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Small new developments



IMG_4688.JPG, originally uploaded by griffey.

Ok, so maybe it’s not a big deal, but she just learned something today. She can now lift the flaps on one of her books all by herself. It is called Peekaboo Zoo, and there are animals hiding behind different kinds of flaps. Some pull down, some sideways, some upwards. She can do almost all of them by herself, and she even knows the appropriate timing. I’m amazed by her sometimes.

She’s also trying to pull up in her crib any time you sit her up after a nap. We’ll probably have to lower the mattress soon. Ugh, my poor back.

She’s also reaching for people now, which is pretty recent (last couple of weeks). Mainly she reaches for me, but sometimes daddy. And she can also wave “hi.” Sometimes she gets confused and uses both hands, which is super cute.

We’re still waiting on the biggies, like crawling. But all these little developments are fascinating.

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Eliza profile: seven months



IMG_4557.JPG, originally uploaded by griffey.

Favorite foods: carrots, sweet potatoes, prunes (no joke)

Favorite books: still pretty much the same as before! Plus a book that has pictures of babies and animals comparing body parts (Two cheeks…two cheeks; two eyes…two eyes; two arms….two arms; etc.). She fusses until I read it again and again and again.

Favorite toys: dishes; balls; rubber ducks; magazines; empty boxes; the mirror (see photo); remote controls; phones (is currently into non-toys, as you can see)

Hobbies: standing any way possible; rolling all over the living room floor; trying to pull up in my crib while sitting; popping bubbles while mommy blows them; watching Indy play fetch; checking the mail with mom (still her favorite activity of the day)

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Seven months!

Today is Eliza’s “birthday” and she is another month older. She can’t crawl yet, but she works on it every day. She loves to stand while holding onto furniture or one of us. And she is pulling up a little bit, particularly from our laps. Can’t quite do it all the way from the floor yet.

She’s becoming a little person with clear emotions and desires. When she’s happy, she laughs with her whole body and smiles so big it looks like it might hurt. She yells when she’s angry or frustrated at not getting what she wants. She even flirts now, and hugs, and waves “hi.” A little afraid of strangers, sometimes she cries when people get too close. But she knows her mommy and daddy and lights up when we come into view. She’s working really hard on language right now, and has mastered “ba ba ba ba” and “ma ma ma ma” and sometimes manages a “ga” here and there. Still no “da,” much to her dad’s dismay.

What new skills and changes will this month bring??

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Heading out




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Originally uploaded by griffey

I’ll be in the jungle if you need me. Going to find some elephants and giraffes. Be back for lunch. Ciao!

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Fooooood!



IMG_4441.JPG, originally uploaded by griffey.

Eliza loves to eat, just like her mom and dad. She’s good at stage 1 foods, so we’re heading to stage 2 soon and trying some finger foods along the way. So far, she’s not into anything too sweet. She prefers her veggies. And she doesn’t like juice, she wants water in a sippy cup instead. Dream kid so far, right?

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Eliza’s first Fourth of July = the suck



IMG_4379.JPG, originally uploaded by griffey.

Sewanee pulls out all the stops on the 4th, but the festivities just weren’t meant to be enjoyed by us this year. The dog show was okay this morning, but Eliza was sleepy and a bit grumpy. We only got to see about three floats of the parade before it started raining. The arts and crafts fair shut down before we could make it, due to the rain and Eliza’s nap schedule. We were invited to a barbecue, but we had to leave before the food was served in order to get Eliza to bed. And no fireworks because, well, little E goes night-night at 7 pm. I’m disappointed, of course. It is usually one of my favorite days of the year. Well, here’s hoping next year is better. Eliza will be 19 months old then. Crazy!

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Eliza’s profile, 6 months



IMG_4290.JPG, originally uploaded by griffey.

Favorite foods: carrots, oatmeal with apples, maple teething biscuits

Favorite toys: stacking cups, links, anything that rattles, balls, spoons, bowls, rubber ducks

Favorite books: Tails (Matthew Van Fleet); Brown Bear, Brown Bear (Eric Carle); First Words; Moo, Baa, La La La (Sandra Boynton)

Favorite music: mommy’s special Eliza songs; “Splish Splash” (sung while taking a bath, of course); the oldies station; “The Itsy Bitsy Spider”

Hobbies: standing while holding onto furniture or mom/dad; playing with Indy (the dog) and Cola (the cat); sitting by herself; pulling leaves off trees; checking the mail with mom

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Betsy’s Thoughts




IMG_4277.JPG

Originally uploaded by griffey

Here’s what Betsy does while we listen to Eliza scream and cry going to sleep the last 4 nights.

To be fair, last night she cried for 22 minutes, then drifted to sleep, and slept all night until 7am. So something is definitely working.

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Six month challenges



IMG_4204.JPG, originally uploaded by griffey.

So the bottom teeth have broken through. Huge sigh of relief! Now, there’s at least one of her top teeth trying to come through as well. We had one glorious grump-free day (yesterday), and now she’s fussy again. Poor girl. I know it must hurt.

Another recent challenge: sleeping in her crib. She has decided she’d rather be with us, wherever we are. So she cries when she wakes up in the middle of the night and we’re not there. It has gotten so bad that not even our patting/shushing works anymore. It used to work perfectly, and she would barely wake up. Now, she is completely awake, thrashing about, crying and screaming unless we pick her up. All this means one thing: it’s time for the dreaded sleep training. We’ve been putting it off for months. We’re not even sure we agree with the whole idea. But here we go. Desperate times, desperate measures.

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Eliza is six months old



100_1843, originally uploaded by griffey.

Had her checkup today, and she now weighs 17 lbs, 5 oz and is 26.5 inches long. She is still in the 75th percentile all the way around, so she continues to be a big, healthy girl. I can’t believe she is 6 months old already.

She had a great weekend floating in Aunt Jenna’s pool for the first time, which she absolutely loved. She had a great time “swimming” with Dad, Nana, Pop, Jenna, and cousin Parker.