Great Expectations

I really had high hopes and great expectations for this blog. My own little corner of the web where I could document stories, share pictures, and get thoughts out has turned into one more thing I don't consistently do. Well, enough of that! I'm going to keep this up, as I can, and not beat myself up if 2, 3, or 4 months pass between postings. It is what it is and I will keep aiming.

So, while I'm here...what's new? Well, it is nearly September! It is a certainty that time flies when you are having fun. Trevor and I continue to work hard at our full time jobs - not that that is fun but we are both very busy!

Luke just started 4th grade at Walnut Street School. So far, so good. I'm very interested to see how the year progresses as he has a male teacher for the first time, Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones outlined his expectations and approach in a Student Handbook and I was interested to see that for homework, instead of traditional daily homework, he will be assigning 1-2 projects per month. My initial thoughts on that are 1)so much more like the "real world" and 2)easier to get Luke engaged in a project than daily work that he tends to get bored with. However, I have an open mind and will see how things progress.

Other than school, I should brag on him a bit about what a fantastic big brother he is!!! I am extremely thankful that he loves Elissa and loves being her brother. He says the cutest things to her. The other day the two of them were on my bed in the morning. Luke was playing his DS and Elissa was scooting around and towards him. Luke looked up, took her face in his hands and said in a sing-song voice, "You're so blessed Elissa, yes you are!" and kissed her forehead. It was so stinkin' cute! This in addition to all the times he kisses her, tells her she is beautiful, and just generally loves on her.

Elissa is growing and developing in major ways! It is amazing to me how much babies change in the first year - and she is only 6.5 months in! She is nothing short of a ray of sunshine, the happiest baby I've ever met. She has a pretty contented disposition although she certainly will let you know if one of the basics - eat, sleep, poop, - needs attention.

She has a way of motioning her hands that is very graceful and beautiful. She has started blowing raspberries when she is upset. She rubs the back of her head when she is tired (has done this since very early on). She has been army crawling since right at 6 months old and is now getting her knees underneath her. I would expect her to be all out crawling in another week or two. No teeth yet, which is totally fine with me since we are still nursing. (Which btw, how cool is that?!?! I have personally sustained another life for almost 7 months...wow.) She has been eating solids for about 1.5 months. Her list of foods include: banana, avocado, applesauce, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, peaches, carrots, and peas. So far, she has liked everything she's tried.

I could probably go on about my little sweet pea, but I will end with this: she is strong, interactive, chatty, smiley, curious, and loving. She is exactly what I prayed and believed for all the while that I was pregnant. She makes our family complete; so I guess I could say that my expectations...were exceeded.