Elise is 7 Months Old!

Today our little lady is seven months old! We are into her second half-year of life already!

We are loving life with this little girl, and she is still all smiles ALL THE TIME! It amazes us how full of joy that she is! Steven recently commented that she's truly the happiest baby he's ever met. Thank you Lord for such a sweet little blessing in our lives!

Over the past month, Elise has really taken strides in the area of sleep (again, thanks be to God!) In the past week, she has started "sleeping through the night", which, for her, means going to bed around 8-9 PM, waking once in the night (around 3-4 AM) to feed, and waking again for the day around 7-8 AM. YAY! I cannot even contain myself, I'm so excited about this milestone. Is it possibly because I'm the one benefiting the most from these longer stretches of sleep? Um, yes, that would be true. However, I do think that it is as good for Elise as it is for me. And it is really good for Steven and Isaac, too, since I am a much better wife and mom when I get to sleep. :) So again, thank you Lord, for helping our little girl make it to this point right now when I need sleep so badly. Also, naps are getting easier for Elise these days. She's roughly taking two naps a day. I say "roughly" because her morning nap is usually interrupted by whatever errands or activities our family needs to do before Isaac's naptime. She usually naps some in her carseat on these errands. Her second nap has transitioned to be usually during the same time as Isaac's. This is a huge milestone that we just hit this past week. (So really all this advancement in the sleep department happened right at the last week of Elise's seventh month.) Until this past week, Elise would sleep in her crib in the afternoon for 20 minutes at most and then wake crying very hard. Then she'd sleep the remainder of her nap with me. Now she's starting to take longer naps in her crib every few days. She still has some short ones, but she's well on her way to complete napping success! YAY again! We're so proud of her for making this progress!

Elise is still nursing well and eating solids twice each day. So far, she's tried bananas, avocados, peaches, pears, green beans, squash, carrots, rice cereal, and oatmeal. She likes it all. Except the cereal and oatmeal, which must be mixed with something sweet. She doesn't like to take a bottle; or maybe it's that she doesn't really love the taste of formula. Well, actually she hates it. So she won't even come near a bottle since I don't love to pump and have zero ounces of stored up breastmilk. Our plan for the next month is to try and get her to drink from a sippy cup. Drink what, you may ask? Not sure yet. But I'm sure that'll be in her 8 month update!

Elise is a mover! She is still scooting around the room on her back, but she also can lift herself very high with her arms while on her tummy. We're sure crawling is in the near future for this girl! In the meantime, she's been sitting up on her own, too! She loves to explore her surroundings with very inquisitive looks and usually grabs everything within arms' reach.

Also, she has become more vocal in the past month. She says "ba ba ba" regularly and seems to want to say much more! She's a girl, though, so this should come as no shock to us. She is a very social baby; she smiles at everyone she meets! She loves for people to give her attention, and she rewards them with the sweetest grins ever!

Here are some pictures from yesterday's photo shoot, as well as the monthly comparison shots:

Monthly comparison shots:
Birth - 9.30.09


One month - 10.30.09


Two months - 11.30.09


Three months - 12.30.09


Four months - 1.30.10


Five months - 3.1.10


Six months - 3.30.10



Seven months - 4.29.10






It's just "seventh heaven" around here with this precious girl!

(Click here to see what we were up to when Isaac turned seven months old!)

Tending to Gramps and Nanna's Garden!

When Isaac goes to his Gramps and Nanna's house, one of the things he loves to do, in addition to sidewalk chalkin', is help tend to their gardens. Right now it's lettuce harvesting time, so last week, Isaac helped with the lettuce beds. Gramps got some pictures of him, and here they are:



And what we grownups like to do is to help eat the harvest from the gardens!!! Thanks Gramps for always sharing so generously with us!

Impromptu Potty Training

I guess we are currently potty training Isaac. It started out late last week with a bad diaper rash and the need to let his little bottom be diaper-free for most of the day. Once I started seeing little wet puddles around our house, I felt the need to tell Isaac that pee-pee goes in the potty and not on the floor, stairs, couch or in random baskets. He seemed to like the idea (and he'd used the potty a few times before with our help and definitely wasn't scared of going in there.) So, for the past few days during the time we've been home, we've been working with Isaac on using the potty to pee-pee. Now I haven't read any books about potty training nor am I trying to train him because I'm tired of having two in diapers (although for the sake of his sensitive, rash-prone skin, I'll be glad when he doesn't need them.) I am seriously just doing this because it seems to be the natural thing to teach him while we're trying to get rid of this diaper rash. Although he hasn't pooped in the potty yet, he has no trouble with peeing, flushing, and washing his hands. Yesterday he used the potty about 7-8 times throughout the day, with the exception of wearing a diaper during naptime and while he stayed for a couple of hours at my parents' house. He did have a couple accidents as well, and one of them I only found out about when he told me "I go vacuum Idee's pee pee", grabbed his toy vacuum and headed for the stairs. Yes, there was a big puddle of pee there. At least he knew it needed to be cleaned up somehow. I didn't have the heart to tell him that the vacuum wouldn't make any difference at all. *sigh* Today he wore a pull-up for the first time (thanks to our sweet neighbor Beverly, we're stocked up on those for a while!) and loved it. In fact, he requested to "Weh pull-up peas." I have told him that he can wear pull-ups now until he is peeing and pooping in the potty all the time. Then he can wear big-boy underwear (which we're also stocked up on, thanks to our cousin Amy!) Another first today: Isaac peed in a public potty for the first time! We went to my chiropractor's office, and he used their potty after my appointment. It was one of those that have a very loud flush, but he loved it! He couldn't wait to flush it himself (I would have used my foot to flush it - yes it was one of those - so I couldn't wait for him to wash his hands!)

Since I hadn't prepared at all for this transition, we don't have step-stools or those little seats that attach to the toilets. I'll probably be making a trip to get those soon enough. For now, though, we're just enjoying those first few days of our little man taking this big step towards being a real big boy! Can you believe it?!

Elise loves to laugh!

I've mentioned before that Elise loves to laugh, but here's your proof!

Dining out on the deck...

On these beautiful spring days, our family loves to have dinner out on our back deck. We just bring Elise's exersaucer outside and she joins right in! Here's a couple pictures from one of our recent family times:




This makes cleanup so much easier! And of course we all love the fresh air!

Sidewalk Chalkin' at Gramps and Nanna's House!

Isaac loves to spend time at his Gramps and Nanna's house. On average, he spends about one night each week with them. My dad usually picks Isaac up from our house after his nap and then he's with them until time for nap the next day. It's a HUGE blessing for me - allowing special time with Elise and also an opportunity to run errands with only one baby in tow. And Isaac absolutely has a blast with his Gramps and Nanna (and I'm thinking they probably have a pretty good time with him, as well...a comment could definitely confirm that!) Here are some pictures from one of his recent stays when they brought out the sidewalk chalk:




Ain't nowhere in the world like grandparents' house!

Isaac sees a firetruck!

This video was taken about 3 weeks ago when Steven took the kids to Lowe's (which gave me a chance to get some much needed rest at home!!!) There was a firetruck outside the store, so Steven captured Isaac's fascination (and fear) of it here:

Now that is hilarious Mommy!

A few weeks ago, our family took a trip to Jersey Mike's for lunch. During our lunch, there was an infomercial on the restaurant TV for a do-it-yourself plumbing system. As you can imagine, this infomercial included demonstrations of the plumbing system being used in toilets, sinks, showers, etc. to remove lots of yucky stuff. (Why this was playing in a restaurant, I'm not so sure...) Anyway, the infomercial caught Isaac's eye, and we all started talking about how yucky it was. Well, apparently when I said "ewwww" in reference to the show, Isaac thought it was hilarious. He started belly-laughing, and it was just way too cute! Thankfully we caught this special moment on video via Steven's iPhone. So here goes:



Are you laughing now?

Isaac can sing now!

This past week, Isaac started actually singing his favorite song "Hallelu, hallelu" on his own. (You may remember that Isaac started carrying tunes back in January.) It sounds more like this:

Allou, Allou, Allou, Allou, Allou
Pase eea Lud, Pase eea Lud
Allou, Allou, Allou, Allou, Allou

Steven discovered Isaac's singing talents while they were having their bedtime ritual of lying in Isaac's "big bed" (which he doesn't actually sleep in yet) and playing iPod games. Isaac always requests "iPod game!" before bed.

Hopefully we can catch this cute singing on video soon!

Our little man just keeps growing!

Isaac will be 29 months old in a little over a week, and wow, has he grown recently! He has started counting to ten (both on his own randomly and when assisted by us; although we didn't really teach him - he just picked it up on his own!) and has even started to add "eleven" to the list. Also, he loves for us to sing the alphabet song to him, and he tries to sing along. He walks around saying "ABCD! ABCD!!" It's so cute. And it's another thing we didn't teach him that he picked up.

In addition to the numbers and letters, Isaac has about figured out all of the colors (well, most of them, let's say. He's not quite mastered salmon and magenta yet.) He loves to point out what colors things are. He is also, thanks a good deal to his Gramps, learning shapes! So far, he can identify a circle on his own.

He also loves to "daw pitcha" (draw pictures). He enjoys using markers and pens especially. Lately he has seemed very happy to take a pen to a notepad and draw straight lines, swirling lines, and dots.

He is just a little sponge! Whatever we teach him, he quickly picks up. Tonight he was taking Steven's blood pressure with a toy blood pressure cuff from his doctor's kit, and Steven taught him "one twenty over eighty" and he said "one tenne oh ehheee". We know he doesn't understand it right now, but he soon will! I mean, he's already learned how to take blood pressure (even if it was on Steven's calf). :)

Isaac has also started making demands of us, like "Want more" or "Want dis". We're working with him to help him understand that he needs to ask us when he wants something instead of commanding us. It's amazing, though, how natural it is for him to just tell us what to do rather than asking.

Also, he loves to be outside! He likes to play in our garden, digging up dirt with a flower pot, pouring it into another flower pot, and then dumping it back into the garden. He also loves the plastic water drainage thing that sits below the gutter downspout. He carries it all over the yard. (Good thing we don't get loads of rain around these parts because it sure isn't ever under the gutter downspout anymore!) And whenever our neighbors on either side are out in their yards, he goes right up to the fence and says "Hey Amy" or "Hey Eehge (George)" and proceeds to explain to us whatever they are doing, such as "Eehge get ahhter" (meaning George is getting water to fill his birdbath.")

We are keeping a list of Isaac's funny phrases in the right-hand sidebar, but I thought I'd post the list so far here. (And speaking of right hands: Isaac is quickly learning to distinguish his right and left hands and feet, thanks to Steven's diligent teaching each evening at bedtime.) Enjoy the silliness:

"Idee make poopy" (when asked if he meant that he'd pooped in his diaper, he said "Yesese, Idee make poopy") 4/12/2010

"Mommy play some? Mommy play some!!" (before and as I was sitting down to play blocks with Isaac.) 4/12/2010

"Dial Ba? Dial Nanna? Dial Pawpaw Gi-gi?" (meaning, "Can we call Gramps, Nanna, and Pawpaw & Gi-gi?) Spring 2010

"See Ba? Go Ba's house!" (meaning, "I want to see Gramps and go to his house!") Spring 2010

"Want dis" (meaning, "I want this!") 4/10/2010

"Happy Amen!" (meaning, "Let's sing the 'If You're Happy and You Know It, Say Amen' song!") 3/25/2010

"Idee hold eww" (meaning, "Isaac hold you" which is translated "Will you hold me Mommy or Daddy?") 3/20/2010

"Dis night night?" (meaning, "Can I take this to bed with me?") 3/2010

"I edeem!" (meaning "I am redeemed!") Also, upon hearing the words, "Let the redeemed of the Lord...", Isaac responds by saying "Say so!" 3/2010

"LAWHD" (meaning "Please turn the music up!") 3/2010

"Idee dood it" (meaning "Isaac do it!") 2/2010

"Yesese" (meaning "Yes, please") 2/2010

"Snow uh-oh" (Isaac's way of saying the snow is falling) 2/12/10

"Lotion need battawees" (when trying to pump lotion from an almost-empty bottle) 2/8/10

We love that boy!

Playing in the garden

Just a fun morning at the Mauney house... or I should say "in the Mauney garden"...




(By the way, don't those raised beds look great? Thanks to Gramps for the extra compost! Tomatoes and peppers are calling our name...)

Fun with Power Wheels!

Remember when Isaac got his first power wheels last year? Well, he's still riding it and loving every moment! This past weekend, we pulled it out of the garage and brought it into the backyard. It is powerful enough to drive over the grass and even our natural area. He loves it!



More power to ya, buddy!

A kiss from her momma...

A classic... boy on a trike.

And what a mighty handsome boy he is! This was a picture from our dinner at my parents' this weekend that just was too perfect not to change into sepia. Isn't he adorable?!

Resurrection Weekend 2010!

Our family had a wonderful weekend! It started out with Steven having the day off on Friday. Steven and I did lots of work around the house (cleaning out the garage, mowing the lawn, setting up new garden hoses...). Isaac enjoyed "helping" us, and Elise played contentedly on her playmat or in her exersaucer. We also just enjoyed some fun family time in the absolutely gorgeous weather. On Saturday, we continued our spring cleaning, but we ended that day with a wonderful meal at my parents' house. We were blessed to spend some quality time with my great grandparents, my great aunt and uncle, my parents, and Kati and Ray. We spent lots of time outside, and Isaac especially loved that since he could ride on the trike that Nanna and Gramps got for him. After a delicious dinner and wonderful fellowship, we all went home and fell into the bed! All of us (Steven, Isaac, Elise, and me) slept until 10 AM Sunday morning! We must have had a great time the night before! :) After a leisurely morning and early afternoon, we headed up to our church for the service (which is held at 5 PM on Sundays). It was a beautiful time of worship and encouragement for all, and we even had a special visit from my parents! What a wonderful way to end such a glorious weekend!

Here are some pictures from our fun family time:

Granny Gurley (known as Gi-gi to my kids!) holding Elise:


Isaac riding his trike (notice his feet on the ground. He preferred to "ride" it with his feet off the pedals and on the ground.)


Pawpaw kept telling him, "Boy, putcha feet up on them pedals!" But Isaac wouldn't listen... so Pawpaw decided to demonstrate:


I guess it worked, because you can clearly see here that Isaac started pedaling the right way right afterwards:


Gramps and Elise (oh so sweet!):


The spread of food (a yummy salad!) Yes, we also had ham and potato salad. We are in the south, you know! Thanks to my mom and dad for an incredible meal! Especially the chicken!! Oh that chicken was so yummy!


I love this picture. My parents holding my kids and my sister right there in between them. Pure family love.


Isaac having fun with Ray at the dinner table:


Some family pictures to end the evening... first, Elise and me, the Mauney girls:


And now, the whole Steven Mauney crew:



Thank you Jesus for everything you did, are doing, and will do in our lives! We love you!

Just checking in, Mom!

Isaac loves playing in the backyard on these warm days! I especially love it because I can send him out there while I'm working in the kitchen or feeding Elise, thanks to our new fence. Of course, I check on him about once every 5 seconds, but it surely makes life easier! Every few minutes, he comes back to the door and says "hi" to Elise and me.

Summertime, here we come!