Not motivated

I should really work out....but I don't want to. I even put a sports bra on with the intention of doing something, but instead I picked up my computer, turned on a rerun of The Office....and here I sit.

One of these days I am going to get started in a routine. I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but that doesn't mean there isn't always room for improvement, right? Maybe we will just got for a stroll around the block before bed. That counts as exercise, right?

Elle's New Car Seat

Not too sure why, but I bought Elle's next car seat. Her infant car seat works just fine, and it really isn't getting too heavy yet, but I knew which convertible seat I wanted, and I found it at a great price, so Dad got it for us!! YIPPEE. It came today and it looks huge!! We decided on the Britax Marathon CS, I have heard great things about the seats and we tried it out at BRU and liked it. Not sure when we will start using it full time, but don't worry...I will try it out probably today or tomorrow and will update with a picture of her in it....I imagine she is going to look TINY!! Thanks dad for the great new seat!! Now there is officially nothing Elle needs. Boo.

Another baby??!!

So this morning, Brother and I were hard at work putting Elle down for her morning nap when he tells me "I really want you to have another baby. Let's have a boy this time. He can sleep in my room, or even in Elle's room". YIKES. True, the thought has crossed my mind. I mean, with a baby as great as Elle it's easy to say "Let's do this AGAIN", but on the other hand, with a baby as good as Elle, it's also very easy to say "One and DONE". Everyone always says no two babies are the same, and I have to believe that in no way am I THAT lucky to have another easy pregnancy, delivery and perfect baby again. But still...Brother's comments got me thinking.
If we were to have another baby, I would want to wait a while before trying to get pregnant. I love Elle so much I don't want to take any focus away from her, but I also wouldn't want to wait too long. Maybe 2 years or so....maybe more. But that seems so far away. It is really WAY too early to make any concrete decisions on this topic. For the time being, we are all just happy to enjoy Elle and Brother. But I still can't seem to part with anything Elle or Brother have grown out of.....just in case :)

Wedding and Funeral

So even though Elle is only 4 months old, she has already been to a wedding and a funeral.

In January my Grandpa got remarried and we decided to take Elle with us. It was a church ceremony with a short reception after. She slept through the whole ceremony and was very pleasant during the reception. Everyone in the family was happy we brought her. Most of them had met her at Christmas but had not seen her since. I am glad we brought her, although she will never remember it, and I don't have any pictures of her there, I will be able to tell her that her very first wedding was her Great Grandfathers. Which is weird, since I never would have thought I would be going to a wedding of my GRANDPA...let alone taking my child!! But it was a fun time, a nice ceremony and a nice reception. I wish Grandpa and his wife many years of love and happiness.

In March, our family lost a beloved family member. My dad's oldest brother, my Uncle, passed away from cancer. YUCK. Hate cancer. This was my first experience with cancer, and I have to say...it sucks. We knew this was coming but it still doesn't make it any easier when it happens. We got a babysitter for Elle and went to the viewing without her, but brought her to the funeral and the luncheon the next day. I could go on and on about how sad I am about this death, and about the funeral and all of that....but I am trying to keep this blog happy....and about Elle and what she is up to. Auntie CL got Elle a great dress when she was born and this was a great opportunity for her to wear it, and she looked totally cute. A little 'lost' in the dress, it was still a bit big, but it was perfect for the situation. Love and miss you Uncle BL.

Top O' The Mornin To Ya!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

4 Month Appointment

Elle's 4 month appointment was Tuesday, and it went well. She is 13 lbs 14 ounces (50th percentile), 24 inches long (25-50th percentile) and her head it 16.5 cm (75th percentile). Seems to be very averaged sized...head is a tad big, but I never noticed it!! She did great getting her shots, she got one in each thigh, and didn't even cry after the first. The Doctor gave us information on starting solids (rice cereal first) but we are going to wait. I am in no rush to start, she is gaining weight and sleeping very well, so I don't want to change anything yet. Her Doctor says that is fine, but suggests starting by the time she is 6 months, which we are OK with.

Brownie Gal

I got this sleeper last year while I was pregnant. I gave it to Dad as part of his Father's Day gift last June. I was only 20 weeks pregnant, and as of Father's Day we didn't yet know if the baby was going to be a boy or girl. I picked this because I wanted something Cleveland Browns but couldn't really commit to a jersey or anything too gender specific. I actually think she looks super cute in it!! I put her in it as a surprise for Dad, I actually think he may have forgot we had it. Of course, he thought she looked adorable!!!

Going for a walk

Dad was coming home from work early so we decided to take Elle on a walk up to The Big Salad. I got her all ready to go and snapped this picture:

I took her outside to start walking up and down the sidewalk to wait for Daddy. Well he got caught up at work and we ended up walking for about 30 minutes before he even got home. Not a big deal, it was very beautiful and sunny outside. Elle actually fell asleep after about 10 minutes. She really seems to like her stroller, she seems to light up when she sees me bring it out. Lunch was great, and hopefully with Spring approaching we will log in lots of miles with the stroller.

Daddy's Girl

Elle and dad were playing on the floor and I captured this adorable picture. He really has a way with her, he is a gentle, caring, loving dad and we are both very lucky to have him.

4 Months Old!

I can't believe my baby is 4 months old already!! Time is really going by SO fast!!! She is getting big, but no stats yet, we go to the Doctor Tuesday so I will update with her stats after that. I decided today that I am so sick of all her 0-3 month clothes, it's time to get moving on the 3-6 month stuff. She still fits her 0-3, but really, what am I waiting for?? So I washed it all up and am SO excited to see her in some of this stuff....it is all so cute!! Better to get her into it now before the weather changes or she has a growth spurt I guess. She is still not rolling over, but still seems SO CLOSE. Smiling all the time and even laughing out loud once in a while. We finally took the stroller out of the box and have been going for walks around the neighborhood, she really loves it. She smiles so much when she sees me getting it out, like she knows what a fun ride she is in for!! Dad, Brother and I are enjoying her so much and we really couldn't imagine life without her. She brings us so much happiness, we are very very lucky to have her. So without further ado....here are some 4 month pictures.

1 Year Ago Today....

One year ago today was the day that changed our lives forever. On March 10, 2009 I took a pregnancy test, on a whim....and found out I was pregnant. Dad and I got married in December 2008 and decided pretty much right after the wedding to take no precautions against getting pregnant. We knew that someday we wanted a baby and decided to let nature take its course. There were really no signs to make me think I was pregnant, but Dad had a "feeling" and had been asking me to take a test. I kept putting it off because I basically thought it was a waste of money to buy a test when there was not reason to take it. I had not missed a period, and told Dad that maybe if my period was late I would take one, but to just let it got for a while. On Tuesday, March 10, 2009 Dad was working all day and night and I was bored....so I decided just to humor him. I had never taken a pregnancy test and decided to pick up a box and take one for fun. I read the instructions, drank two bottles of water and did the deed. To make sure I didn't cheat and look at the test before the 2 minutes were up, I covered it with a towel and cleaned the shower while I waited for the time to pass. When I finally lifted the towel off and checked the results, I was actually very nervous. What if it is positive? Everything will change. Are we ready for this? Am I ready for this? I checked the test....two lines. What does that mean??!! True, it says RIGHT ON THE TEST what one, or two lines mean...but in the heat of the moment I just didn't pay attention. I grabbed the instructions and there is was....two lines means PREGNANT. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! I started pacing the condo, not sure what to do. What I really wanted to do was call CR and tell her. But I know my husband, he would be devastated if I told anyone before telling him. So I did what I see everyone on TV do....I took a second test, just to be sure. There it was again....two lines. This is the real deal. We are having a baby. Of course, I had been thinking for a while of the creative, fun way I would tell Dad if this ever happened. Do you think I was able to get anything together? Heck no! I jumped in the car and drove straight to his work to tell him. No fancy signs, t-shirts or dinners....just him and I sitting in the car, staring at the tests. Tears of joy were shed by both of us as we thought of the exciting adventure we were taking together.
After an extremely easy pregnancy, Elle was born exactly 8 months later, to the day.

Sparty Girl

Dad, Brother and I went to the Michigan State vs Ohio State game on Sunday in East Lansing. We left Elle with Aunt K and had a great afternoon at the game. Spartans won, but it really was a close, great game. It was really nice to go out and just have a day with Brother. I am glad to have Aunt K, I know she will take excellent care of Elle and I can be totally comfortable leaving Elle with her. Here we are after we got home. So cute!!

Weekend Getaway

We took the kids up north to a popular water park and had a great time!! Elle couldn't make the whole drive without getting hungry but I was prepared with a bottle. As I was feeding her, about 3 hours into the drive, Dad let me know that we were getting a flat tire!! The tire pressure on the back right tire was quickly diminishing and we needed to pull over. We made a few calls and found a service station off the next exit. We pulled off and found out we had a large nail in our tire. They did a quick plug and we were on our way after about 20 minutes. Good thing the trusty van had the feature to warn us about the tire pressure. We got to the water park and had a great couple days. Elle only went into the pool once, but she really seemed to like it. She was super adorable in her bathing suit (from Baby Gap). She did pretty well at the water park, but true to her roots got pretty sweaty after about an hour in the 86 degrees. She gets that from me....poor girl. It was a good experience staying at a hotel. I brought the pack'n'play and she slept in it perfectly. As usual, she was a great girl. We stopped at Uncle Mac's on the way home and checked out his new house. It is a really nice place and he seems really happy. It was great to finally check out his new place and see where he is spending all his time now. This was the first time he met Elle and she really impressed him...obviously :)

Tummy Time

Everything I read says "tummy time" is very important for babies. It increases their strength and is the starting point for mobility. Babies learn to roll, push themselves up and eventually crawl from this position. Some books say try 30 minutes of tummy time a day. We don't get anywhere close to that, but we do try to get in a few sessions a day. She actually seems to like it, but doesn't last too long. After a few minutes she basically nose dives into the blanket or mat and starts to whine. That is when I usually roll her over and play with her by dangling toys over her.

Be Mine

Not a lot to report on Valentine's Day this year, just some adorable pictures of Elle with her Valentine's Day bib. She can be my Valentine every year!!!!!

A visit from Uncle K

Uncle K came and stayed with us for a night and it was so good to see him. We actually went out to dinner and Nick and Kelly came over to watch Elle. I never would have thought that I would be leaving a baby with Nick, but I really trust him with her. They brought Lexi, who is getting so big! She can crawl and even pull herself to the standing position.

Dinner was good and it was nice to get out of the house. It was the night of the Opening Ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver Canada so we watched some of the show while we were out and finished it at home.

Even though Uncle K lives about 4 hours away, he has seen Elle quite a few times. It's nice that they are getting a chance to know each other. He is really great with her and I think he is really happy she is here.

Adorable

I just really love this picture of Elle, taken when she was 3 months old.

3 Months Old

On February 10, 2010 Elle turned 3 Months old. We didn't do anything exciting, except take lots of pictures of her!! I measured her at home and according to my measurments she is now 22 1/2 inches, which means she only grew 1/4 inch in one month!! What a shorty!! I weighed her at Dad's work and she is weighing in at 13 lbs 6 oz, so just about 2 pounds in one month. So far her weight gain is good, but I can't say the same about her height. I am sure it will catch up soon. I washed all her 3-6 month clothes in anticipation of this milestone, but she is not close to growing out of her 0-3 month clothes, so I guess we will wait a few weeks. She really tries hard to roll over but has not made it over yet. She rocks side to side and grunts and groans but can't quite get it, I think it will happen soon though. She is sleeping in her crib for most naps now, but is still in the pack'n'play for overnights. She is still eating 5 times a day. She gets a bath ususally every other day and we read two books before bed each night. She goes to bed after her evening feeding (around 8-8:30), and sleeps until about 8 or 8:30am. She is still such a great girl. I really love her more and more everyday. I am starting to think about the future, when she will crawl and walk...things are going to start getting crazy! I just love how she is now, so happy and dependant on me to get around. She smiles when she sees me and follows me with her eyes if I walk away from her. She is so strong, she loves standing on the lap of whoever is holding her and when she isn't standing, she wants to sit up and see what is going on around her.

Sophie

I got Sophie for Elle before she was born. She pretty much stays in Elle's car seat and travels with us. That way, she has a toy no matter where we go. Grammy even knows her by name and has started telling her other Grandma friends about her!!! Lately Elle has started to touch Sophie more, and has even got her into her mouth a few times. I am so excited! Everything I have read is so promising...with the long neck and the thin legs, Sophie is popular among babies because it's easy to grip and easy to chew on. Hopefully Sophie and Elle stay friends for a long time :)

A link to Sophie is at the bottom of the blog.

Brother loves Elle!!

Elle's brother loves her so much. It is so wonderful. We were a bit unsure how he would react to her but he has taken such a liking to her. He asks to feed her, to hold her, for her to watch him play, he wants her to sleep in his room, in his bed....it's endless the love he shows for her. She is so lucky to have such a sweet brother. She was in her crib relaxing while I got some dishes done, and he asked if he can hang out with her....why not??!! He grabbed his pillow and I lifted him in...it worked out well for me, I actually got a lot done while they entertained each other.

Cutie Bear

Elle in her jacket....what a CUTIE!!! I usually don't put her in a jacket since she has the Bundle Me in her car seat and seems to stay plenty warm, but it was a gift and it was so cute...I just couldn't resist. I put her jacket on her, strapped her into the Baby Bjorn and took her for a stroll around the block. We had a blast, we really need to get out into the fresh air more often.

Play Time

Elle got this activity mat for Christmas. She can lay on her back and look up at the toys dangling down, or spend time on her tummy checking out the colors. She really seems to enjoy her time "playing" on this mat. She only tolerates a few minutes at a time on her tummy, but smiles a lot when she is on her back and sees herself on the mirror. This is one of those things that is not real easy to store, I think it is just the beginning of baby toys taking over our house. Secretly...not too sad about it!!! For anyone interested, this playmat is the Fisher Price Precious Planet All Around Musical Playtime Gym http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3243095

2 Months Old

Not a lot changed in the second month. Elle’s feedings went from 8 per day to 5, which is a nice break for me. She began sleeping through the night at 7 weeks!!!! What a thrill!!! She is smiling a lot, very happy all of the time. She wakes up with a smile on her face which is so beautiful to see. She saw the pediatrician and weighed 11 lbs 7 ounces and was 22.25 inches. 50th percentile.

Happy 2010

Well 2009 was a crazy, busy, fun, exciting year!! We were married less than a month when 2009 started. During the year we got pregnant, bought a house, leased the condo, moved to the beach, moved to the house, had a baby, buried some loved ones and much much more!!! Not sure what we can do in 2010 to top it……but maybe we will let someone else have the spotlight for a while. Happy 2010!!!!

Christmas Time

We stuck pretty close to home during the Holidays, went to the L Family Christmas Party in December, where Elle got to meet most of my aunts, uncles and cousins. Everyone wanted to hold her and there were even some gifts under the tree for her!! We spend Christmas morning at home and went up to Grammy and Pappys house in the afternoon. Elle got a few toys, some clothes and a few books. Dad got me a baby food maker and a cookbook about how to make baby food…I am very excited to try it out in a couple months!

1 Month Old!!!

Elle turned 1 month old on December 10. I didn’t get a chance to weigh or measure her, so I am not sure what her stats for 1 month are….boo. She smiled for the first time on December 9, that is the only milestone she reached during her 1st month. She has been so great so far, a very easy baby!! We are just so happy to have her. She brings so much joy to all of us.

Dad's Holiday Party

We took Elle and Brother to the Holiday party for Dad’s company on December 8. We carried Elle and she slept almost the whole time. Everyone was so excited to meet her!! I was nervous because of the flu about people touching her, but I think us holding her rather than her being in a stroller helped keep people away.

Thanksgiving 2009

We spend Thanksgiving day at home this year. Nani came over and brought 2 cousins. Dad and I cooked and Elle slept most of the day. She was sleeping in the basement with the football game on in the background as we were eating dinner. The night before, Aunt A came over with Grammy and Pappy to meet Elle. Auntie A held Elle almost the whole time....what a baby hog!! We went to Grammy and Pappy's on Friday after Thanksgiving, Uncle K was there and got to see Elle again. Just like Wednesday, Auntie A hogged Elle for most of the day. Elle slept in the arms of whomever was holding her. Didn't make a sound.....what a good girl!

Sleeping-Touchdown!!

I just love these pictures. Elle sleeps in the napper portion of the pack'n'play right now, and here she is sleeping, with her arms above her head.

Newborn Pictures

At 13 days old we took Elle to get her newborn professional pictures done. I was hoping to get some good shots to use for her birth announcement and for our Christmas card. She slept for a bit at the shoot and then woke up and was awake for the rest of the time. She did really great, but due to the photographers copyrights, we only have these two pictures from the shoot.

1st Bath

Elle got her first bath on November 15. She took it in the sink and really didn't seem to mind it. She tried to put her legs under the running water and licked her lips a lot, trying to get some drops of water in her mouth. She now gets her bath in the big tub, she has grown out of the sink! She still really seems to love it, never cries or anything. Always trying to "drink" any water that splashes near her mouth!!

First Days

Elle was born November 10, 2009 at 8:44am. She weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces and was 20 inches long.
She was born Tuesday morning and we left the hospital about 4pm on Wednesday. We went straight to Grammy and Pappys to see Brother and Uncle. No guests were allowed at the hospital due the the flu and swine flu. We spent about 30 minutes at Grammy and Pappys before heading home.

Hello World!

Ellie Belly was born in November. Welcome to her blog! Here I will post pictures of Elle, update milestones she is reaching and keep you updated with information about us. The most recent post will always be at the top. Let's start at the beginning....