Smile!

This weekend we were very excited to host a small little brunch for some of our family.  We introduced Ella to Adam's godparents for the first time, and Ella received two books from his godmother to add to her growing literature collection.  A brunch of waffles, bacon, eggs, and mini bagels with lox was happily consumed and great conversation was shared around the table.  Times like these make us grateful that we are surrounded by such great family and friends.

Thanks Pete & Anna-Marie for coming out to see us and Ella!  We look forward to future Disneyland trips with you guys!

This weekend also marked (what we think is) the emergence of Ella's social smile.  She has been smiling at us (cheeks and all) for the past couple weeks, but usually the smiles are followed by gas or a lovely surprise in the diaper.  But on Saturday morning Ella treated Adam and me to some pretty sweet facial expressions (only half of them were followed by a bodily function).  So hopefully this the beginning of her new way of communicating with us!

Needless to say, we melt every time!

Party!

Last Saturday we had the privilege of seeing one of my good friends from Jr. High, Austin, and his family.  It was so surreal to be celebrating the marriage and housewarming of his mom and her new husband with both our spouses and kids in tow!  I still feel like I'm twelve years old, so it still shocks me when I realize how "grown up" I really am (and how far we've both come).  It was such a great evening and Adam and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  It was also Ella's first party and she did great!  She was awake the entire time, enjoying the fresh evening air and watching the people and activity.  It was definitely the past colliding with the present, and I am grateful and appreciative of enduring friendships.

I can barely remember my keys, so of course, I failed to bring a camera to snap a picture from the night.  So I snagged this off of our friends' blog.  (Hope you guys don't mind!)

Hello, Panda!

Where has the week gone?  I swear I went to bed Sunday night and woke up to Friday!  And already today has flown by and the weekend is knocking on our door.  Not that I can complain since the weekend means lots of Adam and Ella time.  But as I type this, I am also staring at a pile of bills yet to be paid and an inbox full of emails I have yet to respond to.  I think Ella is approaching a developmental leap (see: The Wonder Weeks) and has been a bit more demanding than usual, so time in front of the computer has been limited.  She's been crying a little more and wanting more physical attention.  At the same time it feels like she's been growing leaps and bounds.  She's starting to focus on more objects and see patterns all around her (she especially loves the shadows cast by the wooden slats on our pergola).  She now spends time lounging in her bassinet watching her toys hanging above her.  She occasionally reaches her arms out as if she wants to grab them (though I know most of her movement is still involuntary).  Her Aunt Ashley taped a drawing of a panda bear above her changing table making diaper changes a great experience for her.  She loves looking at the panda and talking to it.  I wouldn't be surprised if she starts saying "I want to see the panda bear" in place of "I have to potty" when she gets older.  The most exciting development is that Ella started cooing yesterday.  This is huge for us because all she does is grunt and make power tool noises.  We were resigned to the fact that our little girl would sound like a disgruntled old man.  So, it's definitely refreshing to hear such a cute, pleasant sound come from her instead of a loud, guttural noise!  And who was the "a-goo" directed towards?  The panda of course!

Because posts are more exciting with visuals, here are some recent pictures of Ella:

Daddy, What A Big Building You Have!

Adam has been super busy with work with the building of a new facility.  Ella and I were able to visit him to see the progress.  She was super impressed (as impressed as a newborn can be).  It's hard to imagine that soon enough she will be running around the warehouse, learning how to roller skate and drive forklifts (just like I did when I visited my dad).

3 a.m. Feedings

Even though I miss getting a solid night's sleep, I do enjoy our little quiet times together when I feed Ella in the middle of the night.  I especially love when she falls asleep on me after she's done nursing.  I couldn't resist documenting the tender moments.

Happy Birthday, Mia!

Hard to believe that our furbaby turned 5!  We are so happy to have her be a part of our family.  Even though we had a rocky start when we adopted her, she has flourished here and is definitely a very important member of this household.  We know Ella and her will be best buds in no time!  Happy Birthday, Mims!

A special birthday bone.

Mia wouldn't be the pug she is today without her little brother keeping her young and spritely.

5 is the new 1.  She's still a puppy at heart.

Ella & Mia

One night we let Mia hang out on the bed with us while we sponge bathed Ella.  She discovered my breastfeeding pillow and decided to make herself at home.

They like sharing space.  This is the start of a beautiful friendship!

Rock'n the Rock n' Play

I try to avoid overbuying baby items (well, with the exception of clothes--I can't resist a cute onesie), but we realized Ella needed something beside her bassinet to lounge in while she was downstairs during the day.  I purchased the Fisher Price Newborn Rock n' Play after reading some favorable reviews about it.  I also like that it's compact and lightweight.  With the exception that you have to be the one that does the rocking, we are really happy with it.  Ella likes it a lot, too, especially when she wants some time to herself to just lounge and observe the world on her own.  Here she is hanging out in it this past weekend:

Freedom!

Ella is five weeks now, so we decided to try starting her on the bottle.  I was very anxious for this because I want to be able to give her another source for food.  So for the sake of date nights, mani-pedis, and just some "mommy time," I was really crossing my fingers that she'd take the bottle.  I've been pumping for the past week to bank some milk for occasions that I need to be away from her for more than 2-3 hours at a time in anticipation for this.  I was a little apprehensive that she would reject drinking from the bottle because she's been rejecting the pacifier and had a very hard time learning to breastfeed and latch on in the beginning.  I'm happy to report that with only two attempts, she took the bottle and Adam was able to feed his daughter for the first time.  I am so glad we easily found a bottle brand that she likes, and she has learned to drink from the bottle fairly easily.  For those of you who have not breastfed, this may seem like a small accomplishment.  But for those who have breastfed, you know that this spells F-R-E-E-D-O-M from being a constant 24/7 milk buffet.  Needless to say, we are super excited and so proud of her!

Attempt No. 1
(She gagged on the ThinkBaby nipple and eventually spit up whatever milk she did manage to get down)

Attempt No. 2
(She liked the BornFree bottle and nipple much more and started drinking pretty easily.  Woohoo!)

Pug Meets Nature

Sometimes Remy likes to stop and smell the dandelions.

Well Visit One

We had our one month well visit today with the pediatrician and we are happy to report that Ella is thriving!  She is now 8 lbs. 6 oz., which means she gained 1 lb. 3 oz. since her last visit two weeks ago.  She is definitely living up to her nickname--milk monster.  She's now in the 25th percentile for weight, and the 50th percentile for height (she's now 21.5" long).  She probably will never be a rolly-polly baby, but we are appreciating her slim build.  We all got a laugh from her noisy ways while at the doctor's office.  We definitely have a little grunter on our hands!

Since Adam took some time off work to go with us to Ella's check up, he also scheduled a much-needed hair cut.  We brought Ella to meet our friend and stylist, Christy.  She thoroughly enjoyed her big outing (and we were happy that the day went pretty smoothly)!

Birthday Cheer

Thirty one years ago he came into this world.

Seven years ago he came into my life.

Almost four years ago he became my happily every after.

One month ago he became the most important man to our little baby girl.

Happy Birthday, Adam.  

Ella and I are the two luckiest girls in the world.  Thank you for loving us each and every single day.

Adam's not a huge fan of cake, so we got him one of his favorite desserts--ice cream bars!

A Newborn Pacifist

Ella has developed a habit of pacifying herself on me when she nurses.  We have been going back and forth on starting her on a pacifier, but finally decided to because we wanted her to learn to self-soothe.  We tried the Nuk brand pacifiers first, but they made her gag.  We switched to Dr. Brown's, which seems to work better.  She's inconsistent about taking it, but when she does, she seems pretty content.  Time will tell if she actually sticks with it.  So far, Aunt Ashley is the only one who can give it to her (usually around our dinner time, which gives us some relief).

The One Month Celebration

 In celebration of Ella turning one month old, my mom prepared roasted pork, sticky rice, and red hard-boiled eggs to give to friends and family.  We can't believe a month has already gone by.  While it's been a lot of work (and not without a fair share of tears and trepidation), it's been one of the most rewarding months watching our little girl grow.  I know time is going to fly in the next few months and years, so I'm trying to remind myself that I should be treasuring these moments.  I'm definitely eager for when she'll sleep through the night and other milestones, but I also know that this newborn stage is so unique.  I'm even learning to enjoy our late/middle of the night feedings where it's just me and her cuddling by lamplight.  She's even gotten into the habit of "hugging" me while she falls asleep on my chest.  Love it.

One Month Old

Time flies when you're fresh out of the womb!

Peace & Quiet

All three babies are asleep at the same time, allowing me two VERY productive hours.
(Shout out to the Boppy for getting Ella to sleep on her own in her bassinet.)

Welcome, Ella

I solicited Kathie, my sister-in-law/photographer extraordinaire, to take Ella's first professional pictures when she was two-weeks old.  We were surprised how cooperative Ella was during the shoot, even laying still on a ledge (yeah, Mom wasn't so keen on the idea, but Dad was right there just in case).  The images came back beautiful and we are sure to cherish these pictures for many years to come.  Here are a few of our favorites!