on the shelves - 12 months

 

a bag of personal care items

This activity is part treasure basket, part vocabulary lesson.  

After Elise takes out an object and explores it, I tell her what it is called.  

She doesn't repeat me yet, but I know she's soaking it up like a sponge! 

rings on a post

Elise has been enjoying this stacking activity for awhile now.  

To keep it interesting and add a little challenge, 

I replaced the wooden rings with silver bracelets.

hinged boxes

Elise continues to love opening and closing boxes. 

Every so often, I put out new boxes or change the objects inside.

birthday card basket

This basket holds the cards Elise received for her first birthday.

She enjoys looking through them - they're kind of like little books!

peg and cup

Elise spends a lot of time exploring how the peg fits into the cup.

This activity is slightly more challenging than the egg and cup - 

both came in a set from Pinkhouse Handworks.  

a tube of balls

Do you recognize these felt balls?  They're from the gobbi mobile I made Elise last summer! 

(The tube is a Pringles can wrapped in fabric - I got this idea from Montessori Beginnings.)

Elise enjoys taking out all the balls, and then putting them back in the tube - again and again!

 Although it's a bit beyond her skill level, she works at putting the lid back on the tube, too.

e's 1st birthday!

We tried to keep everything simple,

so that our focus would be on Elise

and her first year of life.

We kicked things off 

with a special birthday breakfast.

Hubs made Elise a birthday ring

from a slice of Douglas fir.

I made a timeline of Elise's first year.

(Can you tell I'm a teacher?!)

Friends and family came over

for a picnic lunch.

Elise's birthday treat - 

dirt cake!

I tried to make the recipe healthier

by using organic cookies and pudding

and homemade whipped cream. ;)

 The party favors were

mini wooden spoons and whisks.

My gift to Elise was a doll I made

from a Weir Crafts kit.

Hubs' gift was his childhood wagon

that he slightly modified (of course!).

It was a VERY good day!

looking back at baby elise part 5: a year in photos

Elise turned one a few days ago!!!  Here's my last looking back at baby elise post.  I'm feeling a little behind on things around here... birthday preparation is a lot of work!  Stay tuned for the highlights of Elise's special day sometime later this week.  :)

 newborn

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

 10 months

11 months

 

12 months

the book nook

 A little hideout,

tucked into a corner of the living room,

is the perfect place for... 

...reading books,

snuggling with stuffies,

or lounging in the sun.

It's just right for a little person

who's about to turn one!

looking back at baby elise part 4: first toys

 

6 weeks old (skwish is hanging from a toy hanger)

When Elise was just a tiny babe, I remember waiting with eager anticipation for her to reach out and grab something - anything!  At 10 weeks, she was able to hold a little rattle that we would put in her hands.  I liked the way the rattle would jingle as she moved, but when she dropped it, there was no way for her to pick it up.  I felt like we weren't really setting her up for success, so I just kept watching and waiting...  

 

12 weeks old

Finally, at 12 weeks, Elise reached out and grabbed the skwish!  I was so excited!  The skwish was large enough that she could pick it up even while lying on her back, and it was light with lots of good places to grab - she could pick it up just by snagging the elastic with her little finger.  I liked that it wasn't made of plastic, and that it made an almost musical sound when moved.  Oh, and the best part - according to Elise?  All the little knobs on the ends were just right for sucking!

 15 weeks old

Although we had a good experience with the skwish, I've heard a few bad stories about it, too.  If your baby plays with a skwish, please check it frequently to make sure all the parts are secure!

 19 weeks old

Here are a few more of Elise's first favorite toys:

teether ball
discoverer's meadow fabric ball
arch toy hanger 
flower fairy dangling figure
puzzle ball
kringelring clutching toy
pingi clutching toy
crinkle book
silicone teether rings
wooden grasping beads
black-and-white rattle
sophie the giraffe