Days 503, 504, and 505

Mommy! There's a monster under my... oh, wait. I know that monster. July 25th:



Looking for coupon deals, July 26th:



Waiting for swim lessons to start, July 27th:

Day 502: The Ocean!

We took the kids for their first dip in the ocean on July 24th. They LOVED it! The waves! The sand! The seashells! Caleb, Ingrid, and Elise all had a great time.

30 Weeks Pregnant

We're in the final countdown! 10 more weeks to go-- 11 at most. Let's see how far my belly can stretch!



Click here to see me 30 weeks pregnant with Elise.

Baby Shower and Elise's Day 501

Elliot's step-mom threw Clark a baby shower on July 23rd. Yay! Thank you so much, Candi! We had a very nice time with family and a few close friends. Unfortunately, we can't post pictures of our foster children but there were definitely some cute pictures of the kids playing in the ball pit that we set up in the living room.

Here is a picture of Elliot, his sister Katie, and Elise taken during the shower:

500 Days Old!!!

Elise turned 500 on July 22nd! Best 500 days of my life :)

Day 499

Elise did not appreciate being spied on yesterday morning. July 21st:



Applesauce and Elise, snuggle bunnies forever. July 21st:

Days 497 and 498: Instruction Needed

I guess we'll need to have a talk about how Legos work. You stick one Lego to another Lego, Elise, not one Lego to your own hands. July 19th:



And here is Elise reading a baby instruction manual of sing-a-long nursery rhymes. July 20th:

Pregnant Belly Weeks 26 and 27

I almost forgot to post these pictures of my pregnant belly!

Here I am 26 weeks pregnant:



At first my belly with Clark looked so much bigger than it did with Elise, but I think that now it's starting to even out. Click here to see my 26 week pregnant belly with Elise.

And I'm 27 weeks pregnant in this picture with Elise. Not the best belly photo, but you get the idea. This is the first picture they took of Elise at the Sears portrait studio on July 5th. She was NOT happy and I was trying to help make her comfortable, sitting with her and letting her hold my phone.



Click here to see my 27 week pregnant belly with Elise.

Day 496: Elise's First Swim Lesson!

Elise had her first swim lesson today. She's a natural! I knew she'd love it because she enjoys being in water so much. She kicked and splashed and put her face in the water and even went underwater a couple of times. She loved jumping off the edge and letting me catch her:



Happy Elise!

Days 494 and 495: Weekend Fun

Here is a picture of Elise enjoying some watermelon at an Indian restaurant on July 16th. We like serving the kids lots of interesting foods from all over the world, and consequently they're all pretty good eaters. No matter the main course, fruit always makes the best dessert!



On July 17th, Elise played in some bounce houses for the first time. She was scared at first, but she warmed up to them eventually. Here she is getting ready to go down a big bouncy slide:

Days 492 and 493

Elise sleeping in the morning of July 14th:



Elise constructing her own nudist colony, July 15th:

Day 491: She's Getting So Big!

Day 490 and 28 Weeks Pregnant: Baby Love

My babies! This melts my heart.

Click here to see my 28-weeks-pregnant belly with Elise.

Day 489: Pockets!

Elise has discovered pockets!



Elise is very physical. She loves climbing, wrestling with her foster brother, playing in water, and playing "find Daddy" (where Elliot hides and then calls Elise to find him). She's very aware of her body, and in fact knows a lot of body parts-- pretty much any external body part you can think of. She's a good baby. I'm so lucky!

Days 487 and 488

Snack time! Elise, Caleb, and Ingrid all LOVE Cheerios. July 9th:



July 10th:

Day 486: Pout Face

Elise did not want her picture taken today.

Days 484 and 485

Elise the nomad, traveling the house with nothing but her blanket and two stuffed animals for company. July 6th:



Yesterday Elise dropped a can on her foot and split open her toe. The doctor at our urgent care clinic put some medical super glue and an adhesive strip on the cut to help it heal. Elise's first big booboo! July 7th:

Days 482 and 483

If we'd have gone to watch fireworks on the 4th of July, this is what Elise would have looked like:



I took Elise to get some pictures done at Sears on July 5th. She cried nearly the entire time. Not at all happy about being there. Poor baby. I took this picture with my phone, just to show her that it was okay. She usually likes when I take her picture and then show her the picture of herself on the phone. As you can see, it didn't really work.

Happy 4th of July; Days 480 and 481

Happy 4th of July everyone!!! I hope you all go out and enjoy some fireworks. I LOVE fireworks, but with 3 toddlers who have an 8 pm bedtime, there's nooooooo way we're going to watch a show this year.

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Sometimes at snack time, Elise turns into a witchypoo! Dress-up play can happen anytime, anywhere. July 2nd:



Elise prefers to use the big potty now, not her little potty chair. No complaints here! Less for me to clean up! July 3rd:

Days 477, 478, and 479

Elise has a molar coming in, so sometimes she has to chew on something to make her mouth feel better. A finger will do in a pinch. June 29th:



Elise loves playing with the computer. June 30th:



I got her to make a silly face! July 1st: