In Good Spirits

Elizabeth is most always in a good mood, even when she's had a long day. This week, she was trapped inside with her mom and sister, baking cookies and longing for good weather so that we could play outside. This weekend, she helped her parents and grandparents move furniture. She's also been very busy this week, trying to demonstrate rolling and crawling to her little sister.

Rock and Roll

"Roll" is the word of the week; as Helen figured out how to roll from her back to her tummy. She's getting bigger and stronger every day. Another favorite of hers now is to rock in her infant seat. She's just all smiles this past week, especially when she grabs a toy or other interesting object (like her other hand) to explore and contemplate.

Puzzling

One of Elizabeth's favorite pastimes now includes assembling and reassembling her puzzles. Of course, 9 times out of 10, she comes running down the hall, puzzle piece in hand, asking for help. The rest of the time I think she is content to take out all the pieces and wait for Mommy to come in and compulsively put all the pieces back.

It's not all fun and games here, though. Elizabeth has reached that "willful" stage of toddlerhood, where she can be adamant about her likes and dislikes and it is very clear when she doesn't get what she wants. Sigh...too soon her little sister will be testing the same boundaries.

Baby Playtime

Right around 3 months, babies seem to start seeming like real little people. Helen has her own personality: sweet, but a different way from her sister. Kind of like the difference between milk chocolate and white chocolate -- both are good, but in distinctly different ways.

Helen wants to move. She is working so hard on rolling over (she gets about 3/4 of the way there). She grabs toys now, but still has this obsession with her own hands, with which she plays constantly. She's a thumb sucker, also a good thing, since she can make it through most of the night now.

What's All the Fuss About?

Being only 3 1/2 months old, Helen was a bit disinterested in the whole Christmas decorating party we had this afternoon. She like the pretty lights, though, and all the new things to view.

If I Could Just Reach...

This year, Elizabeth gets to participate in decorating the Christmas tree. She had more fun arranging the ornaments under the tree, but she had some help getting the ornaments in the tree from her parents.

The tree itself is still a curiosity to both Elizabeth and the cats, who periodically go over to the tree to check it out. I've only put non-breakables on the tree, hoping that even if someone does manage to knock it over, we at least won't have broken glass everywhere. I'm sure it will be fine...I've only had trees come down a couple times and it had nothing to do with pets or small children.

I Said, "Be Nice!"

Although tempting, this photo op didn't make the cut for this year's Christmas cards. I did want to convey the feelings of warmth and sisterly love in our house, as well as empathize with my sis-in-law when she says, "No poking" and "No pulling" and "Don't eat that!"