Saturday, September 23, 2006

Will finally decided to...

start his own blog-Yay! I'm excited for him-hopefully it will be a good way for him to meet some other hunters/fishermen to share stories, tips, etc. He's only got one post so far, but check it out-and leave a comment. He's eagerly awaiting his first one!
Also, Ella walked to her Daddy this morning w/her shoes held out-she wanted his help in putting them on-awww. As he was doing it he said, "I think these are a little tight on her." Well, it's b/c our girl has thick feet-but they're still short-her toes aren't anywhere near the top of the shoe so moving up to a 3 wouldn't work. I'm afraid she's going to have shoe problems like her Mommy. I hardly ever buy a new pair of shoes b/c it's too hard to get any that fit just right.

Friday, September 22, 2006

My new pink shoes!

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New Shoes and a Broken Toe!

Before you gasp, the broken toe is mine, not Ella's. Yesterday, as I was getting up from the computer, I ran my pinky toe straight into Ella's tot block (playpen). Owww! Last night, it started hurting worse especially after I foolishly decided to walk around the block w/Ella and Will. I only made it part way and decided to hobble back home. It's still hurting today, but I'm surviving-not much you can do for a broken toe. Now for the new shoes....this is huge news!....Ella can wear shoes! Did you hear me? Ella's feet have apparently (and finally!) grown, so when I tried on her size 2 pink shoes today, they actually fit her. Good thing my Granny doesn't have internet access and thus can't read my blog b/c she might have a heart attack from the shock. Ella in shoes? You mean my granddaugther has finally come to her senses and realized a baby needs shoes on her feet? :-)
These are her first real shoes-they were given to me at one of my showers. We did buy her some 0-6 wk. shoes for her baby dedication when she was 4 months old but those kept falling off her then ever-so-tiny feet, so we took them back. I couple of times since then I've looked at other shoes, but Ella couldn't fit them or they weren't very practical (i.e. Tommy Hilfiger tennis shoes-on sale- but white w/red flowers?--that wouldn't look so hot w/Ella's many pink outfits).
Anywho, back to Ella's pink shoes-she truly liked them and walked around in them quite well considering she's never walked in shoes before. She first stumbled to her "chair" (boppy pillow) and sat down and began inspecting them (pulling the velcro straps off and on, etc). When I took them off after awhile to give her a break, she reached for them and tried putting them back on herself. She's done that lately w/her pants too-while standing she'll lift up her feet/legs so I can get them on. Smart girl. In fact, yesterday at a playdate with John Michael at Cil's house, she found one of JM's socks on the floor and lifted her foot and tried putting it on. Actually I have Cil to thank for trying Ella in some shoes again. While at her house, I noticed JM's feet and commented that they looked so much bigger than Ella's (even though he's 5 months younger). She said she thought he could wear size 2 shoes. Well, before I left, I decided to compare their feet, and lo and behold they were actually about the same size. So, the next day is when I decided to see about those pink shoes. Glad I did.
And Ella's walking so much more now-in fact, I do believe she's walking more than she is crawling now (quite the accomplishment)! The only time she crawls now is if I'm chasing her and she needs to make a fast getaway! :-)

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Update

Well, Ella's walking a lot more now-from the kitchen into the den and almost to the door leading outside. She did this yesterday and today w/her sippy cup in her hand. Of course when she tried drinking from it while walking, she lost her balance and fell forward. No big deal, she just stopped herself w/her hands and stood up again and kept going. She still loves pushing the kitchen chairs around too. When she runs one into a wall, she just pulls the next one out and pushes that one as far as she can before it hits an obstruction too (she hasn't mastered turning yet). :-) And last night was a first for her. She fed herself a banana. Usually I feed it to her (w/the peel pulled down a little bit) and she takes bites off of it. Last night, she turned her head away after taking a couple bites, so I put it on her tray and she proceeded to eat the rest of it (I just had to continue helping her w/peeling it more). Miss Independent. We also discovered that she'll eat corn as long as it's on the cob-I guess b/c she can bite into it-she thinks little pieces pulled off are too mushy. She likes peeled apple pieces too. I always watch her carefully though b/c I'm scared of her choking. We've also added cereal to her breakfast choices. I give her a little of my cereal (Special K or Cheerios) mixed w/raspberries or blueberries and she loves it. So her food repertoire is exanding, thankfully, yet she's still nursing a lot as well. Actually more times than before (6 or 7x a day) though not as long at each feeding-especially during the day. I'm hoping to go 2 years with her bfeeding. I'd like for her to wean when she's ready, but if she's not ready by 2 years, we'll have to reevaluate things-how I'm feeling if I'm pregnant again, etc. I've given up the idea of trying to have a mini vacation w/out her-having to pump 5-7x a day isn't much of a vacation if you ask me, and I doubt she'd do well being apart from us for 2-3 days. It's all good though-I'm actually okay with it b/c I know I'm doing what's best for her right now and that's all that matters.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Some Cute Pics!

Couldn't resist sharing some of these adorable pics! Sticking her bottom lip out is her newest thing-glad I could catch that on camera. Do you like her new cherry outfit? Actually it's been sitting in her closet forever, and I figured I'd better let her wear it before she outgrows the top and it gets too cold! I never have to worry about the bottoms-she can still wear some 3-6 month pants due to her short stature. :-) I love those overalls on her and think that is one of the best pics I've gotten so far of her w/her Daddy.


Saturday, September 09, 2006

Apple Festival!

We had a wonderful time at the festival today. It was just great to do something as a family besides go out to eat! Ella enjoyed sliding, Daddy enjoyed listening to bluegrass, and Mommy enjoyed looking at all the craft booths that were set up. I bought a Christmas present for Mom and Ken there and got some cute scrapbook stickers (for a baby girl's page, of course). They also had delicious homemade icecream and that was a favorite for all of us, as well. When it came time to sit on the grass to listen to the music, Ella was afraid b/c we don't sit outside much at home since we don't have nice, thick grass. However, soon she was enjoying it and her new companion-a cute 20-month old boy named Joshua. He came over to "play" w/Ella. He offered her his frisbee, but when she finally got the courage to take it from him, he grabbed it back. But Ella didn't cry-yay! She got over it quickly and soon she was picking up leaves and trying to give them to him. So cute!
Oh, an update on walking-she's still taking steps every day [the record is 8 at one time-woo hoo! :-)], but she enjoys crawling too much-and it's a much faster form of transportation for her at this point-to give it up anytime soon.


Ella loved the slide! She laughed climbing up and going down. It was fun for both of us actually! Click on the images for a larger photo.

Picking grass off her feet-such a dainty little girl!

Fast asleep on the way home!

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

First Steps!

Here I go! 

Yep, Ella took her first steps this afternoon. She was standing up playing w/a ball and when it fell, she took two steps forward to get it. I immediately went crazy of course-cheering her on, clapping, etc, and then took the ball and got a little bit away from her. She then took 5 steps towards me to get the ball again. So amazing to watch! And so cute-she's got such short legs and babies are so funny and awkward when they first start walking. She walked a little more then and tonight Will got her on the camcorder walking some more in the kitchen. In fact, we had a hard time getting her to sleep tonight-I think her mind is going a million miles a minute thinking all about this new thing she can do. Now she really can have some fun with her corn popper now that she can do more than just stand in one place and push it back and forth. :-) Posted by Picasa

Monday, September 04, 2006

Latest news

Went to visit my folks a few weeks ago while Will went bowhunting (no luck unfortunately). Visited Marna, Marcelo and the kiddos and Ella greatly enjoyed her cousins and especially the pool. She started laughing as soon as I put her in. We also visited Little Granny and Papa George for a delicious lunch of baked spaghetti, fresh butterbeans, and homemade bread (yum, yum!). Ella ate tons! Spent one night with Me-Ma as well and they had a good time together. Ella was thrilled b/c Me-Ma let her play with the magazines on her coffee table! Walking update: Ella took her first step a little over a week ago-notice I said step-singular. She only put one foot out on her own and then stopped-she's done that several times since then. Oh, and her new favorite pasttime-pushing the kitchen chair around the parquet floor. So, I'm assuming walking is just around the corner. Food news-Ella now likes raspberries and is considering corn. Her favorite is still zucchini spaghetti. Oh, we finally took Ella to Sears for pics Saturday-1st time since she was 4 1/2 months old. Yay! Got some pretty good photos. And we finally got some patio furniture-Lowe's had items maked 75% off-so we got 4 good chairs (not plastic) and a plastic table for $25. Pretty good deal. Well, hope y'all enjoy your Labor Day!
My mischievous little girl.
Ella's curious look.
My precious baby's hand.
Gran-Gran with smiley Kaitlyn!
Ella enjoyed this bunny that she found on Gran-Gran's spare bed. She also tried smelling the artificial flowers on the coffee table!
Poor Kaitlyn is not happy at all!
Enjoying Granpa's glasses.