Is it already mid-July?

Holy cow, summer has flown by!  I know I say this every summer, but really...

Unfortunately, I can't say we have done a whole lot around this household since Eloise's big birthday weekend!  Eric has been out of town a couple of times, and I had a couple of days that I either had a training or grade-level planning to do.  We did take Eloise and Izzy to the Chattanooga Lookouts baseball game one Sunday afternoon!  Once a month, the local shelter hosts a "Dogs on the Diamond" day that allows people to bring their pooches to the park for $5 (which is donated to the shelter) and Izzy gets to enjoy the baseball game!  They even give the dogs a little goody bag with a tennis ball and dog treat, plus they fill up a bunch of dog bowls for all the pups!  We have taken Izzy a couple of times and she always enjoys it, but Eloise REALLY had a blast!  She loves dogs so much, and wanted to pet all of them.  She saw a bulldog that she squealed at and got to pet a little bit.  The bulldog's mommy was very nice :)!  Eloise's teacher, Hannah, brought her doggie too who could do tricks!  Eloise laughed hysterically!!!

We also FINALLY got some family pictures taken!!  I have only gotten a few pictures from our photographer as a "sneak peek" so far, but they look FANTASTIC!!  I have been wanting to get pictures taken of the four of us for a while, but it kept getting put off.  First, I wanted to wait until Eloise could sit up on her own, and then I wanted to wait until we had a bit of a tan....I know, I know...but I didn't want to spend all that money and be pale as paper!!  Anywho, my dear friend Trinace knew of a photographer in the area, (actually, he was her husband's roommate in college) so we used him and are very excited to see all that he did!  He even came out to our house and took pictures of us in our natural setting, so the pictures are very much "us"!

We had to miss fireworks for the 4th of July, but I did manage to find a parade in the area that we were able to go to and let Weeze wave her little American Flag at!  The holiday was pretty uneventful for us, but it was nice to have Eric home for the three day weekend!!

The most exciting thing we had happen since Eloise's birthday is that my friend and Eloise's "Auntie" Trinace had her baby!!  His name is Townes Edward Henderson, and he was born on July 5 around 4:30 in the afternoon!  He was 7 lbs 12 oz and 21 inches long!  He is beautiful and even has some hair!!!  Eloise and I even got to Skype with him and his mommy and daddy tonight! :)

The rest of the summer is actually fairly booked up for us!  We are headed on a beach vacation from Sat-Tues.  We are going to Amelia Island, GA which is very dog-friendly so we get to take Iz with us!  Then we have a week and weekend off (although I will probably go to school and finish up a few things).  Then we are headed back to the QC for a couple of days!!  We are coming home for Bix and my 10 year class reunion!!! And that is the end of summer....I have to be back on Monday, Aug. 1st!! :)

Eloise and Eric swimming during her first boat ride on the lake!! She LOVED it!!

Eloise giving her Izzy a hug.  She does this everyday, about 20 times a day.  She loves her dog.

We read books and sing a song every night before we go to bed.  Eric caught us in our ritual :)

Happy Birthday to ME!!

In honor of MY birthday, I thought I would post about ELOISE and HER birthday!!  Alot has been happening around here at the Baker Household - Chattanooga :)  Since I posted last, Eloise has turned 11 months old AND 1 year old!  I can hardly believe she is the big ONE now!!! :)  She is doing so much and is growing so fast!  She started standing by herself around mid-May and has been walking with assistance since then.  She still isn't walking independently yet, but it shouldn't be much longer. 

Right after her 11 month birthday, we (Eloise, Izzy, and I) went up to Nashville for a day/night to visit Ryan and Sarah which was SO much fun!  We really enjoyed our visit and were so glad to see our friends.  While we were up there, Eric was in Kansas City with some of the boys helping his friend Adam Jessen celebrate his wedding!  Eric had just finished kind of a whirlwind travel week with his trip to KC, so we were happy to have him back on Sunday which was Mother's Day!  I am so lucky to have spent my first Mother's Day with my two girls and then with Eric once we all met up!  Luckily for me, I have an incredible mom in my life that has taught me all about how to be a great mom! 

Right after that weekend, we started weaning Weezie!!  We had already had one bottle feeding in place with her being at daycare each day, so we started by trading in our bottle for a sippy cup which she did FABULOUSLY!  Since that transition was so easy, later that week, we dropped her 11:00 feeding and gave her breastmilk in a sippy cup instead.  Once again, she rocked it!  We finished up the school year with two sippy cup feedings a day because I knew that dropping our morning feeding would be a bit more challenging.  Once school was out for a couple days, we dropped our morning feeding and eventhough she was a bit more fussy and clingy, she really did a great job and was going with the flow after a few days. In the next day we will be dropping her night time feeding which I am a little worried about.  I know she will do great after a couple days because she has done so well up to this point, but it has been such a part of our bedtime routine for so long, I don't want it to impede her great sleep time! I will let you all know how this goes in my next post! 

Other than the process of weaning, we have been closing out the school year, getting into a running routine with the jogging stroller, relaxing and enjoying our time together, throwing a baby shower, and hosting friends and family for Eloise's birthday!!  Eloise's honorary Auntie Trinace will be having baby Townes around the beginning of July, so we (myself and my friends Melanie and Erica) threw her a baby shower at the end of May.  Of course Eloise came and helped Trinace open all of her goodies which served as good practice for opening up her own presents for her birthday ;)

The big birthday weekend came so quick and Eric and I spent the entire week before cleaning the house from top to bottom, putting in a little garden, and Eric sanded and stained the deck!  Whew!  My mom, dad, grandpa, and AJ got into Chattanooga around 4 on Thursday and then Jenny and Cheri's flight came in a little before 11 Thursday night.  We started off the weekend with a bang by going whitewater rafting on the Ocoee river on Friday.  While mom and Grandpa stayed home with Eloise and Izzy, the rest of us risked our lives on the river!  We had such a great time and no one got hurt too bad! ;)  On Saturday, we checked out some of the tourist attractions around Chattanooga and went through Ruby Falls.  Saturday night and Sunday morning was party prep time and the Sunday afternoon was the PARTAY!!!  We had so many visitors come to help little Eloise celebrate her special day!  Aunties Erica and Trinace came with Melanie and her little girl, Anna Catherine; my friend Courtney came with her husband Dave and their little boy Jake; Eric's boss John came as well as my teammate Wendy!  Little Eloise has so many people that love her and we were so honored by all of those friends and family that were able to come and help us celebrate our little girl! 

By noon on Monday, everyone had headed back home and it was time to take a breath and relax!  Eloise took some great naps this week!  I think all the excitement wore her out!  I know it wore us out!  Check out some pictures from our weekend!

Our little family

me, Jenny, Cheri, and Eloise

Grandpa and Weezie

lovin the cupcake

Rafting (AJ is "riding the bull")

We just want to thank everyone who was able to help us celebrate Eloise's birthday.  We know how hard it is to take time from work and travel the distance to Chattanooga.  We are so honored that you all could make it and be such an integral part of her special day!  Love you guys!!

Happy Birthday Eloise!!

Pictures and updates to come soon! Stay tuned! :)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!!  We have been enjoying the holiday in our house this weekend for sure!  Eloise got her first Easter basket this morning filled with books, a watering can, a little flower pot that we will be planting this afternoon, and BUBBLES!!  She also got a movie and some awesome books, including The Golden Egg Book (one of my personal faves) from her Grandma Claire and Grandpa Tim!  Izzy even got a little Easter bone to gnaw on today!  :)   The girls are happy in this household!

In tradition, I made us some monkey bread for Easter morning and Eloise had her first little taste for breakfast.  She tried to eat a whole chunk before I could tear it up (needless to say, she liked it)!  After breakfast, we got all dressed up in our Easter best and headed off to church with my friend Erica and her husband.  Eloise liked the first half of church and took a little snooze for the 2nd half.  So far it has been a beautiful day to celebrate Easter Sunday and we hope the rest of the day continues to be beautiful.  Here are a few pictures of our little sweetheart on her first Easter Sunday.  God is certainly great!  We are so grateful for the blessings we have been granted. 

Checkin out her Easter Basket

Izzy is sharing her favorite toy with her sissy

The whole Easter get-up :)  Like the flips?

10 Months

Yes, ladies and gentlemen....our little one is 10 MONTHS old!!! Can you believe it? I know we can't!!

10 month picture!!

Watching her doggie "da-da"

We have all been enjoying the beautiful weather in Chattanooga over the last week, but Eloise has especially been enjoying it!  At daycare this week, they got to go on "Buggy Rides" around the school a couple of different days, and one day, they went out TWICE!  She got to see the flowers blooming, she touched the grass, and even got to see a baby bird in a nest near the sidewalk.  From what Miss Hannah said, Eloise couldn't take her eyes off the baby bird!  I saw her once in the "Bye-Bye Buggy" hanging out with her sunhat on and relaxing!  She even has a new friend named Mia and Miss Hannah said that Eloise and Mia held hands on their buggy ride the other day....how sweet is that?!  Also at school, Eloise is learning about "Birds in Spring" and got to paint and create a "birds nest" yesterday with a cup, brown paint, and little sticks!!  Her teachers give her such great experiences and we are so thankful for them!!  Eloise also has two guest readers come to her classroom everyday from my classroom.  Everyday 2 of my second graders get to go down to Eloise's room and they read to the infants!!  My kids LOVE it, and Eloise soaks up every minute of it! These are just a couple of pictures from their first experience!

L to R: Eloise, Taylor, and Lily

Maya and Lily read to the babies

Hello April!!

Happy April Fools Day everybody!!  I am finally getting a minute to post a little!!  Not that I don't have plenty of other things to do mind you, but the harrassment that I have endured (wink wink) for my lack of posting has finally broken me down!  HA!!  Anywho, I don't even remember when I posted last, or what was happening in our household at that point, so I am typing blind tonight!!  I know this is nothing new to any of you, but we have been.....BUSY!!!  Surprised?!  Hehe... I just finished my week back at work after Spring Break which I got to spend with my two girls, friends, and family!! Yay!!  Eric headed out to Las Vegas for their semi-annual ConExpo extravaganzaa the Sunday afternoon before my Spring Break started, and got back the next Sunday, so I was solo-parenting for my break. 
Of course, I can't ever pull myself away from my school, so I went in to work Monday for a couple hours and let Eloise go to daycare.  She didn't seem to mind one bit, and her teachers were very pleased to have her hang out for a bit!  We did get lots of stuff done over break: we got to spend lots of time with my friends, got some school work done, RELAXED, and had visitors!!  Mom, AJ, and Grandma Ann were able to make an surprise visit for the last couple days of my break to see Eloise, Iz, and me!  I was so glad they all could come!!  Missed my dad though!!  After they all headed back, Eloise and I went down to Atlanta with my two dear friends, Trinace and Erica for a day and night of shopping and relaxing!!  Eloise had her first official girls trip to a hotel AND swim!!!  Our hotel was actually connected to one of the big malls in Buckhead, so we were able to walk to the mall from our room!  We shopped til we dropped and then went swimming at the indoor pool at the hotel.  Eloise LOVED it!!!  She could have splashed and played all night and would have perfectly content! :) 
It has been so fantastic to see our little girl grow and learn everyday!  She has gotten so big and curious ovr the last couple of months.  She is 9 months old right now, but will be 10 months old in just a few days!!  She is crawling EVERYWHERE and is pulling up every chance she gets!  She has gotten 2 teeth this month and is working on at least one more that I think will be popping through any day!  She is talking like crazy, saying Ma-ma, Da-da, ba-ba (bottle), and she says da-da for doggie too!  Eric and Izzy share the same name as far as Eloise is concerned! :)  Anytime Eloise sees her doggie, she gets very excited!  Izzy loves Eloise too, but she starts to get a little leery when Eloise gets that crazy look in her eye!  Ha!
Well, enough of my chatter...here are some pictures for your enjoyment! We'll be taking lots more and posting them when we can!

Best friends

She likes Izzy's toys more than her own!

A face only a mother could love.... :)

Such a happy girl!  9 months!!

What a month!

Boy oh boy!  I would say that the last month has been busy, but I am not so sure I can honestly say that.  There has been alot going on, but I have had alot of resting time too.  Have I rested?  No, not really, BUT I have had alot of time in my schedule to relax!  Let me begin with my 2 week winter break....AHHHHHHH!  Now, the first part of winter break was very busy I must say!  We got into Bettendorf late Friday night (but made great time, considering I worked for half a day), went to bed, and got up Saturday morning only to get on the road again!  We got into Ames around 1:30 Saturday afternoon for Kelli's graduation from Iowa State.  We were headed BACK to Bettendorf around 7:30 Saturday night and got in around 11...Whew!  Before you all criticize us for not staying in Ames, you need to know that a 6 month old that was in the car for 12 hours on Friday, and then 6 more hours on Saturday NEEDED to get back on schedule ASAP!  If we would have stayed in Ames, we wouldn't have been back on schedule until sometime Monday or Tuesday.  As is, we got her all settled on Sunday!  Ahhhhh...... :) Needless to say, Sunday, we didn't get out of our jammies all day and slept/laid around all day.  We were exhausted! 
The week after our whirlwind weekend of driving, we got to relax and spend some quality family time at home.  Izzy was happy to have all sorts of attention from Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle AJ, and they were all happy to have their two grandbabies/neices with them.  I would say they were happy to have Eric and I there too, but they may have been tired of us by day #2! :)  Just kidding!  Eloise and I got to visit my mom's work and meet all of my mom's co-workers that have heard so much about our little girl. We were even able to visit Eric's parents and Kelli once we got all settled in AND got to visit with Jenny and Cheri one night!  My mom and AJ babysat so Eric and I had our 2nd night away from our girls since Eloise was born in June.  Yes, only our 2nd time away together!  We enjoyed our time away, as we did the first time.  It helps to have great family and friends that offer to do that for us.  We are very lucky! 
Then the weekend came and we were busy, busy, busy again!  We had Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day festivities with my Aunt and Uncle from St. Louis, and then Eloise's baptism on Sunday!  I won't go into all of the details, but it was awesome!  We are always so happy to have the family together and are so glad that Eloise has had the chance to spend time with not only all of her Grandmas and Grandpas, Aunt and Uncle, but even Great-Grandparents, and Great Aunts and Uncles!  Her baptism was a great time to have everyone together and are so thankful to my parents who opened their home to celebrate Eloise's special day, for family that traveled from their homes to help us celebrate, AND last but not least, to my brother who so graciously took on the responsibility of being Eloise's godfather.  We feel so blessed that he would take on such an important role in Eloise's life. 
The week after that big weekend, we were able to recoup again for a week :)  Gotta love having 2 weeks off... :)  After a wild night of Farkle and Apples to Apples with my family for New Years and my mom's FAMOUS Baked Potato Soup on New Years Day, we headed back to Chattanooga on Sunday....Our trip was coming to a close. Eric and I had to be back to work on Monday, and my kiddos came back to school on Wednesday.  We had three great days of school and then...the SNOW came...and we had an ENTIRE WEEK off school!!!  We had around 8 inches of snow in Chattanooga and the city shut down!!  Schools, buisnesses, restaurants, everything closed (except for Roadtec)! 
So, after almost a month off of school at this point, I am heading back tomorrow!  Hopefully we won't have many more days off because we have LOTS to do before TCAP testing in April!  I will close with some pictures from the last month and see you again soon (well, soon is a relative term....) ;)

Eloise's first time in the snow!! 

Eloise checking out the tree with Uncle AJ on Christmas

Izzy striking a pose for a holiday photo-op!

Eloise and Aunt Kelli

Eloise at church for her baptism

Eloise and Grandma on Christmas