My Little Ballerina

  Or my little maestro?

Play is Serious Business!

Ella went on a playdate with Madelyn, a friend she met from Gymboree.  The two girls really do well together (as much as two infants can play together), so we took them to the Huntington Library to check out the Children's Garden (LOVE), have a little picnic, and stroll around the trees and flowers.  We all had a great time, and I regret not taking more pictures.  But we will definitely do it again soon!

Strolling along.

The kiddos were getting pretty tired, especially Madelyn, who didn't really want to take pictures.

Miss Nosy here enjoyed watching everyone around her and was pretty distracted the whole time. 

We wanted to take a picture of the two of them, but realized we should have tried earlier when everyone was in a better mood.  Still, I thought this sequence of shots was hilarious.

We've also been working on putting together a playroom for Ella to corral all her stuff she keeps accumulating.  Here she is testing out the new rug.

To Crawl or Not to Crawl

Right before Ella broke her leg, she was on the verge of crawling.  It still makes me really sad to think I set her back at least a month.  Now that her cast is off, she's restarting her efforts toward mobility.  I have learned that Ella isn't the most persistent baby (in some ways), and will cry in frustration pretty easily if she doesn't get what she wants RIGHT NOW.  So, of course, I snapped some pictures of her attempts at crawling.  

I also learned that while other babies will reach and push themselves when motivated by a toy that is out of reach, my baby will just plank.

Eight Months Old

Happy Eight Months!

The days are just flying by and with each one comes new discoveries and experiences for you, Babycakes! First things first, after four weeks, your cast came off and you have rediscovered the use of your left leg, kicking and jumping and pulling up onto your knees.  You've got two (!) teeth now, and you  flash them every time you smile and laugh.

You have fallen into a nice little routine of sleeping, eating, playing and charming the pants off everyone around you.  You are all about explorig the world around you, looking under, around and behind everything. You are quite the curious spirit, always seeking out new noises and happenings--sometimes with so much serious attentiveness. You are learning to play more, whether it's by yourself or with us.  You recently discovered the joys of taking all your toys out of the box, sampling each one as you go.  You love games and movement and basically any sort of human interaction.

You are definitely telling us what you find funny and amusing (and what is not). Sneezes make you laugh until you hiccup, parachute time at Gymboree does not. You are still adamantly offended by the assault of colors. Snuggling up on the couch and reading "Cat and Butterfly" makes you smile, subsequently being put down for a nap does not. Getting up in the morning makes you giggle and chatty, getting dressed does not. You are learning to be more independent with everything you do. You absolutely love being able to eat at the table with us while we dine out. You also love feeding yourself snacks and washing your hands after, just like a big kid.

You are lalalalala-ing and saying all sorts of sounds.  You are recognizing words and associating them to things.  You know "bao-bao" means we're going to pick you up, which makes you reach up and start kicking your legs in excitement.  You also know "Remy" means that a snuggly, furry body will be coming, which makes you shriek in anticipation.  You continue to "nose" everything, and you've created a new dance move that we like to call "the wiggle waggle."  (It's a contagious move, causing everyone around you to join in.)

You are growing into your own little person, and (biases aside), you're pretty fabulous!

Catch Up

I haven't had an opportunity to post lately because my computer decided to make importing photos from my phone difficult.  It's funny because when I do get a chance to sit down and post, I think about what eventful things I could write about I lack inspiration.  While I think we've had some pretty remarkable experiences lately, to someone not directly related to us it may all seem rather ordinary or mundane.  The notable things to me are in reality just little developments.  Ella is napping more consistently now (and on her own), which is a big deal.  Since she was born, she's only slept well while held.  Once we got her sleeping on her own through the night, I figured it was a tradeoff for having to hold her during the day for her naps.  Now she's taking a 1-2 hour nap both in the morning and in the afternoon, all on her own in the pack n' play we have set up in our family room.  This is HUGE for me, because that means I can get stuff done around the house (or shop online--depending on my motivation that day).  

What other new developments?  She got her cast off a few weeks ago and she's been getting back into the groove of having two functional legs again.  Here are some pictures from the final days of life in a leg cast, and how happy she was to be free of it again. 

She got really good at sitting with the cast and basically maneuvering with it.

The morning of her cast removal, we took one final picture.

The night of the cast removal we took a nice long bath.  Ella LOVED being able to bathe again and slept like a, well, baby that night.

Ella has been just one happy baby and it's been so much fun watching her interact more and more with the world around her.  I have my 8 Month Update that I will post soon, but in short, it's pretty amazing how curious she is and how observant she is of everything.   Our days have fallen into a nice little routine, and it's pretty fun having a little pal to go everywhere with (even if it requires a lot more heavy lifting and planning ahead).

She loves a good read while shopping with me.

Quick snack on the go at the mall.

She really enjoys people watching.

Ella is starting to eat more and more solids these days.  She definitely prefers to feed herself, and while she only has 2 teeth, she can chew like the best of them.  She LOVES bread, fruit and cheese.  Basically, she has my palette.

Her favorite breakfast food: a frozen, whole wheat bagel.

Sometimes she will put herself to sleep while dining.

Ella's new favorite pastime is taking all her toys out of a box.  This can easily keep her busy for 30-40 minutes, which is one step toward her playing independently.

This lovely weather affords us lots of time outdoors.  Here is a recent shopping trip with the grandmas (who graciously watched Ella while I got my hair and nails done).  She was knocked out by the end of it!

Ella caught her first cold a couple weeks ago.  Thankfully, it wasn't too bad.  By the time I realized she had it, she had a low-grade fever and some congestion.  We made sure to keep her hydrated (lots of nursing--which she loved) and got her to sleep for most of the day.

With her new pal, Zebra.

Here are some pictures I snapped from Valentine's Day, which was pretty uneventful (not big celebrators of the holiday in this household).  But I thought these were pretty sweet.

Again, all pretty ordinary, but I think it's pretty special seeing her encounter each day with so much curiosity and spirit.  It definitely makes me appreciate all the small stuff!

A Final Fling

This past weekend we celebrated my good friend, Kelly's, last hurrah as a bachelorette.  It was also a time for Adam and Ella to have a daddy-daughter day out.  We all made the two-hour drive to Santa Barbara (one of my favorite cities), where we celebrated Kelly's singlehood with wine tasting, a delicious dinner, and wacky antics at a local club.  It definitely took some determined effort, miscalculations, and finagling to spend time with the girls, while attending to the needs of a non-bottle feeding, currently clingy eight-month-old infant.  Adam was a trooper shuttling me back and forth, and making sure Ella was occupied while I got to partake in the festivities.  I think it was all well worth the effort as we made many memories and got to celebrate one of my favorite people.

Big shout out to Louie for his second-husband/godfather duties.

I had forgotten how much I love SB and how pretty the drive is there.

It was a lovely girls' weekend.

At one of the wineries for wine tasting.

Picnic lunch on a very breezy (though beautiful) day.

The bride-to-be looking radiant.

We unexpectedly ran into some old friends from high school.  What a small world!

Ella enjoying the view in our hotel room.

At the Santa Barbara Zoo, which Adam really enjoyed.  We'll definitely have to make a trip back!

Ella & her Mimo. 

Showing Ella real-life Sophies.

A Perfect Weekend

The weather has been so beautiful here that we can't help but to take advantage of the sunshine and mild winter.  We took the kiddos for a stroll to get coffee and breakfast.  That was followed by a nice nap on the couch.  It was just simply a perfect day.