Back to the Doctor!

Well Ella has been about 2.5 weeks into a cold...and really the only lingering thing is the cough...so this past Wednesday (it had been 17 days) - I brought her back to the Doctor as we were starting to get concerned about her cough...it actually hasn't been that bad during the day...it's more at night when she just coughs, and coughs, and coughs...needless to say...17 days I have gone without a solid night of sleep...I'm just as ready for this cough to be over! So back we go...and everything is checking out ok...she is starting to get a little fluid built up into her ears...but it was turning into an infection...so the Doctor wrote a prescription for an antibiotic...but wanted me to wait until Sunday before I filled it...so Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat...I tried the other tips she had for me...still a no go...the cough is just as bad...so after church this morning we stopped and filled the RX...and she got her first dose in her this afternoon!

Hasn't been too much of an eventful week...after the Doctors on Wednesday, Ella and I went to Target...I bought a "toy box"....kind of thing...so now things are slightly more organized :)

Friday, Ella and I went to a few different consignment shops...she scored with 5 different things...2 tops, two pairs of pants, and a little jacket...and I am bidding on a bunch of things on eBay...I get into trouble on that site :)

On Monday (Labor Day) - we did go out to lunch...and Ella is learning how to color...her Daddy was helping her...

In the evening we went to Josh's co-workers house...he had been smoking pork for 18 hours in his "smoker"....so they opened up their home to about 20 people...to all come and have some pork...it was very good! And Ella did great...I thought she might be really shy...but no...not at all! :)

This week...Ella spilled some water...and on her own she walked over to the drawer with the dish towels, pulled one out on her own, walked over to her water...and "cleaned up"...

Such a good girl!

I had nursery today...so I got to join in with Ella...they have a new toy...little boats that you can sit in...she may not like real boats...but she had a great time in this one...

This afternoon we went to our friends church as they were having an event, a circus, and games, food, etc...
Ella pointed to every animal and said, "doggie"....that's her new favorite word...it used to be shoe (she still likes that one)...but now when she wakes up...she immediately is looking for those doggies!

Busy Weekend

Well we checked out Toys R' Us - they are having a special deal on car seats right now...however none of them met Josh's approval (as he was the one who researched them)...so instead we walked around and let Ella check out the "big girl" chairs...

And she thought she was big stuff!! :)

We walked around TJ Maxx as well...just for fun (more for my enjoyment!) but walked out empty handed! Saturday night was actually fairly low-key....I got lots of reading in...oh and I did do quite a bit of cleaning/picking up....fun stuff to do on a Saturday night :)

Sunday we went to church...and Ella fell asleep within 5 minutes of leaving church...so we went to Krogers...and Josh stayed out in the car with her while I ran in and picked up groceries. She slept all the way until we pulled in the driveway...and then she had lunch...It's really a battle right now...trying to get her to eat "normal" food...I don't have a lot of patience for it...so usually Josh ends up having to take over...I've tried many different things....and she will usually eat 4-6 bites...and that's it...won't even attempt to take another bite...so the Dr. suggested just letting her stop...waiting about 30 minutes and then trying again...eventually she'll be hungry enough she'll eat it all...so that's what I am going to have to attempt to do. So after lunch...she got down to play...and of course she went right to her shoes....her new thing....is to put her shoes into a cabinet (the empty one on the end) and close the door...run around the kitchen, go back to the cabinet and open the door, run around the kitchen again, get the shoes out of the cabinet...and run around the kitchen with the shoes in hand....at least it tires her out!

 

Putting the shoes into the cabinet...

 

Running around the kitchen with the shoes in the cabinet...

And back to collect her shoes!


Whew - she's a busy girl!

Ella is already down for an early nap...we went to church last night...so Ella got into bed a little later than normal...and she was up coughing a few times through out the night...so right around 9 this morning...someone was being a little cranky! Nap time for the goose...and that means laundry time for mom! :)

Sleeeep

Mama is happy to say that she got 10 hours of much needed sleep last night! Ella always gets about 12 every night...but she has a cold (again!) - we're on day 12 of this cold...it's really not that bad...just the cough...and it's always the coughing in the middle of the night...she actually sleeps through it..and coughs during her sleep...but it keeps me awake and I often get up to go check on her, etc...so the night before I had about 4 hours of sleep...so last night I was ready to crash! Josh actually had a "guys night out" with his work friends...so I read for a few minutes and then I was out!

So I think all Ella needs for Christmas is a cardboard box...for the past 45 minutes she has just been happy as a clam sitting in a cardboard box playing with a few toys!

I think today we are going to upgrade to the next level of car seat for Ella...she will still face backwards but it will no longer be the infant seat.

This morning I've been battling her strong will...teaching her we don't hit. We'll see how it goes!

Here's a little video of Ella saying her favorite word....

Here is Ella fresh out of the tub...after her Daddy just gave her a bath....

Another picture from Vermont....(the whole family!)

 

Ella does understand quite a bit of things we tell her (haha - except for "no" - she may understand but chooses not to listen!) - but she knows what her water cup is and where she is allowed to set it after taking a drink, if I say, "Ella please come here" - she comes running over, if I hold my arms out she comes running over for a hug, etc....it's fun to watch her learn these new things!

15 months!

Well the little girl is 15 months old (as of August 24th) - so we celebrated today by going to her 15 month check-up! :) Ella weighs in a whopping 19lbs and 8 oz...man not even to 20lbs yet! And she is 30.5 inches long...still in the 25th percentile...which she has stayed in for quite some time...so she's on target! The Doctor said she needs to start eating more "big girl" food and less "baby food"...did I mention that Ella still doesn't have any teeth! So those big girl foods need to be mushy...so after her appointment we went and got some mushy foods that weren't baby food (mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, broccoli soup, etc)...so she didn't have any baby food at lunch today! :) Of course we followed up her appointment with some shots! I turned down the flu shot...but I did give her the two vaccinations.

Ella is just on the move all the time...I think I had said that she says the word shoe...well not only can she say shoe...she is in LOVE with her shoes!! She carries them around all the time...and if they are out of her reach she will fuss until someone gets them for her. I ordered two pair of stride rite shoes as that is supposed to be a great brand for kids, etc...so we got those in the mail last week...here she is wearing one pair and checking out the second pair...

 

 She also loves to try and put them on herself (which she can't do)...but she will try...this was right before bed this past weekend...

 

Lets see...oh Ella is "driving" already...

Or so she thinks she is....she was showing Dad how it's done (in our driveway) - they were waiting for me to switch the car seat. 

Josh is back in town...makes life easier when there are two of us taking care of Ella! I do a lot of the morning routine and dinner routine...and he often will do bath time and bedtime. 

Little family picture from when we were up in Vermont!

It was chilly and rainy here this past weekend...felt almost like Fall! So I made some pumpkin muffins...Ella approved...she helped eat them right up!

Well the goose just woke up from her nap time...

Long Week!

So I have decided...juggling work, an almost 15 month old, and 2 chihuahua's all by myself for a week is a lot of work! A LOT of work! :) Thankfully we had a decent routine down...of course it meant that I had to get up at 5:30 every morning to make sure I was completely ready before Ella woke up...because once she wakes up...the girl is on the move!!

Things we did while I wasn't working...hung out around the house :) Taking Ella anywhere right now is hard...she wants to be walking by herself...so we hung out at home...and things Ella has learned this week...

She learned how to play with Lego's...

She had lots of fun with those...especially if I would build something and she could knock it over.

Ella found a cabinet that she can open and climb into...it's one of our smaller kitchen cabinets that doesn't have anything in it...it's right on the end so I can't keep it closed with a tie...so she can climb right into! She has discovered that she can climb the ramp that Josh built for Bella (to get up on the couch)...which she has gotten a little swat for climbing it...tonight I had to pick it up so she wouldn't go near it as she was choosing to ignore my "NO!"

Ella learned the word "shoe" today...it's so cute to hear her say it...she picked up a shoe this morning and said..."sshhhh shhhh ooooo"....quite cute :) She now says "bye" when waving good-bye.

Josh came home Friday night at 7pm...and was gone again on Saturday morning by 4:45am...wow! Now he's off to MotoGP in Indy this weekend. So Ella and I decided to go to the lake for the day. We hung out with Grandma...did some shopping...and then Grandpa was home from work...played for another hour...and then we were on our way home...

I think Ella had fun!!

Well time to go get some cleaning in...that only happens after Ella has gone to bed :)

Time for an Update...

I really haven't been on the computer much...Josh has had the laptop a lot because of his school work...and now he's already in Dallas (with the lap-top)...so I fired up the ole desk top (which it's been probably at least 6 months since it has been turned on)...I bet it's about 4 years old...and is so unbelievably slow...I feel like I am back on dial-up :)

So anyways...lets see...

Ella is such a busy bee!! On the go all the time...she loves to chase the dogs...which they don't love so much but put up with it :) I taught her yesterday how to "talk" into a paper towel tube...that was a bad idea...it  resulted in yelling in it! We went to Target yesterday...I used up all my patience by 10:30am...Ella has a hard time sitting in a cart now...she's at the age she knows she is mobile and wants to be down on the ground walking...so it was a long battle trying to keep her seated!

I have to say...she's a smart cookie...she can't really form words yet (a few here and there)...but I was testing her yesterday...and I would ask her to go "get" something...the keys, her shoes, her water, her monkey...all these things were in different places...I never pointed to where they were...I would just say, "Ella, can you go get your monkey?" And she would go to the bag where all her toys were and find the monkey, etc...that's my brag moment...go Ella!

I am still trying a "sippy cup"....Ella's 15 month appointment is in a few weeks...and I know the Doctor will not be happy that she is still drinking her milk from a bottle! She will drink water fine out of her cup...but milk...forget it...I've tried 4 different cups...all failures.

Ella has eczema on her arms...it comes and goes...it doesn't really seem to bother her...except for yesterday...actually last night...she kept itching it (which she never has done)...and itched it so much it was bleeding...I was so upset because I couldn't get her to stop itching it...and I put this cream on it that is recommended...I was trying to reason with a 14 month old on why she should stop itching it...it wasn't working!

Oh yeah...still no teeth!!! I can't believe it! They are there...so close to poking through...but they still haven't popped up yet!

Ella's favorite words right now....Dada, Mama (excessive use on that word!), Baby (we learned that in Vermont with the twins...and now everything is "baby"), doggy (we are working on making that a little clearer...but she knows what it is), mmmmm (she uses that when she has just put something in her mouth and it tastes good!), Baaaa (ask her what a sheep says...and she knows! That so far has been the only consistent animal sound we have had)...that's all I can think of right now.

Oh a fun Josh story...hahaha...so on Friday (his last day with Lynchburg)...he calls me on his way home...we're talking for a few minutes...I asked how his day went...and he said, "well...I had a bird poop on my shirt today...a nice big streak down my back...and noooo one told me...I saw it when I was changing out of my uniform at the end of the day." I at least had a good laugh out of that :)

I've got a cute video to post...however I am waiting until the laptop is back...I might be here til midnight trying to get it to load....hopefully I can get a few pictures on...(we spent the day at the lake today...)

 

She's a water baby for sure....we tried our first boat ride today...she was so scared of the life jacket...it was a short ride!

Pretend...

Ella is learning how to copy everything Mom and Dad do...

This is Ella...putting lotion on? Putting hand sanitizer on? Who knows...I put both on my hands often...and apparently Ella was watching me...as she also wants to do it!

So back to last week...Ella went to the sitters on Thursday...(her last day for a week...Beth has been on vacation this week). Friday, Ella and I went to Target to shop around (because I always am ready to get out of the house!) Josh had to work Friday night...so it was just Ella and I hanging out...and of course we got another nasty thunderstorm with high winds...I grabbed Ella and we went and camped out in the basement...it thankfully was a quick storm and blew over in about 25-30 minutes...but I still didn't like it! Saturday was low-key...the only outing I had was to the grocery store...Josh had just woken up...so he got to watch Ella for a few minutes while I ran to the store. Sunday was church...and Ella went straight into nursery...no fussing at all!!! YAY! (maybe that stage of clinging onto Mom and crying is over!!)

We also had a tea party this past weekend :)

Now Josh taught her that!

Josh watched Ella Monday and Tuesday as Beth is on vacation this week. Today it was just Ella and I...Josh is back on day-shift...so he's been gone all day. We have done some laundry and dishes! We did do a fun little outing to Target...haha...again...I love TARGET!

Ella has this book called, "Moo, Baa, La La La"...and it is her favorite book right now! She repeats everything you say...so she does the "moooo" and the "baaa" and the "la la la"...it is quite cute! If you tell her that you want a hug...she comes walking over both arms open wide. If I ask for a kiss, she will blow kisses. She can wave. We're working on saying "puppy"...she is constantly amused by them...and tries to get ahold of Bella to pick her up (we are discouraging that...telling her that we must be gentle with the puppies). She has just started holding her puffs over the edge of the high chair and dropping them (on purpose to give to the puppies)...and looks and me and says "uh oh" with a big smile on her face! She has a little bucket that she likes to put things into...like her shoes, or blocks, etc...and carries it up on her shoulder like a purse...she's so girly already!

Still no teeth...but I really believe that maybe by next week one will come through...I am so shocked it hasn't made it's way up yet...it's so close!