Picasso and Norm Abrams

Elizabeth turned 5 months on Saturday. Her teachers have already helped her draw with crayons at daycare so we figure we'd better try at home. She was more interested in trying to eat them than draw with them (as seen by the evidence left on her chin). But her picture was very creative. Maybe we have an aspiring artist on our hands.

Or maybe a master craftsman? She also helped Andrew put together her high chair today. She really enjoyed reading the directions and telling him which piece came next. Here's her posing in it for the first time. I think she's going to like eating with us at dinnertime. But that's not for another month. My plan for now is to get her used to sitting in it with us before we introduce solid foods. Not too many new things at once!

What Happens At Grandmas . . .

Someone's got a new hat!

We packed the car up again this weekend, this time for Elizabeth's first trip to San Antonio to visit her G&G Grohmann and Uncle Casey. We also celebrated our friend Brenda's 50th birthday. Thanks Grandma Grohmann for the cute onesie!
Elizabeth did really well again napping and sleeping in her pack 'n play. She's such a pro:) She's also gotten good at blowing raspberries. At breakfast on Saturday she was cracking everyone up. We look forward to coming back this summer and playing in the pool Grandma promises to get her. Course I can't wait until she gets a little older so we can get passes to Sea World!

Elizabeth's 1st Easter

It was a blessed day. We got to celebrate Elizabeth's 1st Easter by decorating eggs on Saturday night and hunting for them on Easter morning, opening our Easter baskets, going to church with Grandma and Grandpa Keillor and Aunt Amy and then having lunch with our extended family at my cousin Kathy's house. Whew that sounds like a lot!
Elizabeth had fun helping us find all the Easter eggs. The Easter bunny hid them really well this year. At Grandma and Grandpa Keillors, we like to decorate the old-fashioned method with hardboiled eggs and food coloring mixed in with vinegar. She got really excited opening her Easter baskets that the Easter bunny left in both Harlingen and San Antonio (G&G Grohmann dropped off an early delivery at our house). When she gets excited she starts breathing really hard and shaking her arms and hands. She LOVED tearing at the cellophane!
At church she was doing well and slept in her carseat until everyone started clapping after the baptisms. The noise woke her up. It wasn't far into the service either. Then she got restless and we went through all our bag of tricks before Andrew had to get up (as he was the one sitting on the aisle) and take her into the hallway. My dad got up too to help him out. I figured they would be back, but they stayed out the remainder of the service. As we (me, my mom and Amy) got up to leave, I saw them in the hallway with Elizabeth all the way down to her skivvies. Turns out that beautiful Easter dress that Aunt Amy got her was making her too hot and uncomfortable. As soon as Andrew took the dress off, she brightened up. It was a funny site! Yes my baby has been naked in church on Easter Sunday!!!
Lunch with the Keillor/Bannert/Miller/Zepeda clan was fun as always. Elizabeth enjoyed meeting her relatives and getting held by everybody!

My Birthday Part 2

My mom surprised me with a second birthday cake and presents on Saturday night. I got a beautiful wooden cross to add to my collection and some cool sandals. Amy gave me some yummy smelling Laura Mercier body lotion in french vanilla and brought me and Elizabeth back some neat souvenirs from her recent trip to Antigua.

Over the River and Through the Woods

Elizabeth getting her first driving lesson with the car in Park

Harlingen or Bust!

Aunt Amy loves reading to her niece

Elizabeth loves her Grandpa and his watch

All bathed and ready for bed!

We had our first road trip with Elizabeth this past Easter weekend to see G&G Keillor and Aunt Amy in Harlingen. The trip on the way down there went surprisingly well. I was stressed a bit which made me scour every website for tips on what to pack. Traveling with an infant does require some planning! It's amazing how much stuff Elizabeth requires!

We hit the road on Good Friday morning at 6:30 immediately after waking Elizabeth up, nursing and changing her, and putting her into her car seat. That required us to load up almost everything in the car the night before. Dexter rode shotgun while one of us rode in the back with Elizabeth to keep her entertained. We rotated shifts with Andrew driving the first and me the second. The way I timed the feedings,we only had to stop once in Refugio for gas, bathroom breaks and to nurse and change Elizabeth. I had bought some window shades to block out as much sun as possible so Elizabeth slept most of the morning.

And Elizabeth slept wonderfully in her pack n play the whole weekend even though we shared a room with her. We had started putting her in it the previous weekend so she could get used to sleeping in there and it worked. We also tried sticking to our schedule and nightly routine as best as possible and bringing whatever we needed to recreate her nursery.

On the way back to Houston we got a late start so feedings were off and things weren't as smooth. We still only had to stop twice, in Odem and El Campo. But Elizabeth was up way past her bedtime and couldn't settle herself in the car. Once we got home, I did the Cliff's notes version of our nightly routine and sent Elizabeth straight to bed. She got a second wind though and it seemed with all that energy, she'd never be able to go to sleep. But eventually she settled herself to sleep and slept through until morning!