Elora is 4 Months Old

As of last week, Elora is 4 months old. The doctor gave her the a-ok at her check up, and we survived the immunizations. She's up to about 13 pounds, and 23''. She can sit up in the Bumbo seat, and she can stand so long as she has something to lean against. I hardly ever put her on her tummy, though, so she hasn't had much chance to practice those baby-push-ups. She cries when I put her on her belly, so I haven't put much effort into remembering to do it. But I need to...how else is she going to learn to crawl, right? She laughs now, too. It's a wonderful little chuckle, and generally is the highlight of my days. We captured it on video, and have made our You Tube debut.

The giant dog in the picture is something that I snagged today at the thrift shop on base. It is a treasure, a perfect replica of a stuffed dog that I had--and loved--as a baby, a child, and even a teenager. (I slept with him right up until I lost him at dance camp when I was 15!) Of course, mine was about the size of this one's snout, but still. I noticed it only because I walked by a little girl holding it, and begging her parents to buy it for her. I was grateful to the girl for finding it, and even more grateful to the parents for telling her no. He may never mean to Elora what my Buddy meant to me, but that's ok. He'll be there if she needs him.