Pearly Whites

Since you're teeth are coming in so quickly, I thought it was important to start making a habit of brushing your teeth.  You caught on very quickly!  This is one of my favorite parts of the day.  I love how you watch me brush my teeth as you move your little toothbrush around in your mouth.  You're going to have one beautiful smile Eleanore.  :o)

Crawling, and Highchairs and Teeth, Oh My!

You're growing up too fast!  Yesterday I could hold you in the crook of my arm, and today you're crawling all over the place!  You like to get up onto your hands and feet too...it looks like you're getting set for a race.  I keep waiting for you to take off in a dead sprint.

Now that you've got four teeth (two on top and two on bottom) and you're sitting up on your own, we've graduated to the highchair.  You LOVE your new seat.  I think it's because you feel like a big girl; that and you can rest your head on the back.  :o)  You were all smiles eating breakfast this morning!

P.S. You are now sitting in the shopping cart too...although you still look little to me!

Ready or Not...

Here comes Ellie!  You can see the concentration on her face.  She hasn't mastered crawling yet, but she's catching on fast!

Great Eight

It has been a great eight months with you, Eleanore.  We have loved every part of it!  Your third tooth just broke through yesterday on top; I already miss your gummy smile...but your new one is beautiful too.  :o)  Right now you are rolling all over the place.  You are SO close to crawling! You get up on all fours and rock back and forth, but haven't quite managed to move yourself forward yet.  I have a feeling it's going to happen soon.  You're such a happy baby; we love you!

Rocky Mountain High

Wow, what a road trip!  And you, Ellie Belle, were an amazing little traveler.  "Uncle" Tom Sterling orchestrated a pretty amazing trip for you, Mommy, Daddy and him to go on.  We started out heading west toward Colorado.  We stopped at the Kansas high point, Mt. Sunflower (a measly 4039 feet above sea level) on our way to visit Lindsey and Scott in Colorado Springs.  The wind was insane!  Daddy and Uncle Tom helped to keep you from blowing away.  Despite the crazy gusts,  you seemed to enjoy yourself.

Our next stop was Colorado Springs.  We woke up early (thank you Eleanore) to watch the sunrise over the Garden of the Gods.  What a beautiful sight. 

Next on the list was Taos, New Mexico.  It was an incredible day for everyone involved.  While Daddy and Uncle Tom climbed to the summit of Wheeler Peak, you and I met up with my old friend Jamie, her husband Drew and son Jude.  You and Jude hit it off; I hope you two get to hang out again!

Yes, there's more.  After Taos, we drove back into Colorado to the Great Sand Dunes National Park.  It was amazing to see so much sand in the midst of the mountains.  I didn't even know the park existed!  You also got your first feel (and unfortunately taste) of sand.  You loved a-kick-kick-kicking; Daddy even got a video of you (not shown, sorry!).

Rocky Mountain National Park was checked off the list on Thursday.  It was quite a view.  We sat you right on top of the Continental Divide, where the water runs either west to the Pacific or east to the Atlantic.  We ended the trip at the Denver Zoo where you loved watching the big animals around you.  I think your favorite part was when the sea lion came up out of the water right in front of you. 

After a wonderful, long trip, you were definitely happy to be home!