Game Changer

So by posting this picture, I prove that I am a terrible mother! Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch, transferring pictures from the camera to the computer, 'watching' Eliza do tummy time on her blanket at my feet. Next thing I know, she is screaming! So, I look down and she isn't there. I jump up, camera in hand (not on purpose) and this is what I find. I say I am a bad mom because I took the 2 seconds to take a picture and giggle at her in the precarious situation.

She has not figured out how to consistently roll from her tummy to her back. Now, she rolls across the living room and can't be left during tummy time. Time to Eliza-proof the living room and vacumm everyday.

Eliza was just fine after I picked her up and cuddled with her. Since she is a big girl and incredibly mobile, we tried sitting her up last night in the bath as opposed to laying her on the infant side. She thought this was great fun because she can kick water even further! Her little smile makes my heart melt. 

In other news, remember that we got new bumper pads to prevent her from sticking limbs through her crib? Yeah, well see how well that's working :) I heard her making noises on the monitor after her nap today, so I walked in to check on her. When I saw that cute little arm poking through, I asked her what she was doing and she raised the bumper up to smile at me. So, tonight, we are going to adjust it down the mattress more to see if that helps. I have a feeling this is going to turn into a rodent syndrome problem!

So, tonight, we are going to adjust it down the mattress more to see if that helps. I have a feeling this is going to turn into a rodent syndrome problem!

After dinner tonight, Michael suggested that he dust off his flugglehorn and play for Eliza since she likes us singing and whistling. This is her face when she first heard him play. Her eyes got real wide then she looked over at me to see if everything was ok. 

When she saw me smiling and dancing, that must have let her know it was ok. So, she started kicking and smiling, too! Happy family :)

Beautiful Nebraska Evening

Evenings in Nebraska are exceptionally beautiful, especially as summer is drawing to an end. After dinner most evenings we try to go on a walk or go to the field behind our house and play with the dogs. Angel loves frisbee, so below is an action shot of Michael and Angel.

Poor Coral has to stay on a leash because she gets too excited and runs off. Although she usually doesn't go far because she meets a new friend everywhere she goes and we usually find her being pet by someone, we are scared she'll run in the road. 

Tonight was my turn to wear Eliza in our new carrier. It is so much more comfortable than our other one and she can still giggle at the dogs when they run. We are lucky to be able to enjoy these beautiful evenings together :)

For the past week and a half, Eliza has been doing something new. At first we thought it was her trying to nurse our faces or teeth on our chins. But, we have realized that it is her giving kisses. She is such a sweetie. Also, she likes to grab Michael's scruffy face and coo at him. She likes his whiskers :)

Conquer the Basement

Since we don't have any resolution with our basement yet, Michael and I have decided that we are (mostly) intelligent people and can learn how to do this ourselves. For those who haven't heard, on June 1st we noticed that our carpet in the basement was wet and upon closer inspection realized there was mold in the drywall and carpet. The insurance company has given up 10% of what it will cost to fix the problem. Since we have Eliza, we are now hell bent to get the mold out. Here are pictures of our basement right now: link to pictures. 

Eliza in her new carrier

So, yesterday, we went to Menard's to price tools, supplies and paint to begin fixing the problem. Michael is wearing Eliza in her new carrier, the Beco Butterfly 2. The other carrier that we have hurts my back too much, so we switched to this one. Look how happy she looks to be on dad's back! Great picture of my two favorite people. 

Problem Solved

So to update on the crib problem, the above picture is her when she woke up the other day. She looked around and tried moving her legs. Then I said hi to her and she looked confused. So I picked up her and put her on her changing table. As you can see, she quickly forgot she was trapped!

Thanks to Amazon Prime, we were able to get our breathable crib liner in 2 days. We put it on her crib last night and everything seemed to go well. I heard on the monitor that she was scratching at it for some time before she went to sleep. But when we woke up this morning, she didn't have any limbs sticking out and was happy as a lark. 

And, by the way, doesn't she have beautiful bed head :)

Time for Bumper Pads

 Eliza wants to put everything in her mouth, including my chin when it is near enough! So, a friend of mine suggested peeling the fat end of a carrot, freezing it and giving it to her as a teether. She didn't know what to do with it! The first few times, her eyes got real wide and she dropped it because it was cold. Then, she licked it instead of chewing on it. Maybe we'll try again, but today she just didn't get it.

I put her down for her second nap today and about 20 minutes later I went to check on her and she was on her tummy asleep. The above picture is what I found 15 minutes later when I checked on her again. I questioned if I should move her, but since she is asleep, I left it be. Michael and I tend to take a 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' mentality. I suspect she'll have something to say about this when she wakes up.

Time to get bumper pads!

"Silly Momma"

Gift from Hawaii

Eliza and I have had a great day. Since she is getting more sleep, she is in a much better mood. She is getting to where she actually likes tummy time, but is getting frustrated because she can't roll from her tummy to back without nearly breaking her arm off. She'll get it. She is also really interested in rattles this week because she now understands how to shake them. She is learning so quickly!

She is having trouble sitting up in her exersaucer, so I have to prop her up to keep her sitting back. While she was playing, I said "silly momma" in a goofy voice and she gave the cutest giggle. Because I was sneaky, she allowed me to get it on camera. Enjoy

Promoted to "Dad"

So from about the time that we brought Eliza home from the hospital, Michael was convinced that is title was "non Mom". While I tried to convince him that Eliza thought he was great, he knew that he wasn't food. Eliza and I had a very strong bond because she associated me with food and comfort, and I got up with her in the middle of the night all the time. Now, I think Michael has been promoted to "Dad" by both himself and Eliza!

Yesterday morning started off great! My little one is sleeping much better, and as a result I am sleeping better. Since I am feeling almost human again, Michael says I am much nicer ;). While I made breakfast, Eliza and dad had some good quality time. When I walked in they were smiling and telling stories. 

Eliza is getting very good at baby push up and has the basic mechanism of crawling down when we hold up her tummy. It won't be too much longer before we have a very mobile baby. 

Michael has been a great help lately during the night time. Now, he is the complete package of husband and dad :) Each night when we give Eliza a bath, we assign our selves a task, either "head" or "body". Last night, I took the head duty and was in charge of washing her hair. Since it is getting so long, I felt like it would look best in a soap mohawk. Instead, it all grouped together in one mega-curl. Super cute :) 

After bath and story time, our little girl went to sleep and Michael and I enjoyed down time while catching up on TV shows. Nebraska, the good life.