melted smoosh

  dear elizabeth,  what a month this has been for you -- your first trip to the beach and first plane flight! at the end of June, we drove to Bethany Beach, MD, with Nana and Pappy. you did great on the car ride and slept well in the pack and play. and you surprised me by loving to float around in the outdoor pool -- the water felt fairly cool to me despite being heated, and you cry if your bathwater isn't hot enough for you. but you loved to kick your little leggies under the water and i'm sure you were happy just to be with your big sisters!  the day after we got back home, you and i flew out to Seattle for Auntie Kelli's baby shower. we can't wait to meet your new baby cousin when he arrives! you did great on the flights out (connecting through Chicago). on our last return flight (Denver to Pittsburgh), you were fussy for the last hour but finally calmed down after i gave you some Tylenol. and our actual visit with family was so wonderful. you got to meet Uncle John,...

  dear Elizabeth, i so clearly remember the feeling i had when your older sisters turned half a year old: surprise, disbelief, gratitude, and a sudden renewal of determination to enjoy each fleeting phase! you are such a happy baby, and never more so than when you have our attention. you'll sit in your bouncer for a while and whenever we walk past, you kick one leg with gusto and grin up at us with all your might. you had a few fussy nights when you cut your first two teeth (on the bottom), but with a little Tylenol added to your bedtime bottle, we all made it through okay.  making your turtle face you are still not a big fan of solid foods, although you appear very interested in what we're eating. maybe that's the problem and you're gunning for burgers and spaghetti instead of applesauce and pureed carrots! you love your bottles and generally drink five 6 oz bottles per day -- and you can hold your bottle all by yourself.  who's entertaining who? you are wearing 6 ...

  dearest elizabeth, what a month this has been! you continue to delight us with your calm, cheerful little self. you recently learned how to blow raspberries and happily perform this trick to the uproarious laughter of your older sisters. meanwhile, your new developmental milestone of transferring a toy from one hand to the other may not get as much immediate positive feedback, but your mama notices and is proud of you each time you do it! you also love to play with your fingers as you fall asleep, gently curling and uncurling them in front of your face -- sweet, silly girl.  we've been getting some more belly laughs out of you this month, usually if Daddy is tossing you in the air or if your older sisters are talking to you. you still love to play pat-a-cake and you are becoming more interested in books. the girls call you Ellie and Lizzie and marvel over your chubby cheeks and "fluffy" arms and legs (their word!). you are well into 6 month clothes. at your 4 month chec...