Oh Elle, I love you!

Elle is growing up so fast. Everyday it seems like she is learning new things, it is so amazing to watch. Last night while I was changing her diaper she started covering her eyes, playing peek a boo with me. It is so fun, now whenever I say "where is Ellie? Where is my baby?" she covers her eyes! It is so adorable.

Hockey is back so I took her down to the rink tonight to see her dad since he was working all day and she impressed everyone she came in contact with. Waving HI, clapping, throwing her arms up for "Touchdown", it is all so cute and it is so amazing to watch. She is absorbing things so well now.

I am working on teaching her EYES, NOSE and MOUTH. I am thinking she will catch on soon.

We went to the local high school football game recently and here are some cute pics from the game. These pictures are actually some of my favorites ever of her and us (mom and dad).

Elle is 10 Months Old!

Elle turned 10 months old last Friday, and I haven't updated yet because her dad and I left for Las Vegas that day and since we got back things have been nuts!

Elle is crawling all over the house, we recently installed a baby gate closing off our basement stairs so she can't tumble down them. She loves going into the kitchen and playing with the magnets on the fridge. She is really into the Leapfrog Fridge Farm Magnetic Animal Set which actually used to be her brothers, and we kept it. She loves taking the animals off the fridge and throwing them on the floor, along with pushing Farmer Tad and making him sing.

Elle is sleeping in her crib, in her room, every night now, we moved her from the pack'n'play a few weeks ago. Actually, her dad moved her and told me I need to get over it! I was upset the first two nights but know it is for the best. She sleeps great in her crib, she is down about 7:30pm and gets up around 8am. Our plan initially was to have her in our room for only about 6 weeks. When she turned 6 months we talked about moving her but never did. It was really just a convenience thing for me, having her so close. It is working out well though.

She is getting so smart!! (every parent says that, I know!) She waves all the time when people say "Hi!" to her, she can clap her hands, do patty-cake and she throws up her arms to "throw it in the oven" and it is adorable. Her dad is trying to teach her to do that when he says "touchdown", we are getting there. She can get her doll when you ask her "Elle, where is your baby?".

10 month stats:
Weight: 18 lbs 6 oz
Height: 27 in
Clothes: All sizes but mostly 6-9 months right now.
Diapers: size 3
Bottles: 3 per day - 8am, 2:30pm, 7-7:30pm
Food: EVERYTHING! This girl may be small, but she loves to eat!! She eats whenever we let her. She snacks on puffs, baby goldfish and cheerios. She eats purees and table food. Her favorite thing to eat is dill pickle soup. She also enjoys peaches, bananas, toast, mashed potatoes, bagel with cream cheese, cheese, applesauce and all veggies. She is an eating machine and won't stop eating until we force her to.
Sleeping: 3 naps a day and 12+ hours at night. She is still a great sleeper!

Only two more months until she turns 1, this year is flying by! She is growing up everyday and I love watching her learn things. She is so amazing and is truly the best, sweetest, most mellow baby I have ever known.

Elle Update

I haven't updated in a while. Things have been crazy. Elle is doing so great. She has two bottom teeth and LOVES using them. I still give her purees but she much perfers finger foods. She really enjoys feeding herself. And she loves eating!! Anything we have...she wants. She will try anything and loves everything we give her.

She is moving along so fast now, crawling everywhere. She follows me into the kitchen and loves the magnents on the fridge. My mom got some picture magnents made of some family pictures and I have them at the bottom so she can see them and she is always looking at them trying to get them off.

She is getting more and more vocal and is starting to put some sounds together. We have heard Dada and Mama but I don't know that she knows what she is talking about. My husband thinks she does though.

I went shopping for her recently because she really has no fall clothes. I am having a hard time picking stuff out for her. Last winter she was so tiny and new she wore sleepers a lot and most of her outfits were sets that had pants, a onesie and a jacket, vest or sweatshirt. Now that she is older I am not sure how to really shop for her. Carters still makes these outfits in her size but I also want to expand her wardrobe a bit. I got her a few cute things from the Gap and got some onesies and sleepers from Carters but I think she is going to need more. As much as I love clothes I am the type of mom that doesn't want to overbuy for her. Everything is so cute but there is no reason she has to wear something new every single day. She has had so much clothes up to this point she wears everything only a few times and it seems so wasteful. Plus it is pretty expensive! $36 for jeans??!! For a 1 year old? Seems ridiculous.


Elle is getting baptized in November, right before her first Birthday. I am excited about that. I feel guilty it took us this long, but oh well.

Ok I will update later with some recent pictures. Her hair is getting so long she wears it up a lot. It always seems to be in her eyes, and it comes up so red in pictures!! It looks more blonde in person, but definately looks red in photos.

Elle is 9 Months old

Holy Holy Holy Cow. My baby Ellie is 9 months old. Where has the time gone??!! She is changing everyday and although it is so amazing to watch her grow up, it is so weird/sad to know she is never going to be a small tiny baby again. She has been with us for 9 months and it seems like 1 day. Honestly, I feel like I can remember everything single thing she has ever done. She has sprouted up this past month, I think maybe it is being on only formula, no breastmilk. Plus she is an eating machine, whatever we have....this girl wants. She is starting to stretch out too, her legs are starting to grow and she is finally getting longer. She has only grown 6inches since birth.

OK here are her 9 month stats:
Weight 17lbs 10 oz (25-50%)
Height 26.25 inches (10-25%)

Diapers - Size 3
Clothes - Size 6-9 month

Bottles - 4/day, 6 oz each
Food - Lots of table foods and 1-2 jars a day, plus rice cereal

Activities - crawling like a champ on all fours, enjoying her toys more and more each day, enjoying her brother's toys as well, likes pulling hair, necklaces, earrings, glasses, etc.

Milestones - 1st tooth!!! Her botton left tooth has popped up and is showing ever so slightly. Still no words :( Doesn't pull herself up but in the last few days has shown an interest in attempting to. First plane ride, taxi ride, and bus ride, all during our Disney World vacation. Also first trip to Walt Disney World and first time on rides.

Sleep - 3 naps a day, plus all through the night 10-12 hours (thank you baby Ellie!)

Ellie girl, Momma cannot belive how fast you are growing. You are the sweetest baby I have ever known and I am thankful everyday that you are here in this family with us. You are such a joy and I look forward to watching you learn and grow. Love love love you!!!!!

Here is Momma at 9 months (pregnant)


Here is Ellie at 9 months (she is WAY cuter!)





I am trying to show you her tooth here!!

Our Trip to Walt Disney World

Well....we did it. Dad and I managed to take the kids on a Disney vacation and not only survive, but actually have fun!!

We went last Tuesday-Saturday and I honestly have to say the hardest part about this trip was the planning and packing leading up to it. I have never traveled so far away with kids before and wanted to be sure I was prepared for all circumstances. We weren't renting a car so just stopping by a store to pick up anything we may have forgotten wasn't really going to be an option for us. All in all, I think I did pretty well packing for all of us. We had everything we needed and even a few things we didn't need.

Our trip was in celebration of Brother's 5th Birthday, which was at the end of July.

It was his and Elle's first plane ride. They did phenomenal on the flights down and back from Orlando. On the way down we were lucky enough to have First Class and Brother was so impressed with it all. He loved the tray tables and was so excited when they served his salad. Elle fell asleep before take off and slept in Dad's arms most of the flight. She woke up toward the end and was extremely pleasant for the remainder of the flight.

We rode Disney transportation all throughout our trip, mostly their buses and all in all it worked out well. We did take a taxi to a few meals but only because we didn't want to worry about transferring buses with the kids and the stroller.

We stayed in the Animal Kingdom Lodge - Jambo House and it was wonderful. Outside our balcony we saw giraffes, zebras and many other animals eating and relaxing. It was very cool. Our pool was open 24 hours, and although we didn't take advantage of those hours I thought that was pretty neat. It also had a water slide, which was very fun.

Our first day there we just checked out our hotel and enjoyed a buffet dinner at Boma, right in our hotel. It was simple yet delicious. After that we took a bus to Downtown Disney and looked around for a bit before heading home for some much needed sleep. Traveling with kids is very exhausting!!

Wednesday we had an early breakfast reservation at another Disney resort for a Character Breakfast. We had a nice family style breakfast at the Polynesian Resort restaurant called 'Ohana. Lilo and Stitch were there, as well as Mickey and Pluto. It was a great way to start our day.

We rode the monorail to the Magic Kingdom after breakfast and made it just in time to see the train pull in with all the characters. They welcomed everyone with a lively song and dance before opening the gates.

We headed right to Fantasyland and our first ride of the trip was Snow White's Scary Adventures. Dad and Elle waited outside and Brother and I got right on, no wait. After we rode, dad took Brother for a second spin around. After that we did Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh and the Tea Cups. The lines were great, they moved so fast and during our whole trip we never had a wait longer than 20 minutes. We really utilized the Fast Pass system and it worked so great. By the end of the day we had ridden almost every ride that we wanted to.

We rode lots of rides, alternating who would stay behind with Elle if she was sleeping and after lunch decided to head back to the hotel for an afternoon nap.

After resting and swimming for a couple hours we got cleaned up and went back to the park. We were considering trying to catch the fireworks, but were going to play it by ear. We wanted to get on some more rides and headed to Splash Mountain.
While Brother and I were in line it broke down :( We waited a few minutes in hopes it would get up and running (we were SO close to the front of the line) but he got impatient and we gave up. After that we did the Pirates of the Caribbean and called it a night. We exited the park just as the parade was starting. It had been a long day and I was exhausted!!! All in all our day at the Magic Kingdom was a major success. I did lose my sunglasses on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad but oh well.

Thursday we did Hollywood Studios and although it was fun, it wasn't as enjoyable as the Magic Kingdom. Far and away the best ride is the Toy Story Mania but it also has an insane line! We had breakfast in the park before it opened so were pretty quick in getting to the ride and had a small wait, but every time we walked by the line was just insane. We saw a few good shows and did the back lot tour, but I think Brother and Elle are still a bit small to appreciate most of that park.

On Friday we did the Animal Kingdom and had a blast!! The crowds were thin and although it was hot, the park is smaller and very easy to get around. I would recommend it to anyone and would definitely go again.

Overall the trip turned out way better that I expected. I was nervous to take Elle at such a young age, but she did great. She even popped her first tooth (bottom left) while we were there! She napped well in the stroller, and I am so glad I decided to take our big jogging stroller, although it was heavy and bulky it was so easy to maneuver around the park and she seemed very comfortable in it. Brother had a blast and didn't want to come home. Me? I need a vacation from my vacation. I am BEAT! But it was worth it!!

Elle is 8 Months Old (and a week)

Elle turned 8 months old last Saturday, July 10, and I have been very busy these last two weeks and have not had a chance to do a monthly update.

Here are Elle's 8 months stats (taken at home):
Weight: 15lbs 15 oz
Height: 26.25 inches

Clothes: 3-6 and 6-9 month sizes
Diapers: size 2 during the day, size 3 for overnight

Teeth: NONE
Food: 4 bottles a day (6 oz each), all formula. We stopped breastfeeding at about 7.5 months and the transition has gone well.
1-2 meals a day of baby food (purees, either homemade or jarred), 1 serving of rice cereal a day. Elle snacks on Puffs now and eats what she can from our plates. She loves to eat!! She also eats baby yogurt some days.

Milestones: Gets up on all fours, and pushes up on her feet, in a 'downward dog' type move. Rocks back and forth, jumps legs off the ground, can move backwards but not forward yet. No words, Elle is not a very vocal baby. She does click her tongue now though, it's super cute. She loves her feet and is always putting her left big toe into her mouth. Sleeps great, 3 naps a day, 1.5-2.5 hours each and through the night.

I love Elle more and more everyday. She makes me smile all day long. She is laughing out loud more and more which excites me so much. I love knowing she is such a happy girl. She is very interested in her toys and loves to be read to. She stares at the books and seems to be following along. She can get her toy "Violet" to turn on and play music all by herself.

I cannot believe she is already 8 months old, time is going so quickly. I am so lucky to be able to spend so much time with her. I am thankful that I don't have to work everyday and she can be with me. She is such a sweet girl, I can't even imagine my life without her.

I need advice! Traveling with Elle

This is going to be quick and I am really hoping for a few responses....

We are taking the family to Disney World in August for Brother's 5th Birthday.
I am a little hesitant on taking Elle since she is still so little, but we decided we would rather have her with us, so she is coming.

My question is....what should I plan on using to transport her through this magical world? I have the baby bjorn but she is already starting to feel heavy in that after about 15 minutes, so I don't think that is the best option. Small stroller? Another type of baby carrier?

Any suggestions are VERY appreciated! Even if they don't have to do with transporting Elle through the parks. Any Disney advice or general travel advice would be great!! Thanks in advance.

Summer Fun

Auntie Alison and her boyfriend Chris came in for the weekend, as did Uncle Kevin and Kristin. We spent a lot of time at Grammy and Grandpas and had a great time! It was sunny and beautiful! We got Elle a $5 pool from Target and she loved it! Brother also loved it.

Elle and Grammy (looking like Captain Jack Sparrow, trying to protect her hair from the sun)


Elle and Uncle Kevi reading


Elle in the pool


Elle in her life jacket....we almost peed our pants trying to get her into it for a boat ride and decided she looked WAY too uncomfortable and took it off almost immediately.



Elle and Auntie Al


My water baby

Greenfield Village

We took Elle to Greenfield Village for the first time today. This is one of her brothers favorite places to go, and he has been asking to go for a few weeks so today was the day! Brothers favorite thing to do at Greenfield Village is ride the train. So of course that was the first thing we did. Elle smiled the WHOLE time and really seemed to like it! She was adorable. After the train ride we walked around a bit, went for a ride on a Model T car and then headed to dinner. It was hot today, so an hour or so outside was all any of us could handle.

Elle loves the wagon!

Brother was out riding his bike the other day and Elle and I were outside watching him when I decided to give her a whirl in the wagon. It was brother's when he was young, and I wasn't sure if Elle was ready for it yet, but she seemed to love it! I buckled her in and she did a great job of sitting up well and not toppling over! Of course once we got going Brother ditched his bike and jumped in. It is tough pulling two kids in a wagon!! I think it was sort of a workout.

Happy Father's Day 2010

We celebrated Father's Day this year by going to lunch at my Aunt and Uncles house. My parents, lots of aunts, uncles and cousins were there, as well as my Grandpa. It was a beautiful day and it was great to be with my family. Here are some pictures from a wonderful Father's Day. I am so lucky to have my dad and such a great dad for my kids as well.

Elle is 7 months old

Elle is 7 months old and is awesome!
Here is what she is up to:

*Breastfeeding 2 times a day (morning and night)
*Bottles of formula 2 times a day
*Rice cereal and solids once a day, sometimes twice
*Size 2 diapers
*Size 6-9 month clothing
*Rolling both ways
*Pushing up and trying to crawl
*Scooting backwards on the floor
*3 naps a day
*Sleeping 11-12 hours a night
*Loves bathtime! Loves rolling over onto her belly and splashing around in the tub
*STILL sleeping in the pack'n'play in our room at night (I know...this is bad, but at least she is napping and going to bed in her crib, I just grab her and bring her upstairs when I go to bed)
*Loves to play with her toys
*Loves the ABC song
*Loves playing with her feet

Video of Elle laughing

This is a video from today when I was trying to get some cute shots of her. She wasn't too interested in getting her picture taken but had a ball laughing at me! She was cracking me up, she is so so so cute when she laughs!!

Losing Motivation

Not sure what is going on with me but I am losing motivation for keeping up this blog. Ever since my trip last month I have had a hard time getting back into the swing of things. I have not gotten online very much and am trying to focus on things in the real world, rather than the online world. Although things in the real world aren't that great, they are reality and I need to focus on that. Right?

Elle is perfect and makes me smile every day. She is growing up before my eyes and that is amazing. She is trying so hard to crawl, she looks like an inch worm on the floor. She is really enjoying food and all the different tastes she experiences. She makes me feel SO guilty when I eat or drink around her. She is so engrossed in what I have, she acts like I am starving her!! She looks like a baby bird anytime she is around food, ours or hers. Her mouth is wide open, looking like she is hoping for something to fall right in!

Tomorrow Elle will be 7 months. I will give a 7 month review, touching on all her milestones and include some pictures.

Busy Busy Busy

I have been so busy the last few weeks. I went to Vegas for a long weekend and have been trying to catch up ever since!!!

Elle is doing great, I think she is in a major growth spurt. Her schedule is way off, her naps are very sporadic and she is wanting to eat all the time! We are starting so supplement more and more with formula, and it is really a nice break for me.

Her are some cute recent pictures:






Sorry I have been MIA...I am back in the game now :)

Elle's 6 month stats

Elle had her 6 month check up on May 18. Everything looked great. She is 14 lbs 13 oz and 25 inches long. 25th percentile, my little peanut :)

Elle is 6 Month's Old

Elle has been in our lives for 6 months. I couldn't be happier. Here are some 6 months stats for little baby Elle:

-Breastfed 4 times a day, every 4 hours
-Sleeps through the night, approximately 10 hours (in our room, for at least a few more nights)
-3 naps a day (after each feeding), 1.5-3 hours each (in her crib)
-Rice cereal once a day
-Just started sweet potatoes two days ago, so far so good. Once a day, mixed with rice cereal
-Wearing 3-6 month clothes
-Rolls back to belly (to the left)
-Rolls belly to back (first time yesterday)
-Sits unassisted but supervised
-Loves to stand on laps
-Just started being interested in her toys
-Loves her jumperoo and her feet finally touch the floor
-Loves her walker and can scoot an inch or two on the kitchen floor
-Enjoys being read to
-Size 1-2 diapers (Pampers Swaddlers)

Her appointment is next week, at that time we will know her weight, height and head measurements. She will also get her shots :(

I love love love this baby. She is a complete joy to be around. She smiles first thing in the morning and doesn't stop all day. The look of joy on her face when she sees me just melts my heart. I can't believe how fast she is growing and how much she is changing. Half of a year old...that is nuts. Love you SO MUCH Ellie!!

Mother's Day

Today is Mothers Day. My first Mother's Day with my own baby. We have celebrated Mother's Day in past years with Dad and Brother, but this is my first year to celebrate on Mother's Day with a biological child. It was wonderful.

Brother gave me a card on Friday while he was here and a few gifts. He also gave me a card from Elle, a very sweet First Mother's Day card, it made me cry. I am so happy to be a mother and I am so happy to have such a wonderful family.

Dad got up with Elle this morning and let me sleep in. Too bad I was too excited to sleep in! I was like a kid on Christmas, and I am not even sure why. I just couldn't sleep in, I wanted to get up and start MY day!!

We got up, had our coffee, packed up and went up to my parents house. We had some mimosas when we got there (yum) and headed out to brunch. We had a great brunch, just the 5 of us.

When we got back to Grammy and Grandpas Elle fell asleep and so did Dad and I. It was great. I love naps. We got up around 3 and Elle ate at 4, then had some cereal and sweet potatoes (we just started sweet potatoes yesterday and she LOVES them...it is hilarious). Grandpa picked up some pizza and we enjoyed a casual dinner before heading home.

We are home now and I am getting ready for a foot and back rub....oh man this is going to be great. I love Mother's Day!!

All in all it was a wonderful day and I am so glad I have Elle. I am so proud of her and so happy to be her mom. Being a mother makes me really appreciate my own mother. I am glad I was able to spend the day with her as well.






Tomorrow Elle will be 6 months old. I can't believe how fast these months have gone.