And She Proves Me Wrong Again

I was beginning to think it was the end of Elsa's morning naps -- meaning the end of peaceful showers, time to get a start on my daily chores, and time to plan out the remainder of the day -- but today she sleeps. A week had passed without a morning nap, so I was sure Elsa decided to move on to one nap a day a little early (they say this usually happens between 12 and 18 months) or, as Kate suggested, she perhaps was just taking a break until she starts crawling and/or walking, which would likely tire her out a bit more. She did start moving around more yesterday, though is still not fully crawling, so maybe she is more tired. Regardless, I am definitely appreciating my morning time today.

Special Delivery

Music Class

Elsa and I went to our first session of music class yesterday. I think she really enjoyed it, though she was definitely the most fussy of any of the kids (there were five total) in the class. This was mostly because I attempted to keep her up yesterday and just put her down a little earlier for one, long afternoon nap. I did this (1) because we had a lady and her two daughters cleaning our house in preparation for our big Margarita Bomb Party on Saturday and there was quite a lot of noise involved with that (as a side note, this was the first time we'd ever hired someone to clean our house -- she was very affordable, very sweet, and did a fantastic job, but I can't get used to it!), and (2) I knew we needed to leave the house a little after 3:00 p.m. to go to music class, and she often sleeps later than that in the afternoon. So I put her down at noon and she fell right to sleep... but then woke up at 1:30 p.m. So much for the long nap. As a result, she was tired and more fussy than normal, so introducing new toys and then taking them away after only a few minutes of play did not go over so well. Thankfully we moved on to the next activity fairly quickly, and a song was always sung as we put toys away, which helped a little. We sang and danced and bounced and played with shakers, clackers, scarves, books, balls with bells, and balls with rubbery protrusions. Elsa loved the scarves, and giggled during the dancing. Overall, I think it was a success, and I am looking forward to next week's class... hopefully with a more well-rested little girl.

Elsa is Ten Months

Today marks Elsa's ten-month birthday, and she is definitely continuing to grow on a daily basis. She is still not yet totally on the move (though she is capable of moving about on the floor by rolling or somehow slithering), but she is ever closer to crawling (if she could just discover those knees can support and move her lower half!), and you can see in the photos her newfound love -- standing. She enjoys standing in the back room and holding onto the edge of the sleeper sofa, standing in her crib and holding onto the railing (she cried yesterday when I tried to lift her out of the crib), standing and holding onto our hands, and standing on the couch, holding onto the back cushions. She will take a few steps here and there, and can even balance herself some on her legs for a few seconds without holding on, but is still not fully cruising.

We think her second top-front tooth is making its way in, which is causing some angst these past couple of days. We may not be able to call her "Snaggletooth" for much longer. I am trading my baby-baby in for more of a toddler with these incoming teeth, which just seems unfathomable. Was it not just yesterday when we brought our little bundle home from the hospital? And now I am starting to plan her first birthday party. It sounds so cliché, but these little ones really do grow up fast. Everyone always tells you these things, but you kind of just dismiss all the comments until you have your own child and experience it all for yourself.

She is a skinny little thing, still in her nine-month-sized clothes -- long and lean, just like her daddy was as a baby. I was long, but not even close to being lean. We are trying to fatten her up, though. Today she had her first grilled cheese sandwich, sans crust, cut up into little pieces. She loved it, and ate the entire half-sandwich. Avocado is still a definite staple, and is a good fatty fruit. She has also surprised me by taking a good liking to the broccoli/cauliflower purée I made her awhile back (complete with butter, of course), and she of course still loves her sweet potatoes and squash. She has been a little funny about some other foods, though. She is not too keen on scrambled eggs (perhaps again taking after Daddy?), even with shredded cheese on top. I'm not sure if it is a texture thing or a flavor thing, but it's a bummer since they are such a good source of protein. I will keep trying, though! She is also not a big fan of the organic monterey jack cheese I bought at the Farmer's Market, and much prefers cheddar and even sharp cheddar (which was on the grilled cheese today). I think the girl likes flavor, so I'm going to try out some new more complex recipes sometime soon, which are in a new book I'm reading, Hungry Monkey.

All in all, Elsa is a very happy baby, making Jarrett and me very happy parents. We love you, little girl, and so enjoy watching you become such a fun, adventurous, curious little person.

The Varsity

Reading Alison's most recent blog post inspired us this morning to plan a lunch outing on an otherwise extremely lazy day. Where to? The Varsity -- an Atlanta establishment I had yet to experience in the nine years I have lived here. So it was a first for both me and for Elsa, though Elsa will have to wait for her first hot dog. She instead dined on O-shaped cereal, pieces of cheddar cheese, and a puree of bananas, peaches, and strawberries. I went crazy and had a hot dog with cheese, mustard, chili, and slaw to match Jarrett's -- I never eat chili and slaw on anything. Am I really turning into a Southerner? I have to admit, it was pretty good. Not the highest-quality hot dog in the world, but still quite tasty. I just wished after I ordered my Sprite that I instead had ordered a chocolate milk (or "P.C." in Varsity speak), which is served over ice. Maybe one day Elsa will have that hot dog and a P.C. herself, as I am sure it will not be the last time she hears those famous words...

"What'll ya have? What'll ya have?"

Happy Fourth of July!

Elsa Goes to the Zoo

Yesterday, after afternoon naps, Elsa and I met up with Shelly and Christian at the Atlanta Zoo. Shelly is a member and was kind enough to get Elsa and me in for free (she has also gotten us into the Atlanta Botanical Garden for free in the past -- a great perk to being Shelly's friend!). This was Elsa's first time at the zoo, and of course I was way more excited about it than she could even pretend to be. Elsa and Christian were much more fascinated by the flip signs at the exhibits than the three giraffes that were less than 20 feet away from them. Oh well, it was still fun. And I was actually quite amazed by how many animals were out and active despite the heat. We saw panda bears, a tiger, lions, otters, lemurs, rhinos, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, gorillas (in the distance), wart hogs, an elephant, and various pretty birds. We tried to go to the petting zoo, but unfortunately it was already closed. We were able to see the goats and pigs in their pens, but I would have loved to have seen how Elsa reacted to actually being able to touch them. Next time!