My name is Elise!

This week Elise learned to write her name. In the top picture you can see the progression of practice and then the final product at the bottom. The S is still a bit tricky for her, so I help out a bit with that letter, but she's got the rest of them down. She's also been enjoying making the letters of her name out of other objects she can find, like these blocks. I'm proud of you, sweet girl!

A Brighter Day

Didn't want to dwell on the negative too long (see last post)! Elise is generally very spirited, but sweet little girl. She is well-intentioned. We just have to work on getting her to think a little bit before she acts. She's definitely impulsive. I wonder what quirks Lilah's personality will hold. 

Lilah had her six month check on Thursday. She is growing up and doing great! She was 26.5 inches long (75-90%) and 17lbs (50-75%). Here is a comparison of the girls - both six months in these pictures. Elise peaked in chubbiness around this age - right before she began to crawl. Lilah isn't a skinny girl, but she's not tipping the scales in quite the manner Elise did.

Happy Valentine's Day?

This day had such potential, and yet ended up pretty disappointing. Typical of Valentine's Day, yeah?
The kids and I headed to our friend Abra's for a Valentine's Day celebration - craft, cookie decorating, card exchange - such potential! And the party was fun! Unfortunately, the party took a bad turn (at least for me) when Elise tried to remove the bow from a friend's hair and hurt her friend in the process. Elise denied causing her pal's tears and refused to go to timeout. So I end up carrying her out to the car (in my socks) while she expressed her anger by scratching the daylights out of my chest with her finger nails.

How do things go so badly so quickly? I now feel completely emotionally drained because conflict, even with a three year old, is incredibly difficult for me. (Plus, this all went down in front of my friends - embarrassing!)

So, it hasn't been the greatest day. But, hey, it is only noon....

Lilah's 1/2 Year Birthday

One of Lilah's classic expressions - we see this one a lot

 I remember when I was a child, asking my mom, did she ever get bored being alive so long. She told me that time seemed to go faster the older you get. How right she was! I can hardly believe we've had Lilah for six months, half a year, already. 
Lilah's been busy this last month. She has mastered sitting up, as you can see in the picture. She sprouted her two front, bottom teeth. And she is fully into eating solids. She's had sweet potatoes, apples, and green beans so far. This week, we plan to try avocado and pear. Thanks to all who have provided baby food making advice - it is actually pretty easy and even kinda fun.
And, I am happy to say, last night Lilah slept fully through the night - 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. She has done that before, but not in a long time. Now, that definitely doesn't mean she'll do it again any night soon, but it sure was nice to have a night of uninterrupted sleep.
Lilah continues to be such a sweet, happy, incredibly smiley part of our lives. We just love her to pieces!

Balance

Balance is an idea that consumes my thoughts. I think it is something every mom struggles over. When I am working, I am thinking about my kids. When I'm with my kids, I am thinking about my neglected housework. When I'm cleaning, I'm wondering if I'll ever have time to pick up a book and read again. And yet, we have one child and find it so worth it, despite the extreme lack of balance in life, that we want to have another. And then you get these wonderful, sweet, irreplaceable moments. I love watching my daughters become buddies - they are both tickled pink with one another.