up on furniture and nearly cruising. She'll take a tiny tiny step but really mostly she just stands there. It's very impressive how far she's come so quickly. She went from sitting to crawling to standing all in what seems like 2 months. Amazing.  Here are some pics of my little girlfriend in action...

The legs are officially now on the music table. She pulls herself up on here too.

Here she is singing...

And this week she tried home made beef stew for the first time.  As shown by the pics, you'll see she really enjoyed it.

"Ahhhh.....

....yeah!!"

Weekend update

This weekend was competely insane. We had friends in town and so many fun things going on that we literally ran from place to place to place - nonstop on the go.  And thankfully, the Monkey was a trooper for most of it. Great job Monkey!

We started off the festivities on Friday night when Eloise and I met up with Andrea, Doug and Brody who were watching McKenzie play in a lacrosse game in Weddington. I'll admit it was my first lacross game - ever. Sadly, our tiny small town in western NY did not have much past the standard soccer, football, track, etc. After the game, we got home a little late - late for the Monkey's bed time but she went down fine and got up a little later on Sat. am. Perfect.

Then on Saturday, the Monkey and I went to a neighborhood playdate. I'll likely host one of these in the near future but I wanted to check out the scene first at someone else's place. This was another activity from the Chantilly Mom's MeetUp Group and was pretty low key. The woman who hosted had moms and babies coming and going from 11am to 1pm based on nap times. We were there from 12pm-1pm, immediately following a morning nap. It was nice to meet more moms and see the cute nuggets play together.  As I've said before and I'll say again, there are 1 million kids in this neighborhood. I'm still shocked by it. And the more I learn from this group, the more I realize that there is literally an underground world to my neighborhood that I was totally unaware of pre-Eloise. Tons of SAHMs and tons of babies.

Saturday afternoon was Miss Lily's 1st birthday party, which was really fun. The weather could not have been more perfect. Mid-70s and beautiful. Most of the party was outside where we all got to sing to the birthday girl while she dove into her first cake. So cute! Many cute pics to follow in one sec.

Then on Sunday, after the Monkey and I went for a run, the entire family packed up and went to Rock Hill to see Andrea, Doug and Brody again at the State Championship gymnastic meet for Maggie. (note: Andrea, Doug and Brody were in town from NY this weekend to see their nephew and neice McKenzie and Maggie compete in all of their sports. and i must say, those two kiddos are quite talented and athletic buffs at that as they were super stars in each of their respective sports!)  We even got to watch a champion in the making - Maggie came home with 1st place and is now the reigning SC super star gymnast!  We got home past the Monkey's bed time (again) but she was a champ and went down with no issue. And, she also got up an hour later this morning, which was a nice little treat for Mommy.

Today included more running around as we ran errands to CVS, Harris Teeter and the library to get some new books.  My Harris Teeter shopping trips have gotten interesting as I'm converting our entire house over to organic. I'm reading too much about food preparation, preservatives and the like and frankly, it freaks me out. I've always wanted to make the full switch. Actually I've tried it before but didn't stick to it. But now with the Monkey here, she's my perfect excuse to keep this going. Really, aside from the cost, it makes perfect sense to me to go all organic. If you truly pay attention to what you are eating and read the labels on products, you'll die when you see all of the crazy, artificial ingredients that are added. It's disgusting.  We eat this stuff. We EAT it.  Anyway, I won't get going on the full blown topic of organic. The Vail household is now a convert and we're going all organic all the time. Oh, and the baby whisperer has been on me about plastic grocery bags (terrible for the environment) so we also now have a nice collection of recyclable bags that I take to the grocery store with me. If my groceries don't quite fit into the recyclable bags, then I get paper. It takes a village, I guess.

Now, pics from Lily's birthday party!