Whose Kid Is this Anyway?

Elynor's Aunt Becca & Uncle George introduce her to her first buck.

Giving Thanks...

...for a family of admirers!

As the newest addition to the Keeton clan (my mom's family), Elynor enjoyed the spotlight for the past several days. In almost no time, her suitors mastered her beloved comfort 'bounce' technique and before long she could barely utter a peep before someone was holding her. She showed off her many new expressions and sounds to the crowds of cheerleaders and will surely be bored when we soon return to the days of her, Rye & me!

Here are a few pictoral highlights of Elynor's first Thanksgiving. The complete photo album is available on Picasa.

Thrilled to Be a Cochrane Girl

The First Great Grandchild

What fun Elynor had with her Great Grandma, 'GG' (Grandpa Kev's mom), who traveled to IL from FL for the special introduction. GG has already spoiled Elynor long-distance, but this weekend Elynor got some in-person lovin'! Elynor especially enjoyed GG's special songs - the same ones she used to sing to Grandpa Kev.

Teacher's Pet

Major stops on Elynor's Greenville (my hometown) coming out party included my grade school, where my mom still teaches, and my high school, where my dad is now the principal. Grandma Velma paraded her around the school announcing, "Come see my grand baby!" and kids passing in the halls stared in awe, announcing, "That's a cute baby!". At the high school, we helped Grandpa Kev supervise lunch hour and hung out in his office (hopefully the only way she ever spends time in the principal's office).

When spending time in schools, there are always many quotables. Here are a few highlights:

Seeing my mom walking through the hall holding Elynor, boy runs up and yells, "Mrs. Cochrane, you had a baby!?"

Same boy, now lined up in my mom's classroom, sees our white & pink flowered burp cloth laying on a desk and exclaims, "Ewwww... are those underwear!? Why is there underwear?!" I looked at him, confused. Then my mom explained he has a little sister, who must have underwear in a pattern like our burp cloth.

Stepping into his high school classroom, a boy jumps up from the back row and rushes up to us, exclaiming, "Is THIS the ELEVEN POUND baby!?". (This is much funnier when you picture a pipsqueak, awkward teenage boy. How did he know 11 pounds was a big deal?)

Emergency Evacuation

On our way out the door to pick up my cousin at the airport last Tuesday, Elynor had a major blow out. When I say major, I really mean extreme, monumental, record-setting... covering her ENTIRE back... you get the picture. And here's a picture of how I got her out of her outfit. Since we didn't have time for a full bath, I didn't want to get the, um, shall we say, "evidence" in her hair. So I saw this as the only option. Thank goodness she was wearing her "Baby's First Halloween" shirt, which I doubt she would have worn (other than at home when her other clothes were in the laundry) again.

Sorry Rick & Kara for shredding your gift. I promise it did get it's full wear the week of Halloween. Thank you Ed Campins for giving me this emergency evacuation idea several weeks ago!

Baby Email

This photo doesn't do the moment justice... but last week, as I checked email during Elynor's tummy time, she strained to view the screen. I imagine the light & color attract her much like the TV. It sure seems we have a future techie on our hands! For now, it seems like a great way to encourage her to stretch those little muscles.

Sleeping In

Happy 2-month Birthday

Today we marked Elynor's 2 months in this world with an exciting visit to the pediatrician (okay, exciting may not be the best descriptor - we did celebrate with a fun brunch on Saturday). Her 2-month stats are as follow:

LENGTH (why don't they call this height?): 24 3/4 inches (off the chart, the average for a baby at 4.5 months)*
WEIGHT: 12 lbs. 12 oz. (90-95 percentile)

*The influence of genetics on height doesn't really kick-in until 4-6 months, so it's too early to get excited about our future basketball star.

She checked out great in her physical exam and survived the 2 month vaccines (4 shots! OUCH!) with much screaming (the poor nurse's ears!).

In other 2-month developments, as you can tell from recent posts, she's really found her smile and shares it often. When not smiling, she's also finding her voice, and has recently introduced some new coo-like sounds, as well as some unique new squeals & screams. She's staying awake for longer stretches during which she most enjoys just taking in her surroundings. She's particularly attracted to lights and likes to chill to music. She'll grasp most anything you place in her hand with a super-tight grip. Her sleeping during naps, though still not perfect, has improved greatly, and praise God, she still goes down and back to sleep well at night!

How amazing is the opportunity to take part in this little human's development! We continue to marvel at even the small things, giving thanks to God our Father for this precious child.

Spit up

It's the latest accessory gracing shoulders of mamas everywhere (and sometimes couches, pillows, and hair). I like to think of it as modern art.... kind of like those pieces that look like the artist just threw paint everywhere. You never know exactly where or how it will land. Nevermind the boring color - its beauty is brought out by the color and/or texture of the canvas it lands on. And for the stylish wearer, it is always an original, 1 of a kind work of art. Best are the days when this style maven is graced with two originals - one on each shoulder. Priceless, I say. Priceless.

Duct Tape Diaper

When changing Elynor's diaper today I accidentally pulled off one of the velcro pieces that holds it on. This happening immediately following an impromptu bath necessitated by a major blow-out in her previous diaper, I had no interest in messing around (no pun intended) with any defections. But her tightwad daddy would have nothing to do with tossing the defective diaper. Instead, he insisted I close the perfectly good (and expensive) diaper with a piece of duct tape. Phew! I'm so glad we didn't waste that $$, even if we do have to cut her out of this one.

Sorry for sharing this photo, darlin'! But we had to document your daddy's tightwaddedness.

Dancin' Queen

Dancing is one of our new fave activities. Basically, this involves playing music with a strong beat and Mama sliding around on the wood floor. Supposedly this helps introduce kids to rhythm. We often set up a mirror so Elynor can see how ridiculous her Mama looks. So far, Justin Timberlake is Elynor's favorite. She looks forward to shakin' her booty with Dancin' Queen Aunt Katie at Thanksgiving!

A Future Beach Volleyball Player?

Note that Elynor's eyes are glued to the TV. Since it was the Illini game we thought it okay. But we'll have to watch out!

The Faces of Tummy Time

Tuesday Afternoon

Chillin' to Louis Armstrong while Mama bakes a cake.

Tights

One of the many girly *thrills* I'll get to enjoy in this life...

Really, Mommy... I'm too young for a girdle!

My First Illini Game

Saturday marked a key milestone for Elynor - her first Illini basketball game! For those checking your calendars, thinking the Illini didn't play yesterday, you're technically right. We actually took in a practice and an innersquad scrimmage at Whitney Young High School (yes, we're a little obsessed). It was the perfect event for fans with a 7-week-old. Incredibly casual, we stood on the court next to players and coaches preparing for practice (we were too chicken to ask for a pic with Bruce Weber). Then, from the comfort of the high school bleachers (ahhh... the memories) we enjoyed the scrimmage while feeding Elynor and answering questions about her from other fans. Since they started about 30 minutes late, Elynor & I were tired by half time, so since it was free, we didn't waste a dime when we left early! Who knows, maybe we'll be back in those bleachers in the future watching Elynor play (the Whitney Young women's basketball team is consistently among the state's best)!? We'll no doubt take in many more Illini games together!

A Future Gymnast?

If only girls competed on the rings (though that belly might present some challenges)...
Note: Elynor isn't really intentionally grasping things yet. But if you put something in her hand and close her palm, she'll often hold on with a VERY tight grip!



Thanks to Aunt Becca for the inspirational princess blanket!

Don't Wake a Sleeping Baby

When you carry them up in their carseats...

Okay, so Elynor is clearly in the process of waking up in this picture (very happily, I might add...). But this is after sleeping in her carseat, in her crib, in her dark room, for about an hour. Long enough for Rye & I to catch 1 episode of The Wire (we're getting addicted) on OnDemand.

A Future Engineer?

Tuesday we visited Ryan at work. As you can see, Elynor was quite intrigued by the world of civil engineering. Wow, daddy! Can I design a road someday too?

Hello, Miss Emily! You will be my female engineer inspiration. Girls Rule!

Or maybe I'll just enjoy this beautiful view with mommy...

Fun Times in the Car

Elynor is not a fan of getting strapped into her car seat. And unless she's sound asleep, she's not a fan of a still car. This makes for some *fun* times for her mama, since there is much stopping & going when driving around Chicago. Doesn't she look happy? Too bad I don't have a video clip to give your ears the full experience. Just scream at the top of your lungs and you'll get the picture.