Rollin' in the Sheets!

While I was at work, Cole put Elle on the bed while he got dressed for the day and here's what happened...Keep in mind when he put her on the bed he did not cover her up with the sheet...

Aren't I sweet daddy??

I am very mysterious...

too sweet!!

"Uncle Bassam"

Last year I worked in the Cafe at the bottom of our condo building. Cafe Bassam is the name of the Cafe. I worked there until Thanksgiving of last year, when I grew too big to get the coffee mugs, and cooking the food in the back gave me gag reflexes. You know, typical first trimester stuff.

I still make the schedule for the girls who work at the cafe, and Bassam loves me. Although, I think he loves Elle more! When we came home from the hospital he called us and said, "Come down to the Cafe. Don't buy anything else for the baby, I have everything you need." We went down to the Cafe and sure enough. Bassam pretty much gave me a baby shower by himself! A little bit of everything. Bottles, diapers, outfits, blankets, robes, baths, hats...you name it, he had purchased it for Elle.

Now that Elle is bigger, every time I go down to the Cafe Bassam always wants to hold "the doll". He has also started slipping her $20 bills. Here are a couple pictures of Elle and "Uncle Bassam"

Bassam and the "doll"

He's slipping her the goods!

Cheeks

Elle's nickname is "Cheeks" due to the fact that she looks like a chipmunk storing up nuts for the winter.

They are so cute though. I seriously could (and sometimes do) kiss them all day long!! We took her to the swings in the park and took pictures of her on the swing. This is one of the pictures that we captured....

You know you have healthy cheeks when ONE of them fills most of a picture

The "I Was Born Here" Shirt!

When we had Elle at Kaiser they gave us a diaper bag. Inside the diaper bag was a shirt and a blanket that said Kaiser on it. Elle just now fits the t-shirt, not that she would leave the house in it, but I put it on her just for fun. Here she is in her Kaiser Permanente shirt and her diaper just happened to match!

Mom...this is where I was born!

Please don't make me wear this out of the house!

Just a Look

It's amazing how many looks a baby can have.

There's the smile that is so big the dimple under her eye shows.

There's the "I'm filling my drawers right now" look.

There's the tired look that usually involves eye rubbing and fingers in the mouth.

There's the I missed you and I love you smile that has no sound.

...and then there are these looks... just precious!

Rogue Foot

Elle is a very active baby. She goes for walks or runs almost every day. She loves her stroller.

The only problem is that she is still too young to wear sunscreen, so I usually put her in pants and socks if we are going out for a stroll so those UV rays don't hit that precious skin.

Lately, even though is is technically fall, it has been blazing hot here so I felt bad putting her in pants and socks, so I just put a blanket over the top of the stroller.

Cole, Coach, and I went on a run. Cole pushed the stroller and I ran with the dog. As we rounded a corner I turned around to see if the baby was okay, and this is what I saw:

One rogue foot

Our Little Giraffe

Thank the Lord that Elle did not come out 6 feet tall like baby giraffes. But she sure is a cute baby giraffe at the zoo!

We took these pictures the first time Elle went to the zoo, back in the beginning of August, on Cole and my anniversary.

Mom, I'm not looking at the camera...because I am NOT a giraffe!

...and the sun is in my eyes!!

Dad and Daughter Week One

So I'm officially back to work. Just three days a week. Right now Cole is working from home on the three days that I'm at school. He and Elle are spending some seriously good daddy daughter bonding time.

Last week I only had to work two days, since Monday was a holiday. I've had some time to think about and reflect on Cole's daddy skills and I've decided....

Cole is the best Dad ever! (Okay, my dad is great too...but you know what I mean!) Elle got fed changed and napped too! I called from time to time to check on how things were going.

Once during the day I called right after she was scheduled to go down for a nap. I said, "Hey honey how's it going? Is Elle sleeping?" Cole replied, "Things are great, I did just like you said and after she was awake fore 2 hours I put her in her crib, she smiled at me, I put her pacifier in her mouth, and I haven't heard a peep since. Either she's the world's best baby or I'm just dang good!"

I think it's a little of both! From the looks of the pictures below Elle loves hanging out with her daddy!

Dad, you are so much fun!

I love this toy and you too!

Let's not tell Mom how much fun we are having!

Our Little Reader

Elle loves to read.

Every night when we read "Goodnight Moon" she reads along with me. She has also started helping me turn the pages (sort-of). So I thought I'd give her a book and see what she would do with it.

In these pictures it looks like she knows what she is doing. However...I had to put the book back in her hands a few times. She kept throwing it to side. We'll see if she ends up reading books or throwing them. Only time will tell!

Oh...this book is intense!

ooohh...it's a page turner!

Please don't interrupt my reading time!

My Daddy Rocks!

Elle thinks that her Daddy ROCKS!!

He rocks:

• at the drums
• at bath time
• at pushing the stroller
• at holding baby in funny positions
• at reading "Goodnight Moon"
• at making dinner
• at loving Elle and Me
• ...and much more!!

The Trance...

So...Elle was sitting on the couch, I was watching TV...

I was trying to get Elle's attention to take a picture, and she kept looking around me, past me, and through me just to keep her eyes on the TV...

The colors are mesmerizing!

The way things move across the screen...puts me in a trance

This is the life!

Diaper Baby!

I've already posted about the joys of cloth diapering...the lack of blow outs, the good effect it has on the environment, the money saved, and the cuteness. No one ever looks at a kid in a disposable diaper and says, "Wow! Cute diaper!" but we hear that a lot. Here's our little Diaper Baby!

Mom... I'm in my skivies! What are you doing?

I love my cloth diapers!

Five Months!

Elle is now 5 months old! Wow! It feels like it was just yesterday that she was born.

Here are a few things I've learned:

Get up before the baby.

Have a camera ready at all times.

Numerous burp cloths are a must.

Cheeks are made to be kissed.

Get out of the house at least once a day.

Have a plan, and then be flexible!

I can't believe how much Elle has grown in 5 months!

Just a few weeks old...

5 Months!

Oldie but a Goodie!

Dress #2

Here are the pictures of Elle and I in the same dress...31 years apart!

Elle (4 months):

Even the blanket is my old blanket...

I think I'm pretty cute in this dress!

I love your old dress Mom!

Okay, okay...I'll keep my dress down!

Me (9 months)

Put your hands on your lap...

If you're cute and you know it smile really big!

This is me at 6 weeks!

One Great Girl!

Some have called Elle "Serious"

Some have called Elle "Chunky"

Some have called Elle "Sweet"

S0me have called Elle "Beautiful"

Some have called Elle "Perfect"

Some have called Elle "Content"

Of course I think she is all of the above, but she really is a content baby. She is happy in any situation and if she is tired or hungry, therefore a bit fussy, she can always be consoled. Elle is such a great baby. I am truly blessed!

Here are a couple pictures of her in the exersaucer enjoying herself.

Hey Mom! This thing is so cool!

Rattle Time

Cousin Kim and Brett sent Elle a sweet gift. The gift was a pewter rattle and mug with an "E" hand engraved on both.

Because I'm a firm believer using nice things, (we eat on china almost every night), I let Elle play with her new rattle. She loved it. She looked like she was doing chest exercises while she was playing with it!

Oh, it's just you again, taking pictures of me!

Hmmm... what is this thing?

I don't think I'm going to share this toy! Step off!

Whoa! I love this sound!!

Big Girl Swing..Take Two!

Elle and I walked over to the park today. Since she asked, I let her ride in the "big girl swing".

This time she was actually giggling while she was swinging! Way too cute!

Whoa Mom! I love the wind in my hair!

This is the best Mom! (this is when she was giggling)

My cheeks are pulling me forward!

Aren't there any exercises on this thing that I can do for these cheeks??

Exersaucer: derived from combining the words excercise and saucer, thus meaning, a saucer that gives one exercise.

Elle is now big enough to use her "Exersaucer". By big enough I mean she can hold her head up and touch the floor when sitting in the seat. I don't mean that she fills out the seat. I still have to pad it with a few blankets! We are wondering if it will help her lose some of the girth in her cheeks!

Here are some pictures of Elle enjoying her new toy.

"Come on Coach...wanna play?"

"Look Mom, I can multi-task!"

"Now...I see that you have a cat's face...but your body..."

"ohhh...now I see..."

"Mom, I really like this toy!"

"This is how it works...you spin this little thing..."

"It makes noise...super exciting!"

"E is for Elle...that's me!"

"Okay Mr. Rhino, I'll come back and see you soon...as long as my mom lets me!"