Julia and Elise

Julia and Elise sitting in their thrones during another playdate. Actually, it was the parents who were playing board games during the girls' long naps. Before Julia and Elise came along, Doug and Una would come over and we would play board games til the wee hours of the night. Ahhh, the luxuries we were beginning to forget.

Cousin Calista

Cousin Calista is trying to watch cartoons and hold Elise at the same time

Pool with Dad

Dad and Elise back in the pool again. We think her arms and thighs give her natural buoyancy.

Cozy with Aunt Jeanne

Aunt Jeanne and Elise looking very cozy on the couch

Zac and Elise

Zac is Monique and Ben's firstborn and he's 15 months old. Zac is fascinated with babies and wanted to hold Elise. They played very sweetly with each other and Zac was super gentle. However, Elise tried to grab hold of Zac's curly locks but luckily for him she didn't manage to get a good grip or he'd have a nice bald spot.

Laughing with Aunt Jeanne

Auntie Jeanne getting a huge smile out of Elise

Pool Party at Margot and V's

Aunt Margot and Uncle V invited us over for a pool party in Orinda. It was a welcome relief from the heat wave and Elise loved it. In the background, you can catch a glimpse of Uncle V and their son, Kush, who is 19 months old.

Ma Hung

Great-Uncle Hung

Waultraud

Great-Aunt Waultraud

Storytime

Elise likes to flip the pages while we read to her. Her favorite stories are the ones from Sandra Boynton even if Mom and Dad have read them for the hundredth time.

Slumped in Chair

Elise is hanging back and chillin' like a villian. Actually, she can't sit up by herself for very long so thought that this chair might help.

Saucer Toy

Trying out her new toy which basically is a huge saucer with a bunch of toys attached to it. Elise is still pretty skeptical and won't stay in it very long.

Eating Solids

Elise is experiencing her first meal with solids. She had no problems figuring out how to eat from a spoon and keeping the food in her mouth. Babies automatically have an instant thrust reflex with their tongues and tend to push the food out. Initially Elise seemed confused by the strange apparatus and bland mush but she quickly got with the program and swallowed more than she spit out. Now we feed her two meals with solids a day and only introduce new food items every 4-5 days to rule out allergies. Next up are the yellow veggies like carrots and squash.

Ronan and Elise

Ronan and Elise are meeting for the first time. Ronan is the firstborn of Genevieve and Christian Bennett, who Mom knows from her McKenna days. Elise is 2.5 months older than Ronan and we hope their closeness in age will make them close friends. They happily played next to each other and occasionally would hold hands thinking the other was a toy or something.

6-Month Doctor's Visit

At her 6-month doctor's visit, Elise is all smiles. Her vitals this month are:
Weight: 13 lbs. 4 oz. Length: 24.25 inches

Cool Shades

Looking too adorable for words

Happy 6-Month Birthday

Happy 6-Month Birthday Elise. It has been an incredible and awesome 6 months. So many changes and so many milestones. Although Elise has spent more time in the womb than outside of it, she is nowhere near the helpless newborn that greeted us 6 months ago. Let's count the ways she has changed:

1) Then: Sleeping 2 hours at a stretch and eating 12 times a day
Now: Sleeping almost 12 hours at night and eating 5 times a day

2) Then: Couldn't see further than 6-8 inches from her face
Now: Recognizes Mom and Dad from across the room and if you make eye contact with her, she flaps her arms with excitement hoping to be picked up

3) Then: Waving her arms and legs uncontrollably, not knowing they were part of her body
Now: Reaching for objects, transferring objects from one hand to another, clapping objects together, grabbing her toes, sucking her thumb, and grabbing onto Mom's shirt and hair when feeding

4) Then: Couldn't straighten her neck and her head would flop backwards if not supported
Now: She can hold her head straight up and sit with her hands supporting her weight

5) Then: Her only verbal sounds were loud wails and high pitched screams
Now: We still get the occasional loud wails but she also delights us with her coos, loud "ahs", and "gggggs"

6) Then: Fed exclusively with breastmilk
Now: In addition to breastmilk, she has now ventured into the world of solids

Rolling Over

Elise rolled over from her back to the front for the first time this week. Although Mom, Dad, and Grandma Nguyen have encouraged her over the last few weeks, she chose to do it on her own terms and time. It just happened all of a sudden without anyone doing anything. In fact, Mom and Dad weren't even there to witness the first rollover. The days of the immobile baby are fast disappearing. We are so use to putting Elise down and expecting her to stay put.

Riley and Elise

Elise and Riley are quickly becoming friends. They seem very fascinated with each other and they share a mutual love for eating, looking at trees, and staring at strangers.

Holding Her Own Bottle

Elise is finally holding her own bottle and is putting Dad out of a job