6 Month Appointment

Last night I asked Josh what he thought Ella was going to weigh...(she was having her 6 month appointment on Wednesday)...he thought about it for a minute and said....14lbs and 8oz...so imagine how surprised I was when I took Ella in for her appointment today and as I set her on the scale and stepped back only to see the scale numbers light up...14lbs and 8oz...I laughed...the nurse probably thought I was nuts! Although she was Miss NON-personality (worst nurse I have ever seen there). So yes 14lbs and 8oz...and 25inches long. So she has put on 8.5lbs and has grown 6 inches in 6 months...not bad! She has a variety of sizes that she wears...almost all her clothes are still 3-6 months...but her pajamas are 6-9 months as she is long and needs that extra length.

I talked to the Doctor mainly about baby food...she wrote out a guide for me to follow...I didn't even know where to begin...I told her that I had done some research online and one site would say one thing and another site another thing...so she gave me a good idea of what and how much Ella should be eating. I talked to her about organic vs. regular baby food...I told her I wanted to make as much of it as I could...but some things I wasn't going to tackle (such as meats!) she said research shows that right now there isn't a difference in the product...organic vs. non...she said however research may say differently 10 years from now...I already knew that any baby food I bought was going to be organic but I was curious to hear the Doctors perspective...she said personally she has bought both.

Ella finished up her 4 month baby shots today...and over the next couple of months I will take her back a few times to finish up her 6 month shots...and then she will be ready for her 9 month appointment. The Doctor really wanted the flu shot to be given...Josh and I had talked about it before and he didn't want her to have it...he has never had the flu shot, and the only flu shot I have ever had was last year when I was pregnant...so Ella will return for her immunizations but we are going to forgo the flu shot.

Poor little Ella did cry and cry today at the Doctor's office...she cried when getting weighed, she cried when getting measured...she cried when the nurse just looked at her...she cried when the Doctor entered the room, and she REALLY cried at the shots...I think she knows what the Doctor's office consists of now :) Poor little thing...she was wiped out...she had an extra early bed time tonight...6:30 came and she was rubbing her eyes! So we read a few books and in to bed she went!

Carrots?

We tried carrots today! Well I actually made them yesterday (using my fantastic Baby Breeza!)...and it was about 6:00 last night and I had the yummy carrot puree all ready for her to try...and I brought the spoon to her mouth and she was just done...she's been pretty cranky the past couple of days (her teeth have got to be making an appearance any day now!)...

So instead...Sunday afternoon we tried again with the carrots...

Well....not a fan! So I guess we'll have to try again...I'll make some more yummy carrot puree and we'll go for round 2! She did get a few tastes in...and made awful face after awful face...

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm going to start with Wednesday...lots to update! :)

Wednesday (one of my favorite days as I am off with Ella all day!). We decided to brave the crowds in Lynchburg....really I just had two places I wanted to stop...I stopped at the first place...a consignment store that I bring some of my clothes to...and I had some cash there! :) So after picking that up...we headed to this amazing store called, "Sweet Pea's," in Wyndhurst...it's an upscale childrens consigment shop (but they sell quite a bit of new things as well)...it was kind of hard to move around in there as they have so much and not enough space (I found out they are going to be expanding) - it was hard to carry a carseat through the store! I was after 2 items...1) a toy for Ella - it's like a little mat that they lay on and there are toys that are above her...Josh thought she would like that...so I thought I would see if they had one...and they did! Second item....2) Sophie the Giraffe....it's a teething toy that I have heard from many people is great....and Ella has been chewing on everything she can get her hands on...so now she has a special "Chew Toy"...Ha - she fits right in with the puppies! :)

Thursday - it's Thanksgiving! We packed up and got ready (which took us at least 2 hours) to head over to Smith Mountain Lake...Josh, Ella, 2 chihuahua's and myself...what a crew! We were doing our tradition of seafood...which this year was grilled Salmon. After lunch...we went for a really nice walk out by the lake...

Josh and I were able to have a date night! Ella went to bed around 6:30pm...she was whipped...and we were just leaving the house...Mom and Dad "watched" her...well really just checked in on her as she slept....we went and saw "Breaking Dawn"...my request...Josh just put up with it!


Friday - Our date day continues! Dad had to work...so Mom watched Ella while Josh and I went to Roanoke to go to the Gun Range...yes that's right...he went with me to my movie...so I went with him on his fun outing...but I actually did enjoy it...it was my second time ever shooting a handgun...and I do have to say...I'm pretty good ;) I was shooting better then the people in the lane next to us...that made me feel pretty good! It was loud...even with the ear protection....and it definitely took a little getting used to...everytime someone was shooting I jumped...because I just didn't expect it...but after 20 minutes or so I was more relaxed. After we did that we went to lunch...we went to Red Robin...right next to the mall...or should I say right next to the zoo! The parking lot was packed...and no we didn't brave the crowds...we went home :) We packed everything all back up again and came home! And the best part...we still have 2 more days off!

Rice Cereal #2

Mmmmm not so bad after all!

Rice Cereal

So we took a break from the rice cereal...she liked it the first 2 times...and then the 3rd time we tried...she kept spitting it out! (about 20 times of spitting it out!) So we took a few weeks off...and tried again tonight....

Here's take 1...(we had to film it in low resolution so it would load...so keep the box small and the picture quality will be better!)

She wasn't sure in the beginning...but by the end was grabbing the spoon and bowl for more! We didn't do a whole lot...still introducing it to her...but I think she is getting the hang of it!!

Play Date...

Well Miss Ella had a fun night out tonight...she got to go to a friends house! Yes another play date with Neko and Payton as well!

Look at how cute these girls are (not too bad for 7:45pm!)....

Left to Right....Ella, Payton, Neko

Ella is 6 months, Payton is 4 months, Neko is 5 months

I laughed when I saw this picture...looks like Ella is going to knock Payton square in the jaw...and little Neko is just as happy as a clam! :)

Ella was so quiet and serious...as always...she is typically quiet and sits back and takes it all in when she is a new surrounding (hmmm she really is just like mom and dad!) She slept all the way home...and woke up when we got home where she proceeded to "talk" and smile and giggle before she went down for the night.

I had a chance to win some groceries today...but my name wasn't drawn :( I had to run to the store to get a few things...and K92 (local radio station) was set up at the store....they were doing a big drawing for all the groceries you could get in a cart and you had 92 seconds to "Shop"...sadly my name wasn't drawn (I had my strategy in case it was...I was going to hit the diapers, and baby wipes aisle!) But I did win a prize...a CD! If I guessed the guys age (within 2 years) I could pick out a CD...I guessed it right on the money...35! So as I looked at the table...there were 5 CDs on it...none of who I knew...so I just picked one...talked to them for a minute and went on my way...I got home and I am telling Josh about it...and I hand him the CD...he laughed...he recognized the name...some hip-hop stuff or something....maybe I'll throw it on e-bay and make a few dollars :)

Time to update!

Josh watched Ella on Monday - he had to stop by his work so Ella got to go along for the ride! I was a little nervous...he hasn't taken her anywhere by himself yet..so it was a first for him...but they did great!

Ever since the time change - Ella is ready for bed usually a few minutes before 7:00pm...Josh keeps her up on the nights I work until 7, as I normally do not get home until 7:30...often this is how I find Ella when I walk through the door...

On Tuesday Ella went to the sitters and Josh and I both to work...I went out for a little "girls night" - so Josh got to put Ella to bed.

Wednesday it was a Mommy/Ella day...it was cold and dreary...so it was also a pajamas day! :) We played and played all day. The thing Ella likes most right now is to stand and I hold her body...she thinks she is big stuff! She just laughs and laughs and smiles so big!
I gave her a bath Wednesday night and put her in some PJ's...I had her out on the couch and I couldn't get over how long her hair is getting...Josh attempted to take a picture...it's not a great picture of it...

(yes those are her Halloween PJ's!)

So as I'm looking at this picture...I had to go back to the picture the day after she was born...

Look at that dark dark hair! It has really lightened up!

I got home last night and I was reading Ella's "report" for the day...it said, "I napped from 10:30 - 12:15. And from 2:30 - ." Josh said...do you see her napping time...I said well yeah...but it doesn't say when she woke up...he said that's because she was still sleeping when I got there...which he did get out a few minutes early so he picked her up at exactly 5pm. I said...great...so she slept at the sitters for oh 4-5 hours..which means...will she sleep tonight?? She did...yay! She was however making noises at 5:30...I kept my eyes closed hoping she would go back to sleep...I finally gave in at 6:15...she was up...so I got up and got her bottle ready...and brought her into the living room and fed her...and I really wasn't ready to get up yet...it was still dark out, I was freezing and tired still...so I put her back in the crib and put some toys in there...and I laid down...and I drifted in and out of sleep...she just played and played with those toys, "talking to them."

Speaking of "talking," Ella is really finding her vocal cords...her favorite being, "muuummmmm"....I told Josh she would be saying "Mom" first! :)

Well I can hear the little girl kicking away in her crib...she was napping...although it was short...about 20 minutes (guess she got all her naps out yesterday!!) And now I can hear one of the toys rattling around and she likes to kick her legs up in the air and they bounce onto the mattress...her little legs are certainly getting some exercise!



Party Girl!

Ella went to her first birthday party yesterday! She had been invited to one in October...but she was unable to attend due to her nasty cold that she had...so yesterday it was her first birthday party! It was a party for our friends little girl, Kayla...she was turning 2. There were lots of kids there all running around having a good time...now of course Ella wasn't running around (yet...that will come soon enough!) but she did enjoy watching all those kids! She kept her eyes on them the entire time just watching away!

We came home and she slept for a little over 2 hours! She woke up...it was time to eat...and a few minutes of play time...and it was round 2! Another birthday party! This one was for one of our friends...we had a big group- 18 of us that went to LaCarreta (a well-known Mexixan restaurant in the Lynchburg area)...Ella did great...she had toys to play with...we brought a bottle as it would be dinner time for her in the middle of dinner...so she did well until the waiters came out singing, and playing whatever instrument it was...and they were popping something...whatever it was it was loud! They popped 4 or 5 of them...and Ella had an absolute meltdown...she calmed down quickly...but it was loud and it scared her pretty good! About 20 minutes pass...and then I hear the waiters coming out again and this time headed to a different table behind us...I had Ella already in my arms...so I stood up and made a quick exit and waited out in the lobby until they were done :) I was glad I did that...we didn't need another meltdown! :)

Josh had tomorrow off so he gets to watch the little girl! He's got a few errands he has to run for work...and said it was fine that Ella was with him....so they will be hanging out together tomorrow!

I've got to start taking more pictures...Ella has had on quite a few cute outfits...a personal favorite of mine are her tights with the shoes...it looks like she is wearing shoes but it is actually the tights that have an image of shoes on them...so they look like little mary janes! Josh doesn't like them....but his only reasoning is that it's hard to put them on her because she is such a wiggleworm...which I guess could be true!

Relaxing...

This is Ella's new favorite sleeping position...she looks nice and relaxed huh? :)

Today was a Mommy/Ella day...it started off a little early...6:45am....not too bad...I was kind of hoping for 7:30 though...I was up very early Monday and Tuesday...but with the time change and it now gets lighter in the morning...Ella tends to wake up a little earlier!

She was such a happy baby all day! She played and played with her toys, we read lots of books, and I held her a lot so she could stand on my legs...she loves to be in a standing position when being held. It was only 6pm and she was ready for bed tonight! I made her hold out til 7 though...we played and I read a few more books...the last one we read...I think she yawned 20 times during it! So I brought her into her room and put her in her crib...I walked into the kitchen to get a drink and walked back to Ella's room to check on her...and she was fast asleep...it took all of 1 minute! I knew she was tired!

On a side note....all my Christmas cards are addressed and ready to be mailed...yes I was avoiding having to clean...I was looking for any project that would prove to be a distraction! :)

First Taste...

This was written on Friday night (but I never posted it!)

Well tonight was Ella's first taste of rice cereal...all organic of course! :) I looked at the Gerber compared to Earth's Best...and the Gerber brand had some sugar in it...so I didn't want to use that...so I picked up a box of the organic no-sugar kind. It was a fun experiece...we only let her have just a little taste of it tonight...and we will slowly add a little bit more each time...we recorded a video of it...but the file is too large and won't load :( But she liked it! She was very curious...and kept wanting to grab the little spoon...

Ella has done well this week....she's over her cold. She spent the day with Grandma yesterday. Josh wasn't able to pick Ella up due to a change in his schedule...and I work until 7...so we didn't have anyone to pick her up. So Grandma came to the rescue and came and spent the day with the little girl!

I have had so much fun looking through our family pictures that we got back...and this week I have put together our family Christmas Cards...I have ALWAYS wanted to send a photo family Christmas card...and Josh has always been ehhh....but this year I said I was definitely doing a photo Christmas card using some of the great pictures!

 

Ella has really been fascinated with the dogs the past couple of days. She watches their every move and any chance that she can get to reach out and grab towards them she does. A few times she has gotten a little fistful of fur...thankfully she hasn't pulled :) I watch really closely to make sure she doesn't grab any tails or ears...we want her and the puppies to get along good :)


What I wrote on Monday (11/7/11):

Well Ella had another taste of her cereal Sunday evening....I did skip a day between the two...I wanted to make sure she adjusted ok to it...so Sunday I bring the spoon up to her mouth and I get some in...YUCK! She spit it right out and made a face....I tried again...still spit it out...I tried a third time...now it's not so bad...she looked up at me and smiled :) She was funny...once she got that little taste down...then she was all about having some more...and quickly sucked down a few little spoonfuls! Josh fed her a few bites too...she was enjoying it!

Ella was up at 2am and 5am...Saturday night and Sunday night!! Yuck...what's up with that schedule! Saturday night she went right back to sleep both times...this morning...5am...that was it...she didn't go back to sleep...Mom is tired (oh and did I mention that I then worked 9-7, then came home and cooked dinner, did the dishes, and did a load of laundry)....it's 8:41pm as I type this and I hope to be in bed before 9! Josh was very helpful and took care of Ella tonight...he fed her and got her completely ready for bed...while I was making dinner he was reading her a bedtime story...then he brought her into the kitchen so she could get a kiss from mom before bed...and then he put her to bed. I have to say...I definitely couldn't do that 5 days a week!

I'll leave you with a funny Ella picture (from the photo shoot)...

Discoveries

Ella has discovered that she can bend her leg all the way up and is able to get those toes into her mouth!! She may have done this already at the sitters...but tonight was a first that Josh and I got to see it...we were laughing away and then she would laugh...it was very cute! It quickly became a fun game for her and she probably would have had fun doing it for quite a while...however it was her bed-time!

Well here are some more of those pictures as promised....

Pictures were taken by Kristin Salvia - she did an amazing job! There were so many great ones to choose from...these are just a few of my favorites...

This was right before she discovered she knows how to roll over!! :)

See that little grouch face starting to come through...that was the last picture of the session! She was done :)

Happy Halloween!

Well Ella didn't get to go anywhere for Halloween...with her battling her cold and me working til 7...she instead got to dress up in her costume at home :)

One of these days we'll actually get her to smile (in front of the camera!) She is all smiles until you take the camera out...it's too funny...this is the closest we got to a smile! She didn't really know what to think of it...she kept looking at her arms and toes....bright colors!

We got our professional pictures back from the photographer...wow! They are amazing!! Here is just a taste....

One of my favorites! :)

I'll be adding some more this evening!