Spring Break at the Pool and Park with Buddies

The first part of Spring Break this year was spent indoors because both me and Jimmy were sick. So, when Ella's friend Carson called and invited us to the park on Thursday we were excited to get out of the house!

Ella can't wait to be walking and chasing after Carson!

Since Ella is putting everything in her mouth these days, she got a biteful of grass. Silly goose!

Friday we went to the pool with Ms. Stephanie. Ella had a great time. There were some boys that were pretty rowdy so we didn't get in or splash our feet or anything but she still enjoyed soaking up the AZ sun.

I love the pic of her and Steph. She is sooo hamming it up (Ella, not Steph!).

This is Ella getting ready to try out her other stroller. She thought it was funny.

I have enjoyed being home for Spring Break with Ella. It was nice spending time with her and it is wonderful having a job that gives me so many days to spend with my girl!

Rolling, Bouncing, Slobbering and Sitting...Oh My!

Now that Ella is gaining more strength and head control, etc. she can do more things like rolling over, bouncing in her Jenny Jump Up and sit more comfortably in her Bumbo seat. All of those things are fun! One not so pleasant new addition is the SLOBBER! This girl slobbers like she's thinking about a sweet tart all day and puts just about anything and everything she can get her hands on in her mouth. Thankfully, I have been able to limit those things to appropriate teething toys, etc. but I have to keep an eye on her! She really enjoys shoving the dragon fly wings in this pic in her mouth. We also keep a bib on her a lot so she doesn't soak her shirts so much with all of that slobber. It is quite messy. I am so not looking forward to this teething phase!

Sucking on her dragon fly friend.

Sitting up in her swing.

Rolling over for daddy.

Sitting up like a big girl (with the help of her good friend Ms. Bumbo).

Free at last! She loves the freedom of standing, bouncing and swaying in her Jenny Jump Up!

A Trip to the Dr. for St. Patty's Day

Ella's 4 month appt. happened to fall on St. Patty's Day. She of course, wore green, but didn't need to get pinched either way. We decided to hold off on her shots for this visit for another week or so since both me and her daddy have been sick. I don't want her getting shots if she is fighting something off or her get a fever and we relate it to the shots and it is actually her getting sick. So, it was a quick and easy appointment but here are her stats: She is very strong and healthy. She can now start eating rice cereal (oh my gosh..she's too old!). She weighs close to 14 lbs and is 25 inches long. Go Ella!

She slept on the way to the dr.'s office. This was her face when she woke up in the waiting room. "We are where!?!"

This is what happened when Ella partied too hard for St. Patty's Day.

4 Months!

Here it is! Ella's 4 month old picture in her chair. For me, it seems like from 3 months to 4 months has brought about the most changes in a 4 week span ever. She rolls over now, plays with her toys and they go from one hand to the other, plays with and sucks her feet/toes, laughs much much more and plays independently too. It is amazing how much she has changed! It is so fun to be with her for each new experience and to see her face as she learns new things. She's a very bright baby and I just couldn't love her anymore.

It Has Started Already....Daddy's Girl

Uh oh, Ella is already showing signs of being a major daddy's girl. She loves spending time with dad and lights up whenever he is near her. She cracks up at the littlest things he does. I was sick for a few days and had to "keep my distance" from her for a while and that just made it worse! She started to get sad if Jimmy left the room. He loved every minute of it I'm sure. They are two peas in a pod! So adorable.

Our friend Derek gave us this backpack. Jimmy has been talking about getting one for so long now. He can't wait to take Ella hiking. Thanks Derek!

Jimmy's way of getting things done and still holding the babe.

Oh, silly dad. Ella just hams it up for him though. It is fun to watch.

Babysitting & Routines

Being back at work has been really hard but Jimmy and the Grandmas make it so much easier. Ella loves spending time with her Grandmas. It seems that everyone has a really great routine going. Our morning routine goes like this: mom gets up and gets ready. When Ella wakes up, she gets pulled into the vanity area and watches mom do her hair and makeup. After Ella is awake, we jam out and sing to soft kind of music like Glee, Wicked, Taylor Swift, James Taylor and other various tunes. When dad is ready or when grandma gets here, Ella gets out of her bassinett and into their arms ready for her day. I hold, kiss and hug her before I leave. I still don't like leaving her in the morning and can't wait to hold her all day long but we are so incredibly lucky to have the support that we do. Thank you Grandmas for watching the babe and loving her too!

3 Months - Month In Review

It has been a month since I have posted and a lot has happened! Ella has been doing new things everyday and is still of course just as wonderful as always. I am going to do a quick catch up in a "Month In Review" posting for her 3rd month.

Ella loves to go on walks either in a carrier or in the stroller. She goes with grandma most days and talks to the birds and talks to grandma throughout the walk. This picture is of a walk she took with mommy. It was kind of chilly out so it was a short one but it is always nice to get out of the house!

Ella was invited to her friend Charlianna's first birthday party. Charli's party was great and she was so cute dressed in a little purple tutu and a crown. Ella had a nice time visiting there with her friend Carson too!

This "before" and "after" really cracks me up. As she is getting older, we are getting out some new toys for her. The picture on the top is Ella's first time in the saucer that her Great Grandma Ruby got her. She really didn't know what to think about the dragon fly in front of her. The picture on the bottom is a few times later. She is enjoying it more but her arms aren't quite long enough to reach all of the toys...especially that darn dragon fly she wants to grab. If only her arms were as long as her legs she'd get it!

Okay, okay...I know. We should probably have Ella in her crib sleeping at night by now. She still sleeps in the bassinet in our room. In our defense, she sleeps all night long and is not a bother! I LOVE having her next to me and can't imagine when I'll be ready to have her in her room...far far away. Come on, look at that face. That is what I get to wake up to each morning. LOVE IT! I think our Riley dog also enjoys the view! :0)

I mentioned that Ella would be happy if her arms were as long as her legs. Here are a few pics to show you just how long her legs are! One of them in there is just of her face but it is too darn cute to not include. She loves standing on her legs now too (with support of course). She gets so proud of herself and smiles and squeals with delight as she shows off her strong, long legs. The pictures of her sleeping in her boppy seat are just so funny to me...she's all scrunched up but somehow still looks so comfy. The one with her little foot poking out of the blanket is one of my favs.

It is funny to think that this is the same baby that 2 months ago absolutely LOATHED tummy time. She shows off a bunch now.