New Wheels!

Our new "umbrella" stroller came this week.  I say "umbrella" because it is so much more than an umbrella and I love it!  The stroller folds easily into a compact rectangle and it can stand when folded.  This stroller only takes up about 1/4 of my Civic trunk space, so much better than lightweight/full size strollers--not much else fits in my trunk with one of those.  The stroller has a reclining back, the wheels are made of a dense rubber and have independent suspension giving Elena a smooth ride.  And it is a dream to drive; Carl can push too since the handle height is adjustable.  Best of all Elena loves to ride in it.  We have taken it on several walks around the neighborhood and at the parks already.  We can do a little off roading--it will drive over grass, rocks and mulch, though much easier on side walks.  It isn't a true all-terrain or jogging stroller, just light weight with a huge sun umbrella that stretches all the way down to the black belly bar.  I look forward to using this stroller almost every day between neighborhood walks and the zoo.  It was definitely worth the wait!

Swinging at the Park

This morning we went to the park.  It was a beautiful morning.  I finally remembered sunscreen but forgot her hat.  Usually I remember her hat and forget sunscreen.  One day I will remember both!  Elena enjoys the swings.  She also slid down the slide a few times and loved it so much she wanted to eat it at the end of her ride.  The play ground equipment is so different from what I remember.  There are little ramps/walls for rock climbing.  It will be fun to see this little monkey climbing up those soon!

 

 

 

 

Pulling Up

Elena is figuring out how to pull up on the couch.  She is becoming a monkey.  She crawls under chairs through legs and can pull herself up on just about anything, including the ironing board (don't worry, I was watching and holding the board from tipping).  Here are a few pictures from this morning.

 

 

 

Expression of Elena

While taking photos this morning, Elena gave three perfect expressions within a couple of minutes.  She gave a pout, even cried for a few seconds.  Then she went into happy Elena with a giggle before she settled on what we have been affectionatly calling "jowly".  Jowly is the face she gives when she is mesmorized by something, in this case it was the TV.  She doesn't watch much TV, she generally only looks up at it when music plays.  She loves music and loves dancing or be-bopping as my dad calls it. 

The Pout

 

Happy (most frequent expression)

Jouly

Elena at 10 Months Old

Today marks Elena at 10 months old.  How the time passes.  She weighs 24 pounds and is 30-1/2 inches long and he is starting to get into everything!  She rolls, scoots (kinda looks like swimming on the floor) and has started taking a few crawling steps.  This past week, she learned how to sit in her crib, kneel in her crib and of course stand in her crib.  Her crib has become so much fun she has had a hard time taking naps the past couple of days.  Her night sleeping is still going well with mostly 8-11 hour nights now.  She talks a lot, mostly babbling but she also says dada and mama but not connected to us yet.  Elena loves to make the "ssss" noise and over the past couple of days she has begun saying nana around nursing/nap time.  I think she is asking to nurse--possible first word? 

Current activities include Elena clapping my hands together to play patty-cake, rolling the ball back and forth, reading (absolutely loves it), she also likes to put toys inside other toys and shake--loves to make noise though doesn't like when others make loud noises (i.e. food processor, vacuum, etc.).  Peek-a-boo is still an exciting game to play.  She is also beginning to put together actions, for example, going out the front door means we are going somewhere.  Last week, we stepped out the front door to get the mail and she threw a fit when we came back in the house (she loves being outside and giggles during our neighborhood walks).  And yes, she is now throwing fits when she doesn't get what she wants.  Elena is still content playing by herself but keeps tabs on us and cries when we leave her sight.  She even cries when Carl leaves for work.  Luckily, her fits and cries are often short.  In the next entry you can see her moods change in rapid succession.
Elena is still nursing, though starting to show preference to solid foods which she eats twice a day.  Her solid food diet consists of avocado, banana, applesauce, peas, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, corn, oatmeal, chicken, green beans, prunes, pears, mango, Cheerios, cottage cheese, and water.  Textures don't seem to be a problem even though her doctor thought it would.  We prepare the avocado, banana, peas, carrots, pears, and mango by mashing them with a fork.  Even the chicken (we make) is slightly chunky.  She only has two teeth on the bottom, and they are still small little razors.  In the past day she has begun chewing on everything in sight, so I'm sure another tooth is making its way up.

Elena is a constant amazement and a joy to be around, and we are looking forward to seeing her personality blossom.  We miss everyone dearly and hope you continue to enjoy the blog!

 

 

 

 

Look What I Found...

Someone was making a lot of noise when she should have been sleeping. I peered around the doorway to find her on her knees pulling up on the crib. It won't be long until she is pulling up to her feet.  When laying down on her back, she can pull her self to standing just by holding onto our fingers.  This girl is going to have some serious abs!

Roses in February

Well, it has been 2 weeks since I became a stay at home mom and so far enjoying the extra time with Elena.  I have been working on her sleep schedule, which is coming along quite nicely.  She is sleeping 7-11 hours at night--what a difference from every 3 hours!  And she takes great naps now.  We try to get out once a day.  After her morning nap today we went to the park.  This afternoon we spent some time in the backyard.  This is one of the best months to be in San Diego, mid 70s and gorgeous!  Our roses are in bloom so I thought I would take some picutres to share.  We started out with the towel, because even at 3pm the ground is still wet from the dew.

Elena waves "Hi".  She also waves to "Bye-bye" and "Night-night", too cute.

Cooper had to check out our activities in "his turf"

Elena playing in the grass.  It takes her some time to warm up to the feel of grass.

Elena and Mama inspecting a rose more closely.  She has very good finger-thumb coordination and easily grabs for the petals.  Though she wasn't into smelling the roses, only pulling off the petals.

Breakfast with Pop

This morning we met Pop for a tasty breakfast.  It had been awhile since we had seen Pop due to his travel to Switzerland and Italy.  We ate at a round booth, so Elena sat as a big girl in the booth with us.  She was great, although started getting into mischief when it was time for her nap.

Cheerios

Elena is learning to throw tantrums and today she was in a real mood.  The picture below is basically how she looked, not just a bad moment.  I tried to distract her with Cheerios.  At first she was frustrated because she is used to getting food in her tummy much faster but she is getting the hang of feeding herself and especially loves to drink water out of a cup.  Cups create a little dribble down her shirt but she doesn't like to drink from sippy cups.

Fun in My Toy Box

Elena loves to get into things.  A new trick to keep her entertained for a few minutes is to tip over her toy box.  She loves getting into all the toys and bringing out a few at a time, playing with them for awhile and going back for more until all the toys are on the floor.

Teeth!!

The time has come, Elena finally cut her first tooth (bottom right) on January 25, 2010 (9 months, 4 days).  She cut the bottom left tooth about two weeks later.  Here are a couple pictures of both teeth.  You have to look closely for the second tooth since it just broke the skin.

Lemons!

Our Meyer Lemon (mini) Tree has been providing us fresh lemons since January.  Here are a few pictures of Elena inspecting the lemon tree and enjoying the grass under foot.  She loves to be outside.

Toys, toys and more toys

Just having fun sitting with most of her toys :)

Peek-A-Boo

Elena loves to play peek-a-boo but instead of using her hands, she pulls blankets over her head.  When the blanket covers her face, she straightens her legs and gets really excited.  When the blanket uncovers her face she giggles and laughs.  It is just too cute.

Stylin in New Christmas Gear

Elena is so cute in all her new clothes.   Here just a few pictures of her sportin' her stuff :)

Playing in the Yard

Today was a beautiful day.  The grass is starting to grow with the recent rains.  Here is Elena playing in our front yard.

So Sleepy...

Elena was so tired after a long day at day care, she passed out playing in her jumpy.  This says something since she loves, loves, loves to jump.

The Kids...

Cooper was interested in having his picture taken with the new Christmas tree too.  He somewhat reluctantly sat next to Elena, and was not pleased that she was fixing his Christmas collar.  You can see the dred in his eyes, but Elena was very pleased with herself :)