Be Patient!

I swear nothing bad has happened to us!! My work schedule kind of exploded for the past several weeks, meaning that I had longer days... meaning that I was more exhausted and unwilling to sit in front of a computer when I finally did get home each night.  But I promise, I am back on the regular schedule now and will get you caught up on the last month's worth of baby shenanigans soon!  Bear with me and you will be rewarded!

Quick Funny Story

So, we all know that Ella is eating more bites from our dinners now.  She's even accepted a fairly large (for a baby, so like a teaspoon) amount of oatmeal on her own. Well, we went out to dinner for a family date last night, and Ella was getting treated with some of Daddy's salmon and baked potato.  This isn't as crazy as it sounds -- she's eaten potatoes before and loved them, and the pediatrician recommends fish for DHA / Omega3 / brain development stuff.  And, boy! Was she tearing into the salmon! She sure loved it!  This picture is a mild version of the scrunchy "give it to me!" faces that she was making as she tried to lunge up out of the carseat like a great white shark to attack John's fingers.  So funny!!! I nearly fell out of my seat laughing at one of her big lunges.  Such a cutie.  ^_^

Snow Baby

Well, folks, we are surviving the great snow-pocalypse of 2015.  We have made it through the past several days with minimal problems-- no power outages, no snow damage to the house, no running out of food, no car wrecks (knocks on wood to not jinx us).  With three separate waves of snow, the schools have obviously been closed a lot (I have worked from home for all but 2 days out of the last two weeks), so Ella and I have been spending a lot of quality time together.  :)

It's probably a good thing that I've been able to stay home with her, because she might have been a fussy mess at daycare.  She's starting her needy phase, I guess, because she sure doesn't want to be put down for any reason.  (I'm typing this as she is taking a nap. That's the only way I'm getting anything done that requires two hands!)  So I've been giving her lots of 1:1 time at home while we watch the snow fall.  Good baby snuggles all around.

We are very unsure about going on walks in the snow....

Another baby update -- we think she's working on some teeth budding (that also might explain why she doesn't want to be put down).  She's been drooling like a St Bernard and gnawing on everything, so we might be seeing a little tooth nubbin pop up soon! Crazy times!

Snow Adventures!

Well, it was the first official snow for Ella's first winter.  Admittedly, she was in kind of a fussy mood today, didn't really want to be put down at all, but we did go outside so she could romp in the snow.  Ella was really not sure about the brightness (she is her mother's little troglodyte after all) and she really didn't care about the snow. She did, however, scale a few mountains and touch the snow.  Maybe we'll have more snow-romping adventures next year when she's a little older.


Do you like our matching hats? Pretty cunning, dontchya think.  :)

All Better!

Yay! We have officially finished the course of antibiotics for the ear infections!!  So happy to have a healthy baby... well, a baby with no ear infections.  Ella still fighting the wintertime sniffles, just like her momma does every year, but at least there is no more infection / illness / serious yuckies to contend with.  Ella has been a little spoiled this last week because she has spent so much time over at grandma and grandpa's house while she is recuperating, but she hasn't turned rotten yet.  :)

Now that we have survived the changes to the routine that illness has brought, let's get ready for the winter weather!  Hopefully, schools will cancel for the snow so I can stay at home and not have to subject either of us to driving out there.  We made a quick run to the grocery store today before the snow started to accumulate (along with half of the city, I swear) and the roads were not bad on their own, but there was about 739 times as many cars out (what were they all doing??) and they were all scared of the snow. I am not exaggerating when I say that it took us 2hrs to go to the grocery store 3miles away from the house, and the time was equally dividing into going there, shopping, and getting home! Whew! Time to batten down the hatches, make a big pot of chili, and not come out until spring!!

Random Cuteness

I think there will be many posts like this -- where I don't really have a story to tell, but Ella is just being so darn cute that I can help myself but share her with you all.  This first picture here is from a few days ago where she was still coming down off the ear infection.  We were all just hanging out in the evening, but Ella was showing lots more energy than usual, so I was playing with her pretty vigorously.  After a few rolls and lots of conversation, I propped her up on my stomach (this way she can lean back and be supported by my thighs like a reclining chair) and was talking with her some more.  Well, apparently she was all tuckered out because after a little bit, she just started to lean forward until she was lying down on my stomach.  No fidgeting, no crying, just, "I'm tired, Mom. I think I'm going to lie down now." She's usually doesn't go into a nap / resting time calmly, so this was unexpected as well as adorable.

 On the other end of the spectrum from cute sleepy baby is cute playful baby!  By now, we have accepted the fact that Ella loves to pull the blanket over her face.  Put something in her hand and it either goes into her mouth or over her face; that's just the way it is.  Well, the other morning, I put her on the bed like usual so I could finish getting us ready for the day.  When I looked back, she had grabbed my quilt and pulled it over her with a look of "Eureka! I've hit the mother load!!"  She was having so much fun playing in the mega-blanket, laughing and kicking her little legs.  I don't know what she does under the blankets, but it's pretty crazy stuff.

Chowing Down

We have been testing lots of new foods on Ella, and she has been doing fairly well with the little bites.  She's tried oatmeal (as seen below), mashed potatoes, the insides of french fries (essentially more mashed potatoes), pudding, Texas toast, sweet potatoes, baked apples, ice cream... basically whatever we have at dinner that is soft. She seems to like the little nibbles and especially the french fries!

The doctor said that there's no rush to get her eating solid foods, but to just get her used to chewing and swallowing.  Ella is definitely getting better at swallowing solid foods as well as paying attention to what we are eating.  Tonight she was reaching out for our french fries like she couldn't get enough!  She has also reached out and grabbed my cups, knowing to put her mouth on the straw.

 Baby Girl knows what the table is for!

Poor Sick Baby

Well, we made it five months before the sickness came for the baby.  Ella has been fighting a cold (sniffles, cough, snot) since before Christmas, and it appeared to be winding down these last few weeks, but all of a sudden it came back with a vengeance! She woke up once on Wednesday night and three times Thursday, so I knew something was wrong with the little girl.  After the restless night Thursday, I got us a doctor's appointment Friday morning.... and yup! Double ear infection.  Poor little baby.  Her fever wasn't too high, so they just recommended Tylenol and a round of antibiotics and lots of rest.  

The upside to the baby not feeling so well is that Mommy gets lots of snuggles!! Tree frog snuggles!! I don't know how many times my arms have fallen asleep so far because I refuse to give up the snuggles. (She is SO much bigger now than when she last gave me tree frog snuggles!)

And everyone knows that books are medicinal, even when you fall asleep with them

Ella stayed a few days with Grandma instead of going to daycare to help her recuperate.  You can really tell that Ella was suffering with disease and fatigue while she was there. Spending all day with Grandma and Grandpa is really tough work....

 

Sitting Tall Some More

 How is this baby not the cutest thing you have ever seen??  She is just so sweet!  We were having a lazy morning, just taking a slow breakfast, and I sat her on the bed while my hands were busy.  She just sat up (almost) all on her own and giggled away.  She really is getting stronger, much less wobbly.

 I also realized this morning that, yes, baby girl has now come out of the growth plateau.  The doctor said she has gained two pounds in the last month!! And some inches, too, as you can tell from the length of her pants.  Haha.  A lot of her outfits are properly fitting / getting a little snug now.  It's a little emotional for me because she hasn't really outgrown anything yet.  We bought most all of her clothes in larger sizes, so she has spent the last five months growing into her clothes rather than out of them.  (She still regularly wears the outfit we brought her home from the hospital in!)  However, as you can see from the little yellow bee outfit, we may need to start paying attention to what clothes still fit her and which don't.

Another Silly Montage

Grandma! That's not how we wear hats! You are so silly!!

It's jeans Friday! Everyone loves jeans Friday. 

I love baby pajamas that have decorations on the butt.  Why? I don't know, but you can't NOT smile when looking at a pink kitten butt.

Just chillin' after some breakfast, Mom. How are you?

... I *MIGHT* have pooped on both of us, Mom.  I don't really know what just happened.

Waiting on Mom

Mooooom! Dad and I are ready for bed. What is taking you so long???

(Get used to waiting on Mom, Ella baby.  This will be your life from now on) 

Look at these adorable hands.  So precious

Cracks, Crevices, and Crawlways

Whew! Was this weekend busy or what??  Ella and I were running and doing all weekend long! I just have to brag about her because she was such a trooper with all the craziness and new people.  First off, Ella and I traveled down to Grandma Mary's house on Saturday.  Ella has never been on a car trip for more than about thirty minutes, so driving four hours was a new experience! I was hoping that she would sleep most of the way, and she did fall asleep quickly in the car.  She was very good for the first 75%, but then she woke up hungry and needed a new diaper.  Driving the back road that is quicker meant that there are no rest stops or major public areas like that, so I had to pull over in a gas station parking lot in a random town that we drove through.  Thankfully, a cleaner, well-lit gas station was available and we didn't have to stop at the Unsafe Gas & Creepy-Mart! But I did learn that I can change and feed a baby in the back seat of the car with only moderate levels of awkwardness.  Once at Grandma's house, we just ate dinner and crashed for the night after a little playing. That drive took a lot of effort for the small baby.

 Considering she was in a different bedroom and routine, Ella did well with the guest accommodations and only woke up once in the night.  Sunday was our big day, because Mom and I wanted to drive to Williamsburg to meet the Girl Scout caving group and help with the annual workshop.  I have been caving since I was a young Girl Scout, and we really enjoy visiting with the caving "family." Plus, this was the first time I was able to show off the baby! Obviously, having Ella with us meant that we couldn't officially help with the stations, but we floated about and visited with everyone while we were there.  Of course, Ella had to show off her mad caving skills.

While we were in Williamsburg, first we had to do a little shopping and to get lunch at the Cheese Shop! Yummy yummy, Cheese Shop!! I think all William & Mary Alumni agree that they miss the Cheese Shop the most since graduation.  It's "just" a little sandwich shop, but they have fancy ingredient and make the best House dressing. (There were no bread ends available, but of course I didn't forget to put House on my sandwich!)  We also bought Ella her first pieces of W&M swag.  How cute is that baby letter sweater?? I just can't get over it!

All the excitement was very tiring for Ella, but she was an excellent baby, like always.  After a selfie or two to show off her bat hat (appropriate for the caving group), she didn't fuss or cry.  Ella just flopped over in Grandma's arms and took a little nap when she could.  We seriously have the best baby ever! 

Mechanically Gifted

Ella got this play arch for Christmas and she loved it right away.  There is a butterfly, a rattle, a crinkly sun, and a pinwheel that all keep her amused for long periods of time.  She has always been focused on things dangling above her, but she like it especially now because she is strong enough to stretch out to grab things.  Well, now she has figured out how to work the pinwheel.  That one was tricky because you have to pull and then release the string to make it spin, not just repeatedly grab and tug. I hadn't really noticed her playing with it much, until the other day when I saw the little hand reaching up out of the monkey like it was no big deal.  Just a mechanical genius, Mom. No worries.

Matchy Matchy!

Have we shown off our matching Mommy-and-Baby hats yet?  I finished mine just recently, so now we can both wear them and be adorable.

Seriously, how cute is this girl?? I love her!

Mr Giraffe

We love Mr Giraffe. We love snuggling him, and biting him, and grabbing him by the throat to shake him around. He's the best! Giraffe lives upstairs in the bedroom, so she gets to play with him at breakfast and at bedtime.  I don't know if that makes a difference, but Ella sure loves playing with him.

Seriously, we shook him like this for about twenty minutes while I got ready one morning. I don't know what Giraffe did to deserve such treatment, but she was very determined to get him.

Baby Kisses!

What is the point of having children if you can't giggle at the instinctual reflexes that they are born with? Tongue thrust is how babies give kissies!

Happy birthday!

Like we've noticed before, babies get a lot of birthdays. Today, Ella is five months old! She is so active and alert, just looking around and taking in the world around her.  Clearly, she knows how to sit up (mostly) on her own and how to roll over -- you've all seen the videos by now.  She loves talking with us in the evenings and sometimes is just amazed by the noises she can make.  We took her out to Rita's for some ice cream; it was her birthday, you know. You've got to have ice cream on your birthday.

She got a cookie and some ice cream to celebrate.  

(She thought the ice cream was okay, but strangely cold) 

Giggles

Ella here with your deep thought for the day: Do you know how weird parents are? I mean, really know?? They do some crazy stuff, that's for sure.  I mean, just look at these videos of the crazy noises that parents make.  They are so silly, I can't contain myself! (Each video is less than a minute because of upload capacity limits, but they all should flow together.)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

31 Party

 We decided to go out and be social today!  My friend was hosting a 31 Party, so Ella and I went to interact & make friends.... as well as do a little shopping.  Baby Carter was there as well, and he was a little unsure about sharing his mommy and grandmommy at first, but he did very well. Ella was a perfect doll, and everyone loves her (of course, they would!).

Learning to Share

I'm not quite sure who was more frustrated with this learning experience... Martin or Ella.  The story goes like this -- Daddy was playing with Ella, when Martin jumped up because he is a sad middle child who doesn't like to share attention.  Unfortunately for Martin, he did not warn Daddy about his arrival and ended up landing in the blanket-hammock between John's knees.  As baby pondered the new arrival, Martin slipped further and further down into the hammock abyss before finally giving up and leaving.  It was a pretty funny display of jealousy on part of a cat and confusion on part of a baby.

Ella is really noticing the cats more and more each day.  She watches them as they walk across her field of vision and can really fixate on them when they stay within focus.  I may have arranged the scene below, but Ella really did show interest in Winks as he lay beside her.  I placed Wink's tail in her hand, and Ella was very good about not pulling or chewing on him.  Nevertheless, Winks was not pleased and grew quite cranky.  Ella reached out a few more times, but Winky just wouldn't have it; he hissed at her a few times before finally walking away.  I think it'll take a while for Winky to warm up to her (i.e., when Ella starts throwing her baby food on the floor for him to clean up).

Model Baby Tummy Time

 We may have had a naked baby photo shoot this morning.  School was closed for me for inclement weather (yay! bonus day home with the baby!), and Ella and I were just taking a lazy morning.  She was part-way through a diaper change when I thought we could try one of those classy naked baby tummy time pictures.  Ignoring the fact that I don't have a professional backdrop, I think Ella is really photogenic.  You have to move fast with her, however, or she'll stop whatever cute thing you were trying to photograph and start doing something else.  But isn't that the way with babies and pets?  They change behaviors as soon as you pick up a camera?

 This picture below (in the purple pajamas) is from another morning, but I still love it.  There's a few seconds at the start of tummy time where she is just serene and beautiful, and I love her little face!  She has the most adorable, smooshable cheeks!  Call me a biased momma, but I don't care.  My baby is adorable.