foodie

I grew up eating a variety of foods, and I really want Ella to have a well-developed palate, too.  And since her Puo-Puo's love language is basically feeding a person, I felt it especially important that Ella has a taste for Asian foods.  Thankfully, she's willing to try almost anything we offer her (unless she's having a toddler moment and just refuses to put anything in her mouth).  She loves the standard noodles and rice, but I've been trying to expose her to more exotic selections.

We had dim sum with both grandmas and Ella ate everything as usual.  This time she tried coagulated pork blood for the first time, and surprised me by eating four large pieces.  She's much happier than she appears in the picture, though.

E loves dim sum with Puo Puo.

She's tried it before, but she definitely prefers her durian frozen.

While not exotic, Ella had her first taste of boba.  It's definitely a right of passage when growing up in So. California!

fun

Ella loves sitting in her Moses basket-turned-toy bin and lounging with her stuffed animals.  Every morning when she wakes up, she points to it in hopes of us putting her in there.

We discovered a new way for her to enjoy the water.  She's a natural.

silliness

Babies definitely fill a household with laughter.  We're probably pretty biased, but Ella has quite the personality and budding sense of humor.  She's always keeping us amused, even when we're doing mundane things.  Pictures can't really capture the fun we have, but here are a few recent ones that made us smile.

She's now really adept at pulling herself to standing, which means we have to watch what we put on the coffee table.

Getting ready to go outside for a dip in the pool.  Swimsuit was courtesy of Auntie Kathie.

All she's missing are a pair of sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat. 

Best way to spend a hot afternoon at home.

Remy got caught in the line of (noodle-flinging) fire.  No pugs were harmed; he just got an extra snack out of it.

Planning her big break.

Remy taught Ella to climb the stairs.  Sigh.

Smiling now when we say "cheese".

playful

I know I shouldn't be encouraging this behavior, but I think it's super cute when Ella sticks her tongue out.  We had some mommy-daughter fun with the camera to capture her silliness.

Play time has also become much more active, with toys strewn everywhere and Ella all over the place.  Even Remy realizes how differently she plays now and how he, too, is a victim of "Hurrican Ella."

She now claps after she throws things behind her.

Remy the Victim.

sweater

I was going through my camera, trying to delete some pictures, and I quickly realized how much I like to dress Ella in cardigan sweaters.  I blame it on the California weather where sweaters are the perfect outerwear for a day that can be mild to hot even in the middle of February.  That, and I just really like cardigans (I've been known to own a few myself).  I like to think of her style as "grandma chic."

A cardigan collage

Yet Another Glimpse...

... into our every day:

We've graduated to a bigger tub, meaning, there is a lot more splashing going on.  (Hair styling courtesy of Dad.)

Bedtime book reading has turned into an impromptu game of peek-a-boo.

Her favorite game: What's in the Box?

At the drive-thru, waiting very patiently.

A visit to Daddy at work.

Second favorite game: Imitating silly faces

Her makeshift ballet bar.  I swear she'd have better gross motor skills if she realized she didn't have to extend and point her foot all the time.

Lastly, the first glimpse into her crawling.  There is still no forward motion, but she's getting the mechanics of it!

My Baby is Weird

Perhaps it's her strong sense of smell?  Over active olfactory glands?  Cold nose that needs warming (I, on occasion, have been known to use Adam as my personal nose warmer, so maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree)?  Whatever it is, Ella likes to "nose" things.  It's cute.  But it's something I hope she outgrows when she gets older and realizes that it's kind of strange, too!

Ella's attempts at crawling helped her find the couch.  I thought maybe she'd try pulling herself up.  Instead, she nosed it.

A nosing montage.

My Little Ballerina

  Or my little maestro?

pin it

I tried so hard to stay away from it... but alas, I couldn't.  I joined Pinterest, an online site that lets you create design boards (AMAZING), and my new addiction has begun.  Now I'm constantly perusing websites for ideas to pin to my boards.  My current favs?  Finding ideas for my good friend's bridal shower (Hi, Kelly!), and items for our new guest bedroom and Ella's playroom.  SO OBSESSED.  I can literally spend hours pinning away.  If you haven't already discovered it, I'd recommend Pinterest.  Just be forewarned that it's completely and utterly addictive.  Adam thinks I'm crazy because I get so excited by things like this.  Apparently, he still doesn't understand my type-A, Virgo tendencies.