Okay so I've been lax in my posting the last couple weeks (forgive me!)... But in my defense, you can't argue that I'm notorious for posting often and in great detail, so I'm still way ahead most of you! :)
So much to cover - where to begin?
Elise hit her 3 MONTH mark last Saturday!
It's amazing how much she's transformed in just 3 months. It doesn't seem that way when you're in the midst of the daily grind & just trying to survive motherhood (does anyone actually survive this?!), but when I think that just 3 months ago she was completely helpless & fragile and now she's strong & semi-coordinated, it's crazy!
Her latest "tricks" include: grabbing burp cloths & chewing on them, smiling A LOT, and LAUGHING! That last one isn't yet a regular occurrence - she actually has only laughed once when her Daddy was playing with her on the bed.... it was the cutest thing I've ever heard! Despite trying every day for a week to get a little giggle out, I have failed. It must be that Father-Daughter connection :) Hopefully she'll be laughing more often soon!
Next on the docket: Weight check!
At breastfeeding group yesterday, Elise came in at.......
16# 1.0 oz!
I don't mean to sound as if my child is wasting away (we all know that is far from the truth), but she is definitely not gaining as quickly as she did the first 2 1/2 months. I now expect her to gain 4-6 oz per week, which is great! I know when she becomes more active, all that weight will even out a bit & her absolutely adorable rolls will lessen in number (how sad) :( I just can't tell you how much I love kissing her perfectly round cheeks & fingers & toes!
Chris is in town!
Elise's Godfather/Guardian, Chris, arrived to town yesterday for a few days and we are so excited to have him here! We love when "Uncle Chris" comes to town. He was here for 2 weeks in June when Elise made her grand entrance, so it's wonderful to have him back to see how much she's grown & developed over the last 3 months. Unfortunately, he doesn't get to stay for 2 weeks this time :( Only a few days, but we'll take whatever we can get.
Happy Birthday to my sisters!!!!
My sisters' birthday was today (okay technically this is being posted on Saturday, but I'm talking about Friday the 11th) - Sarah turned 29 and Rebekah turned 25. We will officially celebrate their birthday when we go up to Wisconsin in a few weeks, which leads me to the next segment of this garrulous post....
I'm going to Wisconsin!
I cannot tell you how excited I am to be going to Wisconsin in just a few weeks... I grew up going there every year to our little cabin in the North Woods - the place is full of memories & traditions, and it never gets old! The last time I was there was for Toby & Alicia's wedding 2 years ago, and it was just a 2-day trip (10 hours up & 10 hours back just for a 2-day stay made for a long trip!)... So I am VERY excited to be going up with my family for more than just 2 days. Peter will remain at home with the puppies, as he has lots to do at work, but Elise & I will head north with my sisters, parents, and grandparents. It will be great fun!
Dinner party!
Last night we had a bit of a dinner party that included 10 adults & 4 babies - I am exhausted! The dinner itself wasn't the exhausting part, but rather the preparation.... As you know, having other obligations & distractions throughout the day doesn't allow for much uninterrupted time to prepare dinner for 10 people. So after I put Elise to bed Wednesday night, I cooked from 9pm until 2:30am. I was definitely tired (and still am recovering from two consecutive nights of disruptive sleep), but it was also very fun to have that much time TO MYSELF. I filleted two pork loins, prepared a cranberry/apple/shallot stuffing, stuffed the pork, tied it up, stuck in it the fridge to cook Thursday evening, then made biscuit dough, stuck that in the fridge to bake Thursday, then cooked 2 lbs of pasta for pasta salad, stuck that in the fridge to chill, chopped green peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and broccoli for the pasta salad, stuck that in the fridge, then made a graham cracker crust for individual servings of key lime pie, made the key lime filling, made the whipped cream topping, baked the crust, let it cool (letting something cool at 2am is NOT cool - it takes f-o-r-e-v-e-r), poured the filling into the cooled ramekins, stuck those in the freezer, and then went to BED! Thankfully, dinner seemed to be successful & taste okay - and it was lots of fun to visit with Peter's classmates from his MBA program and see all the adorable babies that have appeared over the past 8 months :)
Alright, I will post more pictures tomorrow... but for now, please look to the post below for just a few glimpses into our life as of late! I do solemnly promise to upload several pictures tomorrow (which is really TODAY, right?) so you may revel in some picture-viewing fun. Until then, thank you for reading (perhaps snoozing) through this awfully verbose post on the latest goings-on in the Chapman family!
What a wonderful post! I didn't even fall asleep! =) Wow, you are a crazy cooking woman, but it sounds yummy. I am now going to check out the next post and all of the random pictures. Thank you very much!
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