Little brother, coming soon!

Elora is going to be a big sister! Archer James Jarrett, due July 26th, 2014.

Archer has his own blog, at http://archer.knottypoodle.com/.

PSA: Acceptable Nicknames

Let it be known, our daughter's name:

Elora
EH-LOW-RAH

She is NOT Laura. Ellie is strictly forbidden.

You may hear EEE-LO-RAH. This form is only used to emphasize the distinction from Laura, and should be used sparingly.

The approved nickname is "La la". Family (and only family) may refer to her as "squishy" or variants thereof. Infants under the age of two may use "Eee oooo" as a transitional variant.

All other nicknames must be approved by the Central Naming Committee before general use. Please contact your local La La representative for more information.

1.5 Year Checkup

Admittedly with a slight delay due to stomach flu. For all three of us. At the same time. To be fair, Elora showed the most grace of all of us.

... but she's back with a vengeance, bouncing back up to the winning half of the trend curves.

Weight: 23lb 12oz (50%)
Height: 31 1/2" (50%)
Head Circumference: 18 1/2' (50-75%)

Mastered:
Almost too much to mention!

• She can follow simple commands, like "bring me your cup", or "come here and sit down."
• Words, in full context. She can recognize a half-dozen animals (and can associate the real animal both photos and drawings), ask for specific foods, even for specific games and movies on her Surface.
• Speaking of Surface, she can navigate the Surface like a pro. For awhile, this was problematic, because she would get stuck trying to buy Breaking Bad episodes (though Knotty Software is working on this problem), but she's now figured out how to dismiss the dialogs as well.
• Walking, running, and climbing, like a pro. She can now walk with me holding hands.
• She finally waves, and says "bye bye".

Sadly, she has also learned the word "Toons", a reference to the Disney Channel. I'm already sick of Special Agent Oso...

 

Elora copies Daddy who was using a stud finder. Hopefully she's better at it than Daddy is.

 

 Elora and her good friend Seahawks Poodle.

 



Halloween

This year was Elora's second Halloween but the first where she got to trick or treat. We had a super busy day and she handled it all surprisingly well. In the morning we went to a toddler party at the Playdate Cafe with Tricia and Bridget and our new friends Liz and Cordelia. We had lunch and then went home for a quick nap. In the afternoon we went to Microsoft for trick or treating and then finally came home for a quick trip around the block. Elora surprised me by picking up the actual act of trick or treating very quickly. With little prompting she'd pick a piece (or two) of candy and drop it into her bucket. We did give her a few pieces but, as she's still quite little, plan on keeping it to a minimum. Can't wait to do it all again next year!

Elora, Bridget, and Cordelia

BFFs

Elora's Evergreen Parent-Baby class

Buh-buh-buh buh-nan-nana!

Lunch

Candy face!

Our house!

Trick or treating with poodle!

Todder Group

This past September Elora started "school". By school I mean she actually started at the Lake Washington Toddler Group. LWTG is a pre-preschool co-op. Simply put, once a week me and Elora go to their location, Elora gets to run around with a class of 12 other toddlers, play with toys, do art projects, and I, along with the other parents, watch the kids and sit in on child development classes. It's great for both of us as she gets some experience with other kids her age in a classroom setting and I get to get out of the house with other moms. Here's a few pictures!

A busy summer!

Summer is finally coming to an end and fall is setting in. I've been procrastinating writing this blog but better late than never! We had a busy, busy summer complete with camping, moving into a new house, birthdays, and lots of playdates with friends! Here are a few of the highlights:

Elora's birthday:

We through a fabulous party in the backyard of our new home. Many family and friends attended, including quite a few from Canada! We had a delicious taco bar and a Very Hungry Caterpillar themed cake. There was even a pool for the kids!

During the summer Elora also got to have a lot of play dates with her friends Zoey, Bridget, Ada, Tycho, and Kepler, Miah, Honor and Victor. We spent the few warm months having fun in the sun and generally enjoying ourselves!

Summer visit with Grandpa

Feeding an elephant at the zoo

Caspar Babypants concert in the park.

Wiggleworks!

Bothell Country village

Ponies!

Elora's favorite ride!

Carmel, CA Poodle Day

The beach in Carmel.

We can't wait for next summer!! ~Amber

1.25 Year Checkup

Yes, I'm committed to "years" now...

Four pokes; a horrifying trip for visitors of all ages. But with age comes wisdom... the wisdom to accept Tolberone bribes.

Weight: 20lb 5oz (10-25%)
Height: 31" (50-75%)
Head Circumference: 18" (25-50%)
Teeth: 5

Mastered:
A healthy vocabulary! She can identify the cats by sight or sound, the dog, can ask for food (num num), milk, or her favorite food bananas (nanas). Up has become "up-up", "gigga" is a regular demand, and she'll even tell us when she's "aaaaaaallllllll done!".

Making some good progress on games as well; she can throw a tennis ball overhand towards me. She has recently taken to high-fives, though she still steadfastly refuses to wave.

Growing ever more mobile, we can count on her to talk short distances hand-in-hand with us, and even tackle the occasional stair.

Wait... all these visits, and I just now realize there's toys here!

 

Mirror baby!

 

Daddy comforts Elora after four shots with Tolberone.