My first IM with Dad..

This morning Elodie had her first IM (Instant Messenger) chat with her Dad. It started off simple with just a few letters, and then it got sort of complicated when Dad typed the word "Cookie".

This caused her to have those wrinkles between her eyebrows, so the only thing she could do was to use big words like "s weuynnyhy", and luckily Dad responded in Elodie talk, which brought a big smile to Elodie's face.

I can grab my feet now..

Elodie is now 3 1/2 months and one day I walk into the bedroom and she is lying on her back and she has both hands on both feet. I did a double take. It seems that whenever she has a new ability, I seem to catch it by mistake.

I totally forgot about this ability and remembered seeing other babies (only in pics) do this very same thing. My first thought was that my little Elodie is really growing up. What next?...can't wait! :o)

The Bumbo seat..sitting up..

Another great feat, Elodie at 3 1/2 months is able to sit up straight with great head control, thanks to this Bumbo seat.

Our pediatrician recommended that we get this seat because it might help expedite Elodie's head to shape correctly. I was excited to get the chair and it was a reasonable price of $35 at Target and $9.99 for the tray.

We put her in it immediately and she looked around like, "hey, this is kind of a neat view from here". Since she was wobbling a bit, I couldn't quite get a steady pic, but I still think this pic is too cute.

Ouch..my teeth hurt...

Already starting to fuss with her teeth at 2 1/2 months, it appears that poor Elodie is starting to go through teething.

I went out and bought her some homeopathic teething gel (I didn't want to subject her to the benzocaine stuff yet), and it seems to be helping.

I also purchased a bunch of different types of teething toys and tried the old frozen washcloth trick, but nothing is really appealing to her right now.

Hopefully this won't be too painful for me too (if you know what I mean). eeek!

I can rollover on my own

3 months now and Elodie has mastered the technique of rolling over.

It was funny actually because I was doing laundry one day and she was on her back in the middle of the bed and I turned to grab some stuff and turned around and she was on her little paws and tummy!

I couldn't believe it, it happened so fast, I don't think even Elodie knew what was happening. She had that deer in headlights look herself.

She can't roll back over yet, but this is a good start, although this just means I'll have to keep an even bigger eye on her now and more PILLOWS!!! ahhh!

My first giggles..

The day I was waiting for has come and I have to admit, it made me tear up a little out of joy and happiness.

I was playing with Elodie today and as she was standing (with my help of course), in front of me and was smiling and talking, and I was doing the same, all of a sudden a bunch of giggles came out and I laughed. Then she laughed and giggled again and again, and I couldn't stop laughing. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait for her to do it again.

I just had to mark this day in her history. Love it!!

My 1st Mother's Day..

What a lovely day for me, as I was truly spoiled by both of my loved ones and my eldest sister Sylvia and her hubby Brad.

First, on Saturday, they came to visit us here at our little abode in the woods and we shared Mother's Day gifts and wine and cheese on our front patio. Followed by lunch with great conversation and a lot of "catch-up", as we haven't seen each other in years.

Then today, this morning, my honey made me a super duper breakfast in bed, including a yummy cheesy scrambled eggs with whole cooked mushrooms, red peppers, and turkey breakfast sausage, along with toast, fruit, and a big bowl of my favorite Mexican hot chocolate. To top that I received a gift certificate for one of my favorite Pedicure/spa places nearby. This is sooo needed, as my last pedicure was the week before Elodie was born. I also desperately need a haircut and a massage, which should be happening this week too--yipee!!

After lounging in bed with my 2 favorite people (Patrick and Elodie), and watching a movie (our favorite past time), we went to town and grabbed a sandwich and drinks at Whole Foods and went to the park to relax and have a picnic. Afterwards I got to have my favorite Tapioca Pearl drink and fries and we came back home to relax and have one of Patrick's special French recipes of Flank steak...yum!

Ahh..I was spoiled and had a wonderful 1st Mother's day!! Lucky me!

Finally! we are paid attention to!

We've been lining Elodie's changing table since before her birth, we've been kicked off the table by her feet and into the garbage or onto the floor, and we tried our best, with our bright colors, soft bodies, rattling sounds, and funny or cute faces, to no avail for months, but FINALLY! she has paid attention to us!

Last week Elodie started teething and is finding out what her hands are all about, so she grabbed the fuzzy duck and held it close to her, which was so sweet. His duck bill was even chewed on a bit to relieve her teething.

So woo-hoo! it can only get better from here for us stuffed animals.

More than "Ga..Ga"...

Only 2 1/2 months and although Elodie hasn't actually said the words "ga..ga", she has been going from "ah-go" and "gee" to "goo-gee" and "la..la..la..la..la", and "oooohhhh!!, aaahhhh!".

Seems like she likes to hear the sound of her own voice and is testing the waters with sounds and such. I'm hoping this is thanks to me for talking with her on a constant basis since she was born. No matter what I am doing or how menial, I've been sharing it with her. "Look Elodie, now Mom is brushing her hair", "now I'm picking up the clothes", etc.

Sounds funny at first to do that, but in the end it sort of makes me feel like I have a little friend with me to keep me company, and I know it helps her to become more verbal.

Keep it up sunshine! xoxo Mom

A new Mom's search and recommendations on baby stuff

This might be a little lengthy (ok--REALLY lengthy), but I think might prove pretty helpful to those new Mom's out there.

First I want to say that something I really enjoy and find interesting is research. Online research is the best, but investigative research is great also. The reason why I am mentioning this is that when I was pregnant with Elodie I did a lot of research on the reviews of certain baby items. I did this through several websites, but found that Babies R Us and Amazon had the most reviews. I made sure to look at both the good and bad reviews of each item. If I couldn't find a review, I'd look on an online chatroom or board and get the info from there, sometimes having to post as an anonymous person to ask a question and get an answer.

We were given lots of advice from friends and family, and tips on this baby item or many gifts from our baby showers. Since this was our first child, we live in a small cottage for her first 4 months, we didn't want to go overboard on needless baby stuff, and we didn't require any frou frou or luxury items. we decide to just get the essential items that a newborn will need (i.e. bassinet, changing table, blankets, diapers, etc.), and then at a later time we can look at other stuff as we go along and learn.

So, I really paid attention to coupons and shopped around to get the best prices. True, I had to do quite a few trips back and forth with returns and exchanges, but in the end we ended up spending only a fraction of what we expected ($500 instead of $1500) for the essential items, as well as saved about $500 off these essential items by shopping around for the best deal (this meaning it would have normally cost us $1000, but with shopping around, we got the same items for $500-and I have the spreadsheet and receipts to prove it--lol).

On a side note, but just as important, I want to share with you the baby items that we have found to be so valuable and truly essential, those items that didn't come up to par, and the reasons why. I have put this in a Word Document, as so not to take up too much posting room. Click on the chickadee picture above and it will take you to this htm webpage.


Happy Baby time!
Jeyn