Standing Up

Elizabeth has been pulling herself to standing for quite a few weeks now. But it still cracks me up when, in the middle of the night, she screams her head off. Then the minute you open the door, this is what you find:

This was taken the first night we found her standing in her crib. Look at how proud of herself she is!

Holiday Season

I realized today that the Holiday Season is quickly approaching. For most people, the holidays begin with Thanksgiving. But for us, it is Halloween. Say what you will, but I am so stinkin' excited about Halloween. I guess it is because of the magic in the air, the mysterious possibilities that come with Fall. 

Saturday night we took Elizabeth to the Member's Night at the San Francisco Zoo. It was a lot of fun. Well maybe not so much for Elizabeth as it was cold and dark and most of the animals were asleep. But she had fun looking around at all the people. Especially Ian. Man, she loves that kid! Anyway, Member's Night was just the first event in a series of many that will mark Elizabeth's first Holiday season. 

Look for more to come!

A Visit From Grandma and Grandpa

Today my mom, step-dad and littlest sister came for a visit. Officially, it was to celebrate John's birthday (belated though it was). Unofficially, it was to love up Elizabeth as only grandparents (and Aunties) can. 

There are many times I have found myself wishing my mom and I lived closer together. Since having a baby, those times occur more and more frequently. I love that Elizabeth has all her grandparents and even 2 sets of great-grandparents. I just wish we were able to do more together. I am secretly envious of my friends who have their parents around to babysit while they work and those who attend functions and vacations together. Sadly, Elizabeth's grandparents are either physically or geographically unable to make frequent zoo trips or camping excursions. Though in the end, it doesn't matter because the one thing that all her grandparents offer in abundance is LOVE. And you can't ask for more than that.

Oakland Zoo

Today we went to the zoo. It is one of Elizabeth's favorite places-I think. She is so happy to be outside and is fascinated with all the people and animals. We got to see giraffes up close or as close as we could get (they were the most cooperative) and even pet some goats. (She did not seem so interested in them!)

We went with Izzy's Godfamily the Davis family. We have now traveled on many family trips and vacations together, and shared in good news and bad. And through it all, we have come to love and respect them as role-models and family.

Just a few pictures from today.

The family:

Checkin out the giraffes

Motherhood

No one could have told me what it means to be a mother. I guess it started today just after we got back from the zoo. I sat on the floor in Elizabeth's room, building a tower out of her little board books. Just when the tower reached 4 books high, she would gleefully knock over the tower. I would then moan a little and she would laugh her strongest, hardiest belly laugh I've ever heard. I remember sitting on the floor thinking to myself that I could not love being a mommy any more than I did at that moment. Then I got up to go get daddy and Elizabeth started crying- crying because she thought I was leaving her and our fun was over. My heart swelled even bigger.

Fast forward an hour and you'll find me giving Little Miss her bath. Tonight her tub was full of bubbles and our bathroom was filled with joy. Every so often, Elizabeth would lean over to examine the bubbles and the closer she got to the water, the louder her squeals of excitement. She would get so close, then when her excitement got the best of her she would throw herself forward and come up with a face full of bubbles and peels of laughter. I remember thinking that life is truly amazing and I couldn't love my baby anymore than I did at that moment. I thanked God for giving me this life to love and nurture and above all, a glimpse at His love for us.

The moment that made me realize, once again, that my life is perfect happened while I was rocking my baby to sleep. The song "Me" came on by Plumb. And once again, I did everything in my power to make a memory. Have you ever done that? I was actually thinking that this is a moment I don't ever want to forget. The smell of my baby so fresh from the bath, the feel of her warm skin surrounded by her soft fleecy jammies, the way she looked up at me while nursing and drifting off to sleep. But my most favorite part, the way she reached out to take hold of my hand because, I am her comfort. I am her lovey, her security. For now, she holds my hand to fall asleep. And I cherish it. I know there will be a time in our lives when she no longer needs me. A time when she wont want me. A time, when her world revolves around friends and boys and her future.  I look toward that time with a mixture of both dread and awe. But that time is not now, and I try not to think of it. Instead, I look at her and love her in the moment. 

My first blog

So...this is it. My first blog. We can all thank one of my best friends, Melissa, for coercing me (did I say coercing, I meant convincing me) to become a blogger. She played the mommy card..."You should blog about all the new things Izzy is doing...keep a record for all the family members out of town." She knew just what to say. How can I hog all the adorable, perfect things my new daughter is doing? (Ok, she may not be perfect, but she is adorable. Then again, I may be biased.)

I can promise you now, that this is simply more of an experiment than anything else. I can't guarantee that this will be eloquent or life changing. These are just my thoughts and the experiences of a new and growing family.