7 Months

Summer is quickly winding down. We are prepping for a second deployment and a big transition for all of us very soon. Elise has been doing better in the sleep department (not STTN, but we will take the 4-5 hrs at a time that we are getting!). She is teething too, so we feel like she is doing well considering all that. She is really starting to use her voice now and seems to be testing it to see how loud it can go? I'm not sure if that's what she's really doing or not, but that's what it sounds like! She likes to shout and holler when you aren't focusing your attention on her. We've discovered she loves to FaceTime with her daddy! He can still make her laugh from hundreds of miles away on that screen and we are so very grateful for that. Unlike generations before us, she won't be forgetting his voice during these upcoming 6 months. Priceless. 

I'm trying to prep Elise for her first experience in a Mom's Day Out program starting this fall. This means I'm trying to get her to put herself back to sleep, sleep via being patted on the back vs. while nursing. Did I mention she no longer uses a pacifier?! It's awesome. I hated putting that thing back in her mouth every couple hours at night. She just decided she didn't need it I guess!

Here are some pics of the last month. We haven't done anything really exciting. We are just spending as much time together as a family as possible. So, maybe not exciting, but still very special time for us.

Elise hanging with her best friend, Klara! They are almost exactly 3 weeks apart and have been together since they were formed in the womb! :) Her mom and I are really close! I love having a close mommy friend!

Elise loves listening to her daddy play his guitar and sing her songs. Daddy even got mommy to join in on a few songs. If we both try hard enough, we can even harmonize and make it sound nice from time to time :) I have a feeling that family music time is going to be a thing for the McVays!

Elise and Dad playing on the iPad together. Elise is concentrating really hard!

She loves her baby apps on mommy's iPad!

Eating lunch at Klara's while mommy had a dentist appt! So grateful to have people we love and trust nearby to take care of our baby when our parents can't be there.

Learning how to turn pages all by herself! This girl LOVES books!