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: