New things

She has a few new things now.
On Thursday, June 4, I was giving her some little baby puffs. They're kinda like cereal, but really puffy so that when they hit her tongue, they begin to dissolve immediately. I was putting them in her mouth, but then she grabbed one. I made the sign for eat & told her to eat it. So she popped it in her mouth!! Wow! I should have done that a long time ago! I didn't know she understood me! She's catching on to more signs.

Every morning when we get up, I look over at the mirror next to the bed. I wave at us, and say, "Hi Mommy, Hi Ella!" She started doing that a few days ago, unprompted. Now, whenever she sees herself in the mirror, she waves. It's pretty darn cute. She will also wave to people, if you tell her to. Sometimes you have to get her arm started, but she will do it eventually! :D
What a sweetheart!

Standing now!

Yesterday, Brad called me while I was at work to tell me that she had starting standing on her own. She had done it for a split second a few times before. Yesterday, she started standing on her own for a little longer. It's still just a second or two.

Her new thing is making an O with her mouth & then saying OOOOO, but like an old man. It's pretty funny, especially when she raises her head high. It makes her neck look so thin underneath those huge cheeks!!

Crawling & 2 more teeth!

This weekend we began packing. I had originally planned to use the holiday weekend to completely move out, but that wasn't possible. We're worried about leaving the house alone with our stuff still inside. We don't have a good place to move all of the furniture. Chris has some storage space, but Carol is worried about mice & wetness. So I don't think that would be a good idea. We just need to stay put until we get everything out. It's pretty dangerous. We don't go outside unarmed.

On Friday, May 14, we were driving home after dropping Ella off with Carol. Brad drove down Montgomery past the crappy gas station & we were stopped at a stoplight. Someone threw a rock at his car. The windows were closed, so it bounced off of the rear passenger side window - Ella's window. We turned our heads & saw someone running. There were so many people out, it would have been impossible to figure out which ones did it. I was so upset, I just began shaking & crying. I had my gun in my lap, and I just wanted to start shooting everyone on the sidewalk. That's not good. I shouldn't feel like that.

Then, last Wednesday, I was taking Ella to work to meet Brad. As I walked out to the garage, I noticed the neighbor with the white van was outside. When I put Ella in her carseat, I noticed the van had pulled out, but was in the center of the driveway. The door opened, and the guy got out & went behind the bushes. He stared at my car for a few minutes, thinking I couldn't see him. I sat frozen, waiting for him to come toward us. Again, my gun was in my lap. Eventually, he went inside & I drove off without closing the garage door. I worried all day about Brad going back there. I was worried that he would be waiting inside the garage for him to come back.

Ella now has her top 2 teeth, they came in at the same time. Brad says it was May 24. I didn't even know they had officially broken through until Carol saw them, and then Brad said, "yeah they came in." They had been trying to come in for a few weeks or so. She also began crawling on May 1. She started doing a sideways crab-like crawl for a day or so, but quickly figured out how to move efficiently. It's so funny when she gets moving so fast! Her body tries so hard to keep up with her fast little legs. She can really move!

Ella's favorite things now:
She tries to put on her clothes. If she sees them laying somewhere, she picks them up & puts them on her head. Then she pulls the sides down, like she's trying to pull over her head. She doesn't, of course, never gets the hole for her head in the right place. It's still pretty stinkin' cute!

She is still only saying DADA. I think she's trying to say dog, and milk, but can't get the words out! She says MMMMM when she's hungry, and tries to make the sign for milk. She really likes sign language, and smiles when I tell her what things are.

I got her a book with lots of textures, it's her favorite. She also likes Isabelle's old book with puppies in it. The one on the cover is her favorite. It has long fluffy hair.

She hates having her diaper changed, and tries to wiggle away once you get it off. I think she likes to be naked, she gets upset when I dress her!

She pulls herself up on everything to stand. The other day, she got on top of a diaper box. She stayed there on all fours for a few seconds, then fell off. She can now walk along the couch from one side to another. She is really trying to stand, without any prompting from us.

She understands "No," and will usually stop playing with things when you say it. Last night, I was making dinner while she & Brad were in the living room. She kept trying to graba small flashlight from the table. Brad told her "No," firmly. She cried each time he said it. She was upset that she couldn't play with it! She's learning so quickly now!

Baby Teeth

Ella has her first 2 teeth now. The first one showed up on March 31, the second one made it's appearance sometime this past week. We're not really sure when they came in, it's REALLY hard to get her to show us. I usually see them when she's yelling at me or when I'm feeding her. Anyway, she now has 2 tiny little white teeth coming up through the gums. They're adorable! She keeps sticking out her tongue to feel them. Then she squeals, but she does it with her tongue out. It's hilarious!

She's getting much more mobile now. Sometime in the past few weeks, she's gotten better at inching her way forward on her hands & knees. I wouldn't say she's crawling yet, but she's trying to figure it out. Between pushing off with her back feet & rolling/sitting up, she can definitely get around.

Last night, we were playing on her rug with some toys. I went into the other room to make dinner while Brad stayed in the living room with her. He called me back in after a few minutes to show me what she was doing. She had made her way to the table & was looking on the bottom shelf for something to play with. She found a shoe, and was trying to get back out when I walked in. He said she had done that just before - when she pulled out a book & began playing with it. It's so amazing to see her little mind developing right in front of us.

On Wednesday night, we had a terrible scare. We were driving home from the pharmacy - Brad needed to fill a prescription for eye drops - $40! So much for "good" health insurance, eh?
Anyhoo, Ella was in the backseat, I was driving & Brad was in the passenger seat. I heard a little sound, like she was playing. I looked in my mirror and saw her face completely red, with something white in her open mouth. I was driving through an intersection, so I pulled forward, but stopped in the middle of the road. Luckily, there was no one behind me. I put on my hazard lights, took off my seat bealt, and was in the backseat in one quick motion. I pulled the white thing out of her mouth, wondering where it had come from. I only give her soft toys in the car, and there wasn't anything even close to the carseat that she could have pulled close to her. I realized that it was a tag from the headrest of the carseat. I thought that was a safe place for her. I never would have imagined that she would be able to pull those tags off. They're not exactly loose. Needless to say, I removed all other tags from the seat, and will be doing the same with everything in our house. I also sent an email to Graco, letting them know that this happened, so they can change the way they make the headrests. There are tags on the back, I think they need to put all of them out of baby's reach. This car seat is the exact seat she should be using for her age. She's not using a booster seat or anything, just a standard infant to toddler seat.

Luckily, she is perfectly fine. I can't help but imagine what would have happened if I hadn't looked in the mirror. She would have been dead by the time we got home, and neither one of us would have known. Nobody ever told me how stressful it is being a mother.

Chilly 1999-2009

I don't know her birthday, but she died on 3/22. She was our first pet for our new apartment in 1999. We weren't allowed to have dogs, and since Brad's allergic to cats, that wouldn't work either. So, we decided to go with a less conventional pet & get a chinchilla. We tried to play with her & get her accustomed to being held, but she never really liked to be out of her cage. I have a few short videos of us playing with her, but that's about all. I don't have a lot of pictures, either, since they had to be taken with her inside the cage. Nevertheless, she was a part of our lives for almost 10 years, and we were sad to see her go. I was hoping that she would live a little longer, maybe 15 years or so. Some live to be in their 20s.
We were getting ready to go to bed on Sunday night when Brad noticed her laying at the bottom of her cage - on her side. She didn't do that too much, so he was worried. He opened the cage & she just laid there. He picked her up and held for a bit. She was breathing really slowly, and we knew it wouldn't be long. We tried to give her some banana, but she wouldn't even open her mouth. It must have been old age, everything else seemed to be fine. She had been hopping around a few days before, in usual Chilly fashion.

We will miss you.

Stinker!

This morning, she pulled herself upright using the rails on her bed. I went in the other room to get some clothes for myself, and came back to see this! Actually, she had her hands in the air pulling at the animals in her mobile. I suppose it's already time to lower the bed!

She loves trying her new foods! I started sweet potatoes this week. I'm not sure if she really likes them, or is getting used to having new textures, but she didn't make the "yuck" face when I first gave them to her. I baked 2 sweet potatoes & mashed them, then I put most of the puree into a silicone ice cube tray. Once they were frozen, I popped them out & put them into a baggie. I like to be able to make her food, I know exactly where it's been & don't have to worry about contamination or weird things being added.

She also like it when Brad grabs her head on each side with his hands. She grabs onto his hands & giggles when he moves her head around. She really loves being with him. This week, he had a Neurologist & Optometrist appointment. Carol came up to watch her while Brad was in the office. She only wanted daddy! She's really beginning to prefer our company over other people. I would think that Carol would be preferable too, since she sees her so much.

DADA!

As of yesterday, Ella is constantly saying Da & DaDa. I'm not sure she knows what she's saying, but it's adorable anyway. I can tell she's really trying to listen when I talk. I don't think it will be long before she says Mama. She makes the sound too, but not as often as Dada.

On March 6 (her 6 month birthday), I got her to really giggle. It was precious! I had to record her. I should upload the videos to YouTube so people can see my little sweetie! She was really entertained with a sock in my hand.

We went to the doctor yesterday and she now weighs 15.11 lbs. & is 26 inches long. The pumpkin seat that we have says you should only use it up to 26 inches. Yesterday was the last day she rode in that seat. I'm going to give it to one of Brad's clients so she can use it when she has her baby. It's going to expire before we can use it on our next baby. I think the bases will be good, so we can just get another seat next time.
She always lifts her head when she's laying on her back - whether you're changing her diaper or playing with her. She doesn't like to lay down. I think she feels like she's missing something when her head is down. The doctor felt her ab muscles & said they were really strong. I said that they should be, with all of the crunches she does!!

Rolling Over

On Valentine's Day, she rolled over a few times, completely on her own. She even moved her arm out of the way. We don't play on the floor as much as we should, but she's getting pretty good at rolling over nonetheless. Also, as of Valentine's Day, she can sit on her own. In the weeks since, she's really gottten good at it. She doesn't throw herself back at all anymore, and catches herself when she starts to lean. Last night, we went to the grocery store & she sat in the cart. What a big girl!! I had my coat around it so she couldn't chew on the nasty bar & everything else. It also supported her pretty well. She almost fell asleep until we got to the checkout & she heard all of the beeping. Then she started talking to the checkouts. I don't know why.

Brad is having more fun with her every day. I love watching the two of them play. They're really starting to enjoy each others company. Yesterday, he told me she spent most of the day making new noises & talking. She was in a great mood last night, too. In the bathtub, she sat in her little seat. When she tried to get some toys, she tried to stand up & ended up on her belly inside the seat. She didn't even care - just wanted the toy!

She also pulls herself up to stand when you hold her hands. She hasn't done this by holding onto any other things, but I think it's just a matter of time! She's losing her wobble when she stands too! Her feet are finally flat on the floor while she's in the bouncer. She loves that thing. I can put her in there in the mornings while I'm getting ready for work. It usually keeps her entertained long enough for me to finish.

Thumbsucker!

She has decided that now she likes the taste of her thumb. On Sunday, she kept putting it in her mouth & sucking on it. Very strange. Up until then, she didn't have a preference, just putting any combination of fingers in her mouth. She's even doing it right now. I wonder how long she will do this, I hope it doesn't ruin her teeth - we already have bad teeth in the family.

Discoveries

Since the last post, Ella has discovered the following:
Her feet - but usually only during a diaper change
Her right ear - apparently the left is hidden
She can pull the toy in her bouncer to make it sing (it's a little monkey that plays "If you're happy & you know it...")

She is getting back to her AWESOME sleeping habits - sleeping for about 5-7 hours again. It's SOOOO nice!
She likes to blow bubbles & makes raspberry sounds with her mouth. The other night, I wanted to see what she would do if I was "asleep" while feeding her. She stopped, looked up at me, and started cooing. I tried to keep my eyes closed, but she was so cute, I couldn't bear to let her down. She would start to giggle, and then coo some more. It was precious!

We had a real giggle on Saturday. I was tickling her chin & she let out a really loud one. Brad got out the camera so we could get it on tape, but she stopped. :( I can't get her to do it again. But, she is really starting to make lots of noise. She likes to coo in bed in the morning when she's ready to get up. If she wants to go back to sleep, she cries & keeps her eyes shut!