Always Playing

Ella is ALWAYS playing and having fun, whether or not there are toys nearby. When I put her down to change her, she starts smiling and thinks its a fun game; when I get her in PJs after a bath she thinks her jammies are a toy and starts grabbing them and trying to stuff them in her mouth; anytime she is wearing a dress she treats it like a built-in game and spends her time pulling it up and trying to eat it. She'll grab my hair, Steve's hair, touch our faces, my necklace, Sammy's leg, really anything she can get her little hands on, she is just always having a good time.

Here are some pics of her playing over the past few weeks.

Laughing because daddy is kissing her feet


Standing up and having fun


Telling daddy about her day


Lots to talk about!


Working on those neck muscles


Reaching for the camera


Playing with her keys


Peekaboo with a blanket


Smiley girl!

That is SOME Belly

Not much more to say!

Fun with Nomar

Lately every time Ella sees either of the dogs or the cat, she just breaks into a big smile and seems to think they are very funny. Even when they don't look at her or come anywhere near her, she just gets a kick out of looking at them. Here she is practicing sitting up in the boppy and Nomar got close enough for her to "pet" him...you can see the rest!

Ooooh, who's that?


Leaning forward to reach him...


Got his tail!


He must not mind since he's coming back for more...


Starting to lose her balance but refusing to give up


Mommy, why won't he stay still for me?

First Father's Day

Father's Day was Sunday, June 14 and we had a very nice day. I cooked breakfast for Steve (for anyone that knows our weekend routine, this is a BIG deal) and we celebrated with Ella.

When I took her shopping to pick out a card for Steve, she actually grabbed the card herself and held it while we walked around the store. It was precious. Here she is that day helping her daddy read it!



I got Steve a mug with his favorite pic of Ella on it; she helped with the wrapping paper


And Mom got Steve a digital photo frame full of pics of our little family and Ella couldn't wait to open the box!

Parent Teacher Conference

I had Ella's first "Parent-Teacher Conference" on June 12. Although it's kind of hard to believe there is much structure to a 5 month's old day, our day care has a set curriculum that they follow and even though it's all play, there is a method behind it. And it's different for every baby based on how old they are. So, even the infant classroom has parent-teacher conferences.

They of course told me how great it is to have Ella in class (that was a no-brainer) and I got her very first report card.

From her report card, here are her current skills:
- sits up in chair
- supports body weight on legs
- supports self in exersaucer
- wraps fingers around objects
- shakes objects
- smiles and laughs at friends, teachers, and toys
- cooing and babbling
- very observant
- reaches for and bats at toys
- cause and effect

Here are her goals for the next 6 months:
- sitting up without assistance
- go from laying down to sitting up
- clapping
- waving
- dancing
- foods

Pretty cute, huh?

The only downside was that I got to spend an extra 1/2 hour playing with Ella there and it was sooooo hard to go back to work for the afternoon.

Here she was that morning

Playing with her feet

Ella discovered her feet a few weeks ago and loves holding on to one or both of them at once. Today she was especially cute playing with her little tootsies.

Reaching for her foot


Got it!


Going for the other one


Starting to tip over


Whoa!!


Look at me!


Made it :) (this is point I scooped her up to try again)


Showing off her chunky-monkey-ness


Could she be any cuter???

Family Day

Today was Family Day for Steve's work and Ella had her first pony ride (with Daddy's help!)

Dad and Donna's Visit

Dad and Donna came up for a visit yesterday and Ella had a great time playing with her Grandma and Grandad

First Bottle of Formula

After 5 months of nothing but breast milk, we gave Ella her first bottle of formula on Friday night. Around 4 1/2 months it started becoming harder and harder to keep up with how much milk she needs and so after thinking about it long and hard we decided to give her first bottle of formula on Friday after work. She drank it really easily and didn't seem to think anything of it - not sure what I was expecting, but I didn't know it would be that easy. That night she slept from 8:30 pm to 5:30 am, and I wonder if having a full tummy was part of her long sleep that night. So, the plan is to give her one bottle of formula a day for the rest of this month, and then we will introduce solid foods at 6 months. Yesterday she was not as receptive to the formula bottle and actually refused it; today I gave it to her when she was really hungry and she drank it right away, so I think the key is to only try to feed it to her when she's really hungry (at least for now until she gets used to it).

Here's a pic from her first bottle on Friday:


See how she is trying to hold the bottle too? she's so cute :)

Hanging out after her big meal

Ella is 5 Months - June 5

Ella turned 5 months old on June 5. This has been the month where she has amazed me the most with what she has learned - the increase in awareness of what's going on around her, the way she can actually reach and grab for things now, and she has even now discovered her feet! She has such a little personality already and we learn more about her and enjoy her more every single day.

Here are some pics from the end of her 5th month:

We had our friends visit for Memorial Day, this is me, Tara and Ben


Ben and Sammy


Mom with the little bunny after bathtime


Smiley Girl



Little Angel Face


So cute!!



In her first skirt!



Having fun in the morning



Fun with Mommy

Rolling the OTHER Way

Lately Ella has been using her head to move her around - she will throw her head to the side and kind of let it lead her body and can move a little bit that way. She'll end up in the far corner of her crib, or even upside down, from the middle of the crib where we originally put her down.

Today she was playing on her back in the gymini and was trying to pull the toys her into her mouth. She was able to get herself into the corner and started pulling the side bar toward her. She used it to pull herself all the way over, on to her belly! She was so proud of herself once she made it that she propped her head up and gave me a big smile. I thought it may have been a fluke but then she did it again, the same exact way. I don't think she would've been able to if not for the sidebar that she grabbed on to, or without the toys (and mirror) to motivate her, but it was pretty incredible.

Holding a Toy

Here is Ella holding a toy






It is really incredible how much she's learned in the past month!!

Fun Times

Having a good laugh at Sammy & Cory


Playing with her toys




In her new gym from grammy & gramps


Mommy is so funny! :)