Lucky Thirteen: Elvie's Fabulous Thirteenth Month

We were all thrilled to be able to get out more after Elvie’s surgery, but no one was as excited as Elvie, who loved being able to crawl all over the place and get dirty.

On Valentines Day, Elvie got all dressed up in pink and was her sweet self all day long.

For the longest time, we’d offer Elvie Ethiopian food, and she’d reject it, just like she rejected most other foods. This month, though, not only did she eat some, but she tried to take all of mine.

Before her surgery, it was hard to position her on Zinashi’s lap, but now Zinashi can lift her up all on her own. She loves to sit there and babble away.

There was a teenage boy sitting opposite Elvie’s stroller, and she was on a mission to impress him. I think we’re going to have to work on her skills.

She loves to watch Zinashi’s ballet class, and she is frustrated that I won’t let her crawl onto the dance floor to hang out with them while they dance. It is sweet and hilarious to watch her try to join in.

We had her birthday party two weeks after her birthday, but she didn’t notice or care. She loved opening all the presents and playing with the paper.

She loves to get down all the books and take all the magazines out of their bins, then pretend to read them. Now that she crawls quickly, she can get quite a few out before I stop her. It makes a gigantic mess, but it makes her happy.

She hasn’t figured out how to undo the snaps on a onesie, but shirts? Socks? Shoes? Jackets? No problem! Off in a flash!

Before Elvie’s surgery, it worked better to use our bassinet stroller if we were out for long trips. It was simply more comfortable for her when she needed to be repositioned. Now she can ride in the seat part of the stroller, and she loves it.

She saw the rest of us having a little cookie dessert, and she wanted one. I handed it over, even though she hadn’t really started eating her dinner. She LOVED it, and she can now identify (and beg for) chocolate whenever it’s in sight.

She just finds things to be funny sometimes, and she’ll start giggling and moving so much that she needs a hand to steady herself.

She can ride in a car seat, and she can look stylish while doing it. This was the last big piece of the puzzle to being able to get out and about like most families do. We’re so excited to be able to take Elvie more places and show her off to more people. What a month! Here’s to more excitement in the months to come.