7 Months Old!

Being 7 months old is pretty much exhausting. So much to do so much to learn! Most recently Ellie has learned how to wave hi and bye bye! It is pretty much the most adorable thing I've ever seen. She started turning her wrist a couple of weeks ago and so we started pairing it with hi and bye bye and no she has it. She shoots her arm up in the air and waves her little hand. Too cute! Check out the video clip of her open hand wave (She can also do the open and close, fold down fingers wave...but you'll have to wait to see that!)

Highlights of the past month:

-She loves Patty Cake and doesn't quite get Peek-a-boo yet but I'm sure that is in the very near future. Every once in awhile she'll even toss it in the air with us and patting is no problem at all :)

-Ellie sits up very well and enjoys this new perspective. She still will tumble over every once in awhile but it doesn't phase her. She just starts playing from the laying down position. She still isn't much of a rollover baby. She can do it but doesn't very often. We probably hold her a little too much but what can you say...

-She is getting quite bored with her "baby toys" (rattles, etc) and is moving on to stackable, noisy, button, wheel toys. We've had fun searching for new toys but haven't had much luck at finding good yard sales lately. Hopefully this weekend!

-Little fish! Ellie loves the water. This month Ellie took her swimming classes and we have taken her to the pool as often as we can. She loves it! She kicks her little legs and soaks it up! The bath is a great time as well. She has upgraded to the bath seat and loves playing with toys and splashing. We even got her the little Fisher Price boat that we had when we were kids and it is quite a hit!

-Vera and Jesse came to visit last weekend and we had a great time. This was probably the first visit where it seemed like Ellie realized there was another little person around and it was fun to see her interact with Vera. She loves kids! They are going to have some fun times together.

-Grandpa Bill and Grandma Beth came for a visit and we went to Star, NC for Jason's Aunt Sally's wedding. It was a fun time and we are so happy they were able to come for a few extra days. It was really nice to get to spend some extra time with the Hamilton family and Ellie did really well traveling. Finally we are past the "car-seat aversion" stage she was going through (I hope!)

-Storytime at the library- We have been going to the Saturday morning "baby time" at the library and Ellie loves it! (Jason doesn't so much...well he just doesn't like to be the spectator without a baby in his arms as it is quite awkward!) It is an action-packed 20 minutes of baby rhymes, songs, bubbles, tickling, hokey-pokey, etc. Ellie gets so excited...it cracks me up how every part of her body wiggles in excitement. Too cute. It is also a great place to meet other babies and families. I'm impressed that there are so many moms and dads that come together. We've been sticking around afterward and the babies all just play together on the carpet. Fun times!

-We are attempting to teach Ellie to dance. So far she just looks at us like we're crazy and smiles. Oh well...

-Still no teeth! We are thinking that they will be coming in soon because she drools like crazy. We pretty much have to keep a bib on her 24/7 because she drools all over the place! She still chomps down on her teething rings and shoves her entire fist into her mouth but still no teeth.

- Yummy toes. Ellie discovered grabbing her toes a couple of months ago but kind of got over that phase very quickly. Well this month she has discovered that she can suck on her toes. It is pretty funny because she doesn't pull her foot into her mouth she leans all the way over and sucks on her big toe. Another one we'll have to get a video of. What a silly girl.

Ellie is a happy girl and for that we are very happy parents!

She Sits...(and sometimes doesn't fall over)

Well Eleanor sits. At this point she CAN stay upright for a long period of time...but it doesn't always happen that way! She is much too busy checking out the world around her to keep her attention focused on staying balanced. She does brace herself with her arms or a toy but can sit up without any support. For now we'll keep the padding and pillows close by!


Things are busy and fun in our house. Jason is recovering well from his surgery and anxiously awaiting a pair of new glasses with the correct prescription (he has to wait 6 weeks while the vision stabilizes). His last day at IBM was on Friday and he has this week off. Ellie will have some extra daddy time and he'll have a little break before he starts his new job next Monday.

We've gone to "Baby Time" at the library two weeks in a row and Ellie loves it! "Zoom, zoom, zoom we're going to the moon..." We are learning all of the songs and rhymes and having fun seeing all the other babies. After the organized session many people stay and let the babies play (or stare at each other :) on the carpet. We're trying to find more opportunities for Ellie to see other babies since she doesn't go to daycare. It is difficult to find fun things like this on the weekend and it is great that it is free!

Eleanor is super fun. Her latest trick is spitting. Yes....spitting. It is kind of unfortunate but she finds it very amusing and will spit for many minutes at a time. She soaks herself and anyone who is holding her. It is pretty gross. We're hoping she grows out of it by her teenage years! Grandma Sue has been working on "How big is the baby? Soooo big!" and she is actually getting it. After about 3 demonstrations she stretches her arms out. She so far hasn't gotten them up above her head but it is adorable even to the sides. We have to get a video.

How Far We've Come!

Swim Class and Goodbye Baby Burrito!

Ellie had her very first trip to the pool today. We signed her up for a parent and baby swim class and tonight was the first class. Ellie had a lot of fun. The water was COLD but Ellie didn't seem to mind. She kicked around and attempted to use her hands as well. The class is for a wide range of ages, I think 6 months to 2 or 3 years 3 babies were around Ellie's age and then a couple older ones. I have heard that the earlier you start them the more comfortable they are. The class is really more for the parent and they teach you how to hold your baby so that they are comfortable and safe. Ellie really enjoyed chasing after a little green frog that I'd throw out in front of her and then "swim" to. Of course her main goal: getting it in her mouth. We have class every night this week so we'll see what else we learn.

In other very big news...Ellie has been having some sleeping issues for the past week. She has been really hard to put down. It has been very frustrating because she seems completely asleep and then we put her in the crib and her eyes shoot open. Ahhhh! We worked very hard to put her in her crib while she was still a little bit awake like all the books do. Supposedly this was supposed to give her independence and the ability to soothe herself to sleep. She has been a burrito baby for the past 6 months. We realize that most babies get over the swaddling after 3 months but she would not sleep without being tightly swaddled. The swaddle really worked magic for us.

So in talking to my mom she suggested maybe Ellie was done with the swaddle. So tonight she ate, I rocked her a little bit and she kept playing with my hair and shirt so I gave her a lovey (Thank you Dr. Brazelton for the advice). After a couple of minutes I put her in the crib and she was awake but she seemed very content and so I walked out. A couple minutes later here is the result:
Peaceful sleeping baby with Petunia Pig in a tight grip. Her legs and arms sprawled with their new found freedom. Tomorrow will be the test to see if she does this again. I do realize she could just be exhausted from swimming but if not farewell old swaddle and thank you for the months of great sleep.

News from the infirmary...

The Hamiltons are not doing real well. Jason had scleral buckle surgery on Wednesday to treat a retinal detachment. It is a pretty invasive operation where they basically sew a silicone band around the eye. The anesthesia made him very sick on top of the operation. Poor guy! The first day was especially rough and now he seems to be doing a lot better. It is a long recovery and I'm sure pretty difficult to only have one eye. Luckily the doctor thinks the operation went really well and thinks the retina should reattach.

I woke up on Wednesday morning with a sore throat. I have had pretty good luck with not getting sick but by Thursday morning had a full blown cold. Terrible timing! This morning I called my mom for back up and she came and took Ellie for the day. The walked around the flea market and had a good time and Jason and I slept. Luckily I am feeling much better this afternoon which I think is a good sign. I'm pretty sure we aren't going to do anything for fourth of July. I know Missy and Milo are going to go crazy with the fireworks so we're planning on drugging them with the thunderstorm pills the vet gave us. Poor Ellie will have a pretty uneventful first 4th. I don't think she'll complain :) Maybe we'll let her watch some fireworks in TV since she loves that so much.