Happy 3, Elise!!

Elise turns 3 tomorrow, and today we celebrated with our families. We had a strawberry shortcake party with lots of great food, cupcakes, presents, balloons......it was a GREAT party!

It's crazy how much bigger 3 is than 2, and how much more Elise can do than a year ago. At THREE, Elise is:

a great eater, eating almost everything. Her favorite is egg noodles with pesto, any kind of fruit, and frosted mini wheats.

She can put on her own pj's and sometimes her own shoes.

Elise loves to brush her teeth and can do so without any help.

She knows some letters and numbers, particularly the numbers 7 & 4, both numbers she watches for on her clock to know when she can wake up in the morning and after her nap. :)

likes to do puzzles, color, paint, make jell-o, do play dough, and set up a tea party or serve us food out of her grocery cart. She often takes care of her "babies" Alex, Marylin, Grace, & Nora, favoring Alex most of the time. (Alex is named after Alex Trebek on Jeopardy, her favorite show!)

Elise's favorite places to go include the park to feed the ducks, McDonald's, and the rivertown crossing mall for the carousel. Oh, and the gas station for popcorn and diet coke. :)

She still wears diapers and has NO interest in the potty at all....yet.

Elise chooses to read Jonah and the Whale every night before bed. She even "read" the story to me tonight and said her own prayer, thanking God for a fun day.

It's crazy how very three Elise is. She wants to do EVERYTHING on her own, and each day I'm amazed at what she really can do by herself. She has such a tender heart, is sweet down to the core, and she makes us laugh so hard we can't breathe. She is the best part of any day, and I thank God for her almost all the time.

Happy 3, sweet girl!

Dentist Disaster

I finally made an appointment to take Elise to the dentist. Since Elise LOVES to brush her teeth, I thought this might be right up her alley. We talked about the dentist for weeks before the much-anticipated morning. We talked about the special chair, the dental assistant counting her teeth, opening her mouth really big to show off her beautiful teeth, picking out her very own toothbrush to take home.....you get the idea.

We arrived at the office and Elise was really excited about the train that runs around the top of the office. She asked a bunch of questions right away, totally calm and happy for the one-on-one attention from mom.

And then we went back to the examination room. There were probably 3 or 4 little kids all laying back in chairs while the dental staff worked on their teeth. Elise's eyes got BIG and she decided the dentist was not for her. She did not want to sit in the special chair. She did not want to taste the toothpaste or let the instruments tickle her teeth. She barely opened her little mouth. She was unimpressed that they didn't have a red toothbrush for her. She didn't want a pink one. And then, the dentist came over, put on a mask, and Elise LOST it. Crying, squirming, kicking- lost it. They managed to pry her mouth open for a quick look and some fluoride, and I left with a tearful, "I'm never coming back to the dentist again" determined little girl.

They said they'd see us in 6 months, but I'm pretty sure daddy will take her next time.

I did manage to convince Elise to sit in the chair for a picture, before the visit turned disaster:

3 Months

Macy is THREE months old today!

At three months old, Macy is:

Sleeping about 10-11 hours each night

Nursing every three hours during the day

Smiling whenever we talk, sing, smile, or play with her

Loving her tubbies

Wearing size 2 diapers and mostly 3 month clothes

Reaching at toys, playing happily under her activity mat, and sitting up in her bumpo seat

Charming her mommy, daddy, and big sister every chance she gets!! I'm loving my new little family of four, and I'm so grateful for God's blessing on Macy RuthAnne.