sound sleeper

This is Elise's cutest sleeping position... blanket underneath her with her bum in the air. Thankfully she's been sleeping great lately, even with a very bad cold that hit her yesterday. She was so sad last night with a high temp and bad cough. She was low on energy and just wanted to cuddle or complain. We were off to a bad start this morning when Elise started vomitting too, but THANKFULLY she's doing much better tonight. Dr. Daddy has, of course, kept a close eye on his littlest and dearest patient. We'll let you know when she makes a full recovery.

hello spring!

Thanks for the fleece suit for Elise, Carol! It's perfect for this cool spring weather.

This past weekend we went for a walk along the rocks at the beach across from our house. The large chunks of snow and frozen sand were the remaining signs of winter. Thankfully, spring is well on it's way and we've had many mild days with amazing blue skies. So, I've got the spring fever bug... or maybe it's the summer fever bug. In fact, I already bought Elise a new swimsuit for the year and a couple beach toys! We better not get any spring snow storms. My native UP friends have warned me of such a possibility. I don't think I could take it!

messy meals

sweet Elise excited to be feeding herself

moments later...
crazy punk rocker Elise with a yogurt styled mohawk

one year ago...

I was just looking through some old photo files and found these dated 3/17/06. It's crazy to remember how little Elise once was!

This was back in the day when she didn't really know what to do with her pacifier. Of course, today a pacifier is an essential part of our bedtime routine!

The beloved "Swaddle-Me" blanket... what would we have done without it?!?!

Wasn't she adorable!?! In this shot, her daddy is trying to see if she'll stand. She obviously wouldn't. Today standing is no problem and she's happiest when she is standing and trying to walk. So far she's still needing assistance to walk, but she only needs one finger with barely any support. We'll be sure to let you know when she takes those first steps!

Highlights from Nana and Papa's

cousin Valerie reading to a very attentive crowd - Elise and Kelly

playing with her new friend, Brady

hanging out at Oma's house

learning to climb into the dishwasher

first time using a spoon all by herself

Elise and I had a great trip down state. Thanks to everyone who made it so enjoyable! Now we're thrilled to have the weekend with Toby before he heads to Escanaba again on Monday. Hope everyone's enjoying the weekend - we sure are!

First stop - Mt. Pleasant!

Elise has learned to give kisses. Here she's practicing with Aunt Tarami.

Cuddling with Grandpa before a nap.

Elise loves book time with Grandma Kathy!

Toby is busy learning all about pediatrics in Escanaba right now, so we're enjoying some time with family down state. WE MISS YOU TOBY/DADDY!!!!! Our time with the Longs was wonderful and now we're visiting with Nana and Papa in Freeland. Elise and I are having a great week, but we really look forward to seeing daddy again. We love you Toby. XOXO

snow day

It's been a super snowy day here in Marquette, with at least a foot of new snow on the ground. We took Elise outside to play this afternoon. In this picture, Elise is stuck in the snow in our backyard.

Later on we bundled her up again to go on a bit of an adventure. Our first stop was the video store about 5 blocks away.

One of the main streets in town. Look how high the snow is piled!

After the video store we went to one of our favorite Marquette restaurants, Upfront & Company. This is a shot from our hike home.

Elise did great! What a trooper - I mean Yooper!

petite elise

There is no doubt about it... Elise is one happy little girl, especially when a plate full of macaroni and cheese is in front of her. She's doing well these days, sleeping well and playing hard. She loves to cruise around the furniture and blow kisses to daddy. Her newest accomplishment has been discovering her nostrils! It's not uncommon to find her with a finger up her nose, looking curious about this hole that her finger fits in so perfectly. :) Today at the grocery store I turned and saw Elise sitting in the cart with each index finger in a nostril! Too bad I didn't have the camera!

And, yes, she still loves to scrunch her nose all the time. It's certainly become her trademark look. It seems we receive daily comments from strangers about her scrunchy button nose.

While everything is going well, and we feel extremely blessed by our sweet girl, for some reason she is really on the petite side. She seems to eat well, but she's at about the 5th percentile in weight, weighing in at 17# 12 oz (the same weight she's been for a while now). Thankfully she's growing well in length, currently at 29" long, and developmentally she's right on track. But to be safe, she has to go to the doctor's for weekly weight checks now, and I've stocked up on mac n' cheese. That should keep her smiling. :)