Happy Half Birthday Eli!

Eli turns 0.5 years old! ... Today... if you look at the calendar, a few weeks ago if you count weeks.  We've been busy. She's cutting new teeth, they'll arrive any day now.
Story from last week: after nursing, i was patting her on the back to burp her. she looks me directly in the eyes then farts. and then laughs. what a riot.

papa and Eli

Story from yesterday: Once again, she was supervising me putting the laundry on the line. She was sitting in the basket with the damp clothes (most times she's on a blanket in the grass), I grab another handful and get it on the line, as I walk back to get another handful she looks up at me, surprised, and says "oooo" then grabs a pair of my undies. All I can do is laugh and continue putting stuff on the line

just got home from first time swimming in the pool!

Story from last Friday: it was her first day swimming in the pool! We almost made it to Water Babies Class, but missed it and were going to be super late. So we waited for the afternoon Open Swim session. Another lady was there in the deep end, then she left and it was just us for a long time, then a man showed up in the lap swim area. Really it was a quiet session- lots of learning what the water is and how the pool works, and kicking a TON, playing with one large blue ball, and two small green or purple balls, watching the guards and the other swimmer. I asked her if she had a good time and she won't tell. She's really good at keeping secrets.  The shower to warm up was essential as she spent 45 minutes in the pool with out a peep and a smile on her face the entire time. I showered her off, toweled her dry and sat her up in her seat so she could watch me shower and get dressed. A little bit of milk and a nap in the car followed.

this is what she did most of her half birthday.

last Saturday was national Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day. more on that in another blog post.
Currently she's doing rice cereal everyday, with either a banana or avocado. I think apples or sweet potato next. Just a little bit- one or two ounces worth of food. What's the best brain food out there that a baby can eat?  Deb told me that 80% of the calories she's using is going to growing her brain right now. That's her rationale behind feeding Eli as much as she can eat.
I wonder if I should make some kind of birthday -half- treat for her. hmmmmmm.
xoxo

the following is what happened when she became a little monster mitten hands... she spent a fair amount of time staring at them to figure them out. ... and then bashed 'em around attacking the towel.

N