June Update

Where did the last year go??? Elise turned 1 on June 5 & I just can't believe how she's changed in such a short time (at least it seems like a short time). Although still a very needy child (as all 1-year olds are), it's amazing how much more "independent" she is than when she was first born. She now walks EVERYWHERE, claps her hands, bobs her head up & down to be silly, plays peekaboo, crawls all over her canine sisters, drinks from a straw, feeds herself.......... what a grown up! :)

We celebrated Elise's 1st birthday at my grandma & grandpa's house with a family cookout, and I have to say I'm very glad we didn't have a real party. Elise was pretty sick (with what turned out to be roseola - which means temps of 102-103 degrees for days followed by an ugly red rash & a very clingy baby), so having a party would have been less than stimulating for those who attended. But a family cookout - well, family understands a fussy baby :) Anyway, Elise got to open lots of great presents from her aunts, grandparents, cousins, great aunt & uncle, and great-grandparents. She hit the jackpot, for sure.

Below is her 1 year photo as well as a few snapshots from her birthday dinner.

Cousin Rori helping open presents

4 generations!

Snuggling with Daddy while visiting Lucas Oil on a free tour day

Fast forward a couple weeks.......

Peter & I took Elise and the doggies for a walk along the newest section of the Cultural Trail downtown - it runs across Walnut St over to the Canal. I had to take advantage of the great weather & cooperative child and get some photos of our little princess.

And then this past weekend we tortured Elise with her first dip in Sweetwater Lake. Peter & Bryan were doing a bike ride from the lake, so I drove down with the pups & the baby to meet them when they finished. I say we tortured Elise, but we probably tortured the dogs more, as they HATE getting in the water (Lucy is a sorry excuse for a beagle). It was good for them to work off some energy, though, and we got some cute photos out of it (that is the most important thing after all, right???)....

That's it for our June update.... Stay tuned, as July holds plenty more: little Thomas Christopher is scheduled to arrive July 28 via C-section. Will I survive the next 4 weeks of July humidity???? We shall see......

Walking Videos

Here we go - some better videos of Elise walking. The first one appears to have been a harrowing experience for her as she walked toward her Daddy. The second shows a more content baby girl :) Either way, since she has discovered she can walk, she is ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE. Enjoy the short videos!

Elise's first steps!

Okay everyone, she's finally WALKING! Elise took her very first step April 23, and has continued to take single steps every now and then, but yesterday she randomly decided to walk 8 steps from one place to another. Didn't even fall down! Here is a less than ideal video of some of her walking, as it really only shows a few steps toward the end of the video. But it's better than nothing, right? And don't worry - I'll have the video camera out ready to catch her doing some REAL walking sometime soon. Stay tuned....

March Update

We had our determine-the-gender-of-the-baby ultrasound today (although I'm pretty sure the doc was interested in more important things, like baby's development, etc!)..... but as for us, we were so excited to find out we're having a BOY! What on earth am I going to do with a boy??? All I know is girl stuff - girl parts, girl clothes, girl everything! I am looking forward to getting mentally prepared for this male who will soon join our family :) My good friend, Amy, already got baby boy an adorable polo shirt (which happens to match one of Peter's perfectly!) - thanks, Ame!

In other news, Elise just reached 9 months of age on March 5th! She had a 9 month well check last week as well.... She now weighs 19# 10oz and is 29" tall - what a big girl :) She is developing well and seems to be right on track. We are ever thankful for a healthy baby AND a happy one, too. Elise's favorite things to do at the moment include: high-fiving her daddy or me, attempting to wave, crawling & standing up EVERYWHERE, banging toys on the table, eating grown-up food, and babbling up a storm.

Unfortunately, Elise got sick for the very first time right at 9 months old (which made taking her monthly photo a challenge, but we ARE glad she made it 9 months without any issues).....

I prefer this snotty-nosed photo :)

But here's the "good" 9-month shot :)

Completely off topic.... Peter recently created a website to display my art (paintings, drawings, etc). He did such a great job in setting up the website - what a good husband :) Here's the link:

sites.google.com/artcreationsbyelizabethchapman

Hope everyone's enjoying the AMAZING weather today - I got to walk to the grocery & back, and I actually got hot. YES! Can't wait for spring :)

Catching Up.......

Since my last post, lots has happened! For starters, we went to Florida for a 1/2 work - 1/2 relaxation trip. The first 1/2 took place in Orlando where Peter had a conference, so Elise and I hung out at the HUGE hotel & took some ventures "abroad" to an outlet mall or two as well as EPCOT one day! Going to Disney World by myself with a 6 month old, toting a stroller, carseat, two bags, and baby bjorn carrier was quite the adventure! Elise had better darn well remember her 4 hours at EPCOT :) (Thankfully, I took pictures to refresh her memory.....)

After Peter was done in Orlando, we drove to Ft. Pierce for an extended stay at my grandparents' condo. It was C-O-L-D. I guess Florida is going through an odd winter this year.... We were able to go outside for enjoyable daily walks, but not once did we remain stationary out there! I can't say I was too disappointed - how would I have really hung out by the pool with a 6 month old? All in all, it was a nice change from the usual routine, but we are glad to be HOME!

And then came Christmas.....

That was a whirlwind week of visiting lots of family, eating lots of food, and opening lots of presents (mostly for Elise, of course!).... It was also the 2nd year I have not put up Christmas decorations. How sad! Last year we were preparing our condo to be put up for sale, so I didn't even bother - And this year we're in the same boat (STILL on the market........) So I'm praying that next Christmas I will be able to put up my tree!!! Otherwise, Peter may think he's married the perfect woman who doesn't clutter up the house in December (You're wrong, Peter, sooooo very wrong).

New Year's Eve brought one CRANKY little girl in our house. It was the first day (& only day, thus far) that Elise had cried all day long. And I mean ALL DAY LONG. Poor thing. January 2 brought the explanation, as her first tooth appeared!!!! Tooth "O" came in (that's her lower left middle tooth) - It's easily felt, but not yet easily visible. I wonder how long those suckers take to come all the way up. Hmmmmmm....

January 5 marked 7 months that Elise has been with us! She is getting so big, thus I transitioned into a monthly picture of her in the sitting position :)

And then came CRAWLING!

Elise is crawling up a storm - she doesn't take to the "normal" crawling stance, but rather hops forward like a frog. It is so cute! So now we're on major crawl alert & doing our best to prevent her from tearing apart our condo.

Finally, for those of you that don't yet know, Elise is going to be a big sister! We are expecting another baby Aug 1 - which makes me almost 11 weeks along and feeling okay. We look forward to finding out boy or girl sometime in March - yay!

Well, I believe I've caught you up on all the goings-on in the Chapman family for now. Hope you're all staying warm & enjoying winter as much as humanly possible.....

6 months old!

I don't have an official 6-month picture just yet, as I am anal and wait to take monthly pictures on the 5th each month (yes, I acknowledge that will change once I'm chasing a toddler and after we have more children, but for now, let me be anal!).

Yesterday we went to Elise's 6-month check-up for the ol' once-over and a bunch of shots. She always does so well with vaccinations - probably because she's so meaty :) As for the "stats"......

Weight: 17 lbs. 9 oz.

Height: 26 1/2"

Conclusion: Elise grew THREE inches in two months (wow!) while gaining only 14 ounces in the same amount of time (crazy!). She's evening out, that's for sure. She is now "only" in the 75th percentile for both height & weight. (At her 4 month appointment, she was in the 97th percentile for weight & the 50th for height - so she's definitely becoming more proportionate.)

Updates on Elise:

- She's moving around A LOT. Not yet crawling (forward), but gets on all fours and pushes herself backward or in circles on the floor. Any day now she'll be going forward and my routine will change once again. (You finally get used to a daily routine, and then the baby starts crawling & messing it all up! Next she'll be going on dates and I won't be able to fall asleep until she's home.....)

- She's been sitting up for a good month, but only when I put her in that position. She hasn't yet been able to sit up on her own from lying down.

- She's eating a lot more "solids" (pureed baby food mixed with cereal) than when we first started. The doctor said to feed her solids 2-3 times per day. It's already a hassle to me, because nursing was SO easy!!! No supplies needed, no rags to wipe off a dirty face, no special bibs to catch all the extraneous particles of food, etc etc. Perhaps this phase will get easier once she's a more efficient eater :)

- She's, as of today, learning to use a sippy cup! It's made for children 6 months & up, but it will definitely take some practice on her part. It has handles that she's already discovered, so she'll be holding that bottle/cup on her own before I know it. What a big girl!

That's the latest in the Chapman camp! We're looking forward to Christmas (LOVE IT!) and taking beautiful Christmas photos of our baby girl. I'll post some pics before then for your viewing enjoyment though, so be not dismayed!

Until then.... Stay warm & enjoy your December!

Pics of Miss E