Picture Post

Here are many pictures from the past few weeks -

Ella always wants to push the little cart at the grocery store but usually we have way too big of a trip to make so it seems like it'd be a disaster. One night we had a really quick trip and were just picking up a few things so I let her push it. I definitely was glad for the tall bar, because she needed a little steering help, but she did great and really enjoyed being in charge of the cart, and it was actually a little break for me!


In her Minnie Mouse costume. We had to call her "Minnie" for an entire evening!


Sleeping with her treasures - Glow Man from Grampy G and her shakey toy from the circus from Grammy


Making pizza


Kiss for Daddy


Climbing at Cooper's birthday party


Riding a scooter with some help from Daddy


Beautiful girl






Wearing the hairnet and mask she got from her vet tour with Grampy G - she told me she had to make notes about Cory and then said she needed to go find a shot...I told her let's sticking to making notes and spare Cory the shot (eek!)


Valentine's gel clings from Granddad and Grandma


Drinking out of her heart straw at her Valentine's Day party


Ella and Tess going through all of the Valentines in their shoeboxes at their Valentine's Day party



We knew we were going to have beautiful weather this weekend, so we planned a picnic lunch at Ella's playhouse. She was so excited about it and picked out the menu herself - pita chips and hummus, fruit, and cheese sticks!


With good ol' blankie


Cory and Nomar sleeping together


I was getting gas and she wanted to see how everything worked so I gave her a little gas-pumping lesson. Here she is with a big smile after some life-skills training :)!


In the tunnel at Chick-Fil-A ("Chick-a-lay") at a birthday party


We discovered we have a bird's nest in 2 different trees around the side of our house. We got a new bird feeder in the hopes they'll stick around and lay some eggs and hatch some baby birds. Ella says "those birds are really hungry" and always wants to check on the birds whenever we pull into the driveway.

Twinkle Toes

Ella and I went shopping this morning and got her a bunch of new spring clothes and some new pairs of shoes. She had SUCH an opinion about everything, it was really different from our last big trip where I really picked out everything and she was fine with all of it. She loves pink and pretty much wants to wear pink every single day, so we ended up with tons of pink and I snuck in a few other colors when I could.

Ella has told me that she really wants "stomping shoes", as she calls them, she told me they are shoes that light up when you stomp the ground. Her friend from school has them and she has mentioned them to me several times, but I really didn't know what she was talking about (I was picturing LA Lights). So we got to the shoe section and there was a single pair of the most over-decorated shoes I have ever seen, and Ella was immediately drawn to them and yelled "stomping shoes!" These shoes were NOT attractive - they have a jean base and tons of decorations on them, sequins, all kinds of stuff. She loved them though.

Unfortunately there was just one pair, a size 5 (Ella is now up to a size 8). I told her they were not in her size, which went over very poorly, but I said she could try them on and decide what she thought. She squished her feet in there, told me how beautiful they were, and that they felt okay (ha!). Luckily, when I went through the next aisle, I saw there were a few different pairs in that same style, and they had all the different sizes. She said "oh good, these are tiny" about the other ones, and happily put on the size 8s. Then we even found the light-up ones, which were really what she had been looking for. They look exactly like the other ones, except some of the sequins on the toes light up, they're called "Twinkle Toes." She was completely thrilled with them, carried them through the store, and put them on in the car once we got out to the parking lot.

What made all of this so notable to me is that this is the first purchase where I completely, 100% do not like these shoes at all, but because they are what she wanted, I got them for her. She thinks they're just so great, and even though I struggle to find anything remotely appealing about these sneakers, I really get a kick out of the fact that she has such a strong opinion about them and I do like them because she likes them so much (and of course she thinks that Steve and I think they're just as beautiful as she thinks they are).

To give you an idea of how much she loves her new Twinkle Toes, I will just tell you that when I tucked her in for her nap, her shoes were NOT on her feet...

Ella's Vacation

While Steve and I were on vacation in Cancun, Ella was on a vacation of her own in Charlotte with Mom and Glenn (and across the street from Erin, Josh, and Cameron). She was so excited leading up to the trip, and asked every day when it would be the day that she was leaving for her trip. She even told me that "you and Daddy cannot stay at Grammy's apartment, only me."

We got there late Tuesday night and left Wednesday morning for our trip. We said good-bye to Ella and knew she'd have a great time with everyone while we were gone. They had such a good time together, here are some pictures of their adventures -


Doing dishes, Mom put her to work right away :)


Reading with Grampy G


Fast asleep after a big day of fun


Feeding the ducks



Pretending to drive the car


Having fun with Uncle Josh



Cameron sleeping on Grammy


Mom and Glenn took Ella to the circus one day for her first trip to the circus! They said Ella paid attention the whole time and really enjoyed it. I've asked her many questions since then about it and she is always excited to talk about it, and told me next time I can come to the circus too :).









Eating cotton candy


With Grampy G - after the circus they went and had a picnic lunch


Adorable Cameron


One day Glenn took Ella to PetSmart to look at the animals there and they ended up getting a VIP tour of the vet clinic at PetSmart and got all kinds of goodies.

Whenever we would call and check in, it just made me so happy to know how well everything was going and how much fun Ella was having. With the exception of one day when she didn't want to talk on the phone, she'd always get on the phone too and fill me in on what she was up to. It was so great to hear her sweet voice and really made it easier to enjoy being away knowing what a good time everyone was having.

A very, very big thank you to Mom and Glenn for taking such good care of our little girl while we were away and making being away that much easier! And to Erin, Josh and Cameron for being an excellent Aunt, Uncle and Cousin that Ella can't get enough of!

Cancun

Steve and I went on vacation last week, to Cancun, Mexico! It was incredible - we had no responsibility, no where we had to be, and nothing to do but relax and enjoy ourselves.

We stayed at a resort on the beach and didn't leave once - it was all-inclusive and we ate at different restaurants every night, and spent the days relaxing by the pool or on the beach. We read, talked, laughed, and just enjoyed having such a nice break. We went with our friends and met them there, and it was the perfect mix of time with them and time with just the two of us.

The room type that we had paid for was overbooked so when we got there, we got a free room upgrade to a nicer room that had a separate patio with a screened in porch and a hot-tub right on the porch. We could see the ocean from our room, and could walk everywhere in just a few minutes. There were 3 different pools and a bunch of different bars, even a swim-up bar and a separate bar on the beach. We had a few cloudy days and then a few really sunny days, it was such nice weather, a very welcome change from the really cold weather this winter. Steve's birthday was Sunday and so we celebrated on Saturday, our last night there.

The 2 of us


With our friends Dan and Annie


Pictures from the beach




Ella stayed in Charlotte for her own vacation (much more to come on that!), and we talked to her every day, and Mom texted to give me updates. It made it so much easier to have a good time, knowing how much fun they were all having together. The last time Steve and I went on a real vacation was 4 years ago, to St. Martin, and I remember thinking the trip went by too fast and I wished we were staying longer. As much as we had this time, we were ready to come home because we get to come back to Ella, getting to see her after 4 days of vacation felt like she was the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, we were so excited to see her.

It was really a wonderful vacation and I hope it's not another 4 years before we do it again!!

According to Ella

Ella says funny things every day and really there are just too many to keep track of, but here are some good ones I've managed to write down lately -

She has started saying "Hey, what's the big idea here?" when she is trying to figure something out. I have no idea where she got this one but it is so funny.

My toenail polish was way past due on needing to be taken off. I took it off one afternoon during her nap and that night she noticed that I had no polish on my toes and said "Mommy, you took off your nail polish. Good job! I'm so proud of you!"

I was trying to explain to her about Erin and I being sisters, and she asked me "what about Uncle Josh?" and I said "Uncle Josh is Aunt Erin's husband, they are married. Just like Daddy is my husband, me and Daddy are married." Ella said "ohhh, like Cory is MY husband!"

We were driving home from somewhere and Ella said she had to go potty. I told her we were almost home and she said "No Mommy, we are NOT almost home yet." I said, "okay, tell me when you think we're almost home." A few turns later she said "ok Mommy, NOW we are almost home", ...and she was right.

We were at Dad and Donna's house, and Ella looked around said to them, "do you have a playroom?" And they said no, they don't have a playroom. Then she said "Do you have an upstairs?" They live in a ranch house so don't have an upstairs, so they said no. Then, she said, looking very confused at this, "you get dressed right here?"

I had several piles of folded laundry on the floor outside the laundry room that I was going to finish once Ella went to bed. After I got her out of the bath she said to me "after I put on jammies, I help you with the clothes. That's a lot of piles, you need me to help you!"

Usually she always wants a book or two in bed with her when she goes to bed. One night I asked her if she wanted her books and she said "No, I'm sleepy, I'll just go night-night."

I was reading Ella a book in bed and had to yawn, so I turned my head to the side. Ella said to me "Hey, be careful - you're yawning on my friends, alright? Them be sad!"

The other day she said to me "I'm really tired, I had a lot of work today."

Ella said to me and gave me a big hug - "Mommy you are super cool!" - oh boy I wish I had this one recorded for future!

I call her "little lady" and "little one", so she calls me "little mommy" and "little madam."

Ella ends up in our bed between 3am and 5am almost every single night. One night I asked her why she doesn't want to stay in her bed all night and she said "because there's no people in here!"

She calls herself a super helper and a super girl. She usually says things like "I being a really good listener and using my manners", but the other day I asked her to help me unload the dryer and she said "no, I don't want to be your helper, you need to do it yourself. Okay, Mommy?"

The things that she says are so funny, but even better are the way in which she says everything - the gestures, the hand motions, expressions, etc - it's all just priceless. She is so serious and dramatic about everything, it is just the cutest.

New Gymnastics Class

We took a break from Little Gym during the fall and winter, but I thought she'd enjoy going back to gymnastics because she did ask about it a lot over the last few months and always had such a good time when we went. This time now that she is 3, it's no longer a Parent/Child class and it's just the kids on their own! We signed up with a friend so that Ella will have her buddy in class (and I'll have a buddy to chat with) and tonight was the first class.

Ella was super excited about it, but I was unsure how she'd do once she realized that I really wasn't going in with her. I told her a bunch of times that it's a big girl class where the mommies just watch, and Ella said she understood but then would say something completely opposite like would I help her on the rings, so I really didn't know if she got it or not.

Anyway, once we got there her and it was time for class to start, Ella and Kati held hands and walked in together. I was so proud of her. She did everything with the group and listened to everything the instructors wanted her to do. The class is 3 to 5 year olds so there are older girls in there too, and I think it was neat for her to see the older girls. Her and Kati stuck together most of the time and really had a great time.

She did forward rolls and the balance beam, bars, rings, jumping, balls, all that good stuff. Every so often she'd run by the window and give me a little wave, and I just loved seeing her have such a good time so independently. She came running out at the end and was so smiley and happy, I just felt so proud of her. After almost 2 years of classes together, it feels like such a milestone that now she's on her own in there. And even more amazing, that she did so great on her own and didn't need me being there at all!

3-year Doctor's Appointment

I took Ella to her 3-year checkup on Monday morning. Since Ella turned 3, she now stood on the scale to get weighed and up against the measuring stick (I'm sure there is a real name for that) to get her height measured, and she even had her blood pressure checked (96/52) for the first time!

She weighs 28.5 lbs which is 20-25th percentile, and she is 36 1/2 inches tall, the 35th-40th percentile. They didn't measure her head this time, so I guess that stops at the 2 year appointment, although I'm sure it would be just as robust as always. She gained more than 3 pounds since her 2-year appointment and grew almost 4 inches, she's getting so big!

She refused to say a single word to the doctor except to tell him that she likes to eat chicken and macaroni and cheese. The appointment was quick and easy though and she needed just one vaccine. She cried but was quite pleased with the band-aid and lollipop that she got after.

I dropped her off at school after her appointment around 10 am, and then because we had snow coming, her school was closing at 3:30 for the day. I went and got her around 3, and she said her arm hurt when I was putting her in her carseat. I was thinking I must have twisted her as I got her in her seat, but then later that night she was complaining about it again. Then it occurred to me that it must have been soreness from the site of her vaccine. She is a real trooper though and in general does not complain about pain unless something is really painful, so we were surprised how badly her arm was hurting from just one shot.

After her bath it looked like she had several small bug bites on her skin that popped up out of her nowhere and she was acting kind of cranky, so we thought she was having a mild reaction to the vaccine. On Tuesday morning she woke up covered in hives. They were all over her body, her face, hands, feet, etc.

I was so scared she was having a severe allergic reaction and called the nurse line since the doctor's office was having a delayed opening because we had some ice overnight. The nurse said she doubted it was from the vaccine but probably from something else, although we hadn't given her anything new to eat or any other changes. Once the doctor's office opened we had several phone calls and the doctor thinks she must be allergic to something in the vaccine, and so we gave her Benadryl every 4 hours and just had to make sure she didn't have any serious signs like changes to her breathing, throat or mouth swelling, etc.

Fortunately nothing like that happened, and it was just the hives, which were really itchy to her, and on Wednesday she woke up with a swollen face and the hives over her eyes were worse so that she couldn't open her eyes all the way. She just looked terrible and we felt so sorry for her. By Wednesday night they were fading a lot and she was acting a lot more like herself, hyper and excited and happy. On Thursday she went back to school and still had the rash and was itchy, but over the weekend she got back to 100% again.

It makes me nervous to know that she has an allergy to something in the vaccine, and I hope it's an isolated case and that whatever the ingredient is, is something so unusual that she'll never come in contact with in normal life.

3rd Birthday Party

We had Ella's birthday party last Saturday, January 8. Ella does soccer with Happy Feet at school every week and really enjoys it, so we decided to have her Happy Feet Coach come play with the kids for her party. We held it at the Cultural Center which is just a few minutes from our house. The decorations were a no-brainer because Ella was very clear that her party be all Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

In her birthday shirt before the party


Checking things out at the party room with Aunt Tesie


With Grandad


We had playdoh and many playdoh tools for the kids to play with, and we put together little foam sticker puppets. We ate pizza and the kids got in plenty of running-around time.

Having fun with her best buddies from school, Gillian and Tess




Ella and Elise


Dominic looking adorable as always


Sweet brothers


With Grammy


The Wards


Teresa and Carmen, who came all the way from MD for Ella's party


Little cutie Morgan ("Baby Morgan" as Ella calls her) - although she is almost 1 now, not a baby much longer!


So cute with Daddy


Big hug from Tess


The 3 of us


When it was time for Happy Feet, I had planned to watch and take pictures while all the kids played with Coach Sarah. However, Ella would have none of that, and as soon as she sat down against the wall, she starting yelling "Mommy, come here", patting the ground next to her, so I did Happy Feet too :). I wasn't really able to get any pictures, but did manage to get my camera out for a second to catch them getting ready to do the parachute!


After Happy Feet it was time for cake! When we were talking about her upcoming party, Ella went back and forth on whether she wanted a cake or cupcakes. She knew she wanted Mickey Mouse on top, but sometimes would say 'cake' and sometimes 'cupcake.' I decided to go with the best of both worlds and got a pull-apart cake that is all cupcakes but frosted like a cake. I was really happy with how it came out, and more importantly, Ella was very happy with it!



On Ella's birthday night, we had a cake with 3 candles that she blew out on the first try, with no trouble. It was a different story at her party. We sang Happy Birthday and after I put the cake in front of her she first looked at it like she had no idea what to do, and then gave a few half-hearted blows and I think got just one out. Luckily her Mommy is an expert candle-blower-outer and I took care of the others :)







Being silly with Grandma and Grandad


With Grammy and Grampy G


VERY sleepy at the end of her party!


It was a great party - A very big thank-you to our family and friends who came to celebrate with us, we were so happy to have you there for Ella's special day!