Easter Fun

I went looking for the Easter Bunny, but all I found was an Easter Pig. I guess that's okay, since I can't eat the Easter Bunny's chocolate, anyway.

Waving "good-bye"

Elsie loves having visitors. Look how happy she was playing with Grandma RJ during her last visit:




I included those pictures so that you don't get the wrong idea when you read my next statement: one of Elsie's favorite parts of having visitors is waving "good-bye" when they go!

Yes, Elsie loves to wave. She is thrilled when we ask her to do so, and grins like a goon while she obliges us.

She doesn't just reserve her good-bye waving for visitors, though- she will happily wave any time anyone leaves, well, anywhere!

Waving "bye" to Daddy is the thrill of her morning. She waves when I take out the trash, and she even likes to wave when Daddy or I leave a room.

Here she is, demonstrating proper "waving" form in our front window (her favorite waving place) while Grandma RJ drives away:




We hope you can visit soon, so that Elsie can wave good-bye to you, too!

My Friend, Adah

Every-other Thursday, Mama and I go to my friend Adah's house to play. It is so much fun there! Max, Henry, Edie, and Veda usually come to play, too.

Adah has a really cool cart I like to push. Since Adah doesn't know how to walk and push things yet, I try to show her how. Pushing things is easy for me though, so I often practice pushing, walking, and clapping at the same time. That's harder.


This is Adah. She and I have some good conversations over our toys.


Adah has lots of fun toys. Here I am showing you one of Adah's Egg Shakers. They are my favorite! Sometimes Adah and I hold one in each hand and "dance" together while we make "music."



This is Max. He likes to climb on me and pull my headbands. He's only nine months old, just a baby, so I don't mind.




This summer will be a lot of fun, since we will all be turning One. I can't wait for the birthday parties to start!

10 months old!

Health and Growth

Elsie now weighs 16lbs, 8oz (8%) and stretches to 27.5 inches (35%).

The biggest news this month is that she is officially sleeping through the night, a feat that makes her Daddy and me shout for joy (thanks for the sleep training, Grandma RJ!). She generally goes to bed about 7, wakes up about 5 for a feeding, then goes back to sleep for another hour. She seems to have decided that one nap a day is perfectly sufficient, and it usually lasting about 2 hours.

This is what I wrote last month about Elsie's teething:
"Her first tooth came in shortly after her 7-month birthday, and in the last few days she has sprouted one more on top and another on the bottom. We're hoping that the teething is over for now, and her sleep might improve even more!"
Strangely enough, the other middle bottom tooth that we could see back then still hasn't cut through the gum, but she pushed out another top tooth instead. For those keeping track, she now has three teeth, all on the left side of her mouth. Sadly, her adorable lopsided smile will be changing again soon, as we can now see three more teeth about the pop through (the matching pairs for the three she already has).

Communication

Signs Elsie does: milk, good-bye and hello (waving), no (shaking head)
Signs and words Elsie recognizes: all done, more, kitty, duck, bird, cow, horse, diaper change, poop, food, water

We are still working with Elsie on animal noises and other simple words like kitty, Daddy, Mama, Pongo, milk, bath, food, water and nap. She gets excited when we say them, but hasn't tried to reproduce any of the sounds yet. Her favorite word recently is "clap"...she will clap on demand, or anytime she sees someone else clapping. She even claps when she hears applause on tv!

This month we tried to work teaching Elsie to blow kisses...it's still a work in progress!

Activities

Elsie is working hard at walking. She consistently takes 4 or 5 steps on her own, and has turned into a speedy "army crawler" in the last few weeks. She can stand for over a minute by herself when she wants to- and when Daddy or I try to time her standing and she DOESN'T want to, she sits down on her own and grins at us.

Elsie is thrilled to have a new kitty in the house to play with- Isiah, our foster kitty. He loves to cuddle and be held, and submits to Elsie's "petting" very nicely. She also loves the toy he brought with him- she will crawl across the room to play with his "ball stuck in a round tube" toy.

Watch Elsie Grow! Comparison Photos:
One Week


One Month


Two Months


Three Months


Four Months


Five Months


Six Months


Seven Months


Eight Months


Nine Months


Ten Months

Hello, Mama!

A week ago when Elsie woke up from her nap, this is the scene that greeted me:



Luckily we lowered her crib mattress awhile ago, but I think it is time to move it down to the lowest setting! Since then, she has been pulling up on everyone and everything, including the cats and her friend Henry. Once she is up, she likes to clap for herself!

Computer failure, but more posts soon!

My computer died a week or two ago, and our posting has taken a steep decline since then. We ordered a new laptop for me last night after the Mac Geniuses at the Apple Store determined it was going to cost more to fix than it was worth. This morning, Andy woke up and tried to boot it one more time and ...Ta DA! Laptop working! Elsie thinks that maybe those Mac guys aren't as smart as they look. And she also wants to know if she gets my old laptop now that I have a new one on the way...

Pool time with Mama and friends!

My friends and I went to the pool for the first time on Friday- it was so much fun! At first I was a little nervous, but it turns out swimming is just like taking a bath with your friends in a really big tub.

There were lots of toys to play with, like balls and fun noodles and rings. Right away I found a foam "d" (for Daddy!), and I carried that with me while I swam. Later I found an "E" (for Elsie!), and I hung on to that one, too.

My friends and I played swimming games that the lifeguard taught us (she even sang the silly songs for us). I really liked "Motor Boat, Motor Boat" and "If you are happy and you know it (blow some bubbles)" and "The Grand Old Duke of York."

We had two hours to play, but most of my friends lost interest after 45 minutes or so. That didn't bother me, though- I played and swam and splashed and kicked for an hour and a half before Mama decided it was time for me to go home and take a nap! I LOVE the pool!

Cooper family time in Dubuque

On Friday night and Saturday I got to stay at my Cooper Grandparent's house and play with two of my cousins (Lise, almost 2, and Claire, 4), uncle Will, and aunt Kate.


I really liked pulling Claire's hair! How does she grow it so long like that?


Having some naked walking time with Grandma Ann.


Sharing toys with Lise.


Aunt Kate is really nice!


I wonder which side of the family I got my blue, blue eyes from? :)


My cousins are lots of fun, but sometimes it gets to be a little much for me and I need a break!


I learned how to stand on Grandma and Grandpa's couch to watch cars go by...we even saw a puppy! Woof!

Meeting a Great-Great Aunt and Uncle!

Mama, Daddy and I drove to Dubuque, Iowa, to have lunch with some relatives I'd never met- a great-great aunt and uncle (on my mama's side)! Helen Beth and Galen were in town to help Wartburg Seminary celebrate the 125th anniversary of its mission work in Papua New Guinea- the very mission work that led my great-great aunt and uncle to meet and eventually marry.


It turns out that great-great-aunts and uncles are lots of fun! We laughed a lot, and they even took me to a New Guinea museum so I could see the beautiful masks, jewelry, tools, and handcrafts made by the indigenous peoples. I liked the photos and model boats the best!



Helen Beth and Galen eventually had to leave Dubuque to start the long journey home to Fargo-Moorhead, MN. Check back tomorrow to learn about how I spent the rest of my time in Dubuque!

Aw, Mama, stop taking my picture!

Playing in the less-warm weather

It was a rather cold week, but Mama and I were brave and played outside anyway.


I liked hanging out on my blanket while mom did some spring yard work.


We even took a trip to a "big kid" park where I got to play on a big swing.


Mama thinks it looks like I am terrified in the picture, but I am actually giggling.


I'm getting so good at walking that I tried to convince Mama to ride in the stroller while I pushed her, but she thought it might be dangerous since I am still too short to be able to see over the handlebar. Which is probably true. Maybe next year.