Rainbow Road

"Rainbow Road" is actually a windy little walking path within our complex that is right along a green belt. This little wooded/grassy area is the equivalent of our backyard and Liz is a little bundle of energy so we inevitably spend alot of time here.


We are trying to make the most out of the little bit of summer that we have left!

I do feel as if our days are numbered though...

My First Baby Doll

This baby doll is another favorite friend of Lizzie's. She's right up there in status with Lenny the Lion. Well, close anyways. She became attached to this baby right after discovering Lenny the Lion. Now, Lenny is great company for a baby but who can resist a doll that can interact and play peek-a-boo? There are magnets in her hands and eyes then when you squeeze her foot, her hands drop for a great game of peek-a-boo! Gets a smile every time.
This was a very special present from her Great Grandma- her very first baby doll. And she's finally old enough to enjoy it!

My Great Grandma and Mom LOVED dolls when they were young and still do, actually. My mom was very disappointed when, as a child, I never liked to play with dolls. She still talks about how it was a shame her only daughter hated dolls. (What can I say? When you grow up with 3 brothers that's what happens.) I have an inkling that Lizzie is going to be showered with baby dolls for many more years...

Lizzie Loves Lenny the Lion

Lizzie has fallen head over heels in love with her stuffed animal, Lenny the Lion. Originally, I gave Lenny to Dave for our first Valentine's Day (it was an inside joke/special meaning gift) but the day I pulled him out of the box, after just having moved to Tumwater, he became Lizzie's. Lizzie has never been truly attached to any toy, until now.

When thinking on why this love attachment happened so suddenly, one might suppose its because of the silky soft fur that is so characteristic of TY brand stuffed animals. Perhaps, she thought he was just extra cute and appealing to look at? Another strong guess would be that after seeing Daddy make the lion talk, jump, growl, and playfully bite her she couldn't help but become endeared to him.

However, I know the TRUE reason why Lizzie loves Lenny so much. In fact, I can remember with perfect clarity the exact moment that she fell in love with him. It all happened when...

I was reading various books to Lizzie, a normal event of the day, and I saw at the bottom of the stack My First Colors Board Book. Now, Lizzie has books that she loves and books that she hates. She's very opinionated. She's been that way since she was born. When I open a book, within the first two seconds, she is either thrilled and smiling or crying and screaming. My First Colors Board Book is one of those that makes her cry and scream every time. However, I thought to myself, "Its a shame she doesn't like this book because it looks so educational. She could start learning her colors!"

So I opened the book up to the "Orange" page and noticed how there was a picture of a stuffed lion that looked just like Lenny, who we had rescued from our moving boxes that day. In fact, Lenny was within arms reach of us at that moment. Just as Lizzie started to push the book away in protest I pointed to the picture of the lion and exclaimed, "Lenny the Lion!!" Then, I pointed to the real Lennie and said, "Lizzie's Lenny the Lion!!"

She looked at the picture in the book. Then she looked at Lennie. Then she looked back at the picture in the book and at Lenny again. Then she looked at me. In that moment, one look was worth a thousand words. I saw the lighbulb moment and fully understood it in the way only a mother and child can communicate without making a sound. So many concepts came together for her at that point.

First of all, she realized that those boring books that lack textile delights such as glued on fur, lift-up-flaps, and 3D kittens, were not so boring after all. Maybe those flat images meant something and were worth looking at.
Second, she realized that pictures in books are related to objects or belongings in real life. More importantly, she realized that these pictures were related to HER belongings.

Lastly, she realized that she LOVES Lenny the Lion and "My First Colors Board Book". Ever since that moment when time slowed down a bit, the way it does for all of us when we have a true light bulb moment, she has been inseparable from Lenny the Lion; and I'll let you guess which title she grabs first from the pile of books every time!

Hey, Dave: Undeniable Proof

The other night, Dave came home from work and as usual asked me about my day. I went through my usual list and added that I was pretty sure that Lizzie understands most of the things I say. For instance, when she is in the bathtub I will say things like, "The duck wants to swim with you!" Then she will glance at the duck out of all the many bobbing bath toys.
Dave then says, "Yeah right. Is this like your stories where your dog(Benny, my dog as a kid) has complex emotions and then saves the world?"
Me: "You don't believe me? I reeeally think she understands alot of the words we say."
Dave: "I'll believe it when I see it." "I want proof." (Such a typical Dave thing to say.)

AND HERE IT IS!!!!!! UNDENIABLE PROOF FOR MY HUSBAND:
Check out this video honey!



(So I actually set up this toy line-up scenario for the first time for Dave to see right after the conversation. He was very shocked; then we re-set it up and he helped me take a video of her in action.)

PS: It seems odd that I am having her look at the book between each item, but that is what distracts her in the moment that I am taking a toy away from her.

10 Months Old!!

Elizabeth Rose is 10 months old!! I know I say this ALOT but she is growing so fast! Sometimes I don't notice it that much because I see her all day every day. However, this past month we left her with my mom for a week while we cruised and it was confirmed. She grows so fast that I could see obvious changes to the point of her looking like a different baby after only 1 week. Lately, I feel like I can see her hair getting thicker every day.

One of her major achievements this past month is that she is crawling!! Not scooting, inching, or bum sliding, but real crawling!! Between the crawling, cruising, and pulling herself up, she can now officially go EVERYWHERE and fast too. She walks by herself when I can trick her into thinking I'm holding onto her, but for now she is not quite ready to make the leap.

Another new behavior is that she waves hello and goodbye. She is very friendly with everyone these days and loves to get attention by waving to people at the grocery store, walkers, and even passing cars.

The pretty pink tutu is very befitting for her right now because she LOVES to dance!! If there's any kind of music, especially rock, to be heard then she will be seen standing up and bouncing her little bum up and down like crazy. Her favorite dance, though, is when daddy gets home from work. Each night, after dinner, Dave plays her favorite song "La Grange" and dances her around the room. Its no wonder she seems to be such a daddy's girl.


She is just entering the phase where she likes stuffed animals. When Dave and I had our first Valentine's Day together I gave him a TY stuffed animal lion which has been packed away for some time. Recently, while moving, we ran across it and gave it to Lizzy. She immediately fell in love with it like no other toy. So now whenever I say, "Where's Lenny the Lion?" she will search and search for him til she finds him or even crawl across the entire house to go give him a hug.

Her favorite activity with her Mommy is reading. Right now her favorite book is "My First Colors Board Book." She loves it because as we read it I point to the corresponding real life objects. She always squeals with delight when I point to the picture of a stuffed animal lion that looks like hers, than I ask, "Where's Lizzy's Lion?" (She starts looking around the room frantically as soon as I point to it) At this point the book cannot continue until we locate HER stuffed lion.

I suppose Lizzy's favorite activity with her mommy is reading because that is MY favorite activity with Lizzie. Words cannot describe how much I enjoy watching my daughter learn. There is excitement and first time learning EVERY DAY with her whether it be from a book, the bathtub, or other everyday routine tasks. I love just playing with her, but my heart always skips a beat when I get to see the expression on her face, the moment she realizes for the first time that flipping the switch in the bathroom makes the lights turn on.


I can't wait for Lizzie to start talking, to finally know what goes on in her head. For now we are settling for "Mama," "Dadda," and lots of baby jibberish. When we're reading and I point to a dog or we see a real one, she'll pant like a dog. However, she generally refuses to do so on command or when asked. She also does a lot of head shaking. Mostly to mock her mommy :) For instance, she will be tearing towards the entertainment center to mess with the forbidden DVD player and I will shout "No, no, no!" Then, she will continue towards it with her back to me, without slowing a bit and start shaking her head because she know thats exactly what I'm doing.