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!

Baby sleep

Baby girl has been having a hard time staying asleep lately. Right now, I'm sitting downstairs waiting for her to finish crying. She stops & starts again. It's really hard for me to be in there and hear her crying. It makes me really sad. I hope we don't have to do this cry-it-out method for too many more nights.

In lighter news, last sunday, we bought her a jumperoo to play in. The woman I bought it from insisted that she wouldn't be able to have any fun in it yet. She said that her 3.5 month old had to have a pillow under his feet so he could touch the floor. She could touch the floor, and starting bouncing within a few minutes. But, apparently she's pretty tall for her age. She in the 95th percentile again at this month's checkup. I don't know where the height is coming from, maybe her grandpa.
I was hoping that the bouncer would encourage her to grab at the toys. At first, she just stood there & stared at them, but after only 3 days, she's spinning the toys & grabbing at them. I didn't think it would happen this fast! She's been trying to grab at things, so I kept trying to hold toys for her. Now she's starting to hold them for herself. That's pretty exciting. Brad said she even spinned herself around to play with a new toy on the other side. Yay!

Also, Brad plays a new game with her, he makes a raspberry sound with his mouth. She repeats it, just makes a lot of drool in the process. She also likes to chew on her hands a lot, that also makes for a lot of drool. So, she spends most of her time these days with a bib around her neck.

Well, she's been quiet for a while now, so I'm going to try to go to bed. Wish me luck!

TREE DAY!!!

We had the best day of the year on "Black Friday." Most people spend the day doing their Xmas shopping, but in my family, we decorate my parents' house for Xmas. We play music, watch movies, eat lots of sweets, and of course, Thanksgiving leftovers while decorating the house. My job is to set up the tree. It sounds like a simple task, but my mom has been collecting Hallmark ornaments since about 1986. And she buys more than a few each year. They each come wrapped in plastic or bubble wrap, inside a plastic tray, inside a box. Imagine hundreds of ornaments on the tree! When we're done, there aren't many empty branches! My brother & sister spent Thanksgiving night at my house so we could get up early & go shopping. We stayed up too late, and I really didn't have much to shop for, so we went later on in the morning. All we got once we went to the store was supplies for a gingerbread house & some egg nog - a MUST for tree day!

I've never made a gingerbread house before, so I figured it would be fun to do it with the family. Apparently, I really suck at baking. After we had mixed it up, I looked at my sister & asked her if it looked a little light to be gingerbread. She said maybe it gets darker when you bake it. I wasn't so sure. Before I left to go home, I noticed the unopened bottle of molasses I had brought. DANGIT! That's what it was missing! The pieces had already been put in the freezer to keep for the next time - we didn't have time to finish it all on tree day. Maybe when it thaws out, we can add it? I don't know. We may have to start again.



Ella is becoming quite a little character these days. The other morning, I woke up to see her smiling at me. When I smiled back, she let out a really loud giggle. I had spent the night at my parents' house, so they heard her too. She just kept talking and giggling whenever I would talk to her. What a cutie! I got out the video camera, but as always, she pretty much stopped when it was turned on. :(

Brad plays a few games with her. The first one, he holds her hands & helps her stand up. She holds herself upright, just needs to be steadied. Then, he lets her drop down on her butt. In a few seconds, she's ready to stand again. It's really cute.

The second one, he holds her hands again while she's standing & shakes her slowly back & forth. She holds her arms really tight & giggles when we do this one too! When we finish, she tries to do it herself, but it's really shaky! So adorable!