Always standing now

Someone's first time eating blueberries!

8 month photos

It's so exciting to witness the development of Elise's budding personality.  I had to fill out a long worksheet describing Elise's personality and sleep habits (more on that later) and the two adjectives that stand out to describe her are "energetic" and "sensitive".  It's hard to know what makes Elise unique because I don't know of that many babies to compare her to but when other people interact with her, one of the first things they mention is her high energy level, as evidenced by her constant desire to bounce.  She can bounce for as long as someone is willing to hold her. 

She also has quite the sensitive soul.  She has a very strong attachment to mommy and she wants me by her side AT. ALL.  TIMES.  She's doing great with her new babysitter but when we are playing at home, I can barely get up to use the restroom.  Some of this might be separation anxiety but she's definitely been a bit more "attached" than other babies I've seen.  Elise is also quite the keen observer.  People comment how alert, focused, and observant she is.  She is sensitive to new surroundings and notices the small details.  She studies peoples' faces intently and watches for their reactions. 

We're still having sleep challenges.  We tried sleep-training her using the Sleep Lady Shuffle (a somewhat gentle approach to sleep-training, a la letting a baby scream to sleep) but after 7 days and nights of crying, she showed absolutely no improvement!  So many of my friends have babies who immediately learn to sleep within 3 quick and easy nights.  Not with Elise, no.  I was hoping to get her trained before our big PNW trip but it became clear that we needed outside help.  After our trip, I hired a sleep consultant and we just received our sleep plan.  It looks like it's going to take a good month to get all of her sleep habits in order!  We started training tonight and I laid down with Elise and did not nurse her to sleep like I normally do.  Well, the entire time she is pulling down my shirt and fussing so I finally had to have Bry take over.  Commence the screaming.  She wanted mommy but she finally slept after about 30 minutes.  Please pray that she learns how to sleep QUICKLY and without much trauma!

I have been really enjoying motherhood but I reached a point today where I felt so overwhelmed with all the different hats that I'm juggling (and on top of having a bad day) that I just broke down crying.  It was the first time in my life that I cried due to being overwhelmed with responsibilities.  I'm usually pretty good with multi-tasking but I've reached a new level of multi-responsibility with being a mom, a wife, a student, a professor, and a researcher.  I think the mom part is taking the biggest part of the mental pie.  I've been having a hard time with leaving Elise with her babysitter and I feel all sorts of guilt for not being able to do anything really well.  I think I'm just entering a new season of life and I have to readjust my expectations.  Not an easy thing to do.

But when I look at sweet Elise's face, I just melt into total happiness.  There are so many moments in the day when I just want to drop everything and hold her forever.  We are so blessed to have such an amazing gift from God. 

Some videos from the last week

Elise's dedication at church

Seattle -- Part 2

Here are some videos from Seattle.

woodpecker!

I forget that I don't have to make goofy faces when baby isn't looking at me =).

Seattle Pacific University

the first Starbucks, Pike's Place

fish ladder

Seattle Central Library

Mt. Rainier with awful camera setting

I wanna be like Mommy!

first time swinging

playing with Pascale in Palo Alto

brief update

i still need to take elise's 8 month pictures but here's a quick update--  she's still creeping on the ground and has now started to go from lying down to sitting up and is also able to pull herself up to standing.  giving her a bath is really hard now because she keeps wanting to stand.  i've seen her do a few crawls on the bed so i know the full-out crawl is just moments away.  can't believe it! 

Seattle -- Part 1

Here are the photos from Seattle.  I can't post the videos yet because Elise has filled up my hard drive (so rude!).  Never fear, my new work computer and external hard drive arrive tomorrow, just in time.

We rented a great basement studio in Phinney Ridge, near Green Lake.  Here is the study room (which, alas, didn't get nearly as much use as we had hoped).  

Mar and Elise visited the zoo one morning with friend Grace and her two kids.

Bry and Elise checked out Seattle Pacific University one day, a school similar to APU.

Pike's Place Market, our afternoon as tourists.

The original Starbucks.

Elise loves bottles.

Amazing crumpets.

A walk through Belltown, with Space Needle in the background.

Experience Music Project

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center

List of grants.  I worked on one of these at UCLA after graduation related to the new Common Core standards!

See anybody you recognize?

?

Relaxing after a full day.

Elise in her big girl chair.

Hiking with Lynna (we started at that lake in the background).  One time Margaret almost tripped, and Elise laughed at her!  Not very good manners.  Another time Margaret saw a caterpillar, and you all can imagine how loud she shrieked...

We visited the right week: there was a block party one night, and a neighborhood festival another night.  You are looking at a 3-on-3 street soccer tournament.

The Ballard locks

Fish ladder

Seattle Central Library

Chapel of St. Ignatius, Seattle University

The business school always gets the fancy atrium.

Mariners vs. Rays (boring game).  We saw David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy lose big to the Seattle Sounders too.

Bry & Elise explored some parks so that Mar could get some work done.

Green Lake

We checked out Mt. Rainier on the way home.  Sorry about the neon colors.  Apparently one should not use the fancy settings on the camera.

This is where we stopped!  Snow, flip flops, and a baby are not a good combination.

The part that we hiked is called Paradise, and for good reason.