First Tooth!

I can't believe it, Ella has a tooth already! We knew one would be coming in soon since she has been chewing and drooling on everything! Her bottom left front tooth started peeking through on Sunday. We are so blessed and proud of her because she has been so wonderful through the whole ordeal. She is still sleeping through the night (8-7:30) and taking her naps like normal. She does get a little fussy every now and then but I would be too if there was something cutting through my gums. If she is extremely bad we give her just a bit of baby Tylenol and usually that helps. We also try giving her frozen washcloths and cold teething toys. She also wants her paci more. She was never a big paci girl but she is loving it right now. But, her favorite thing is a bumble bee that vibrates when she chews on it. Anything to make her feel better! I can't believe how big she is (I know I keep saying that). Some other things she has been doing are: She is now on baby food twice a day and loves everything she tries! Even peas (which mommy hates)! Ella also sits up so well now! She still topples over if she gets too excited but she is learning to catch herself if she is falling over. The list can go on and on but will post again soon with more! Here are some recent pics of all of our happenings!

Here we were trying to get a picture of her tooth, but she always sticks out her tongue! It is always sticking out when you get near her mouth!

Sitting like a big girl! Loves playing with her toys!

Fell asleep while we watched TV. She always looks so peaceful! She won't be able to pout that lip out anymore with her tooth. :(

Loves playing with her duckies in the bath! We are transitioning to the big bath tub soon! We tried it recently but all she did was scream so we are getting her used to it by putting her in there without water first. We'll see how it goes!

I love this picture! Just out of the bath with the cute rosie cheeks...

Yum...Baby Food!

Yep, it's time for Dad to get on here again. My subject is... baby food! Right before Ella was about to turn 6 months, we started to experiment with different foods for her. It's been great seeing Ella get her first "taste" of the baby food experience. The smells, the textures, etc. When she was about 5 months old, we started trying to get her used to the concept of a spoon... she took to it right away! Well, we've been introducing her to lots of different flavors of foods. (On a side note, we're big fans of the Earth's Best brand.) She's had apples, sweet potatoes, squash, prunes, bananas, and several other types. She definitely already has her preferences. It's so funny to see her react to sour tastes, sweet flavors, and still working to get her routine down. Devon's been feeding her the oatmeal cereal and baby foods right when I get home. I love walking in the door and getting to see her have "dinner" before getting ready for bed. She's been doing a wonderful job. Tonight, while eating her squash, Devon couldn't move fast enough. She was so excited to eat "like a big girl" that squash ended up on her nose, cheeks, and even her forehead! It was messy, but definitely worth it. Kids grow SO fast.... our little one is no different. Here are some cute pics we've taken recently.

Sitting in her big girl high chair...

"Hmmm... these bananas have a weird texture."

"Geez... these apples are tangy."

"MOM... what did you just put in my mouth? Gross!"

Sweet tater 'stache...

"Is there something on my face?"

"Anyone else smell that?" :)

Happy girl is ready to eat!

Doing a great job! We're very proud of her!

Lots of New Things...

Ok, just a little note...I really messed this blog up. I wrote first since I didn't have all of the pictures needed for the blog. I thought I would be able to put the pictures in then copy and paste the body of the blog where I needed it. Well, it doesn't work that way. I thought I was able to do that before but I guess not. Anyway, you can see the pictures first then read about it afterward. Sorry! :(

Almost forgot...Ella's doctor update! We went in on Monday for Ella's 6 month check up. Everything looks great! She had a couple of shots which everyone hated! She did her hold her breath cry and her face turned all red, but she was fine a few minutes later. I hate seeing her like that but I know it is best for her. Well, her weight and height is right on track for her age. She is weighing in at 14 pounds and 15 ounces (50%) and is 26.75 inches tall (75%)! The doctor said she looks great and growing like she should now. She is on mostly formula so that has helped her gain some weight. He said that she should be about twice her birth weight now and tripled by the time she is one. She is still a little under but he said she would catch up when she gets more big girl food. Her developement is going great too! She is doing things at the begining of the milestone markers so we are happy the she is learning so fast! Way to go Ella!

She is sleeping so good in the stroller the big girl way!

Not so sure about the water yet!

Playing with some toys in the water! She has a cute red bandanna bikini on! Too Cute!

She is "flying" in the water!

There have been so many new things that Ella has discovered recently!

On her 6 month birthday she sat up on her own! We are so happy for her. She was playing with me on the floor and she decided that she wanted something, she reached for it and then just leaned away from me and stayed that way! She sometimes still leans a little too far to the side and falls over or gets too excited and jumps and falls backward but she is learning. Too cute! She is getting so big so fast!

The other thing that we have discovered is that she likes giving mommy kisses. She will just put her mouth(open) on my cheek and leave it there for a couple of seconds. At first I thought this was a fluke but then I asked her to give me a kiss and she did it again. It was so sweet since I just got home from running a couple of errands and daddy was there playing with her. I will always love those when I come home!!

For the past couple of weeks we have tried something new with the stroller. We are now putting her in there like a big girl without her car seat. She thinks it is really neat sitting that way. She just stares at everything and everyone until she gets tired then just falls asleep. It is so cute when I look down and she is holding the side of her seat while we stroll, just lounging and taking it all in!

We have also started getting the whole nap thing down. She takes about 3-4 naps a day depending how long they are. She certainly lets you know when she is ready for one! It really doesn't matter what time she gets up but her first nap is always about 9. She will fall asleep anywhere but prefers her bed. We have a routine every time she sleeps/naps...we go to her room and sit in the rocker, turn on her CD and read a couple of books, then we turn the mobile on as I lay her down. She will "talk" to her mobile for a few minutes before dozing off. Sometimes she still wants to know that I am there so she will cry until I go in and say it is ok then she just falls asleep without another peep after I leave.

This is one of my favorite things she has started doing. We will go to her closet and she will pick out what she wants to wear for the day! Well, I do help out a bit by picking out two for her to choose from. She chooses her outfit usually by pulling it to her mouth but at least I give her a choice.

We have also found out that she loves to swim! We were at my parents house last weekend and decided to try the pool out. At first we didn't know what to think so we started out slow. We put her feet in first and since she didn't cry we tried to put her lower in the water. Well, before we knew it she was all of the way in! We brought out some toys and then I thought I would try something. I got down in the water and held her like she was flying and went around the pool! She loved it! She wanted to kick and splash the whole time! It was the highlight of my weekend seeing her have so much fun!! Because she had so much fun we decided to buy a little blowup pool for her to splash and have fun in. We haven't tried it out yet but will soon!

Happy Half Birthday Ella!!!

Wow, our little girl is already 6 months! I know we keep saying it but the time just flies by. There are so many new things she does everyday. I will blog about those later. I have so many pictures to share about all of these new things that she is doing.

Anyway, we had a great time for her half birthday. She woke up in a great mood and then we got ready to have a day out with mommy. We went and had lunch with daddy, after having our picture taken for the monthly update. We went back home and had a good long nap. Then, we played and played until daddy got home and then we played some more with daddy. After that we had dinner, yum, cereal! I made cupcakes to celebrate the event even though she could not have any. I know, I'm silly! She sure did have a blast mashing it up! Let's just say we needed a bath after that!

She has changed so much since the day she was born but it seems like yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. She continues to amaze us with all the things she is learning to do. We enjoy every minute we spend with her and can't wait for other new things for her to discover. We go for her 6 month checkup on Monday so we will be sure to share how big she has gotten.

Happy Half Birthday Ella!

She really doesn't like that flash on the camera! She just had the biggest smile just seconds before this pic was taken.

She loves playing with her shoes and her feet!

"Oooohhhh, something new to mash up!"

"Hhhmmm, what can I do with this?"

She finally figured how to smear and mash her cupcake everywhere!

Saying good-bye to an old friend...

Well, we found out some sad news today. My parents black lab, Buddy, passed away this morning. He was definitely one of the most loving dogs we've even known. When my parents moved to Mena, AR in 2002 Buddy "came with the house" .... literally. He refused to go with the original owners of the property and decided to stay with my parents. For the next 6 years, he served as protector of the home and provided endless fun and companionship. Sometimes even the most powerful of dogs can't survive a tick bite. He tried a long time to recover, but lost his battle today. Buddy, you will be greatly missed. Please take care of Jazz and Zipper for us in Heaven. I hope God has a lot of rocks to play with you because he's going to need them.