Ella had a wonderful Christmas! Thanks to everyone! This little girl is nothing if not spoiled! Oh, and how could I forget - her best Christmas present of all - a big fat lip from her Uncle Jay! (unintentional, of course)

Ella's 15 month check-up was today. The good news: 24.15 lbs, 31 in tall, healthy as a horse. The bad news: we have to consult with a surgeon about her umbilical hernia - she may need surgery to close it up.

Check out Christmas pictures in the gallery! Also, wonderful pictures of our trip to the Newport Aquarium with Grandma.

Ella's gallery has finally been updated! We now have TONS of new pics in the 11/2006 gallery and a few in the 12/2006 gallery. Check them out by clicking the gallery link on the right.

Ella's Christmas wish list:

Lego 70 pc. Quatro Set
Mr. Potato Head Jumbo Pack
Drop and Roar Dinosaur
Little People Stuff
Bath Toys
Stuff with buttons to push
Little Touch Leap Pad books
Size 24 months clothes - winter and spring

I know I'm not the greatest at updating, but this is one time that I HAVE to update you about how awesome Ella is. She walked last weekend! Just 2 days after her 13 month birthday, Ella took 5 consecutive steps. I'll admit it, I bribed her with a tasty banana, but I'll do whatever it takes! Also, just 4 minutes ago, she took 4 consecutive steps toward me. Slowly but surely, she's walking! Yeah Ella Girl!

Ok, so it has been forever since I last updated. I've been so busy! Teaching, going to school, and taking care of a sweet baby girl is hard work!

Let me see, since I last updated so much has happened! Ella had her first birthday - woo hoo!! We had a huge party and everyone had a great time. You can see pics of the party in Ella's gallery. She received so many wonderful gifts, and we are so happy that so many people love her so much! We had about 25 people packed in our tiny house, not including 4 babies! Thanks to everyone who came - I can't say how much we appreciate all of you in Ella's life (and ours, of course).

We also got some family pictures made to commemorate Ella's first birthday. Poor Ella girl was not happy about getting her picture taken by a strange man, she cried most of the time. Luckily we were able to distract her long enough to get a few good pics out of the deal. I'll try to get those online ASAP.

Ella sort of walked for the first time, too! She is getting more and more brave about letting go of things to walk around. She took 1-3 steps on her own so far. After a couple of steps she freaks out, sits down, and usually starts to cry. She is so silly. The funniest thing is when she lets go of whatever she is using for balance, she grabs onto her chest. I don't know why...

Ella also went to the pediatric opthamologist about her right eye. For whatever reason, the pupil of her right eye is larger than that of her left. So, we had it checkd out and so far the doc can't find anything "wrong" with her. I guess no news is good news.

Ella took another trip to Nana and Papaw's Labor Day weekend. She had a great time. She went shopping, rode the lawn mower, played with a cool new toy, and was cute. Here are some highlights:

Ella went to see Nana and Papaw this weekend. She rode on the lawn mower with Papaw and liked it. She liked it so much that she didn't want to leave Papaw and the lawn mower. She also had fun playing patty-cake with her Great-Mamaw.

There is a new baby in town and her name is Bella! Introducing Katy's new baby girl.

Three cute babies got together for some fun and food last weekend. Here are the highlights:

Stella and Ella have a chat about a turtle.

Chuck makes Stella cry.Three cute babies and three cute Daddies.Let's PAR-TAY!

It has been a little over a month since my last update. Everyone is mad at me. They want to see Ella. This girl has a fan club, and they are turning into an angry mob in need of some Ella updates! So, here is the update, now stop tormenting me!

Ella has 7 teeth now - 4 on top, 3 on bottom.

Ella eats big girl food for at least one meal a day now. For example, tonight for dinner she had carrots, mac and cheese, and chicken - all cooked and fed to her by her Daddy. Ella will almost never eat new foods from me, so Chuck has the job of feeding her quite often lately. Her favorite foods are any kind of fruit, string cheese, cheerios, Gerber Puffs, Wagon Wheels, tomatoes, and chicken. Her least favorite foods are any vegetable other than tomatoes (technically not even a veggie!) - especially green ones.

Ella is saying many words now, including: Da, Ma, Ba, Va, Ta, Ticka, La, Na, Ka, Uhhh. These words are said alone or in a string. For example: Dadadadada, Mamamamamama, Bababababa, Tickatickatickaticka, etc. She is saying "Ba!" in the picture.

Regarding mobility, I would say that Ella is mobile even though she isn't technically crawling. She scoots on her butt quite skillfully and can get anywhere she wants to go. She stands well while holding on to things, and she will walk from one thing to another as long as she can keep her hand on something to balance her. We have to keep a close eye on her because she has decided that dog food and water are fun. Luckily she doesn't eat the dog food or drink the water, she just plays in it and makes a big mess.

Ella Girl will be one year old on September 27, and she will have a huge BIRTHDAY BASH on September 30, so mark your calendars. In the mean time, Mommy and Daddy are going back to work and Ella Girl is headed back to her good friend Tracy's.

Check out Ella's awesome new hair-do!

Ella's 9-month check-up and wicked Karma....

Friday morning, Ella had her 9-month check-up at the pediatrician. We have such a great pediatrician, and she said Ella was just "perfect" (as if we didn't know). She weighed 21lbs 9oz and was 28.5in long. That is the 90th percentile and 85th percentile, respectively. So, she is still a big girl. Oh well, big is beautiful. We talked to the pediatrician about her eating habits and told her about Ella's refusal to eat veggies. She suggested sneaking some veggies in with meat....something I'm not crazy about. Chuck is insistent that Ella be an omnivore, but I hate the thought. But, I think he will win and we'll give Ella some chicken or something soon. We also told the pediatrician that Ella is doing very well at eating "solid" things like cheerios and chunks of fruit. I believe I said, "She hasn't choked on anything at all." This is where the wicked Karma kicks in...

Saturday evening, Chuck, Ella, and I went to a get-together at Chuck's friend Becki's house. There were several of Chuck's teacher friends there with a couple of kiddos and Becki's new baby. We were having fun, chatting and snacking on the fruit tray. I gave Ella some small chunks of honeydew, as I have done before, and she ate it right up. Then, every mother's worst nightmare came true - Ella choked. There she was, first coughing, then silent and struggling to breathe. I yelled, "She's choking, she's choking!!!" Well, after waiting about 1/2 a second for Chuck to do something (he was holding her), I snatched her up and my super mommy instincts kicked in. I started doing what I remembered from reading something about helping a choking baby. I grabbed Ella and held her face up with her body and head angled down. I then started beating on her chest to try to force the piece of fruit out. I remember yelling, "She's turning blue!" And someone else started yelling for someone there who happened to be knowledgeable about EMS stuff. After what seemed like forever (probably 5-10 seconds), she started coughing. HALLELUJAH!! I knew if she was coughing, she was breathing. I raised her up and checked her out to make sure she was okay. Everything was fine and she wasn't even upset or crying. I think that was probably the scariest 30 seconds of my life! The EMS guy finally came into the house and checked Ella out - of course she was fine.

I just want to insist that everyone who has a baby or child or knows anyone with a baby or child NEEDS to know how to help them if they are choking. Thank goodness my super mommy instincts kicked in and I remembered a little about what to do. Just take a minute and read this webpage about helping a choking baby. It may save someone's life.

MAMA!!!

Out of sheer frustration, Ella finally said "Mama!" She was on the floor, whining because she backed herself in the corner again, and I just sat and watched. No, I'm not a cruel Mommy, but I do want this child to be mobile, so I wanted her to figure out the forward motion on her own. So she whined and whined, then finally she said, "MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!! Mmmama!" She loves me!

Ella walked! Ok, so it was like 5 steps and she hung on to me for dear life, but she put one foot in front of the other and walked all by herself! This girl will never crawl...she is going to just get up and run off one of these days.

Ella's most favorite thing to do in the whole world is to ROCK OUT playing her drum!

Gratuitous cuteness...

Quick! Get the vicious Doberman away from the baby!!!

Oh, No! Now the cat has her!


Watch out! The cat is taking her breath away as she sleeps!!

Ella got her fourth tooth on June 1! So, now she has her top two and her bottom two teeth - now that makes for a cute smile! She also has a new way to smile. Instead of opening her mouth wide and smiling, she just kind of turns in her lips and grins really big - very cute. Her tongue sticks out quite a bit - especially when she is concentrating, and her bottom lip is often tucked in when she is content or playing.

Ella and Chuck seem to be hitting it off this summer because they spend so much time together while I go to class. The house is usually a wreck when I come home because it is nearly impossible for Chuck (or any man, I assume) to multi-task while watching a baby. But, Ella is always happy, well-fed, and has a dry diaper. I guess I can't ask for much more.

Ella loves to give kisses. Let me tell you, she gives the sweetest, slopiest, most violent, ear-ring removing kisses you've ever experienced! She grab your face (and sometimes ears) as hard as she can and pulls you vigorously toward her wide-open mouth. She then either slobbers all over your face or slobbers all over your face while also biting you. Both types of kisses are very sweet, but I prefer the non-biting version.

We have had an extremely eventful weekend! First, our power went out on Thursday night around 8:00pm. Katy, Ella, and I arrived back at our house to find the neighbor's tree laying in our yard with our power, phone, and cable lines beneath it. I was upset that we didn't have power, but relieved because Chuck assured me that we still had hot water for showers/bottles thanks to our trusty gas-powered water-heater.

Friday, still no power. Luckily, Chuck called the electrician and things were under way to get us hooked back up. Nana, Mamaw, Ella, and I had plans to go to the zoo, so we went. No use sitting around all day just because there is no power. Chuck stayed home to supervise the situation and wait for the electrician.

After the zoo, Ella went home with Nana, Chuck went out with the boys, and I went out with the girls (and Travis). We all had a great time.

Saturday, still no power. We were all set to have LG&E to come hook us up, but we were lucky enough to be one of the last 100 customers to get power back after the storm. So, since we had nothing else to do, we went to our friend Chris's house and began what is going to be a HUGE renovation project. Hey, at least we were in the A/C!

Saturday night around 11pm, LG&E finally came and hooked us up! Woo!! The poor dogs were sweltering in the house all day and night, and Chuck and I weren't much better. Unfortunately, we had to throw out all of our food in the fridge and freezer.

Sunday morning, I had to clean. We hadn't been able to clean since Thursday because it was so hot in the house during the day and so dark at night. The house really was a mess. Chuck went to Chris's house again. I cleaned as quickly as possible, then got ready and went to Nana's to pick up my baby girl! I hadn't seen her for 2 days and I missed her! I spent the rest of the day at Ella's Nana and Papaw's.

Monday, Chuck, Ella, and I went swimming with Aunt Katy and Uncle Adam. Ella wasn't sure what to think of the cold water at first, but then she decided it was pretty awesome. We had a great time.

I hope we don't have a weekend quite so eventful in a long time...

Ella is getting really great at standing. I don't know if she will ever crawl, but standing is something she likes. She also likes jumping. Her Nana got her a jumpy-thing (technical term) and after a few minutes of confusion, she figured out what to do to have some serious fun.

Ella thinks everything is funny. Last night, Chuck rubbed his beard on her face - something she never liked before - and she cracked up! She thought it was the funniest thing she had ever experienced. I just don't understand that girl. She is just plain silly.

In other news, my last day at my current job is next Wednesday. I am both excited and reluctant to leave. To be honest, I've never really been stimulated by my current job - by any job really - so I will not miss my position in that respect. However, I will greatly miss all of the wonderful people I have met in the past three years. These people will move from the "coworker" category of my life to the "friend" category, which I think this is an apt change. If any of those people are reading this: thanks for everything - you are all great!

My last day of work also means the last day of babysitting for the summer for Ella's friend Tracy. In some ways, I'm sure the break from Ms. Ella will be welcome. However, in some ways, I know the break will be hard. You see, Ella girl is about the best thing that has happened to many of us in awhile. She makes you smile no matter how you feel, and she always has enough love to go around. She is addictive. Once you know and love her, it isn't an easy task to spend even a few days away from her. I hope Ella's friend Tracy knows that this isn't the last she will see of Ms. Ella!

Ella finally got her 3rd tooth yesterday! It is her top, middle, left tooth. Yeah!

Also, over on Natalie's blog, you can see a picture of three cute babies with their cute mommies.

Well, again it has been over a week since my last update. Seriously, I am too busy for my own good. Luckily, classes are over for the semester and I have a couple of more weeks before I begin my summer classes. I also got the best news last Tuesday afternoon - I will be teaching next year at Presentation Academy! I cannot tell you how excited I am about this job! I have waited for two long years to begin teaching and now it is only a few months away. I am still working on my MAT and I plan to begin my MA in English this fall or spring. I guess I am just a glutton for punishment - or a workaholic...

As for Ms. Ella, she is wonderful (of course)! She hates any food that is green - green beans, peas, asparagus, and avacado have all been tried and summarily rejected. On the other hand, she loves carrots, sweet potatoes, prunes, yogurt, and any fruit - even lemon! She still has just two teeth, and I have no idea when she will get more. Her new favorite activities are standing with support, giving kisses and hugs (too sweet!), touching her plastic easter eggs to anything else, and hanging upside-down. She is one silly little girl. She knows her name, but we hardly ever use it. Mostly, I call her Little Sweetie, The Girl, and Silly.

Ella is getting more fun every day! She is so silly, and she always brightens my day with her shy little smile. Her personality is really beginning to emerge. She loves to flirt with all of the boys. She has her Daddy and Papaw right where she wants them when she flashes them her sweet grin and then coyly looks away. She loves to play and bounce and talk. She is also learning how to bring her knees up when she is on her tummy - crawling isn't too far away for this girl! I can't wait to see will do in the next few months!

(Thanks for the great collage Nana!)

I am sorry it has been over a week since the last update. Hey - Mommies get busy! My classes for the semester came to an end and I had an extremely involved research paper to write. Thankfully, I'm finished and can relax until my summer classes begin in June.

Ella is as wonderful as ever. She still has just two teef, but numbers 3 and 4 are going to pop through very soon. Teething has made her a little cranky, but Cleo was kind enough to cure her grumpiness last night. I'll tell you, that girl baffles us daily. Last night she thought Cleo was hilarious! Chuck would take her little hands and rub them on Cleo's fur and she laughed and laughed. Then, Cleo got up and walked around - that must have been the funniest thing Ella had ever seen! I'll admit, Cleo is pretty funny-looking, but this girl was in stitches over her last night!

Last weekend, Ella had a photo-shoot at Nana and Papaw's house. She took some risque pictures with a beer can that we will use to thoroughly embarrass her when she graduates from high school. The rest of the pictures are adorable. I'm not sure how this girl could get any prettier, but I think it will happen. Luckily, her great-uncle Jim volunteered to come help Chuck fend off the boys when Ella turns 16.

Favorite food: Bananas
Least Favorite food: Green Beans
New likes: tofu, carrots, peaches
New dislikes: green beans, peas

Ella had a big day today!

Ella took her first trip to the Zoo today! Unfortunately, Daddy forgot the camera, so we have no record of the occurance. I guess next time will be Ella's second "first" visit for posterity's sake.

Ella also said her first word...."Da Da Da." I just want to let it be known that I really don't think she knows what "Da Da Da" means, so I don't think it should count in the Daddy hall of fame that she said "Da Da" before "Ma Ma." Besides, the pediatrician said that "Da Da" is easier to say than "Ma Ma." Plus, Chuck spent all last week saying "Da Da Da Da" over and over to her.

Fianlly, Ella is spending her first night away from home tonight. I thought I would be a wreck, but I'm actually having a good time so far. We went out for sushi then went to a friend's house to play a little poker. I know Ella is in good hands with her Nana tonight, so that sets my mind at ease. Now, if I can just make it through the night without her...

Food likes: Apples, Bananas, Pears, Acorn Squash, Sweet Potatoes, Apple slices, teething cookies
Food dislikes: Butternut Squash, Green Beans

Ella actually threw a tantrum the other night when I pulled her cookie out of her mouth! She screamed, cried, got all red, and just plain threw a fit. Don't mess with the girl's cookie!!!

Ella went to visit Nana and Papaw today! She had tons of fun playing with everyone. She thinks she is so cool with her sunglasses on.

Ella had her first injury on Friday. She was outside playing with Daddy and when they were going up the steps to get back into the house, Daddy tripped and fell. Luckily, Chuck received the brunt of the fall on his forehead, and Ella just got a small bruise from bumping her head against Chuck's. She cried for a little while, but is all better now.

Ella also tried a couple of new foods this weekend. We found that she really likes bananas and apples, but she hates butternut squash and green beans are iffy. So, I just threw out all of the butternut squash. She acted like she might die because it tasted so gross to her. It was quite funny, but I didn't want to torture her for my own amusement. She is now eating food two times a day along with her regular bottles.

Ella went to see the Easter bunny on Friday evening! She wasn't very impressed, but at least we got a cute picture.

We have more good news on the eating situation! Ella ate acorn squash last night! She had to have her trusty cookie in her hand at all times, but she ate the squash from a spoon in between cookie bites. Daddy plans to feed her some cereal and pears for lunch today. Maybe she is finally getting over her hatred of food!

On another note, I think we are going to take Ella to see the Easter bunny tonight. Not that she will know who the Easter bunny is - or care.

A miracle happened tonight. Ella ate! No fussing, no pursing of the lips, no turning of the head - just eating! I was amazed. It took 2 months and no less than 6 people, but we finally outsmarted her! I took the teething biscuit that she likes so much and dipped it in some yummy sweet potatoes. Then, I gave her the biscuit and she chomped on it! Then, I did it again, and she ate more! Then, I took a huge risk and tried the spoon. She ate the sweet potatoes off the spoon!!! I had to sneak the spoon in between cookie bites, but it worked! She ate an entire tablespoon of sweet potatoes. I was feeling lucky, so I thought I'd try a tablespoon of rice cereal. I did the same trick - dipping the cookie in the cereal. She fell for it again!! Six-month olds are so gullible. She ate an entire tablespoon of rice cereal!!! I was shocked, amazed, and utterly ecstatic! I only hope she won't figure it out and realize that I'm tricking her. As you can see from the pictures, it was a messy, but successful adventure.

Ella went to her (2nd?) cousin's wedding this weekend. Catrina Deer (Stanton) became Catrina...something - I forgot. Anyway, she met loads of (2nd?) cousins who all adored her. She

had a great time with her Papaw, Nana, and Uncle Jason, too!

I'm sorry about the small lapse in posting last week. I've been busy!

We got some teething biscuits for Ella on Thursday night. She took right to them and started chomping away and gumming them down! So, needless to say I was excited that she might actually want to eat something. I pulled out the pears again and tried to feed her some. She purshed her lips, turned her head, and cried. She wanted nothing to do with the pears. So, I tried some sweet potatoes. Same thing. I put some butternut squash in a baby safe feeder because I thought maybe she would like to feed herself. She cringed, made horrible faces, and even gagged at the taste of the squash. Then I put sweet potatoes in a tri-cut nipple. Yes, I actually put sweet potatoes in a bottle - I'm desperate! She sucked and sucked and I think she got just a little bit out. Apparently those tri-cut nipples are worthless because Ella can't even suck plain formula out of those things! I'm thinking of cutting the whole tip off of one of the nipples to see if she will eat the food that way. I'm also considering scraping our entire frozen stash of baby food and starting over. I think she may eat if she can actually pick up a piece of food, put it in her mouth, and chew. Maybe she just isn't into pureed food. Maybe she wants food like Mommy and Daddy eat. I have to admit, she did reach for the ribs Chuck ate last night, and she is very interested every time we eat. I didn't realize feeding a baby would be so difficult! I thought I would just blend up some food and she would love it and gobble it right down! Well, she proved me wrong once again.
I've learned to never assume anything when it comes to Ms. Ella. Here is a list of my assumptions that have been wrong:
1. I would have an easy, vaginal delivery.
2. Ella would take right to breastfeeding - no problem!
3. Ella would switch easily from breast to bottle.
4. Ella would be a fairly small baby.
5. Ella would enjoy eating - she is a "big" girl after all.
6. Ella would be able to wear newborn size socks and hats when she was a newborn.
7. I'm sure there are more, but I can't think of them right now.

Ella had her 6 month appointment today. The doctor had only good things to say about her, and she is doing wonderfully. She is 19lbs and 27.25in. That is the 95th percentile for both weight and height. She's a big girl.

The doctor gave me some suggestions about how to get Ella to eat solid foods, so I'm excited to try those out. She thinks that it could be that Ella just doesn't want to be fed - maybe she is too independent to be fed. So, we are getting some teething biscuits for Ella to feed herself. If that works, we may just have to put blobs of food on her high chair and let her scoop it up and eat it with her fingers. What a fun mess that will make!

Ella also got three shots today. She cried, she got over it. Babies sure are resilient.

HAPPY 1/2 BIRTHDAY ELLA!!

Today Ella is 6 months old. 1/2 of her first year is over. On March 27 of 2005, I was eating saltines and drinking lemonade in hopes that they would keep the nausea at bay. I know everyone says this, but I can't believe how fast the past six months have gone by. As I watched my baby girl kick and play and smile and laugh in her bouncy chair last night, I thought about how lucky I am to have her. I looked at Chuck and said, "Do you know what tomorrow is?" "Ella will be 6 months old!......Are you going to cry?" Yes, I was going to cry. Okay, I admit it, I'm a sappy mommy!! I just love my baby girl so much, and I can't believe how fast she is growing. Soon, she will be 18 and have a heart tattoo on her back with the name "Trevor" inscribed in the center.

Ella is officially sleeping in her crib all the time now. I'm even thinking of taking the pack n play out of our bedroom. Thinking about it. I'm also thinking about letting her spend the night with her Nana and Papaw (my mom and dad). Nana has been begging for Ella to spend the night basically since the day she was born. I had no idea it would be so hard to let my baby go for one short night! I will admit, Chuck and I need a break. We have barely had any time alone since Ella was born six months ago. The longest we have been together without her was about 4 hours when we went to see a movie when she was 6 weeks old. Yet, I am still hesitant to let her go.

Ella's second toof finally came through yesterday! Now she has both bottom front teeth. I will be so happy when this teething thing is over. Ella is so grumpy about her gums. Why can't teef come in without hurting? Oh well, 2 down, 24 to go!

We tried solid food again last night. Ella is not down with the solid food. We tried yummy, homemade butternut squash first last night. The face she made was like I had just fed her a huge shit sandwich. Each bite was shoved in by me, then promptly shoved out by Ella. I thought maybe she was too hungry to eat - meaning she didn't want to fool with the food, she just wanted fast food (the bottle). So, I gave her a few ounces of her bottle and tried again with the food. Nothing. I thought, "Fine, she doesn't want the squash tonight - I'll try rice cereal instead." Needless to say, after much protest and crying from Ella, we gave up on the rice cereal, too. She took the rest of her bottle and was happy. I'm sure you are surprised, but I don't know what to do. Keep trying I guess. Maybe we'll try a different veggie tonight - acorn squash perhaps?

On another note, Ella is getting another toof and she is not happy about it! Let's just say it's always "Toof-hurty" in Ella-time. So, we are using Orajel, Tylenol, cold wash cloths, pacifiers, and fingers to help relieve the pain in her teef.

Gratuitous cuteness...

Baby girl slept through the night in her crib for the past three nights! This is a feat on two accounts. First, the fact that she slept all night three nights in a row is a miracle. I call sleeping through the night sleeping at least 8 hours. Ella slept from 9ish until 9ish two nights, and I woke her up around 6ish this morning to go to the sitter's. Second, sleeping in her crib in her own room is a new occurrence. Before she was born, I planned for her to sleep in her pack n play in our room for the first 3 months. Then, she turned 3 months and I wasn't ready to be so far away from her at night (about 20 feet away). I liked being able to peek over the side of the bed to see her peacefully sleeping anytime I woke up. I liked scooping her up in the bed with me for nighttime feedings. I liked co-sleeping with her on occasion. But, my baby girl is almost 6 months old, and I think it is finally time for her to sleep in her own room. Obviously, she doesn't mind a bit. I think she actually sleeps better in her crib. But, I am still a little nervous about her being so far away. I layed awake last night wondering if she was still breathing in there. Finally, I just had to get up to check on her. She was fine, of course. How she can survive being so far away is beyond me.

Ella sleeps best on her stomach. Now, before you judge me for putting my child to sleep on her stomach instead of her back, thereby sentencing her to death via SIDS, consider our situation. Either I lay her down on her stomach and let her drift to sleep peacefully, or I lay her on her back and listen to her cry until I pick her up. Ella doesn't feel secure when she lays on her back. Her arms flail, her legs kick, and she cries uncontrollably and consistently until I comfort her. If you are a mommy, you understand why I put her to sleep on her stomach. However, if you aren't a mommy, I know you are judging me for doing such a horrible thing to my child.

Aren't mommies crazy? First I thought my little baby couldn't possibly survive being away from me for more than a few minutes. Then, Chuck and I went out on our first post-baby date, and miraculously, Ella was alive and kicking when we returned home. I thought that she couldn't possibly survive by drinking formula instead of my pure, nourishing breastmilk. But again, she drank the formula down like it was the best stuff on earth. Well, Ella couldn't possibly sleep all night in the other room - so far away from mommy! Surprise, surprise - she was perfectly fine. Babies are much more independent and resilient than mommies think. Ella has surprised me time after time. She's growing up too fast. Next, she'll be learning to drive.

After having the video camera for about a year, I was finally able to create an awesome DVD. This DVD contains tidbits of Ella's life from before she was born to the present! Won't the Grandparent's be happy! Now, I just need to figure out how to get video onto the blog...

So, for fun, I asked a psychic when we would have another baby and what the sex will be. She said we would have our next baby in March 2007, and it will be a boy.

Why won't this girl sleep???? Ella was awake until 12am last night. At 8pm, I gave her a bottle, and she barely sucked it all down before she was off chillin' with Morpheus. Then, about 45 minutes later, she was wide awake and ready to party! So, we hung out for awhile. At nearly 10pm, I decided that it was seriously time for little girls to go to sleep, so I turned on the CD player, snuggled down in the glider, and rocked Ella. Fifteen minutes later, she was sound asleep again. I held her for about 20 minutes, then I figured I could safely put her in her crib and go to bed myself. I was wrong. The second Ella's back hit the mattress, her eyes popped open and she was ready to party again. I was very frustrated and very tired at this point, so I went to solicit the help of Chuck. I don't know exactly what I wanted him to do, but I wanted him to do something - anything. He could see that I was about to lose it, so he graciously volunteered to take over trying to convince Ella it was sleepy-time, not party-time. She finally fell asleep and stayed asleep around midnight.
Is teething keeping her awake? She doesn't act grumpy and she doesn't seem to hurt in any way, so I have a hard time believing teething is the problem. She doesn't sleep too much during the day (I think), and we follow our bedtime routine every night. The routine works great on getting her to sleep, but getting her to stay asleep is the problem. I am lost. Tonight we may try some Orajel and maybe even some Tylenol. Any suggestions?

Ella's went to see her friend Natalie this weekend. They had loads of fun, even though Natalie slept most of the time. Good thing Natalie didn't get to close...it looks like Ella might have eaten her. I'll tell you one thing, those sure are two cute babies.

Ella's other friend Stella needs to come over to play soon. Stella is getting big enough now that she can put up a fight if Ella tries to eat her.

I'm going back and forth on the whole solid food thing. Ella seems to need something more than just milk at night because she wakes up hungry if she doesn't get cereal. But, she is having trouble drinking all of her milk during the day. Maybe it is her teething, or maybe we need to wait a couple more weeks and try solid food again. I'm just not sure. My pediatrician told me I could start rice cereal at 4 months, so I've given Ella rice cereal on and off for the past month or so - just to get her used to the texture and taste. Moms on my message board give their babies several feedings of solid food a day and everything is fine, but the AAP says babies don't need solids until they are 6 months (a mere two weeks away for us). There doesn't seem to be a right answer about solids. I guess I will go with the AAP and wait another two weeks to try solids again. But now what am I going to do with the freezer full of baby food? Is everything about parenting so complicated? Something tells me it is...

I've brought you almost up to date with baby Ella. March brings us to Ella's fifth month of life! This is a big month for her - we've already done so much. At the beginning of this month, Ella started eating rice cereal once a day. She wasn't too crazy about it at first, but she is finally getting the hang of it. Although, she has trouble getting it all down the hatch (see the pic below). We also cut down to breastfeeding just twice a day - morning and night. I'll tell you one thing, formula sure does change the way a baby girl poops! Ella's poop immediately got 100% grosser when we started giving her formula. Yuck! But, Mommy's boobies were hurting, so they needed a rest.

Next, Ella got a toof (tooth)! She got her first toof on March 9, 2006. It is the lower left central incisor. In my opinion, it was about time! She had been drooling for months. Apparently, getting a tooth also means that she doesn't want to sleep, because she hasn't been sleeping much at all lately.

The next accomplishment in Ella's life was sitting up all by herself! Yeah, so it's kind of in a tripod stance - legs spread, hands down in front - but it's still sitting up! She just started doing this really well yesterday and today.

Finally, Ella ate real food - veggies, that is - butternut squash to be exact. Saturday, Katy, Ella, and I went to Whole Foods and bought butternut squash, acorn squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, apples, bananas, and pears - all organic and all tasty. Then, I came home and began to bake, steam, and microwave all of the goodies. After everything was cooked, I threw each item in the blender, added some water, and pureed the snot out of it all! I made 17 ice cube trays worth of baby food in about 3 hours. That's not bad if you ask me! Ella tried the butternut squash first, and it was a hit. However, she does not enjoy her squash mixed with rice cereal.

On March 12, 2006, Ella weighed 18lbs!!

By the time February rolled around, Chuck, Ella, and I were in a groove. We had the pick up/drop off schedule down, Ella didn't mind going to the sitter, and I didn't mind leaving her as much. Balancing work, school, Ella, Chuck, the dogs and cats, friends, and family is enough to keep any girl busy. So, my life is pretty crazy. Work is kind of like a vacation for me - I'm used to it, and I can get things done easily there.

One major event in Ella's life in February is that she rolled over for the first time! She rolled from back to belly on February 21 and from belly to back on February 22. Luckily, I was home with her and saw her rolling both times! Now she is a rolling machine and won't stay on her back more than a few seconds. She "swims" while she is on her belly, so crawling should be just around the corner! I can't believe how much she has changed!