Eleven Months and On the Move

 Getting a good picture of this little one is a challenge these days because she won't be still! I should have known when I was pregnant with her that she would be me running! Now, with her itching to walk and her love for crawling, I have split seconds to try and capture a picture. Most of the time she ends up looking like an alien because the camera captured her movement.

 Today Eliza is 11 months old! Her favorite things to do right now are to blow raspberries on mom, to eat finger foods and to push her cars across the room.

 She is working on pushing 2-3 teeth out on the top and experimenting with more sounds.

 She is also toying with the idea of standing on her own. At times she'll let go just to see what happens. Today, I peeked over at her and she was just standing playing with a toy next to the ottoman. I think once she figures out how to put a foot forward, it is all down hill from there.

 This sweet girl has made ours lives so much more fun over the last year. Can't wait to see how her BIG personality continues to develop.

Preparing for a Party

 Tonight was a big night! Because my hand-me-down sewing machine was going to cost significantly more than it was worth, we finally got me the sewing machine that I have been wanting for years (yes, actual years). I got a Baby Lock Sophia 2 and she is so cool! It is a sewing, quilting and embroidery machine, so I can make Eliza's birthday outfit myself! After getting the machine, we stopped by the craft store to pick up a few things for her upcoming party. Michael couldn't help himself when he saw the dowel rods! Not only did he pick one up and challenge me to a duel, he gave one to Bug, too! She thought it was great, I thought he was setting a poor example ;)

 Michael was also skipping down the aisles with Eliza and you could hear her giggling from the next aisle over. Thankfully there was no one else around to give us mean looks for acting like wild animals in a store. But, I think we finally have everything we need for Eliza's UNO party :)

After we put Eliza to bed, I made her tutu and Michael helped me make her high chair skirt. This party is going to be Legen.... (wait for it)... DARY!

Three Important Faces

 If you want to know what Eliza is thinking or concentrating on, here is a guide.

 The above picture is "happy." You will see this face when she is in a good mood, right after she ate, or if you are playing a silly game with her. Peek-a-boo will get this face very easily. Sometimes this is a trick and will very quickly be followed by her infamous baby pterodactyl screech. 

 This second face is one of intense concentration, most of the time a product of pooping. I can always tell when she is using the restroom, because she gets very quiet and very still. When she has this face, it is best to leave her alone and let her concentrate. When she is done concentrating, she will go back to face 1 or will go to her crying face (not pictured).

This last face is my favorite right now! This face means, "Look, isn't this cool!" Because she is taking in everything around her, I get to see this face often. It is a happy face, but also one of wonder and a love for learning. I have been taking a picture of her every day since she was born and putting it in a photo album. Since we are so far away from family, it is nice for her to flip through here occasionally to see people who love her and remember their faces. 

A Lovely Sunday

Eliza and I had a wonderful morning, so we went to church. Her nap wasn't as long as it should've been, but I chanced it anyway. Our congregation is currently using another church while ours is being renovated. It was a nice building, but definitely different (and older) than our church building. It had a nice feel and I really enjoyed the look of the pews. Because we haven't been in a while, many people were amazed at how 'grown up' Eliza looks. She got a lot of attention.

After church and a much needed nap, she continued to be in a great mood. There are times during the day that Eliza prefers to just do her own thing and play with the toys by herself. So, I sit back and watch. This is the little show she gave today :)

Stands Alone

Before we get to her standing, I was reminded that Brian, our BFF here, often takes pictures when he is around Eliza and send them to Kimmie (another friend). How can you not when she's so cute. Here is a video of her back in late September. I laid her down on a blanket in his apartment and she grabbed the corner and rolled over. It resulted in a baby burrito that she was stuck in. Super cute!

The last 2 days have been literally 'touch and go'. She has started toying with the idea of standing on her own, but when she realized she is doing it, usually sits down. Today, I put some magnets on the door for her to play with and she started standing by herself. Thankfully she did it again so I could grab my phone. Walking is just around the corner I hope/fear!

Looking Forward

 Each day, I feel a little more excited to see what Eliza is going to do. Since she has started crawling, the milestones aren't as huge of a development. The ways that she is growing is much more subtle. For example, she is getting very skilled at touching items with her pointer finger. She is also showing much more interested in the dogs. Like above, the fur kids were complaining about being locked in the kitchen and Eliza crawled over to the gate and tapped Angel's nose. (We keep them in the kitchen when it is muddy outside so that Eliza doesn't crawl through dirl)

We are also looking forward to Eliza's birthday party right around the corner. I can't believe that in 6 weeks, she will have been with the family for a whole year! The major challenge right now is to experiment with recipes so that she can actually eat (and enjoy) her birthday cake. I found these mixes in the health section at Hy-Vee, so I am hoping they are successful. If not, I will have to start from scratch to make a dairy, soy and egg free mix :)

 Warmth is also a hope for the future! Today it was in the 60s, so I asked if we could take Eliza to the park for the first time. I have been dying to see if she likes the baby swing. You be the judge!

 I think the thing that Eliza looks forward to the most right now is feeding herself. She gets frustrated sometimes and tries to take the spoon from me. So, tonight, I stripped her down and let her have a go at it. It wasn't completely unsuccessful. She managed to get some in her mouth, but she had a great time. She was in the zone and would look and smile like, "Look at me, Mom!" Perfect picture :)

Valentine's Weekend

 

Michael and I decided to do our Valentine's Day celebration on the 15th in order to get the baby sitter that we wanted. So, really it turned into a two day affair. Early in the morning, I woke up to a card and an azalea plant on the counter. To make the day better, Eliza was very peppy and started the day off really well. Lately she has been a bit fussy, and I think the two lumps in the front of her mouth are to blame. We will have 2 front teeth very soon.

I read Eliza a story about Valentine's Day (not the actual story, of course) and she must have really gotten into the spirit, because she couldn't quit kissing her penguin. Since she is starting to catch up in size to the penguin, she gets along much better with it. Michael cooked dinner for us that evening and we enjoyed a nice family evening!

The above picture is what my love bug looks like after a good nap! You can't have a bad day looking at this cute face! For our date night, I cooked dinner at home so that we could spend time with Eliza. At about 6, Eliza's babysitter, Emily, came over and we got to go out! We started off by heading to the Coffee House for dessert. After finishing up a cup of coffee (which I needed to stay up late), we headed over to the Johnny Carson Theatre to see Chicago. All in all, it was a much needed date night and we had a great time.