Feeding Myself!

Elena has been eating cereal for about two weeks now. And for the past week, she has decided it was necessary to help mama feed her. The pictures below are the result of all my efforts to keep food in her mouth. After dinner, Elena was cleaned up and then snuggled on the couch with her monkey.

1st Swing in the Park

Now that Elena can sit unassisted, she can also swing at the park. She loves going to the park and watching the kids and this trip was no different. However, this was the first time she went in a swing. She seemed to enjoy the swing too. The swing has leg holes on the front and back, creating a bit of extra space behind her so I stayed close just in case. This was the first time Elena felt grass too :) You can tell at the end she is a bit sleepy, we took off from the park and Elena was sleeping by the time we left the parking lot.

Toes...Yummy!

Here is Elena's "I'm up to mischief" face. She flashed this grin right before she leaned forward to munch her toes. I guess it is the natural progression--rice cereal then your own toes! And quite content with herself in the last picture.

Hanging Out on the Patio (6-1/2 months)

Today was such a beautiful day, I couldn't pass up snapping a few photos of Elena and Cooper. The majority of pictures are of Elena, since Cooper isn't keen on sitting right next to her quite yet. Cooper likes to stand guard and give her kisses on her fingers and toes but he walks away when she reaches out too much. During this photo shoot, Elena figured out she could unhook her dress, crazy little girl!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!! Elena is a sun flower for the day. Who couldn't resist such a cute little flower? She is doing great at sitting and is just a character. We might have ham on our hands :)

First Bites of Cereal

The time has come, time for Elena to begin eating solid foods. Up to this point (6 months and 9 days) she has solely been fed breast milk, well with the exception of her time in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). She was given an IV with sugar water and some formula supplements. But since coming home from the hospital, she has only ever ingested milk. The texture was interesting--her tongue played with the texture and then the fingers. In the end, Elena was pleased with the new encounter and looks forward to more rice cereal tomorrow.

Sitting Up

Elena just starting rolling over not too long ago and now she can sit for a minute or two on her own. I'm sure Elena could have sat along time ago if she wasn't always reaching for a toy or feeling the wool rug or pushing with her legs as if trying to stand. You can see below she is sitting, but still reaching for the toys and Cooper is right in there keeping watch. Toward the bottom, Elena is giving kisses (it looks like she is attacking with her mouth) to the polar bear music player. And yes there is a pillow behind her, not to support her but to break her fall in case she flops backwards, which she did a couple of times.

Visit from Dixie and Ron

On their way back to Connecticut from vacationing in Kaua'i, Dixie and Ron Travis (Carl's Godparents) stopped in San Diego for a couple of days. They came over to meet Elena and visit with us. We had a great time and even tried a new recipe for lunch, warm chicken and asparagus salad. It was delicious!

Making Mischief at 6 Months

Well, yesterday Elena turned 6 months old. I know, it is hard to believe. She weighs 21 pounds and is 28-1/4 inches long. She is big for her age and already wearing 12 month clothes, but at least she is proportional. According to the May 30, 2000 publication of growth charts for the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), Elena exceeds the 97 percentile for both height and weight. Which is interesting with the current health care debates and some insurances denying babies health care coverage because they are too skinny or too chunky, falling outside the 5-95 percentile rage. I'm glad this is not an issue we have to deal with from our insurance. We have a healthy baby who loves to make mischief with her toys. If you look carefully on the third picture down, you can see Cooper is keeping watch over Elena and her mischief.