take a seat!

Okay, it's just happening waaaay too quickly.  With every milestone, I feel a tinge of sadness that my little newborn is growing so fast!  But the pride I have in watching her master new developmental skills makes the growing up much easier to swallow.

Here is Ella, just shy of 5 months, sitting on her own.  (You'll have to excuse the bad picture quality.  It was tricky snapping photos with my iPhone while she was tottering about.)

This is how we've been playing lately--with me supporting Ella with my legs.

I realized that she could hold herself up in a sitting position for about 5 seconds.

Then she started to really get the hang of it!
(This shot was taken right before she fell over.  She wasn't too happy about that.)

She really liked her new vantage point.

Shocked that I was next to her instead of behind her.

Sitting was tiring work, so we took a break.

 She can't sit for long on her own, but she's definitely getting the hang of it!  We're so proud!

happy feet

Someone recently discovered her feet and her toes.  I wonder if she thinks they're as delicious as we do?

She's also learned to communicate her needs to me in her own way...

"Mama, I'm tired!"

"Yay! Now I can nap!"

Boo!

The pugs got a huge break this year from being dressed up in ridiculous (but oh-so-hilarious) costumes.  Instead, Ella got all the attention for her first Halloween.  We decided to dress her up as a cupcake because of her nickname ("Babycakes"), and because we could work with her Bumbo seat so she could actually sit unassisted in the pictures.  So with a little fleece, some embellishments and a hot glue gun, we baked ourselves the cutest cupcake we've ever seen!

Happy Halloween!

goodbye, house!

We closed escrow today on the condo I used to live in when I moved back to LA from San Francisco.  It was Adam and my first home together and saw its share of many special memories for us.  But we are definitely glad to close that chapter in our life, as the one we're living right now is pretty fantastic.  Goodbye, house!

We're All Smiles

trick or TREAT

Every year we make treat bags filled with candy and goodies to give to the neighborhood kids for Halloween.  Ella tried to lend a helping hand.  And by "lend a helping hand" I mean, "tried to eat the bag."

The Baptism Tea

No tea is complete without little sandwiches.

Sweets for a sweet day! 

Manly men with frilly fans.

Ella's two favorite baby stealers.

With her Nino.  Ella was trying to sing herself to sleep. 

With her pen pal, Riyo, and Auntie Melissa. 

I remembered a mother-daughter shot right before we finished up.

With her Auntie Ashley.

Best. Day. Ever!