Mary Ellen at 13 Months

Some of my favorite things about Mary Ellen right now:

1. She pats my back every time I give her a hug.

2. She loves to walk. This is great for several reason. It's entertaining to watch her walk in circles around our love seat or pace in the hall. It's really convenient when I'm leaving the room and she just follows me rather than being upset that I'm leaving her. Also, the fronts of all her shirts & dresses aren't getting any more stains from having them dragged all over the floor (she never learned to crawl on her knees - just army crawled everywhere).

3. She only nurses once, first thing in the morning, and drinks cow's milk the rest of the day. I feel so.. free! Yet I can still have that one precious time where she lays still in my arms. We'll probably stop this in the next couple of weeks, but for now...

4. She gives great hugs and kisses to me & her daddy, & her "Baby," & the nursery workers ...

5. She's a pro at peek-a-boo.

6. She's a good eater & eats a lot of what we eat - I just have to cut it up into really tiny pieces.

7. She has learned pretty well to obey the command "Don't touch." It's like she doesn't even see the guitar or the coffee table books or the Kleenex box anymore. And it transfers easily to new objects.

8. She hasn't dropped her morning nap. She takes about a 2-hour nap in the morning and another 2-hour one in the afternoon, and sleeps from about 8:00 pm to 7:30 or 8:00 am.

9. I could go on..

Big Girl

Mary Ellen grew up today. Let me tell you how:

1. When her third cousin Brady was with us today, she said "a baby" when she first saw him. (Isn't it funny when one baby calls another baby "a baby"?)
2. She held onto the coffee table and stomped in place to a beat.
3. She was alert and responsive whenever she was spoken to; she responded to her name and obeyed most of the times she was instructed.
4. She wasn't jealous while I took care of Brady. She smiled and laughed at him.
5. She patted my knee to the same beat that I was burping him.
6. I told her to give me a hug and a kiss good night, and she did, and while her arms were around my neck, she patted me on the back.

I think having a younger baby around made her seem like such a big girl.

A Week of Firsts

So far this week Mary Ellen has:

*had her first tooth break through

*learned to sit up on her own


*cruised all the way around a coffee table

*correctly & deliberately used the word: "Bye-bye"

*started feeling like a big girl when I hold her (Kind of ... stiff. Do any of you mommies know what I'm talking about? Whenever I've held babies a few months older than her I've thought they feel stiffer than she feels. I think it's just that they're stronger and hold themselves up better. But she's feeling that way now.)

A big day for Mary Ellen!

1. She rolled over! (I think it's kind of late to be reaching this milestone at 4.5 months, but she only tolerates playing on her stomach for about five minutes at a time so it's taking her longer.) This morning as I lay her on her play mat, I rolled her from her back to her stomach and she immediately pushed herself back on her back. I screamed to Ben, who happened to be home sick today, and he came running in just in time to see her do it again. I was only able to get her to do it once more -- for a total of three times, although I'm pretty sure they were all accidental.

2. She downed about 4 teaspoons of rice cereal (via spoon). We've only tried cereal once before, and that time I mixed up way too much and most of it went everywhere but her mouth. Tonight, even though I pretty much had to force her mouth open, she actually swallowed all that I could get into her mouth. Just a little was left on her face and bib.

3. I feel like I should at least count to three, so I'll use this number to say that she is definitely on the upswing from her RSV. I used the aspirator about five times rather than fifty, and her coughs are much less frequent. So thanks for your prayers for her!

RSV

Bad news: Mary Ellen has RSV. Please pray for her recovery!
Good news: Mary Ellen is learning patience. She only cries for a few seconds until she remembers that it's worth having the uncomfy blue thing in her nostrils to help her feel better.

First Laugh

Mary Ellen's first laugh was this past Saturday. Our friend, Lizzie, was talking to her--from across the room--about the bubbles she was blowing, and M.E. smiled at her and then let out a little giggle. Ben and I screamed with excitement--which made Mary Ellen cry for about 20 minutes.

I've only been able to get her to do it a few more times. On Monday morning her giggles were followed with little snorts. So CUTE!

She's not been very smiley for the past few days with the fever she's had, but she's getting better now and we can't wait to hear more!

Pianist-in-the-Making

He's still doing it. And she still LOVES it.
Now she's more into watching his fingers move than gazing into his eyes.

my baby's daddy

Sometimes after Mary Ellen's evening meal, if she's still really awake and we're ready for her to be really asleep, Ben will take her into the dining room to our piano and play and sing with her in his arms. What an amazing illustration of Zephaniah 3:17 -- of how our Father consoles His own children with His love.
"The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." Zeph 3:17 (NIV)