Ella Update

Ella is full of energy and full of personality!  Ever since she started crawling she has been non-stop.  Getting into everything, pulling up on everything.  She still knows her name is Ella, but may soon start thinking her name is "no" since she hears that a lot.  I've been trying to mix it up with other words, but she still hears "no" more often than not.  Granted it does no good, she just continues on.  So her favorite mischievous acts these days include splashing in Star's water bowl, crawling into the bathroom and grabbing the shampoo bottle off the ledge and sucking on it, playing with her nightlight when it is plugged into the wall, plugs in general, grabbing Addy's markers or anything from Addy's craft table that she shouldn't have.  That is all I can remember off the top of my head, but there is more!  But then she looks at you with one of her super big smiles and you forget what she just did.

Here is one of those cute grins and this photo is capturing the first time she drank her milk out of a sippy cup and held the cup herself, no mom help at all.  We were both very proud!  Prior to this we'd put milk in a sippy and she'd scream, because milk came from a bottle.  Or we'd try to get her to hold her own bottle and she'd scream, because she's a baby and supposed to be fed her bottle.  Not anymore, she is drinking out of sippys, holding her own bottle.  Such a big girl! 

On the food topic, the  girl is the best eater ever.  She still loves her baby food, even the stage 3 stuff which is a weird mixture of mush and chunky foods.  But in ten and a half months I think that she has tried more foods than her 4 year old sister.  And that is with only 2 teeth!  We do have a new one on top, but it is a newbie and just barely showing.  She'll literally eat anything you give her, but just some examples - guacamole, mexican rice, refried beans, kiwi, tortilla chips, tortillas, a variety of crackers and cookies, peas, carrots, mango, chicken salad, chicken, french fries, tiny bit of cupcake (have to save the first official cupcake experience for her birthday!), strawberries, grapes, ham, cheese.  OK, you get the picture.  #1 finger food is still Cheerios. 

 Ella is starting to have fun playing in some of the bigger kid toys.  She LOVES to be pushed around the house in the little car.  In the pic below she is honking the horn. 

I think that we can say she is walking now.  She only really gets about 4 steps in before she plops down and crawling is still the preferred method to get around, but she is working on it and I imagine she will be really walking super soon.  She likes to stand at the back windows and look out. 

In this pic I think that Ella and Star were checking out a squirrel or bird or something in the back yard.

Hard to believe that a month from now we'll really be gearing up for the big 1st birthday!

Addy Update

Addy is getting older and wiser each day.  She is a super big sister and now that Ella is moving around, she is a huge help when my hands are full and Ella is getting into trouble (more details on my mischievous monkey in the Ella update!)   She is also super cooperative now that Ella is getting into all of her stuff.  She'll start screaming for Ella to stop, but she doesn't have melt-downs when Ella starts chewing on her art or something.  The other day I walked down the hall and realized Addy's bedroom door was closed and when I peeked in and asked what she was doing she said she was playing with her little legos and closed the door so that Ella wouldn't get them because she knows Ella can't play with little toys she can put in her mouth.  Ella is also attracted to the nightlight in her room, so if we are playing in Ella's room, Addy will just go unplug it and set it on the cabinet without me even asking her to.  She isn't changing diapers yet, but if she was a bit bigger I think that she would! 

Addy is always offering to feed Ella 

It is scary, but I'm starting to see a lot of me in Addy.  For one, she is always working on craft projects, mainly drawing pics and her favorite things to draw right now are fairies and Clifford.  We have mountains of her drawings around.  Our neighbor gave her an old diary that her daughter had never used and Addy fell in love with it, and it quickly became her "field journal" (if you watch the Tinkerbell movie, The Great Fairy Rescue you'll know where she picked up this term).  Realized it was great because it kept everything together in a nice little book.  It was great until she locked the lock and then lost the key that is.  Here are a couple of her recent masterpieces.  

Another recognizable trait she seems to have inherited from me is the need to clean/organize things but make a huge mess in the process.  Here she is reorganizing her craft supplies.  Seriously every drawer was emptied, paper and stuff everywhere, but she did end up cleaning it all up somehow. 

Addy still likes to make her own lunch now and again and is quite creative in her menu selection.  The other day she had cashews, an orange and grated cheese - all things that she could locate and do herself.  My favorite new chore she likes is cleaning up the dog poop in the backyard.  She just got the scooper one day and went at it.  I was expecting chaos, but she does a really good job.  I imagine she'll be completely mortified by this picture when she is in high school! 

She also likes to decorate the house for the holidays.  Christmas really kicked it off and we've been going holiday to holiday ever since.  Recently when she found out that Easter was the next holiday coming up, there was a very pressing need to get the house decorate as soon as possible.   I was able to get her to wait until I was done hosting a wedding shower here at the house, but the next day the Easter decorations came out.  Never mind it was still a month and a half until Easter!  There were lots of bunny ears and egg hunts for a while.  Think she's over it now, so hopefully egg dying will get her back in the holiday spirit when Easter actually gets here. 

Other big activities at the house are picking weed-flowers in the yard and generally just enjoying being outside again. 

I'm back!

Went on a bit of a blog hiatus, keeping super busy with projects that kept me away from the computer!  I'm back and hopefully it won't be another month before I have time to post something.  Starting with an update of the girls...

Go Texan Day!

We had a fun afternoon at the rodeo cook-off to celebrate Go Texan Day.  Hot, but fun.  Didn't get many pics at the actual cook-off so we had a mini photo shoot in the front yard when we got home! 

 Photo taken by master photographer Addy!

 Now that Ella is on the move, getting a pic of the two of them posed is nearly impossible.  Addy was trying to get her to sit next to her! 

 Happy cowgirl!

 Addy checking out one of the super elaborate tents at the cook-off.  There was a waterfall - is that really necessary?!

Addy and James playing at the cook-off. 

Ms. Ella

We went to Ella's 9 month checkup on Monday and the doctor said she is doing great.  She is 19lbs which is the 60th percentile, 27.5" long which is the 40th percentile and her head circumference is in the 80th percentile.  She is a great eater and some of her shirts are hard to get over her head, so those numbers seem right! 

Wow, things are busier now that she is moving around.  It is nearly impossible to get her to sit and just play, she is always on the go, pulling up on everything.  She officially has her first bruise on her forehead from hitting her head on a door frame when she was trying to pull up on it. 

One of her favorite spots to hit her head is on the end tables. 

Turns out the dishwasher is perfect for pulling up on.  

Poor little girl had to give blood and got a cute little bandage on her arm.  I was really surprised that she didn't mess with it at all.  

Thanks for the cute Valentines card Granny!  Ella used it for a place mat for a while.  Another great pic with a puff stuck to her face - she is puff obsessed!  We need to start trying finger foods, I think that she'll really enjoy it.  Oh, Ella had her first guacamole the other night at the Mexican food restaurant.  We don't know what to do with such a great eater!! 

Super Helper

Addy has turned into one super helper around the house.  Not necessarily when it comes to picking up her toys all the time, although sometimes.  It started in full force this weekend with her deciding to start by making Michael and my bed, then she moved into her room and made her bed.  Then she helped set the table for dinner Saturday night by setting out all of the silverware and napkins.  And then on Sunday and Monday she made her own lunch.  We may have maxed out for the week though because there is a HUGE pile of stuffed animals in the living room right now that she has zero interest in picking up!  I'm just leaving it there for now in hopes that the clean up bug strikes again soon. 

Here is the lunch she made on Sunday

Birthday Party

Happy Birthday Grandma and Granddad!  A super fun family celebration on Saturday night.  We are so lucky to live so close to be able to celebrate all together.  Addy and Ella love having their grandparents over! 

 We were especially excited to have Ella here to celebrate with us this year!  Seems hard to believe that this time last year we were counting down the days until she made her debut.  

Grandma and one super excited 4 year old who was dyin' to dig into her brownie and ice cream! 

Baby It's Been Cold Outside

Thank goodness, as I write this blog, the highs are in the 70s instead of the 30s.  Seriously can't remember a time in Houston when it has been in the 20s multiple days, or even one day really - I live in the South for a reason and let's just hope that this nonsense is over with!  Bring on the humidity and 90 degree weather (I'll be cursing this statement come August - I know!)

But to make the cold more bearable, we did a little science experiment that Addy had fun with - the old trick of putting a dish of water out at night and seeing it a frozen block of ice in the morning.  We even put a rock in our water, mainly to keep the dish from blowing away in the artic wind, but also because it is fun.  It was early in the morning before school, hence the "I just woke up and I'm holding a freezing block of ice and really want to put it down" look on Addy's face! 

9 Months

3 months from now we'll be celebrating Ella's 1st birthday!  How quickly time has gone by.  This time last year we were gearing up big time to have a new baby in the house, wondering how in the world we'd handle 2 kids and look how far we've come!  Think the adventure is really just beginning...Ella is officially crawling.  Going forward and everything.  This morning we were playing in the front room and she crawled around to the back of the couch and discovered Star's bed by the front windows for the first time.  Later in the afternoon she was up front by herself for a bit and Michael walked up and found she had crawled over and helped herself to some of Addy's construction paper.  We are so not baby proofed!  And trying to get Addy to pick up after herself is going to be a challenge, especially with her art projects!

Here are some pics from this past weekend.  We haven't done too much since with the freezing cold weather and all.  Was really hoping to have some snow pics to post, but all we got was ice which was not photoworthy!

 Last Saturday the weather was nice enough we could play outside.  If you look close this is a good pic of Ella's 2 bottom teeth.  Haven't seen any new ones, but know they are on their way!

I'm not a fan of headbands on bald babies, but Addy put this on and it looked pretty cute.  Hair is coming, slowly but surely.  

 I'm not sure what was wrong in this picture, but her facial expression is super cute and pitiful at the same time.

Beach Weekend

Going to the beach in the dead of winter isn't most people's idea of a great vacation, but we had a great time this weekend.  We weren't sure how Addy would feel about the beach without being in a swimsuit and being able to swim, but she had a great time, mainly because Michael introduced her to fishing.  Dad resurrected one of my old kiddie fishing rods which is probably 30 years old, but it still worked.

Michael and Addy fishing in the lagoon.  She was able to pick up on casting really fast.  And she quickly learned that there were no fish here. 

4 years old and already a lazy fisherman.  Or as Addy would say, "fishergirl".  Granny - that is the chair that you bought Addison ages ago, it survived the hurricane and it still gets tons of use each time we are at the beach house. 

On to bigger and better fishing locations - the beach.  Unfortunately, they still didn't catch any fish.  On Friday, when we were getting ready for the beach Addy had decided that she was going to fish with a sandwich on the hook, because fish like sandwiches.  Obviously!  But fortunately she forgot that plan and I didn't have to make any sandwiches for the fish.  I anticipate a lot more fishing in our future!

Growing Girl

It is hard to believe Ella will be 9 months next week.  She is growing so fast!  We are already in 9-12 month clothes (although there is plenty of room to grow) and she is getting quite brave. 

I think that she really wants to skip the crawling and start walking.  She is starting to pull up on everything she can.  This is her favorite since she can get a good grip.  Tonight she mastered pulling up on the ottoman in the living room.  

We find her sleeping on her stomach more and more, which is really cute.  And my favorite is the big puddle of drool under her mouth...this pic doesn't really capture it very well, but it is pretty funny!

Ella is somewhat addicted to puffs.  She definitely gets more in her mouth and less are falling from her chair and ending up in Star's mouth.  This one ended up stuck to her cheek!

Wintertime Picnic

Who says you can't have a picnic when it is 40 degrees outside?!  Addy set up an indoor picnic for us the other day.  She was a bit worried that Star would try to eat her food, which is a legit concern, but Star stayed away and Addy and Ella enjoyed their picnic lunch.  And we didn't freeze! 

Styling Ella's Hair

The other day Michael came in claiming to have done Ella's hair after tub, and I thought that he was just talking about brushing it.  Nope, he gave my little girl a mohawk. 

While it is exciting that her hair is getting long enough to "style", not sure the mohawk is really the look for her! 

Nap Mat

When Addy moved to the class at school with no cribs and when Ella moved, I was always skeptical that they would sleep on their nap mats.  Even skeptical after their teachers would say they did great.  The other weekend I was putting the finishing touches on Ella's nap mat and set it down on the living room floor.  Not much later this was the scene in the living room...apparently daddy likes it too!

8 Months

 Ella turned 8 months on December 30th.  She seems to be changing daily at this point.  She is a super eater and super sleeper.  She still loves the bottle and really likes solids now.  Her favorites are any kind of fruit and she is doing OK with the veggies.  Definitely not a fan of green beans and the other day I was giving her a jar that was spinach and potatoes and I'd feed her fruit and then slip in a spoon full of the veggies and she cried out every time she realized what it was.  Mean mom!  There isn't a huge selection of baby food and I really don't have time, but I'd like to try making some for her.  I tried with Addy and she hated what I made, but ate the store bought stuff up, so I got discourage and gave up.  Don't think Ella will be as picky.

 She only does this when she is laying down, but she can feed herself her bottle! 

As far as milestones go - rolling both ways has been mastered and we are getting very close to crawling I think.  She is lunging forward and ends up on the belly and will push her tummy off the ground and just scoot backwards.  She is quite frustrated at the moment, but in no time she'll figure out how to go forward.  She doesn't start screaming the minute she ends up on her tummy now, so that is positive. Here she has backed herself into the wall...she is really good at little baby push-ups and is practicing her yoga by holding herself in the plank position. 

Ella started in a new class at school this past Tuesday.  She is no longer in the baby class and has moved up where she is probably the youngest now and there are kids walking and crawling all around her.  Fortunately some of the other kids around her age moved too, so she does have some other stationary friends.  She is sleeping on a nap mat and she has more activities like gym.  I hear that they do a lot of craft projects in her new class, so I am anxious for those to start coming home.  She still seems really happy when I drop her off in the morning, so if she is happy, I'm happy!

I stole this idea from a friend, but I took some pics of Ella sleeping which I think are just too cute.

She loves to sleep on her side curled up with her little lovey. 

On her back, still snuggling with lovey.  We have 2 loveys now.  Lovey #1 my friend Merri made for Ella and it is super cute with her initials monogrammed on it and everything.  We've made that one school lovey since it had her initials on it and I made a similar version that is home lovey.  Definitely not as fancy as #1, but it seems to work.  We'll see if she ends up preferring one over the other.  Addy definitely did!

This is pretty much the look you always get when you wake her up.  In this case it was a bit of the "why are you waking me up and taking my picture", confused look.  When she is already wake and you go in to get her, you are almost always greeted with a smile. 

Favorite activities include holding your hand and walking around the house, chewing on anything she can get in her mouth, playing in her walker which has been a big hit (and mom and dad enjoy it because she gets to walk, but we don't have to bend over walking around with her), jumping in the jumperoo, and playing with big sister who is always doing crazy things for Ella to watch. 

Play Time

 Ella wasn't super excited with Addy's idea to take a pic...

 so she got a little revenge with some hair pulling!

These pictures were taken on Cotton Bowl day, BEFORE the Aggies blew the game.  We weren't all smiles after the game. 

Poor Star

Girls stayed and played with Grandma and Grandpa on New Years, but Star came with us to the beach house.  Star hates fireworks and this is how she spent most of the night

New Years

Michael and I went down to the beach house for New Years and the girls went to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  The beach was great, we got some work done but also had a super relaxing night.  Michael decided to be a creative bartender and made a run punch based on a Charles Dickens recipe from the mid-1800's.  Here is the original recipe

"Peel into a very common basin (which may be broken in case of accident, without damage to the owner's peace or pocket) the rinds of three lemons, cut very thin and with as little as possible of the white coating between the peel and the fruit, attached. Add a double handful of lump sugar (good measure [although Dickens had rather small hands]), a pint of good old rum, and a large wine-glass of good old brandy‹if it be not a large claret glass, say two. Set this on fire, by filling a warm silver spoon with the spirit, lighting the contents at a wax taper, and pouring them gently in. Let it burn three or four minutes at least, stirring it from time to time. Then extinguish it by covering the basin with a tray, which will immediately put out the flame. Then squeeze in the juice of the three lemons, and add a quart of boiling water. Stir the whole well, cover it up for five minutes, and stir again."

Fortunately we had a more modern interpretation to follow and it turned out much better than we expected.  However, the key part for Michael was the direction to "set this on fire".  Our first attempt was unsuccessful, but second try went better and Michael was satisfied once we had fire.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Wonderfile

After walking up to her spot at the table and seeing papers and mail spread out all over the table (I had just opened the mail), Addy says "Mommy, you need a wonderfile".  Took me a bit to figure out what she was talking about, but it was this

Seriously?  Think she maybe watches too much TV and has way too good a memory.   Then she started telling me about the features..."it can even hold a laptop computer".  Need to start back on the Nick Jr. channel since it has no commercials.