thanksgiving trip to the west

cheap flights require early mornings. i think it was 5 a.m. She didn't seem to mind though.

in the becko. we started out strong.

you don't really need to watch this all, its here just to remind us...she does well, but it takes some work to keep things interesting for three hours...what is eight going to be like??? we will let you know.




while we waited eleanor chased the ball and made some friends.



she was so delighted by this huge mirror at aunt phyllis and uncle dave's. watch her go!

more recent

i looked in on the lady when i heard some rustling and this is what i found her doing.
avid reader at 10 months!

from the archives

look at that chin!

my tiny sweet heart

this was on my birthday! she looks like she has red hair...

at grandma sharon's place mid june

shana took this. she and nathan's first visit with eleanor.

more fun with papa!

summerish times

eleanor's first driving lesson!

she looks so tough!

helping grandmother vacuum

in her football jersey. go mini ronaldino! brazil's most valuable baby!!!

Mike always seems to find new and unorthodox ways of entertaining our dear. Whenever he gets the video camera out to document though, the novelty has already begun to wear off. So he never gets her hardest belly laughing recorded. This video was taken in the summertime before the walking started...

kim's wedding

kristin and kathryn bustin moves on the dance floor

never seen her happier! the lovely couple at the reception.

a bit blurry, but eleanor's obsession with cell phones needs documentation.

oceanus is young man indeed.

we always seem to be in heavy negotiations.

second wedding in two days, papa is hanging in there! and eleanor is toooooo cute!

i know its a repeat but its just so good

our budding musical genius

these were taken at our engagement party

some great pictures taken by my dad

sweet one

_MG_9906, originally uploaded by phillipmaisel.

ahhhhh! thanks phil!!!

dad n babe

_MG_9900, originally uploaded by phillipmaisel.

with the bridge

cutie

_MG_9894, originally uploaded by phillipmaisel.

our little babushka

family photo!

_MG_9883, originally uploaded by phillipmaisel.

at baker beach

before bed sf

_MG_9688, originally uploaded by phillipmaisel.

eleanor protested going to bed

soooo cute

_MG_9648, originally uploaded by phillipmaisel.

thanks for taking such a stunning picture of my baby phil!

pulling up

she hasn't quite mastered the dismount yet!

proud of his hard work

mike serenaded eleanor to sleep, this video is evidence of his good work!

kate and eleanor

eleanor and mike in the morning

updates

eleanor is getting her first tooth now! i would show a picture of it, but she isn't too interested in opening her mouth to show us. the other big milestone that she has recently achieved is pulling up on her own. she has always loved to stand, but now she reaches out, grabs, and pulls herself up to stand from a seated position! this is a great effort on her part which she lets us know about by panting and giving us a big smile once she is upright!

cute pics!

gulf shores!

cutest baby ever

kate hames, my oldest pal took this our second night in san fran. ohhh my little blueberry eyes!!!

that pesky fish

this video was taken before we left for vacation. she has been very interested in that fish. we have several other fish in the same style but different colors and sizes, i think its a toss up between this one and the larger blue one. so far our darling hasn't rolled over, but her ability to sit up unassisted continues to improve. her balance is also becoming noticeably better.

eleanor talkin to the world

thankfully eleanor made it to monterey without having a complete meltdown, thanks to mike for being so patient and entertaining!!!!

san francisco

one of my favorite haunts while i lived here, baker beach is right under the golden gate bridge in the presidio national park. this is the first time eleanor has ever seen the ocean...she has tears of joy in her eyes! or maybe it was just really windy!!!!! she was also trying to eat the wind, or maybe just taste it?????

photo session before the swim

mike and i couldn't resist! this is eleanor's first bathing suit. it isn't visible in all its glory in the video, so i have to include these stills. fashionistas, eat your hearts out, eleanor is on the scene!!!!!

eleanor was urging us onward

after hanging out with some friends at the park, eleanor wasn't interested in riding in her stroller anymore, so mike carried her the rest of the way home. his arms were so comfortable that she promptly fell asleep!

sitting up

this is the first time i had seen eleanor sitting up on her own. this was during her purple period... a phase out of which we are moving.

first born

i think that everyone has seen this amazing sight! eleanor was just a few minutes old in this picture. mike and i had just completed the hardest work that we had ever done (but had no idea how hard our new work was to come). we were both surprised to discover eleanor's gender and when paige and rebecca asked us her name, we both slowly said, eleanor...eleanor louise! we didn't know her last name yet! she was grunting her little heart out at this point, and would continue to do so for the next few hours. mike has said that if our next child greets the world with a grunt we will surely be in trouble. i remember feeling so surprised and relieved at this point. somehow the whole pregnancy-labor-birth sequence seemed like separate events that didn't necessarily relate...strange but that is how i experienced it.