Some new pictures...

...taken a few days before Elsie's 4-month birthday.

Velkommen til Eplegaarden! (Welcome to the apple farm!)

Saturday was a big outing for the Cooper family- our annual trip to the apple orchard with our dear friends, Alex and Abby. This year's excursion was especially fun for Josie because we found a Norwegian farm nearby and got to experience strolling through the "pick your own" orchards. There were horse-drawn buggies, friendly goats, and an entertaining folk band playing amongst the trees. Josie even found some of her favorites apples- the Minnesota Haralson! The 80-degree weather was a little strange for October, but the apples were delicious and the company couldn't be beat. A few of our favorite pictures:

Elsie is anxious to come back next year to see how much she has grown.


One of the first portraits of the apple-loving family of three.


Elsie enjoying her first taste of real food

Hands and Feet!

Elsie has spent the last week or two figuring out just how to use her hands and feet. This involves a lot of time spent staring at toys, her hands, and her toes. She prefers to do her experimentation on her play mat, where she loves to grab at Sophie the Giraffe, her rings, and the hanging Panda that Aunt Ellen gave her when she was born. She is also learning about cause and effect- she has figured out that she can kick her gym, which will trigger one of her toys with a motion-sensor to play music. What a smart kid!


A carefully aimed kick to make the music start...


Grabbing Panda...


Thinking hard about which hand to use next...

Daddy likes to try to get me to ride Pongo

So far, it's not going well. He is surprisingly fast for a cat of such generous girth.

A note from Elsie Rose: Car Ride!

It's no secret that I don't like to ride in the car. On my recent excursion to MN, I discovered a few things that make car rides more manageable:


First of all, I need Puppy under one arm and Giraffe under the other. Plus a Nuk at the ready at all times.


Then I need to make sure that I have two fists available for sucking- it would help if I could figure out how to fit both in my mouth at once.


And when everything aligns perfectly, I can usually catch some Zzz's in the car. But not too many- I don't want my parents to start thinking I like car rides!

Elsie is a Minnesota Girl

On Friday, Elsie crossed state lines for the second time in her life- this time she headed North to MN to visit her Auntie Manda for a baby shower.



She enjoyed meeting her Great Grandma Dorothy for the first time, and had lots of fun being passed between all her new relatives.


She gave Baby Murray's nursery a test run- she really liked the crib and the changing table, but she wasn't too sure about the puppies. She especially wasn't sure what to think of Yuka licking her head! She had a great trip, though, and is excited for her new cousin to be born!

Learning to run...

...in the Bob, that is. Elsie is beginning to enjoy going for daily runs with Mom and Dad in her stroller. She especially likes when Dad goes FAST over BUMPY sidewalks!

At the zoo!

Elsie and I had a fun outing to the Vilas Zoo last week with our friends Katy and Nico. Nico enjoyed the zoo a lot.


Elsie wasn't sure if the zoo was supposed to be fun or not. She also thought the monkey cages smelled funny. Maybe we'll try again when she is a little bit older.

Playing with rings in my crib...

Now that I can hold on to things, I can entertain myself for a few minutes with toys. My favorites are Sophie the Giraffe and my rings (when I shake them, they click together!). Also, it's getting cold out, so I've started wearing hats to bed at night. I'm still not sure that I like hats all that much, but I don't like having cold ears, either. Life is full of tough choices when you are a baby!

Snuggling with Daddy

After Daddy gives me a bath, I like to be swaddled in my fleecy bunting and cuddle with Dad!

Swaddle FAIL

"What, guys? You actually thought this would hold me?"

Three-month Photo Shoot Outtakes

Awww..not another hat, Dad!


Can we hurry this up? Olivia Pig and I have things to do...


Wait- don't take it! Let me fix my sweater...


Is it time for a milk break?


Last one? Phew!

3 Months Old!

Health and Sleep

Over the last month, Mom has been working hard to teach Elsie to put herself back to sleep when she wakes up during naps. She has had limited success, but things have gone more smoothly since Elsie discovered that her fist can work as a pacifier in a pinch.

In the last few weeks, Elsie has decided that Dad is fun to bounce and play with, but Mom really needs to be the one to put her to sleep! Mom isn't sure how she feels about this developement.

Elsie still prefers to go to bed around midnight, but usually sleeps until 5:30, then goes back to bed after an hour or so and sleeps until around 9 am. The goal is to get her to go to be closer to 10 pm- it's a work in progress.

Elsie still prefers to be swaddled when she is falling asleep, but will let Mom use a Woombie when they are out on the town. She has even started taking short "naps" when mom is carrying her in the Ergo at the grocery store or Target.

Elsie now weighs 11 lbs 8 ounces (18%), and is 23.5 inches long (55%). Her reflux and colic are improving, and she is often smiling and playful for a few hours in the evening.

Personality

Elsie continues to have a mind of her own- she will change from a smiling, cooing baby to a full-out screaming baby in a matter of seconds. This usually happens when she decides that she is suddenly STARVING or needs a clean diaper RIGHT NOW! It is always funny to watch her stop crying mid-scream the moment she is set down on the changing table. She definately knows how to get our attention, and has figured out that crocodile tears can help her get what she wants. Such a silly girl!

She still loves her lamb mobile, and is becoming more interested in reading and listening to music with Mom and Dad. She is beginning to show distinct preferences for songs and toys, which is fun for her parents to see!

Activities

Elsie is beginning to discover that her hands are connected to her body, and she is having lots of fun learning about all the great things hands can be used for. Among her favorites: playing with rings, holding Sophie the Giraffe, and thumb/fist sucking when her pacifier falls out of her mouth. Mom is especially happy about the last one, because it means that Elsie can calm herself down when she drops her pacifier while riding in the car.

Much to Mom and Dad's delight, Elsie has decided that the stroller is not necessarily evil, and she will consent to go on short (2-3 mile) runs in the Bob. She continues to love going for walks in her carrier, and will let Mom go 4 or 5 miles before getting fussy.

Elsie likes to "talk," and regularly engages in babbling back and forth with Mom and Dad. Her favorite word is "Ahgoo," but she also coos and giggles. On her 3-month birthday, Elsie surprised Mom and Dad with a very long, very LOUD sentence of babbling using for or five sounds. What a big kid!

Elsie's month was full of social activities- her first party (she wasn't impressed, but she thought the walk there and back was fun), her first book club (she thought the literary discussion was lacking), and her first real play dates with her friends Noah and Nico (she hasn't decided which one she wants to be her boyfriend yet).

What's Next?
In the next month, we are going to continue working on rolling (both ways), sign language, elimination communication, grabbing at toys, and sitting up. She is growing so fast!

One Week


One Month


Two Months


Three Months

TWO POSTS SAME DAY WOW!

Pop? and Ma? with Elsie this weekend!


Just Ma?!
This is an older one and includes GG? who loved meeting Elsie! And Elsie was good that day!

Tiny Dancer

This one's for Matt and Manda- who said she wouldn't use her tutu until she was older?

2 Months Old!

Health and Sleep
At two months, Elsie is 23 inches long, has a 39 cm head, and weighs 10 pounds, 10 ounces. That means she is at the 36th percentile for weight, and 50th for head and height. Though she was born with a full head of curly red hair, most of the hair on the top of her head has fallen out, making her parents excited to see what color it will be when it grows back in!

She sleeps well at night and almost always has one stretch of at least five hours, beginning at midnight. She has even had a few six- and seven-hour stretches, too! She hates napping during the day, and usually only goes down for one twenty- minute to two-hour stretch (two hours on a good day- mom likes those days a lot). She is a wild sleeper- even tightly swaddled, she often turns herself around 180 degrees during a nap. She also rolls from side to side while sleeping, which is pretty funny to watch!

She is much happier now that mom doesn't eat dairy or soy, and she has improved a lot with her new dose of reflux medicine. She seems to be well on her way to getting over all her tummy troubles!

Play time
Elsie has a great attention span for a baby. She loves playing on her play mat (especially with Daddy!), and will lay in her crib and watch her lamb mobile for 20 minutes at a time. Once something captures her attention, she can stare at it forever. She has even gotten mad when mom tried to take her out of her crib to nurse her before she was done watching her mobile!

Elsie sits up when supported, easily rolls from front to back, and has almost gotten the hang of the back to front roll (one arm always gets stuck and keeps her from going all the way over). She has also started to propel herself forward a few inches at a time using just her feet- she doesn't seem to understand that crawling would be much easier if she used her arms!

She has decided that she is a "big kid," and prefers to face outward when being held so that she doesn't miss anything. She recognizes her mom and dad's voices, and often smiles when one of them first walks into the room. She loves when dad comes home from work at night, and recognizes his voice so well that she coos and smiles when she first hears it in the hallway.

She loves her bumbo seat, and will sit in it while mom bakes or folds laundry. When she has her fussy time at night, she prefers to bounce on the yoga ball while looking at the "shiny things" in the bathroom or watching a movie with mom or dad...she loves seeing the lights change across the screen, and especially likes the tv if we are watching a musical (she REALLY liked South Pacific!).

Personality
Elsie's personality is already developing. She has a mind of her own, and knows what she wants! She refuses to nurse until everything is "just right" (her booties on or off, a fresh diaper, in the rocker or on the bouncy ball, sometimes standing!).

She makes the most expressive faces I have ever seen in a baby- we can even tell by her expression before she is about to make a dirty diaper! She is also learning how to fake out mom and dad- at times she will be crying out of control, only to turn off her cries on a dime if we distract her with a toy or song. She even figured out that we give her her medicine in a syringe, and she now starts crying as soon as she sees it.

Her biggest silly thing? At two months, she has already learned how to spit! She doesn't just let her medicine dribble out of her mouth when she is mad, she actually spits it out so that it flies through the air (usually on to her mom's shirt!). I guess we don't have to worry about her not understanding how to spit out toothpaste when we start brushing her teeth in a few years :)

Comparison photos:

One Month

One Week

Hangin' with Grandma RJ

Grandma RJ came last week to play with Elsie and help around the house. We had a wonderful time during her visit; RJ even watched Elsie so that Andy and I could enjoy our first run together in over 6 months (I wasn't able to run during most of my pregnancy).

In addition to some delicious meals, lazy mornings with home-roasted coffee, and some shopping, we now have a very clean house and NO LAUNDRY PILE! What could be better? I'll tell you what- on RJ's last night in town, Elsie surprised us with eight straight hours of sleep (11:30-7:30)! THANKS, ELSIE!

Here are a few of our favorite pictures of Elsie hanging with her grandma: