8 Months!

Time is flying!  I remember when she was a newborn and 8 month old babies looked so big!

This month she really developed "play."  This is really the first time we can put her in front of blocks or balls and she entertains herself.  Most everything goes in the mouth for a good tasting first though! Christmas brought all kinds of new fun toys - the favorites are woodland creatures from Grandma Weis and a wooden logging truck from Grandma and Grandpa Cook.  A wooden race care track from mom and dad is mostly fun for dad.  Elliot seems to enjoy how much fun Mac has with it.  

She still LOVES music and loves to rock back and forth and bang things together "to the beat."

She can now get her belly off the ground!  Still no forward movement, only backwards scoots.  Boy does she get frustrated when she is going further from what she wants rather than closer. She often goes up in the "plank" or "bear crawl" position as she explores her new found muscles.  Believe it or not...still no rolling!  She has still only rolled about 7 or 8 times total.  We are not too worried because her large motor skills otherwise are REALLY good.

She remains an AMAZING eater!  She pretty much likes everything at this stage, and we are starting to introduce more and more spices.  She loved some Indian food we had the other day. We also gave her some sausage and the was literally shaking with excitement!  

She started "swim lessons" with Mac, I am not sure who has more fun, Mac or Elliot.  We know its pretty early, but the goal of right now is to get them comfortable in the water and being dunked so in the next stage she can learn emergency rescue maneuvers in the water.  The class is full of dads and Mac loves it!

Elli likes....
-Her new play area!

-Petting the dogs, she isn't quite understanding gentle petting yet.  Madison and Cooper are handling it well!
-Music
-Swim lessons with dad

-Lip smacking after delicious food

-Getting everyone's attention at restaurants and sharing smiles with them, a.k.a. "flirting"

Elli dislikes...
-Moving backwards when she is trying to crawl!
-Being away from mom and dad

New developments...
-Getting up on all 4's!
-Play time
-Truly listening to and looking at books

Isn't my smile gorgeous!

Mom there will be no belly pictures this month because I find it too frustrating to not be able to crawl!

I may skip the knees and go straight to the bear crawl

Mom and dad got a ski day!

I love swim class!

But,...dad loves it even more!

Food!

I have fallen and I can't get up.  Maybe we are not ready for the walker yet ;)

Play date!

Grammy came for a visit!

Elliot's first Christmas

What a busy holiday full of travel, friends and family.  Elliot got to have her first visit to Maine and Wisconsin!

We started the holiday by flying to Maine to spend an early Christmas at Cook's Camp.  We had a great weekend with LOTS of talking and snuggling.  Elliot had lots of fun playing with aunts, uncles, and grandparents.  She even got to meet Santa for the first time.

  From Maine we headed to Wisconsin for a second early Christmas!  Elli met her extended Weis and Roanhouse family which was amazing!  She also got to play with her cousins Jordyn and Paige who were clearly IN LOVE!  There was also nots of time hanging out with uncles, aunt Kelly and Grammy.

Elliot was a trooper with all the flying!  She barely fussed and spent most of the time sleeping or chowing down on Avocado!

We made it back to Oregon on Christmas eve in time for Mac to work at 6 am on Christmas.  We were greeted back in Oregon by Grandma and Grandpa Cook with happy dogs and a full refrigerator.  They flew out from Maine to spend more time with us...mostly Elliot!