Happy Birthday Elynor Aline!
You've come a long way, baby...
We love you!
You've come a long way, baby...
We love you!
September 13, 2008Saturday, September 13, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Gracias Tio Jorge
Elynor's Uncle George (my sister Becca's husband) was so excited for her birthday that he flew in all the way from San Francisco to help us kick-off the celebration. Amazingly, his work also scheduled a conference here in Chicago. ;) We had a rockin' fiesta in the beer garden at El Cid in our new hood. Upon seeing Elynor, our fave waitress asked us why we hadn't been there in awhile... and proceeded to play with Elynor throughout our dinner. We enjoyed the "free" babysitting and a fun night out.
Gracias para mi libro fantastico Tio Jorge y Tia Becca!
(We're still working on Elynor's Spanish)
Gracias para mi libro fantastico Tio Jorge y Tia Becca!(We're still working on Elynor's Spanish)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Nomads Cross State Line
Last week Elynor made her first visit to the great state of Indiana (well, outside my stomach, anyway). I don't think she became a hoosier, but we did have a great visit/stop on our nomadic journey with my sister Katie (and Karla, Dan & Georgia and Mike & Sarah & Josie) in Indianapolis. Thanks, Kate, for your patience (especially during the 4am wake-ups) and gracious hospitality! Here's a photo summary of our fun times -
This table was awesome for "hiding" under and also bumping my head. Why did you ever give it away, Mom & Dad?!
She also taught me how to make brownies. When finished, she let me feed her some batter.
Then she fed me! I was a big fan.
Then Mom woke up and made me take a bath.
The next day we did some exploring. One of my fave stops was this toy store where I could play with the toys and the older kids.
On our last night we went out to represent the Bears in this Colts-frenzied town. I got to stay up really late and have an early birthday celebration with this mile high ice cream pie (you're welcome, Dad & Aunt Katie)!
This table was awesome for "hiding" under and also bumping my head. Why did you ever give it away, Mom & Dad?!
Aunt Katie took me to my first Indian restaurant. The food was pretty good, but even better were the art and the really friendly waiters.
She also taught me how to make brownies. When finished, she let me feed her some batter.
Then she fed me! I was a big fan.
Then Mom woke up and made me take a bath. 
The next day we did some exploring. One of my fave stops was this toy store where I could play with the toys and the older kids.
On our last night we went out to represent the Bears in this Colts-frenzied town. I got to stay up really late and have an early birthday celebration with this mile high ice cream pie (you're welcome, Dad & Aunt Katie)!Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Last Year
Friday, September 5, 2008
Stop!
Elynor & I arrived at my sis, Katie's, place here in Indianapolis on Wednesday eve. Praise God, Elynor slept most of the way here and she continues to be a champ adapting to new sleeping quarters (here she's holed up in Katie's closet) and other new surroundings.
Katie's place is a super-cute one-bedroom in an area of newer Indy development (I'll have some pics later). I would have loved it back when I was a single or newly-married girl. The problem is, it's not exactly primed for a very curious almost-one-year-old. Of course, this is no fault of Katie's. I mean, what would her friends say about all her outlets having baby covers? Or her nice wood furniture having corner cushions to break falls? What this has meant is very diligent watching from Elynor's mama... and the far too frequent refrain, "Stop!" (At 9am this morning I thought I should have counted how many times I'd said stop since Elynor woke).
The good news is that Elynor is getting very good at listening to and honoring my command. And her Aunt Katie is very cool with her things being temporarily displaced (thank you Katie). It's just making my days a little more exhausting... and has meant a few more bumps for the little girl.
Katie's place is a super-cute one-bedroom in an area of newer Indy development (I'll have some pics later). I would have loved it back when I was a single or newly-married girl. The problem is, it's not exactly primed for a very curious almost-one-year-old. Of course, this is no fault of Katie's. I mean, what would her friends say about all her outlets having baby covers? Or her nice wood furniture having corner cushions to break falls? What this has meant is very diligent watching from Elynor's mama... and the far too frequent refrain, "Stop!" (At 9am this morning I thought I should have counted how many times I'd said stop since Elynor woke).
The good news is that Elynor is getting very good at listening to and honoring my command. And her Aunt Katie is very cool with her things being temporarily displaced (thank you Katie). It's just making my days a little more exhausting... and has meant a few more bumps for the little girl.
Monday, September 1, 2008
It's Official
Elynor is on the move...
And in other signs she's growing - a few nights ago we were out for dinner (a common occurrence right now) and Ryan claims she has a molar in the back of her mouth. Being the in-the-know mom that I am, I quickly discount this claim, asserting that it's way too early. Surely it's just bread. He says, "you wanna bet?". And of course I do. Sticking my finger in the left side of her mouth quickly shows me I've lost the bet. Sure enough, there's a molar back there - bottom left. Wow! We decided that probably explains some of her fussiness in recent weeks.
And in other signs she's growing - a few nights ago we were out for dinner (a common occurrence right now) and Ryan claims she has a molar in the back of her mouth. Being the in-the-know mom that I am, I quickly discount this claim, asserting that it's way too early. Surely it's just bread. He says, "you wanna bet?". And of course I do. Sticking my finger in the left side of her mouth quickly shows me I've lost the bet. Sure enough, there's a molar back there - bottom left. Wow! We decided that probably explains some of her fussiness in recent weeks.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Twins
While staying with our friends the Campins, we got just a taste of what it must be like to have twins. Their son, Everett, is 2 weeks younger than Elynor. One evening, in an effort to give his mama, Leslie, a break, I took both kiddos out for a jog. How funny it was to receive the glances, encouragement, and comments from strangers who definitely thought they were both mine.
The next night Rye & I took both kiddos for a stroll to Dairy Queen. Again, many assumed we were the parents of twins. But what was possibly the funniest part of our outing was the intersection of Elynor's and Everett's personalities. You see, on the spectrum from laid-back to high-strung, they are probably on opposite ends. Give Everett his paci and he's happy to comfortably take in his world. Give Elynor cheerios, water and a toy and she might very well attempt to escape from the stroller while screaming at the top of her lungs. This is obvious in the below pics from Dairy Queen. Upon sighting her daddy's sundae, Elynor loudly expressed her desire to share while Everett remained content with his water. In fact, after Ryan had given Elynor several tastes of ice cream I suggested those around us surely thought we neglected our son. On the way home, while Elynor screamed and Everett remained chill, we joked that Everett was getting his first taste of high-strung, emotional women.
Later that eve Rye & I had to put both kids to bed. Let me just say how thankful I am that that was a one-night experience and that we were both there to help! The logistics involved with feeding, changing, bathing, and putting down two babies are extreme. This seems obvious, yes... but it was not fully appreciated until the experience was mine. While it was fun to pose as a mama of twins while out running, the glimmer faded back at home. What a new respect I have for all mamas (& daddys) of multiples (including my grandparents, as my mom is an identical twin)!
The next night Rye & I took both kiddos for a stroll to Dairy Queen. Again, many assumed we were the parents of twins. But what was possibly the funniest part of our outing was the intersection of Elynor's and Everett's personalities. You see, on the spectrum from laid-back to high-strung, they are probably on opposite ends. Give Everett his paci and he's happy to comfortably take in his world. Give Elynor cheerios, water and a toy and she might very well attempt to escape from the stroller while screaming at the top of her lungs. This is obvious in the below pics from Dairy Queen. Upon sighting her daddy's sundae, Elynor loudly expressed her desire to share while Everett remained content with his water. In fact, after Ryan had given Elynor several tastes of ice cream I suggested those around us surely thought we neglected our son. On the way home, while Elynor screamed and Everett remained chill, we joked that Everett was getting his first taste of high-strung, emotional women.
Later that eve Rye & I had to put both kids to bed. Let me just say how thankful I am that that was a one-night experience and that we were both there to help! The logistics involved with feeding, changing, bathing, and putting down two babies are extreme. This seems obvious, yes... but it was not fully appreciated until the experience was mine. While it was fun to pose as a mama of twins while out running, the glimmer faded back at home. What a new respect I have for all mamas (& daddys) of multiples (including my grandparents, as my mom is an identical twin)!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
