18-Month Photo Shoot

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from Elodie's 18-month photo shoot. Megan, from Give Me a Shot Photography, took some great pictures of her. You can see all of the photos on our shuttefly site, here.

 

I especially love the photos of her wearing the sweater with her hair in pig-tails, but I wasn't thrilled with the pink tutu ones. Since I specifically bought the tutu for the photo shoot, I decided to get them retaken at a different photo studio in Portage. Unfortunately I don't have access to the digital files because buying them wasn't an option, but you can view my favorite photos on their virtual studio online here. They turned out super cute, and I'm very happy with them. I bought a couple print packages of the third and sixth photos in the gallery.

18 Months

Our sweet girl turned 18-months while we were in Michigan. I can't believe an entire year and a half has gone by. Her personality has really begun to shine. Not only is she a complete love, but she's also very stubborn and opinionated!

Elodie loves people, especially family. Besides interacting with others, her favorite things are babies, books, balls, and of course swimming. Oh, and I can't forget music too! She really enjoys listening to toddler songs and even does the hand motions to songs such as "Little bunny foofoo," "Incy wincy spider," "If you're happy and you know it," and "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes." It's super cute.

She is always on the go, and very energetic these days. She's becoming more and more interested in gross motor activities, especially jumping on the bed and couch (thanks Grandma).

Her language has drastically increased since we've been in Michigan. I don't know if it's the constant interaction with others here, or only hearing nonstop English - probably both - but it's amazing to hear the amount of words she's been learning.

She certainly is the love of our lives! Happy 18-months sweet girl!

Announcement

I forgot to post these photos with our Two Feet announcement. They were taken by Yumi's best friend and professional photographer, Kurosaki Etsuko over the Christmas holiday. Enjoy!

Little Swimmer Girl

Elodie has been swimming since she was about 5-months old. She loves it. It's been fun to watch her learn what to do, engage with others, and participate in class. She's gone from being completely reliant on me in the pool to wanting to be as independent as possible. She knows the warm-up songs, stretches and dances; kicks her feet; jumps in while standing on the ledge; goes down the slide; and participates in all activities. 

We're not allowed to take photos during swim class. I've even gotten yelled at for trying to sneak a photo from the parent viewing gallery while Joe was swimming with her. Yep, they're pretty strict about that.

So I was really happy when the gym hired a professional photographer to come in and take photos for a couple of classes. Of course the photographer is charging an arm and a leg for a print, so I downloaded the images below from their website - which is why they have the website marked on them... I'm sure this is totally legal, right? ;) But don't worry, I did give in and buy a couple anyway. I'm just waiting for them to arrive in the mail.

B-Class

Warm-up stretches

Underwater!

 

Happy little fish!

 

Posing with her teacher before going down the slide.

  Giving Anpanman a pat, then jumping in!

Joining this class is one of the best decisions we've made for E. I can't even begin to tell you how much she loves to swim. It's just pure joy to watch her. I hope this continues throughout her toddler years, and the rest of her life for that matter!

The problem is that once the instructors discover that I'm pregnant, we'll be kicked out of the class. This country doesn't allow pregnant women do anything - women are seriously treated delicately and like they should be on bedrest. My girlfriends bought me a swim shirt to go over my bathing suit for my birthday... so hopefully that will give us a couple extra months before I'm really showing enough for them to say something to me. Although, I'm only in the late stages of the 1st trimester and already showing. I guess what they say about showing earlier with a second pregnancy is true.

I want her to continue swimming as much as possible, so we'll keep going until they notice my belly - then I'll play the "foreign card" and play dumb like I didn't know I wasn't allowed to swim while pregnant. ;)  After that, it will be just Saturday classes with Joe, while I enviously watch from the viewing gallery.

Not a Baby Anymore

Where did my baby go? It seems like just yesterday that I was rocking her in my arms and letting her sleep on my chest. Now I look at her - and she's a toddler.

She's a girl who likes to explore her world... is bursting with energy... is terrible at sharing... is an incredibly picky eater... loves to be around her friends... is a fantastic swimmer... dances when she hears music... sleeps with a baby doll... and can't get enough of books. She's a sweet, sweet girl who is growing up too fast.

Halloween - Japanese Style

Elodie and I recently joined a playgroup that meets a couple of times a month. They do a variety of activities together, such as trips to the zoo and/or aquarium, holiday parties, cooking classes, and sometimes it's simply just playing at someone's house.

We joined just in time to participate in their annual Halloween party!

Cutest ebi-nigiri sushi EVER!

Elodie and her friend Arwen.

Love my little sushi girl :)

Story time.

The treat table.

The monster cupcakes I made.

Fun party, cute costumes, & yummy treats. I had one exhausted baby when we got home!

A few days later, I attended a Halloween cupcake decorating class. The monster cupcakes we learned how to make completely showed up my own creation above, haha.

I had SO much fun attending this class. All of you who know me well know how much I love cupcakes. :)  With the right frosting consistency and correct decorating tools, they were all quite easy to make. The mummy is my favorite, and the easiest out of the 3 to make, too!

Now Elodie and I are off to the U.S. for a few weeks. Time to celebrate Halloween American-style!!!

Happy 1st Birthday, Elodie!

A year ago, we were blessed with a tiny little perfect baby girl. She has been enriching our lives ever since! It has truly been an incredible year. Happy 1st Birthday, our sweet little peanut! It's been the best year of our lives!

A special day, for a special girl. Here's a glimpse of Elodie's day....

My mom and I spent all day Friday baking cupcakes in my tiny Japanese oven. So of course we let Elodie try one, even though it wasn't quite her birthday yet. She had a strawberry flavored one, and loved it!

A pre-birthday cupcake.

She woke up on her actual birthday to this awesome indoor jungle-gym that we bought her.

Happy birthday from Mom & Dad!

For breakfast she had a Cinnabon muffin, and it was gone in seconds! I think we have a sweets-lover on our hands... which shouldn't be surprising considering who her Mom and Dad are. ;)

Cinnabon muffin.

After breakfast, Joe took Elodie to swimming class while my mom and I decorated for the big Hello Kitty birthday party. I was fortunate to find Hello Kitty table cloths, plates, cups, napkins, cupcake stands, etc. all in the U.S. So everything matched perfectly and it was super cute.

I put together a collage of photos in the shape of a 1, as well as a timeline of monthly photos from Elodie's first year. My friend Anna came over to help make the hanging flower pompoms. Everything turned out perfect.

For food we had 3 flavors of cupcakes, Hello Kitty decorated sugar cookies, and an ice cream sundae bar. Lots of sugar!

The decor!

Timeline of monthly pictures.

Smash cake for the birthday girl!

Family photo before the party.

Elodie telling you she's ONE!

The party was a huge success! We are so grateful that so many friends came to celebrate with us (and that Grandma flew all the way from Michigan to be here for it!).

Awesome friends.

Elodie's swimming buddies.

Of course the highlight of the party was of Elodie eating her cake!

Make a wish!

hmmm not sure what I think about this cake stuff...

It's pretty good stuff after-all! I think I'll have some more!

Don't forget, I'm ONE!

YUMM!

And into the hair it goes.

Do you want a piece? It's really good!

Sure, we'll have a piece with you Elodie!

After the cake, we took her right in the shower room and hosed her down! She was clean in no time. ;)  After the party, it was time for presents!! She received so many wonderful gifts.

Birthday girl wearing her tiara :)

YAY! Leap frog computer!

Cuddly puppy.

Cute pink polka-dot jacket.

Playing in her new ball pit the following morning.

Living abroad and so far away from family during important life milestones is difficult and sad at times, so it was really nice to have an awesome group of friends who understand to be a part of Elodie's special day.

We are truly grateful to ALL of you who made her day so special... both near and far. It was a fantastic day! Thank you to everyone!

I posted an album on shutterfly of all the photos from her birthday. Click here to view it. Password is the same (eidole).

11 Months

Before I dive into Himeji Castle and Kobe, I forgot to do Elodie's 11 month post!

 Wow, only 1 more month and our little baby is going to be ONE!

Elodie spent most of the last month in Michigan and Minnesota visiting family. While there, she learned so much! She perfected crawling and can now speedily go anywhere around the house. She wasn't used to the carpet at my mom's house, so she had poor rug burned knees while we were there. She also learned how to pull herself up to a standing position, and can stand for quite a while holding on to something. She is just starting to be able to move/take a few steps while standing and holding onto something, like the couch.

Elodie also learned how to play peek-a-boo by herself - she puts clothes/blankets/objects in front of her face to play. She also points to objects, all the time... which is pretty cute. She also consistently says, "a-da" for "a dog." I don't know if this counts for her first word or not, but she definitely recognizes "a-da" - whether it's in person, on TV, or even on Skype.

She also got her top right 2 teeth, so now she has all 4 on top poking through and 2 on the bottom. And she's quite the biter these days!!

We are going to have a big Hello Kitty party for her next month on her birthday. My mom is flying here for it, so we're really excited!! Can't wait to give her cake and let her smash into it. :)