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

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

Happy Birthday, Mom!

It is Mommy's birthday weekend, so while Dad took her out, I got to spend the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house! Whoa!  It was pretty awesome. First, I crawled over to the Christmas tree and unwrapped a present of mine.  I knew it was mine because I could read my name on the label.  :)

Pretty cool bouncy chair, huh?  I was getting into it so much that they had to buckle me in so I wouldn't bounce right out!  I like the dangle things all within my reach.  I would kick them and hit them and try to put them in my mouth. So much fun!

 Though all this play with Grandma and Grandpa got me really tired and I had to take a few naps.

But I slept through the night and woke up a bucket of sunshine, like I always do.  Even with my stuffy nose, I still had a great time

Mom says she had a good time with Dad, but it couldn't have been as good as my night.  Mainly because I didn't see her come home with a bouncy chair.  What kind of birthday is it if you don't get a bouncy chair?  Anyways, she kissed me big and said something about how I announced my arrival on her birthday last year.  I guess I would be a good birthday present, but I still think she could have asked for a bouncy chair of her own this year.  Sigh.  Adults are weird.

Thanksgiving

Ella has the crucial steps for having a great Thanksgiving holiday:

Always start out your morning with smiles and wiggles and cuddles with the family.  This sets you out on the right foot for the day.  Talk with mom and dad, laugh at their silly faces, stomp your feet.  Good times all around.

 Take a bath and put on a fresh outfit.  Look adorable.

Visit with family.  Be highly stunned by the epileptic dancing dog that sings a little too loudly.  Recover, because the crazy family will think you are cute and want to show you the dog again and again.

Pass out in a food coma after the festivities.  Thanksgiving= done!  You're welcome.

Outings to Appomattox

Today we got all dressed up to visit Mommy's coworkers at the school. A whole matching outfit with accessories!  Goodness gracious, we are getting fancy.

Mom seemed a little frantic getting us out the door.  She said it would be a long trip and that we wanted to be there on time.  It was the longest car ride I've been on to date, but that part wasn't so bad (I like to nap in the car, so it went by quickly).  And then I think Mom bribed me with an extra-large lunch once we got to the school.  I don't know her motives, but she is a tricksy one, that momma of mine.  It's entirely possible that she pulled a fast one.

I feel like I met a thousand people!  Mom carried me around for hours! It was very tiring.  I actually fell asleep in her arms for a little bit.  But everyone loved me, as they usually do.  They all seemed very nice, very eager to see me. Mom tells me that her coworkers at the school were all very friendly while she was pregnant and that they were just excited to finally meet me.  I even got a few presents!  Two nice and fluffy fleece jumpsuits that will be great if the winter is as bad as they say it's going to be.  I haven't seen snow yet, but Mom says I'll really appreciate fleece when it comes.

I napped on the drive home (I love car rides), but all the excitement did get me off my usual afternoon schedule.  No naps for this baby!  Got to keep mom and dad guessing.  Can't let them get complacent, you know.

It's my birthday!

Apparently when you are a baby, you get LOTS of birthdays! This one is a big one, though.  I was so excited that I woke up with smiles and wiggles in the morning.  Aren't I a cutie?

We had a very busy day, but it wasn't all good parties like last week.  I had to visit Dr. Cold Hands, which made me miss Second Breakfast (it's a real thing, look it up).  So I had to suffer in the over-heated doctor's office, starving to death.  Why do you always have to be naked at the doctor's office? Can't they see you with your clothes on?

On top of all that, I didn't understand that it was an extra-long visit because I was going to be stabbed in the legs... three times!  Mom said it would keep me healthy, but I'm not so sure about all of that.  It still hurt!  Dad was able to rock me until I passed out in a trauma-coma and woke up at grandma's house where I FINALLY was able to eat.  I napped most of the afternoon as I tried to recover from the ordeal, but my legs still hurt.  They would wake me up while I was sleeping, causing me to whimper and cry out.  Mom said the evening time afterwards was harder to handle than when I actually got my "shots."  Mom gave me lots of snacks and cuddles to get me through to bedtime, so that part was nice, but I still don't see why I had to go to the doctor's in order to get cuddles.  Overall, my 7week birthday was much nicer than this one.  Presents are better than shots.  I did get good growth reports from the doctor.  I'm still gaining weight like I'm supposed to and I'm 90th percentile for my height.  My head is still an enormous noggin' but that's to be expected with my genetics (Thanks, Mom and Dad, you big-headed monsters).

I sometimes get the messy milk mouth when I fall asleep while eating

Mom says that we'll take my birthday picture tomorrow since today was so eventful and distressing.

Shopping!

Mom and Dad and I went to brunch with the aunties and then went shopping today.  Aunt Lara had reported that there were cute Halloween hats, and Mom just had to get some for me.  I'm still not sure about hats, but they seem okay if they don't cover my eyes too much.  Mom says that she can knit me another, larger candy corn hat next year and use the orange flower again.  The bat hat is a little big, so maybe I can wear it for longer.  No we just need to wait for chilly weather....

I also got a few toys to dangle from my carseat, which seem cool.  I like the one that sounds like windchimes, even if it is some weird hybrid of a kangaroo and a jackal.  (Is that a jack-a-roo?)  The play mat Mom found is nice and all, but I DO NOT like tummy time! Why can't Mom understand this?? Tummy time is the worst!  I have a big head and doing push ups to hold it up are not fun.  No matter how much I grunt and snort and cry, they keep trying to put me on my belly.  We are going to have such words about this when I can talk!

It's my Birthday!

This is one of my new birthday hats.  I like presents!

I'm seven weeks old now! Almost at the two-month mark.  Mom keeps saying how time is going by so quickly, but it seems alright to me.  This weekend was also Mom & Dad's two-year anniversary, so we held a big group celebration to roll it all into one.  Dad took us out to the swanky hotel here in town (my first overnight away from home!) and then we went to the Garlic Festival on Saturday.  I think Mom was worried about the overnight trip, but Dad kept telling her to calm down since we were less than thirty minutes away from the house.  All in all, it wasn't so different from a regular night at the house, but I had my monkey rocker to sleep in and Mom to feed me on demand, so what more could I need?

On Saturday, we drove out to the Garlic Festival with Aunt Jennifer and walked around in the mud.  Well, I was a snoozing baby and Mom carried me, but that is kinda the same thing.  The muddy weather didn't seem to deter people from the vineyard booths, so Mom stuck to buying presents for me.  I can't argue with that!  I got a stuffed animal, some yarn Mom is going to knit for me, and a few hairbows.  I even got my portrait drawn while we were there.  Fun story: Grandma had portraits drawn of Dad and Aunt Jen ages ago when they were my age (and then again as older kids), and she wanted the same lady to draw one of me.  The adults have been planning on tracking her down at the farmers' market where she often is around Christmas, but guess who we saw at the Garlic Festival?? It's such a small world!  We were able to get my adorable likeness captured without having to make an extra stop.

First ever Garlic Festival!

After walking around all afternoon, I got to play with the aunties while Mom and Dad went off somewhere else for dinner.  I don't know why they felt to need to leave me, but the aunties are pretty awesome to hang out with.  All in all, it was a pretty eventful weekend, so can you blame me for being tired at the end of everything?

Good morning!

Up and dressed and ready to face the day! Mom and I are off to the Baby Cafe.

.... Wow, I didn't know I was such a good poet!  Really though, Mom and I are going to see how much I weigh this week. I'm always growing!

Ella Rose is now on Flickr!

Ella here.  Sorry there hasn't been too much activity here lately-- I've had a bit of a gassy tummy the past few days, so Mom & Dad have been busy trying to help me out.  But! Mom did add some more neat stuff to my blog.  Now, over there on the right side of your screen, you can see a small slideshow of pictures of me (who doesn't want more pictures of the cutest baby ever?).  If you click the Play button, it will run in the small window, but you can also click to make it full screen.  If you click where it says "Flickr," it will take you to the Flickr page that Mom made for me.  She says she'll be posting the random pictures there- pictures that might not have been special / funny / important enough to warrant their own blog post,  but are still cute and people still might want to see them. Well, I mean, of course ALL the pictures are cute; they can't not be cute, given their subject matter, right? (Though, I'm not too happy of the recent poo-explosion picture making its way onto the internet.  I'm going to have a firm talking-to with my public relations team.  They seem to think that sort of thing is funny.)

Also, Mom has put in a link where you can sign up to receive email alerts when she posts new stuff to the blog.  That way, you don't have to worry about missing anything if you forget to pull up the webpage for a few days.  You will just get a handy email!  Mom says she has done that with Auntie's blog, and it works out well.

Enough tech-talk now! Back to the cute baby!

Momma finally got her some snuggles.
She was getting cranky; I had to throw her a bone.

Dear Diary

As I get ready for bed, diary, I reflect on the hardships of the day and marvel at how I continue to persevere. This morning, for example, I was abandoned for several hours by the only one who can feed me and was reduced to taking my milk from a strange plastic device.  It was not ideal, but it appeared that it would be my only choice if I wanted sustenance. Then, not content with just one instance of near-starvation, Mother again abandons me this afternoon! She claimed it was for "groceries," but I don't see what all the fuss was about. The only food I need comes ready-made and pre-warmed, not from some store. I was so drained from the ordeal of waiting for her return that I was unable to keep my eyes open when I was bundled into my mobile snuggee after dinner. (I must confess, I do like being wrapped up next to Mom's chest, being gently rocked as she walks about. It's very relaxing. Don't judge; we all have our guilty pleasures.) In case even further evidence of my trials is needed, I needed five hours before I was able to regain my strength. Five hours! To her credit, Mom did provide an adequate pillow and allow me to rest. (It amazes me how my food dispensaries can be so comfy.) So now, diary, I am renewed and have the strength to carry on. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more snacks and less cold wipes on my hindparts.

Sincerely yours,
Ella