Happy Birthday, Elaine Rae!

Miss Elaine turned one yesterday! Hurray! Mark and I took the day off and Grandpa Bob came to visit from Ohio. What a day we had...a trip to the park, balloons, and presents--we didn't make it to the cake. We don't know if it was too much excitement, reaction to her immunizations, a case of overeating or just a nasty stomach bug, but right after dinner Lainey lost most of her dinner and then about 30 minutes later lost the rest and her afternoon snack. She was a very sad little girl and I was a very sad mommy. After we got her cleaned up the second time, she drifted off to sleep and that was the end of her birthday celebration. I was really disappointed about the cake--still am. But, as Mark said "the good news is, she isn't disappointed." And it's true. Before she got sick, she had a blast of day (other than that pesky trip to the doctor for her check-up and immunizations). And, we'll get a second shot at the cake this weekend, when we visit Moline.

In other updates...

The newest news on Lainey is she is walking! This actually isn't new news...she's been walking for a few weeks, but we wanted to surprise her grandparents with Skype performances, so I couldn't post before now. I actually knew she had started walking a week before Mark, because she took her first steps at daycare on June 9 and I got video footage from them on June 11. I told the teachers not to tell Mark and kept it under wraps until he could see the action for himself. Aren't I a good wife? She's all over the place now...no stopping her!

In addition to her new moves, she is getting one of her top front teeth and her vocabulary continues to grow "up/down," "mom (not mama)/dada," "hi/bye," and "uh-oh." She also says "gentle" because the teachers at daycare are constantly having to show her how to touch gently instead of smacking other people. Every night I come down the hall to her room and hear "Gentle, Lainey, gentle." She can say the word, but she's still struggling with the concept.

Finally, an update on her stats...today, Elaine weighed in at 23 pounds (90%), 29 3/4 inches (75%), and her head is still sitting large at 18 7/8 inches (over 95%).

Below are some pictures from the birthday festivities (pre-puke...we didn't document that) and the link goes to her 12-month album...enjoy the cuteness! Lainey's 12th Month

She LOVED the balloons!

She also loved her activity table...but, we do not. I discovered today that the music is just too annoying.
We're taking it back and getting the Fisher-Price model. Sorry, Laineybug!

The cake that didn't get eaten. : (

Who Knew Tide is Good for the Hair?

Well, Elaine had a pretty good weekend. A few tantrums, but mostly smiles and giggles and kisses for mom. Which is a good thing, because I had a rough time. Saturday I just didn't feel that great. Nothing serious, but I was low on energy and kinda' achy. Little did I know when I went to bed that I was going to be a whole lotta' achy on Sunday.

Lainey went to bed like a dream Saturday night, so I did a few chores, threw a load of laundry in the dryer and went to bed early, hoping to wake up refreshed in the morning. Ah, the best laid plans...

At 3:15am, I woke to Lainey's cries down the hall. So, I popped up and hustled down the dark hallway to her room. Unbeknownst to me, the full bottle of laundry detergent had fallen from its perch atop our dryer and cracked open, allowing a gallon of thick, slick soap to spread its way across the wood floor of our hallway. I became very aware of the situation when I became airborn and landed--HARD--flat on my back in the puddle of goo.

I was covered in the stuff and in more than a little pain. But, Lainey's cries had turned to frantic screams, so there was no time to wallow in my soap. Luckily, my load of freshly laundered towels were in the dryer, so I slipped and slid to my feet, stripped down and wrapped one towel around my body, another turban-style around my head and then headed in to tend to Lainey.

Usually a quick hug, a slow rock or two, and back to dream land she goes. Not this time. After 15 minutes, I realized I was going to have to put her down and just let her scream, so I could get in the shower and properly rinse.

Back down the hall I went trying to avoid the mess, trying to block out Lainey's screams, and trying to assess the damage to my body. I showered as quickly as possible (and for those who don't know--there is nothing quick about getting a quart of laundry detergent out of your hair), hoping Lainey wasn't rousing our neighbors with her cries. Freshly showered and in dry clothes, I was able to go back to my darling girl and soothe her. It was a process, but I finally got her peacefully sleeping at 4:30am.

Which let me begin the cleaning process!!! As I was on my hands and knees, wiping at the floor and praying the throbbing in my head would stop, I thought of Mark and how he was probably just climbing into bed after enjoying a lovely California wedding reception. I won't lie...I hated him just a little bit at that moment.

It only took about 20 minutes to get the situation in decent enough shape to return to bed and get an awesome hour of sleep before Lainey woke back up at 5:45am. Luckily, she had mercy on me and fell back to sleep next to me on the bed and stayed in blissful slumber until 7:30am--I can't remember the last time she slept past 6:30am. Her mercy continued throughout the day, as she mostly cooperated and entertained herself. I took a lot of Advil, wrapped myself frequently in heating pads, and counted my blessings that I hadn't seriously injured myself.

I feel worse today than yesterday, but am sure the bruises and muscles pains will start to ease by tomorrow. And thank goodness I have Mark back to help with the heavy lifting until I'm tip-top again.

On the bright side...my hair is very soft and shiny.

Temper, Temper

Mark is on his way to California for a friend's wedding, so I'm solo with Laineybug this weekend. And I'm nervous. She has been a holy terror this week. She starts off her usual fun self in the morning--demanding but easily entertained and somewhat cooperative. But, every night she's started her time at home with a whine-fest that quickly breaks into pitiful sobs, which turn into angry, thrashing tantrums that even my most rousing rendition of "Wheels on the Bus" can't tame.

Last night while eating, I mistakenly tried to show her how to hold her spoon. WOW! Clearly the wrong move. This minor correction caused such a crushing blow to her ego that she began the silent, red-faced wail for a good 10 seconds followed by some audible screams just in case I didn't get the message. Meahwhile, she has a mouth full of rice and beans that I'm terrified she is going to suck down her throat. Me thinks we will dine sans utensils tonight.

While last night was no joy, Wednesday bathtime was probably the highlight of the week. Lainey loves her bath. Can't get enough of it. It's my go-to fix when I can't get her out of her funk. Guess she wasn't feeling it on Wednesday. She refused to sit down and spent the whole time sobbing on Mark's shoulder and pulling his hair while I tried to get her scrubbed down and rinsed off. She never stopped fighting us after that..."NO you will NOT put a diaper on me...NO you will NOT put my arms in these PJs...NO I will NOT drink my bottle--oh wait, yes, yes, I will drink that, but don't look at me while I do it" and then, mercifully, she fell into exhausted sleep. It was a lovely evening for all.

We are really hoping this is a short-lived phase. I think it's a combination of her not napping well at daycare and her frustration at knowing what she wants, but not being able to communicate it. Plus, her separation anxiety has become a little more pronounced. She really wants me in the room with her at all times, preferably right by her side, and on the days I drop her at daycare, they practically have to peel her off of me.

So, wish us luck! I know she'll survive...we'll see what kind of shape I'm in by Sunday night. Do wine shops deliver?

Hoping we're both still smiling by Sunday night!

An Early Father's Day

Mark will be traveling back from a friend's wedding next Sunday and missing out on his first Father's Day. So, we celebrated early! I didn't want him to miss out on his day to get pampered and call the shots (and this and his birthday are really the only days when he gets to be in charge).

I was happy we celebrated early because it was killing me to keep his present a secret! Since before I was even pregnant with Elaine, Mark talked about taking our baby on bike rides. I always replied to this dream, "not in the city your aren't!" But, Mark is a strong rider and obvioulsy he's just as concerend with Lainey's safety as I am and won't be taking her on crazy, busy streets without bike lanes. So, for Father's Day, I decided to suck up my phobia of strapping my darling daughter into a bike seat and let her take to the open road with her daddy. I bought her a bike helmet to present to Mark and am letting him choose the seat he wants (big shout out to the Mackie Love family for letting Mark take a test drive with Whistler this weekend). All this assumes Lainey will actually let us put the helmet her on her head. Attempts this weekend resulted in screaming wrestling matches.

In addition to his awesome gift, Mark got to pick the dinner of his choice. The menu included chorizo-stuffed mushrooms, mussels in white wine sauce, grilled veggies (artichokes, tomatoes, and asparagus) and a rhubarb pie. Everything turned out wondefully except the grilled artichokes--I just don't think I'm meant to make these--note the excessive char in the picture below. A meal fit for a king!

Mark, thanks for being the best husband and daddy two girls could ask for! Happy Father's Day!!!

It's on!

It's off!

Checking it out...

Chewing on the strap works for her...

Feast time!
(Perhaps I shouldn't have so prominently displayed the burnt-to-hell artichokes in this picture!)

I redeemed myself with the pie!

11 Months!

Elaine turned 11 months yesterday! The countdown is on for the big One Year! I feel like I should be more on top of this whole mom thing by now, but every month that passes seems to change the game. I think I'll just need to accept that  I'll never really know what the heck I'm doing and just be happy that I've kept her alive and free of any major injuries. She's happy with things, so I should be, too!

Some highlights from the past month:

• She finally got some teeth--two on the bottom!
• Her table food options are expanding--avocoado chunks remains her favorite staple, but she also really likes cauliflower and was scarfing up tofu last night. She LOVES cheese! We can only put a few pieces on her tray at a time or else she'll shove it all in her mouth at once.
• She's started walking while we hold onto her hands and has ventured to take a few steps on her own, but that still results in her tumbling to the ground.
• She can wave good-bye and say "ba"--which we think is "bye."
• She knows how to throw a great temper tantrum and has become a bit of a bully at daycare, taking toys from the other kids and shoving/hitting when she doesn't get her way. The teachers assure us it happens to all kids at this age and say she's not the worst, but still not the report you want to get at the end of the day.
• And to end on a good note, her smile and giggles continue to get better with every passing day!

Here's the link to the latest group of digital documentation on Lainey. Quite a few videos in this bunch: Elaine's 11th Month

I love this girl!!!

Ohio...the Heart of it All!

A big reason I was so delayed in my Mother's Day post is we were gearing up for our trip to Ohio. It was a good, but very busy trip. I tried very hard to just go with the flow, but I had one or two (or three or four) mini meltdowns. I was trying to keep Lainey on some semblance of a schedule and still fit in everything I wanted to do. I thought it was hard making the rounds in Ohio before Elaine arrived...it's a whole new ballgame now. Every morning I'd psych myself up that I wasn't going to worry about "the schedule" and every afternoon, I would be stressed out and upset that I didn't try harder to get Lainey fed or napped at a certain time.

Lainey also came down with a double ear infection and started cutting her second tooth. Now, she's not a great sleeper when we travel anyway, so you can imagine how horribly she slept this time. Mark and I actually slept on the couch Saturday night, so she could have a room all to herself. It was worth it...she slept until 5am.

I don't want to sound all gloom and doom about the trip. We had a lot of fun! The weather was gorgeous and Lainey took her first trip to the zoo. (Although, she was much more intersted in pulling at the landscaping than looking at the animals.) We had a playdate with Liam, my best friend Amanda's nephew and daily ward (she's his nanny), and managed to squeeze in a visit with my other besties, Katie and Meredith. We also had a visit from some of my extended family. Quite an accomplishment for only three non-travel days!

I would say Elaine's favorite part of the trip (other than seeing her grandpa and Uncle Chris) was either climbing the stairs or playing in Grandpa's tupperware cupboard. Tough call...

Looking back, I wouldn't change how we did things. We got to spend time with people we love and a few bad days of napping and eating won't ruin Lainey forever (but, it has appeared to ruin her for now--it's been a challenging week thus far). Hugs and kisses to my Ohio peeps! If I didn't get to see you this time, you're at the top of the list for the next visit!

Our girl was not in the mood for photo ops this trip (would NOT look at the camera), but here are a few shots to enjoy!

My little monkey!



Hanging out with Amanda and Liam



A future romance?

Lainey's new toy box

Climbing the stairs for the 100th time!

 



My First Mother's Day!

I'm a little late with this post, but that's the way things go! My first Mother's Day was great! Beautiful weather, awesome breakfast of biscuits and gravy made by Mark, peaceful massage, and an happy little Lainey to spend the day with!

My wonderful, thoughtful, simply AMAZING husband out did himself again on my gift. He bought a simple silver locket from Tiffany's (extra points for the little blue box) and put a picture of my mother on one side and a picture of ont he other.

Of course I bawled like a baby when I opened the locket. Mark said, "I didn't want to make you cry, but I knew you would." Good tears though...very, very good tears! You are a man among men, Mark Brandi! And I am a very lucky woman!

My favorite ladies close to my heart everyday!