So we have had a great couple of weeks. Elise is getting bigger and more alert. In the last few weeks she started smiling, which is adorable and always makes me laugh. Baby love is contagious. She is such a good baby, even though I spend a lot of my time packing and getting ready to leave she stays pretty well contented to sit in her swing and watch mommy get stuff done. Of course we squeeze in the daily bath and game time. She still does not like it when I put lotion on after her bath or when I dress her, but the actual bath she has really started to enjoy.
And then I cheer her up with some games that make her smile. Being a mom is so much more fun than I even thought it would be!
We flew up to Seattle last weekend because Braden presented a philosophy paper at a conference in Tacoma. He did SO well I was really impressed. And of course on a college campus full of more liberal minded peoples, a clean cut man in a tie and his young wife and baby stood out like a sore thumb. I even had some students blatantly stare at me like they had never seen a baby before! The funny thing was how the professors talked to us--more like on a peer level than a teacher to student level. I guess thats what happens when the maturity of family life settles on you.
But we had a fun conference weekend with mom and dad, who couldn't get enough of little blue eyes. We went around to everyone's work and showed her off and everyone ooed and awed etc. I always love watching my parents with her, they are so fun with babies and (being the youngest) I never saw that side of them before! It made me even more excited to move up there close to them in a few weeks. Summer will be exciting with picnics and outings as we all watch Elise live her first year.
While we were there she gave us a bit of a surprise. She has always been a good sleeper at night, from about 11:00 to 5:00 and then from 5:00 to 9 or 10:00. But from the first night she was there she slept from 11:00 to 7:00 and continued to do so the entire trip. I was happily shocked. My dad claimed it was because she liked the Pacific Northwest. Well, we shall see!
In the next few weeks we will finish packing up and have her baby blessing and move away! I am so excited for the new life we are beginning!
