35 Weeks Pregnant

How I manage to stay upright when I walk is a mystery at this point. Clark will be here soon! I don't think my belly can stretch much more than this!!!

Click here to see my belly when I was 35 weeks pregnant with Elise.

Days 537 and 538: So Silly

Elise almost never poses for pictures anymore. I'll take picture after picture after picture until I get a halfway decent one for the day. And a lot of the time they still aren't very good pictures, I've just run out of patience. Well. Now I know the secret to getting Elise excited about having her picture taken. New yellow undies. Who knew? August 28th:



This morning I told Elise, "Get ready to go to the vet's office!" and this is what I see when I walk back into the living room. Weird baby. August 29th:

Days 534, 535, and 536

Well, Elise, I guess that's ONE way to read a book. (Side note: Elise calls kangaroos "kaloos," which I find adorable. I mention this because there's a kangaroo in the book she's reading, "The Tawny Scrawny Lion," and she always points to it and yells, "ka-LOOOOOO!" Even if she's standing on her head.) August 25th:



Now that Elise is done for the summer with swimming lessons, she's started taking baby music classes. Elise had her first music class on August 26th and she LOVED it! As you can see, music class includes lots of dancing. She also played different kinds of instruments, clapped along to songs, and listened to a story. The teacher was impressed that Elise could keep a steady beat on her own, and she could even stop her movements on command. Good job Elise!



August 27th:

Days 531, 532, and 533

August 22nd:

Elise and Mimi, August 23rd:

Elise playing video games, August 24th:

Day 530 and 34 Weeks Pregnant

Elise showing Clark some baby love. August 21st:



Click here to see me 34 weeks pregnant with Elise.

Days 528 and 529

August 19th:



Jellyface, August 20th:

Days 525, 526, and 527

Elise listening intently at Baby Story Time, August 16th:



Good morning kisses, August 17th:



Look at Elise's baby tan lines! Believe me, I COVERED her in sunscreen for her swimming lessons. I guess she has more of Daddy's complexion that we realized! August 18th:

Days 522, 523, and 524

Elisey Sock-hands, August 13th:



Elise sees a "duck duck" at the duck pond, August 14th:



When Elise helps Mommy grocery shop, we NEVER forget the yogurt! August 15th:

Days 520 and 521: Out and About

Elise had her final swim lesson on August 11th. She did a great job in the course of her 4 weeks of lessons! Elise learned how to kick her legs, climb up onto the edge of the pool once you push her to the wall, dunk under the water without coughing or choking, and she even floated by herself! We're so proud of you, Elise!



On August 12th at the vet's office Elise tried to free the kitties waiting to be adopted. Her Grampy suggested that she might be an animal rights activist in the making, but I won't be convinced of that until she stops harassing our cats by pulling on their tails.

32 Weeks Pregnant with Clark

Nothing you can't see at the beach! In fact, I took this picture while I was getting ready to take Elise to her swimming lesson.

Isn't my belly huge?!? A little over 7 weeks left to go...



Click here to see me 32 weeks pregnant with Elise.

Day 519: Pucker Up

This is how Elise puckers up for a kiss (August 10th):

Days 516, 517, and 518: Chatterbox

Elise seems to be learning new words every day. She finds something she likes or is interested in, and then talks about it non-stop. On August 7th, it was "sky":



On August 8th, her word for the day was "undies." Elise is starting to wear underwear for a few hours at a time in the afternoons now, and she's doing a good job of keeping herself dry.



Another favorite word lately is "happy." Elise was very happy when she found this tiny pine cone on August 9th:

Days 513, 514, and 515

Elise always wants to smell the flowers at the grocery store. She likes lilies and carnations but roses are her favorite. August 4th:



Elise and Daddy came with me to Clark's prenatal checkup on August 5th. Clark is doing fine and he's in the head-down position... 8 more weeks until Elise is a big sister!



And what a silly big sister she'll be. August 6th:

Days 510, 511, 512

August 1st:



Pretending to have long, curly hair, August 2nd:



Pretending to go night-night. All of the kids play this game where they say, "Night-night!" then lay down for a second and act like they're going to sleep. Then they jump up and laugh. They think it's very funny. Here, Elise even collected some stuffed animals to make the ruse more convincing. August 3rd:

Day 509: Natural History Museum in Gainesville

We took the kids to the natural history museum in Gainesville last Sunday and met up with Elliot's dad and sister during our trip. It's a nice museum, and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves! Of course, Elise, Ingrid, and Caleb like looking at anything new, but there is also a kids play area in the museum that they spent time exploring.

Here is a picture of Elise and Papa Lee... I think Elise was trying to swipe a souvenir from the trip:

Days 506, 507, and 508

Snack time! Elise has lots of food words now. She can say milk, juice, cracker, bread, banana, apple, waffle, cheese, egg, food, eat, spoon, and bowl. She says these words on her own, not just when she's copying someone say them. Not bad for a 16 month old!

July 28th:



Elise helps me feed the cats in the morning by carrying their food bowls to each cat's special feeding place. She loves doing this little chore and she carries the bowls so carefully, held very straight out in front of her body. Here is a rare picture of Elise and Clotilda together, taken July 29th:



July 30th: