Our Playground

Eliza and I love our new playground. We can see it from our bedroom window, down the hill from our new place. It's only like a 2 minute stroller ride away. Beautiful.

Eliza was playing peek-a-boo with me!

She LOVES to swing...

Don't worry, the merry-go-round wasn't moving. Lately, we've had the playground all to ourselves, which is great since Eliza's still in the parallel play stage. We take things slow and teeter around. I lead Eliza by one hand and hold the dog leash in the other.

It's so great to have the option of a park outing when the afternoon seems to be dragging by and Eliza's not ready for a nap but is getting fussy/bored. The dog LOVES it too...

So a stimulated baby and an ecstatic doggy and the warm spring sunshine altogether gives me one of those life-is-oh-so-nice kinda feelings.

Eliza likes pets

I know what you're thinking- We get it! Your kid likes your pets! Get over it!

BUT here's just one more example of how Eliza's motivation to communicate with us mostly relates to her interest, not in us, but the animals.

That's right, Eliza has learned to sign doggy:


Eliza is finally picking up on the baby sign language stuff. She's gotten pretty good at the waving and now she really enjoys pointing too. She loves clapping and her sign for "more" looks just like clapping only she also points at the thing she wants more of afterwards. And that's about all we've taught her. Eliza's a great student, but Steve and I haven't been the most consistent tutors. I guess it's time to add to her repertoire.

Verbally, Eliza is doing great. Mom said that by 12 mnths, pediatricians like children to be able to verbalize at least 4 words, so Eliza's set for her bday next month.

She says doggy sometimes instead of signing it too, but if you've read our blog before, you'll know she loves to say, "Hi, Kitty!" Otherwise her favorite words include Mama, Daa, Hi!, lots of babbling and "Guunga" which she says like every hour, and Steve nor I have any idea what it might mean.

Eliza seems to use it in all contexts and kinda leaves it hanging like she's asking a question. She'll point at things and say "Guunga?" and look up at us. Or she'll just be talking to her self in her car seat or just have taken a spoonful of yogurt, so... who knows.

But it's her word. Guunga.

Easter Escapade

We moved over the Easter weekend. Above is a picture of Eliza being really stressed out after the Easter Escapade.

It was quite the stressful weekend, but Eliza still put on her best dress for Easter Sunday. Okay, actually I forced it over her head and tried to fasten the buttons while she crawled away from me. She managed to free herself from her sandals, but from the ankles up, she was our picture perfect Easter baby!

(I didn't realize I was going to be in this picture...
but I guess neither did Eliza b/c we seem to be making the same face.)

But we had a fabulous Easter surprise:

We were very lucky to have friends and family help us with our move. A big thank you goes out to the Allred's (for muscles and babysitting), the Miller's, Steven Evans, and especially Katy and Aaron for lugging our stuff to and from the Uhaul!

But we were thrilled that Abby and my parents drove all the way up here after a long week (and night) of working to help us move and also surprise us with an Easter basket!! It was SOOO fun to see you guys! Eliza especially enjoyed the visit from her Auntie and Oma and Grandpa Ron!

(Abby trying to eat Eliza's head)

All the MELDAU girls together!

We are really excited about the new place we're renting. It's a 2-story brick duplex with a yard, washer and drier in a nice quiet residential neighborhood that's right in front of a park (so fun)!! The price was great and it's right down the road from my work, so we decided it was worth the stress of moving!

We thought we had found someone to take over our contract at our old apartment, but he backed out right after we got home from signing the lease for this new place-- so if anyone wants a great apartment in C'ville, CALL US! ;)

Eliza was a great helper during the move:

(I was packing up Eliza's changing table and
looked over and found her on her bottom shelf!)

We've been very impressed with her resilience during it all. It took her no time at all to find her two favorite things about our old place, here waiting for her in the new place-- (1)the pets food and water stand to play in and (2) The couch right next to the window to stand up against and yell out of at the squirrels and who knows what else. Home sweet home for Eliza!

She has shown some signs of stress, though. Steve and I have gotten most of our un-packing down after Eliza's in bed for obvious reasons, which means that her room has gotten the least attention. This means the first few nights here she had no night-light, no heat turned on, open blinds, etc. Poor baby.
But like usual, Eliza's a survivor! She manages to cope with all the crazy stuff her parents subject her to and still look fabulous doing so!

BodyVive: Injury prone beginner...

So at the end of my "Power Peak" aerobics class at Gold's Gym this morning, they announced that they were starting a new class called BodyVive on so and so date and time.

I shouted across the room and asked them what kind of class it was. The instructor told us that it was a great low-impact aerobic, cardio class for "injury prone beginners" wherein you can burn a good 600 calories.

Considering I was the only one in our class who had managed to twist my ankle and fall on my butt during the workout and was coming back from an injured back and knee...

I figure this might be the class for me.

In the meantime, Eliza and I have been enjoying this fitness DVD for mom and baby that incorporates yoga, pilates and infant massage.
It's really fun to be able to have Eliza involved in my workout. What I would really love is if I could have a mom and baby class at the gym, but we'll settle for my yoga mat in front of the TV.

The DVD is really cool and even has the option for the 50 minute workout to be divided into smaller segments because it knows how long a baby's attention span lasts! I found it at target (for anyone interested) a while ago and just rediscovered it during this week's packing frenzy!

You make me happy, baby, when skies are gray...

Steve and I were having a very gray, stressful day.

And then Eliza brightened it by doing this stuff:



In this video Eliza kinda falls down and while we're worried about her and waiting to see if she'll cry or shake it off, she opens her mouth and says: Kitty. Guess it didn't faze her!
(You have to turn your volume up to hear Eliza talk between our laughing)

BFF: Eliza + Finnegan

Picture w/ a thousand words or less: Sleepy satisfaction

I found this picture on my camera from last Friday post Panera bread Danish. Eliza loved this treat so much she wouldn't let go even in her sleep...

Picture w/ a thousand words or less: Satisfaction!

Eliza post thoroughly enjoying the half of a chocolate croissant from Panera! We get the croissants plus more yummy treats for free from sister's institute on Friday mornings! Spiritual nourishment never tasted soo good.

*You can click on the pic to see close-up just how much Eliza enjoyed that pastry!
**This is actually Amy posting, not Steve.

Bubble gum bubble games: Help us play together!

Today Eliza and I spent about a half hour on the love seat that's pushed up next to our sliding door. This is the longest time lately that Eliza has spent in one spot unless she's asleep or strapped down (in her carseat or booster seat)!

Here is a rough division of how our time was spent:

10 minutes were spent with her laughing at the kitty who was exploring our balcony. She would bounce up and down with glee and GIGGLE every time she spotted him through the screen door.

10 minutes were spent watching me chew gum and blow bubbles. She would laugh whenever she saw my gum and try to grab the bubbles I managed to blow as fast as I could to keep her entertained. She tried sticking out her tongue every once in a while to see if she had magical bubble-producing-powers also.

10 minutes were spent blowing real bubbles after I ran out of breathe and tongue muscle to keep blowing bubble gum bubbles. This was the cutest thing EVER. I've tried bubbles before with Eliza and they freaked her out! She still wasn't quite sure about them this time, but she definitely started to warm up to them. She would watch them float by her and she would jump a little when they'd pop against her nose or cheek. She laughed so hard when the kitty came over and started chasing them. Then she got more brave and started reaching for them and trying to catch them. After each one she reached for would pop, I saw this look of deep concentration and focus come over Eliza's face as she waited for me to blow more and would try once again to catch one of these evasive shimmering balls.

I started thinking, if only these things that are so fascinating to Eliza would just stay. Solid. Lasting. So we could carry it around in the diaper bag or a pocket to entertain her whenever she grew bored or restless. But I guess that's part of their wonder. Their transitory nature is what makes them so exciting and magical. But I still wish I had more I could pull out whenever I needed them.

The rest of the time was spent standing up, sliding down, standing up, sliding down, slapping the window, yelling at the kitty, making funny noises with our mouths, lips, tongues, and singing!

It was a really sweet and cute bloggable time, I thought. But we can't find our camera (it's probably in the same mysterious abyss that Eliza's left robeez shoe is hiding in). And I'm realizing that some of the times that would make the best "bloggable moments" aren't actually that bloggable... if you know what I mean.

I REALLY enjoyed this little interaction that Eliza and I shared. It was playtime! Where anything goes!

I feel like these days, I have to be SUPER exciting in order to keep Eliza's attention. Otherwise she'll go find something to entertain herself with.

I guess it's time for me to check out another library book because I'm trying to think up new fun games or interactions to try out with Eliza where it's me and her, PLAYING TOGETHER.

So I'm calling out every one who might read this blog to help us out! What games or ideas do you have for us?

Some of our favorites are story time, puzzles, peek-a-boo, and singing with hand motions. What are/were some of your favorites? Or something you haven't tried but think sounds fun??
*The illustration on top is one that Steve did from the picture of Eliza in her first bath and added a few more creative touches to it for this week's illustration friday post.

Don't step on a crack or you'll break your mother's back

Well, Eliza must be crack-steppin' because this week she broke my back. Or I broke my back caring for her. Ouch. So sad for me. And we're moving next week.

I suddenly had terrible lower back pain last Friday evening, but thought it would just go away. It didn't and all weekend I was wincing. I hurt when I sat down, when I was standing, and even when I was lying down.

I got an appointment with my doctor on Monday morning because I thought I must be dying (jk), and he showed me a few stretches to do and said otherwise, if the pain doesn't go away in 2-4 wks, he'd refer me to a physical therapist. So that's neat.

I later remembered that on Friday, I spent several hours with Eliza in the backpack while we tromped around on the downtown mall to the Children's Discovery Museum and visited some of the other cute boutiques and shops down there while we waited for Steve to get off work.

So here's my whine. I have a bad back. I thought I was done with all the back pain once I finished with my pregnancy. But apparently all the bending and lifting of my 20 lb baby, the stroller, carseat, fully-loaded diaper bag, etc. hasn't really helped either.

BUT....I feel like keeping up with my squirmy, energized 10 mnth old is hard enough without this new pain.

Wah, wah, wah. As Oma would say when I was younger-- "Someboday call the Waambulence. Wah-ah-waha-waha!"

Okay, I'm done. If you read through this whole thing, you deserve a gold star.

Xtreme baby cart pushing and dreams of Curly Locks

Eliza is officially weaned. I'm excited to have my body back... I've been "sharing" it for a good 19 months now ever since about July 2006.
I was really impressed at how well Eliza did at weaning. I was thinking I would start weaning now in order for her to be fully weaned by the time she was a year old, but I guess she was more ready than I realized.

It got to a point where Eliza would just get sooo distracted when I'd try to feed her, and she would be like pinching and scratching my neck, face, arms and back and pulling on my lip, sticking her hand in my mouth and just NOT feeding.

Eliza eating a grape.

She does SO great with solids. She eats SO much, Steve and I sometimes wonder where she puts it all. Most mornings she drinks about 5 oz of formula and then eats like a cup or more of oatmeal! That's like as much as I eat for breakfast!

She also loves eating whatever we're eating. The other day I was trying to show Eliza that I was eating the same thing as her ( an apple), and so I opened my mouth to show her that I had apple in my mouth in order to convince her that she should put apple in her mouth (I know, kinda gross, sorry). And that's when I discovered that Eliza thinks it hilarious when I show her what's in my mouth.... and I have to admit, that I do employ this technique on occasion when I'm really hurtin' for a smile from her... (but only in the privacy of our own home)!
Anywayz, since we're no longer breastfeeding, we've been trying to institute some 'cuddle-replacements' and Eliza's FAVORITE has been doing more story time-- like every half hour, it seems. But I was amazed the other day after lunch (around nap time) when Eliza and I were cuddling on the couch reading stories and Eliza's head just slowly began to bob down every once in a while. Then she totally fell asleep! In my arms reading stories! I was amazed.

Eliza admiring her valentine's card from her Grandma and Grandpa Morrison--
it was a cute bunny that had a fun fuzzy texture.

This probably is no big deal for some babies. But for Eliza this was crazy! She's a really intense kid, and lots of times we just have to let her cry herself to sleep b/c she just won't quite let herself go... even if we're rocking her (she'll just wake up as soon as we put her down). So I was lovin' this little cutie falling asleep in my arms during story time. I set her in her crib and she didn't make one peep! And she's done the same thing for the last five days! She even did it in Relief Society on Sunday even though there we're lots of distractions around!

So, I don't believe in labeling our children, but I recently checked out "A Baby Book" by Dr. Sears, et al from the library and was reading about babies' temperaments and found a paragraph that I thought epitomized Eliza's:

"She's in high gear all the time. These high-need babies put a lot of energy into what they do. They cry loudly, laugh delightedly, and are quick to protest if their "meals" are not served on time. Because they feel things more deeply and interact more forcefully these babies are capable of forming deep and lasting attachments and are disturbed if these attachments are broken. These babies are likely to become enthusiastic individuals. Of the many labels these babies receive, we have never heard them called boring!
"A Blessing or a Trial? Consider which baby gets the higher standard of care and the most out of life. The high-needs babies get held more because they demand it. The high-needs babies get taken more places because they are difficult to leave with anyone else. And who gets more touch, more hands-on comforting, more time at breast, and cozier sleeping quarters? These babies fly first-class. Which parents know their babies best? Which parent have, for survival, developed more creative parenting styles? You guessed it. Parents of high-need babies get the prize..."

Alright, Steve and I finally get a prize for Eliza's INTENSE personality!

Is Eliza upset or excited in this picture? Steve and I can't remember... Oh, Steve thinks upset.

When Eliza was a newborn, I kept trying to tell my mom how "enthusiastic" Eliza was about getting her needs met, and I don't think Mom believed me until I came to visit and she witnessed for herself the "fight" Eliza's got in her. She's sure got spunk! This description also made me excited to imagine Eliza growing up to be "an enthusiastic individual!" I can totally picture her that way.Lately, I've been reading one of Eliza's Mother Goose books during our story time and found one nursery rhyme that I had never heard of and was a little baffled by. However, when I read this rhyme after a long morning of entertaining my enthusiastic, energetic infant, I thought, How nice it would be to be Curly-Locks....

Curly-Locks
Curly-locks, Curly-locks, wilt thou be mine?

Thou shalt not wash the dishes, nor yet feed the swine'
But sit on a cushion, and sew a fine seam
And feed upon strawberries, sugar, and cream.

It's probably just the promise that I'll never have to dishes. What a proposal that would be!! Steve is actually very nice about doing dishes and probably does them more than I do. I'm so grateful for what a sweet, nurturing husband and father Steve is...

I've been taking Eliza (and the dog) out in the afternoon after nap time and playing with her walking cart toy. She LOVES "walking" up and down the walkways in front of our place and screams at me when I try to stop her. Today after we'd been walking for a while, we stopped for a moment to readjust/ turn the walk'n'ride toy around, and I realized Eliza was panting! haha. Apparently she's getting quite the workout pushing that cart around.

I think that she thinks of grocery carts as a larger version of her little cart toy because now when we're in the grocery store, she tries to push the cart when I'm holding her. It's really funny because she locks her arms and WILL NOT let go and laughs when she is able (with my help) to move the cart forward. I was amazed that she was strong enough to push it! Such a good helper, right?

She also likes to hang from the bar of the cart too-- like it's the monkey bars or something. She's got quite the grip! We put on quite the show at the grocery store these days...

Here's a fun little ENTHUSIASTIC video that Steve took of Eliza before bed, after her bath.
Sorry the lighting is so dark:

Through a glass brightly

1 Corinthians 13:11-12

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

The Glass mentioned in this scripture may really be referring to a mirror, which when kept polished, can give us a close-up view of ourselves. Sometimes I resent what I see in the mirror, imperfections or the same ole somebody. But I am grateful that I am known and can someday see or sometimes get glimpses, of how Heavenly Father sees me or knows me.

I love the perspective I get by being a front row observer of Eliza's child-like understanding of this world: the beauty of shiny metal on the grocery cart handle, the sound of bean sprouts shaking in a plastic produce bag, the sweet taste and sensation of a juicy citrus never tried before, and the mystery and potential in each new face that crosses her line of vision. . .

So here's a fun face-lift for our ole blog with a new name and some new color-- to celebrate the glass that Eliza holds up for us to see and catch a glimpse with of her world!

It can be a little simple, maybe sometimes a little childish, other times darkly, but mostly just brightly...