Well it has been a while since I last posted. I can not believe my little baby is 8 months old now! Ella has grown so much and continues to amaze us. As you can see from the weekly photos I just finished posting, Ella is beginning to make it more difficult to snap those photos. She likes to grab at the paper and eat it! Ella has also been rolling all over the place. She hasn't yet crawled, she tries but slides backwards!

We just celebrated Ella's first Christmas. She was so funny! When we brought her downstairs and sat her in front of the tree, she bean opening gifts right away. As if she was a veteran at gift opening! She enjoyed having her Grammy and Grampy down with us for a few days before Christmas and she was sad to see them leave on Christmas morning. It has been great spending my vacation home with Ella, I will be very sad when Tuesday comes and I have to go back to work.

Ella's first word was, "mom/momma". I must admit that this melts m heart. She probably began saying it a month ago. Sometimes it even sounds like she is saying, "hi momma". We are working on getting her to say, "dada". Ella is also slowly beginning to give high 5's.

2011 has been an amazing year. I look forward to what 2012 and Ella will bring to our family.

Happy New Year.

It's been a while!

sneak peak

I am awaiting the arrival of the disk of Ella's six month photo session. From what I have seen, they came out wonderful!

28 weeks

Ella continues to mature into a little girl! She has been doing things much more deliberately this passed week. We spent about 15 minutes yesterday copying each other tapping at her highchair. She would tap 3 or 4 or 5 times and then I would copy her. As I tapped she studied what I was doing.

Like all females, Ella is attracted to shiny objects such as jewelry. Today in church she was playing with the charm on my necklace. She is usually rather delicate when she does so. When she looked away, I moved my charm so it was out of her reach. When she came back to play with it, she was pawing all around looking for it. It was quite comical.

Ella continues to do well with her food. So far squash seems to be her favorite. Tonight, I gave her bananas. She seemed unsure about them at first but then she quickly warmed up to them and finished what I had prepared for her. I hope this means that I will not have a picky eater on my hands.

Due to the storm, trick or treating in Dracut was postponed till last night. Ella helped me pass out candy for about an hour before it was her bed time. She was so adorable in her flower costume. She would not allow me to put on the hat that goes with the costume but she had no issue with me putting on a kitty winter had when it began to get cold. She was funny. She was silent when people came up to us but once they began to walk away she would giggle or begin talking!

6 month appointment

On October 26th Ella went for her 6 month appointment. She impressed the nurses with her skills. She was grabbing for everything in site and she was quite the focused little girl! It is great seeing Ella interacting with people. She is a happy little girl. At her appointment she measured 27 1/4 inches long (93rd percentile), 17 lbs 4 oz (34th percentile) and her head was 42 cm (35th percentile). She is growing and learning. It will be interesting to see her stats at her 9 month appointment.

I can do it!

Shortly after Ella's 6 month appointment, she decided to roll over. She still doesn't enjoy being on her tummy so this has been a useful skill for her!

27 weeks

Time sure does fly!!

6 Months

Today we took a trip up to Scarborough, Maine to have Ella's 6 month professional photos shot. We went to the same photographer that did her newborn photos. Let me tell you, Ella did great! Dennis and I were both shocked at how well she sat up for Tracey (the photographer). At home, she sits up for maybe 30 seconds. Well today, she was sitting up for minutes at a time while looking at the camera and every once in a while she would offer a smile. We squeezed in plenty of pictures of Ella in her Christmas dresses as well as a few in her Halloween costume. She does not like to wear hats! I think Tracey got some good pictures, I can't wait to see them.

This week Dennis is on vacation with Ella. I am sure they will have a lot of fun together. At the end of the week we are looking forward to Ella having some quality time with her Grammy and Grampy. I just hope they don't mind Ella waking them up at 6 o'clock and maybe even 3 or 5!

26 weeks!

Delicious!!

I have been putting off giving Ella solids. I really don't want to admit that she is just about 6 months old. It makes me very sad knowing that she is quickly growing up. Today we ended up biting the bullet and introducing Ella to rice cereal. Ella did quite well with the cereal. I believe we will stick with cereal for a little while before beginning with fruits.

25 Weeks

Somehow we lost a week. The previous photos are one week behind!! OOPS! This week Ella has begun doing so much better with sitting up. She probably is able to do so for about 30 seconds, assuming she is in the mood. Before we know it, we won't be able to get her to stay seated!

23 Weeks

It is hard to believe that 23 weeks have gone by so quickly. Ella continues to be a very happy little girl. Her morning smile is priceless and continues to melt my heart every morning. She has become a very grabby little girl. She enjoys yanking on my hair and pulling on Dennis' beard. And let me tell you, Ella has quite the grip. We are convinced she has a tooth coming but it hasn't poked out yet. We can see the white under her upper gum. Her feet continue to be her favorite source of entertainment, besides mom and dad of course! Although, she is beginning to knock over towers we make with her stuffed blocks and she loves spinning around in her ExerSaucer. Ella is still giving us trouble when it comes to rolling over. She just doesn't want to and we are out of ideas to get her to try. We are eager to see what the coming weeks will bring. At the end of the month, we are heading up to Maine to have her 6 month photo's done. Looking forward to that but sad that my precious little baby is growing up so quickly.

22 Weeks

Look what I can do!

We have been working hard with Ella to get her to roll over. With a little bit of help (placing her arms) Ella finally rolled over today. She was fussy while doing it but she was so excited when she finally rolled over. Hopefully, in the upcoming days she will be able to roll over without the assistance.

5 Months!! OH MY!!

I can not believe that our little angel is 5 months old! Time sure does fly. We are so blessed to have such a happy little girl. Fromt he moment Ella wakes up till she goes to bed, she is full of smiles and giggles (usually!). We are amazed at how big Ella is getting. Today, Ella rolled over for the first time!! Dennis was lucky enough to see it but she only did it once and that was enough for her. She is close to sitting up on her own as well. She hardly usues us to balance now. Ella's has quite the little personality showing through now as well. She is also quite the hair and fur puller!! She thinks it is quite funny to pully her mommy's hair and she is also quite intrigued by the cat. Ella takes any opportunity she gets to grab the cat. Luckily, kitty is quite easy going and waits till we undo Ella's grasp.

Ella has many toys to play with. She continues to love her play mat and she has recently begun enjoying the exersaucer. Rattles and balls continue to excite her but who would have guessed that her favorite toy would be her adorable little feet! I can't really blame her, I can't resist them either.

21 Weeks!

20 Weeks OLD

Ella found her toes

Well for a while now, Ella has been loving her feet! She helps out when we are changing her diaper by holding her feet up in the air for us. It is quite cute! At night I feel kind of bad putting her in her footsie pajamas because she won't be able to play with her toes! She loves to grab her toes and she loves when I kiss her feet.

19 weeks

Ella had some quality time with daddy this week when I went back to work. They went shoe shopping (for 4 mins.), went to Home Depot, went for a walk, and ran many errands. Daddy took a lot of pictures so he could update me throughout the day. Pictures and vidoes of Ella helped get me through many hours of boring meetings. There was nothing better than coming home to Ella's sweet smile. In a few days, Ella will begin her time in daycare. I am trying to tell mysel it will be a good experience for her, being around other kids. This is going to be one of the toughest weeks for both me and Dennis.

18 weeks

4 Month Check-Up

Yesterday Ella had her 4 month check-up. She is growing well as I think we all suspected! She measured 26 inches long (96th percentile), 14lbs 11.2 oz (72nd percentile) and her head was 40cm (21st percentile). We need to increase tummy time and also had to net her a noggin nest to try to relieve the flat head she has! I personally think she is perfect, flat head or not! Ella was a brave 4 month old and also got her shots. She screamed/cried but I can’t really blame her! Hopefully Ella will roll over in the next two months as well. The nurse said if she doesn’t roll over by her next appointment then we will have to get early intervention for her. Sometimes she does a half roll so I am sure she will make us proud very soon.

Rise and Shine

Ella is such a happy baby in the morning. She typically makes a few little noises (talks) and that is when we get up to get her. The other morning, Dennis was armed and ready with his phone to record Ella's sweet morning smile! When he heard her morning sounds, he went in the room to video her. Well, apparently Ella wasn't quite awake yet and this is what he got. If you listen really closely you might even hear her passing a little something!

4 Months!

We can not believe that Ella is already 4 months old! Everyday she does something new or somehting better than before. She is truly a joy. Sadly, my summer with Ella will be over come next Tuesday. I truly feel lucky ot have been able to spend the last 4 months at home with our precious little one.

17 weeks!

Ella laughed!

It is about time! We have been eagerly awaiting the laugh of Ella. This morning while I was holding her I decided to tickle her. Wouldn't you know it, she laughed! I looked at Dennis in shock. We were able to get a few more good laughs out of her but of course by time I got the camera to video tape the laugh, she had a breakdown. Well we now know that little Ella pie can laugh. Hapy 17 weeks precious daugther.

16 Weeks

Time sure flies and so does Ella! Just kidding! So this week Ella came so close to rolling over while playing with her toys on the activity mat. At one point she got her adorable little foot stuck in one of the hanging toys! It was quite comical. She continues to stay awake the majority of the day, teasing me once in a while with a 25 min. nap. She has also begun the "fake caugh". The other day I had her in the high chair while I made a salad. She caughed so I looked to see if she was ok, she smiled when I looked. She continued that 2 more times! They begin these things at such a young age!!

Ella continues to strongly dislike tummy time. One of my brilliant sisters suggested using the boppy pillow. Ella seems to do better on that, lifting her head quite high and not nearly as fussy. I look forward to hear what the doctor says about her development at her 4 month appointment next Friday the 26th.

The dreaded "w" word will be beginning in a few weeks so we have been attempting to give her a bottle. The key word is "attempting". A fellow teacher told me that Ella is the boss. Well Ella sure has shown that, she is not a fan of the bottle and refuses it.

SMILE!!!

See!!! I told you, Ella really does smile!! Today I put together her high chair. Ella sometimes get frustrated when we are eating dinner so our thought process was we could have her pulled up next to us and maybe she would allow us to eat. Crossing our fingers. The high chair was one of our wonderful shower gifts from Aunt Arlene and Uncle Bo. They sure have spoiled Ella! Ella clearly got a kick out of being in this chair.

Ella and Kitty COEXIST

Kitty and Ella have been checking each other out more and more as time goes by. We even think that the cat has been spending some of her nights sleeping on the nursery floor, keeping one eye n Ella. I am sure that their relationship will become a love, hate one!

Look who is 15 weeks old!

Ella continues to grow and play. She is holding onto her rattles for longer and longer as well as holding up that adorable head of hers! This week when we went to our Mom's group , she was staring at all the other babies. I know what you are thinking as you look at Ella's 15 week photo, but I promise she really does smile!! Ella really is a happy baby!! She is so close to laughing now, does half laughs. She is so adorable!!

Cloth Diapers

Ella is doing her part in helping the environment by reducing her carbon footprint one diaper at a time! Since Sunday we have been doing the cloth diaper thing. It has been going pretty well. We had one incident of stink in the nursery but when I found out that the diaper pail needed to be kept open, that issue was fixed. I am not sure how Dennis is handling it. He prefers the all in ones much more than the diapers which he needs to remove the inserts from. I am sure the money we are saving will change his opinion quickly.

The Bumbo

Ella is doing well holding her head up so I figured it was time to give her a shot at the Bumbo seat. She was so proud of herself! Quality of photo isn't too good, I took it with my cell phone.

What are you dreaming of?

See, Ella really does smile!! She fell asleep quickly after a feeding and began to smile. I would love to know what it was she was smiling about! Was it the yummy meal she just had or perhaps her rattles? We will never know!

14 Weeks OLD!!

Wow, another week has come and gone in the world of Ella. Isn't this outfit adorable!! We can thank Mrs. Krull for it! She continue to talk up a storm, when she wants to. You wouldn't know it by her weekly photos but she is smiling quite often as well. Each day she does better and better with holding her rattles as well. Her daddy can tell you, Ella sure has a grip! This week Ella paid a visit to her Auntie Debbie and 3 awesome cousins. She adores her big cousin Noah, always smiling for him. It is adorable to see the cousins interact with Ella, they really have welcomed her.

3 MONTHS!!

Today Ella posed for her 13 week/3 month photos!! She sat up so well for the photos, a huge difference from just a week ago. This week she began being much more interested in her rattle. She has been grasping it and bringing in up towards her mouth. She has been drooling so much. Not sure if she is in the beginning stages of getting a tooth or if her mouth is just preparing for it. There seems to me a little white coming closer to the surface of her gum but to be honest we are not sure. She continues to do awesome at night, this week we have been working hard to get her to bed earlier. Ella has been staying awake for very long stretches during the day. It has been fun seeing her personality shine through. She is very serious but nosey about everything! She smiles a lot but has yet to let out a complete laugh. I am sure that she will be laughing any day now. My favorite times with her is just having her talk to me while on the changing table. She makes some of the sweetest noises! Ella continues to despise tummy time but we are trying to get her used to it. She lifts her head up higher every day.

12 Weeks OLD!!!! OH MY!!

Ella continues to impress us! She has begun to hold on to her rattle for an extended period of time and even bring it up to her mouth. She has been very observant, being awake for much longer stretches than before. This has helped us tremendously at night. She is doing so well in her crib, we are so excited! There is nothing better than seeing her smile when we walk into her bedroom first thing in the morning! Her hair appears to be growing a little, I am afraid she might be cursed with my hair! Her hair gets quite frizzy and I see a bit of a wave in some strands of hair.

Ella had her first trip up to the mountains this week to visit her Gran and Grampa. She stayed overnight and even went to the beach (staying far in the shade:))!! She had enough on the ride home, 2 hours proved to be way too long for her!

Ella's sweet sounds.

11 Weeks OLD

At 11 weeks, Ella is changing everyday. She smiles up a storm but hasn't laughed yet. We are trying very hard to get her to laugh, she is close! It is obvious that in a matter of time, Dennis will not be able to get a word in edge wise. Ella is quite the chatter! Oh, I can't believe that I almost forgot. Ella is sleeping in her own room now in the crib!! Saturday night we finally did it. It was hard and neither of us slept much but she was great once she allowed Dennis to put her down around 1:30. Last night I put her down at 11:30(still awake) and she didn't fuss at all. She slept till around 7!!! We are so excited about this, next step: getting Ella to go to bed a little bit earlier!

10 Weeks OLD!!