You're My Best Friend

Ella is seriously completely fascinated with Moxley.

The Pool, Round 2!

The first attempt at swimming in the backyard pool was a total bust. Ella hated it but Moxley loved it. We took Ella to the big pool at the rec center and she loved it so we decided to give the backyard inflatable another go. This time it was great! Ella loved splashing, playing with toys, kicking back and of course spending time with Moxley who just had to climb in too.

**Notice how fat her diaper is?? Taylor forgot to put a swim diaper on. DISASTER!! It was pretty funny but a complete mess to clean up when the diaper split open and the gel inside went every where!

6 Months

I can't believe Ella is already 6 months old! She is growing up so fast. I must say that I didn't think that I would miss the tiny baby stage but a part of me really does miss it. I'm sad that my baby has already out grown sleeping in my arms, snuggling, being cradled when I hold her, and just being little. Here are some of the things that Ella is doing.

1. She is a big girl. She's in the 90th percentile for height and the 75th for weight. Don't ask me how that is possible. At this rate she will be taller then me at age 5!

2. She eats her fruits and veggies like crazy. She will not eat the green veggies. Just the orange ones. We do still try to give her the green ones but mostly for entertainment. The faces she makes are hilarious.

3. She talks up a storm. She says mama and dada all the time and while she doesn't really know what she is saying, Taylor and I love to pretend that she does.

4. She rolls over which makes leaving her alone for a minute a lot more difficult then it used to be.

5. She just started waving last week. So cute!!

6. She is sitting up almost completely on her own. We still have a tip every now and then but other then that she's got it down.

7. She sleeps through the night!! (most of the time)

8. She smiles non stop. All you have to do is smile at her and she smiles right back even if she is in the worst of moods.

9. She loves her bath time, her woobies and of course her TV shows.

10. She loves to jump in her jumper but only on her right leg. It is the strangest thing to watch.

We love this little girl so much and can't wait to see all of the other fun new things she will learn and experience.

Things I've Learned in 6 Short Months!

I can't believe that next week my baby girl will already be 6 months old!! Where does the time go? While I was pregnant I did a post about things that I had learned while pregnant. This is a spin off of that that I'm calling "Things I've Learned in 6 Short Months!" Sort of my ode to first time parenting

1. Being a parent is tough!! I'm constantly exhausted. I can't remember the last time I actually DID my hair and make up. I feel like I can clean my house 24/7 but it some how still always looks like a tornado just tore through it. Now, I never expected it to be a cake walk but at the same time I didn't expect juggling life and a baby to be as difficult as it has been. I completely have a new respect for parents especially single parents who do this all on their own.

2. Once you have a kid all you do is talk about your kid. I'm sure every one gets so sick of hearing about every moment in Ella's life but I'm just so proud I can't stop talking about her!! I'm sure you have all noticed by reading this blog :)

3. There are a million things that we all say that we will never do with our kids but when it comes down to it, you do because it's easy. Case in point, I said that I would not let my child watch TV until she was 2 years old. Little did I know she would be hooked at such a young age just from having it on while she was in the room. Now I count on PBS and Baby Einsteins just to be able to get dinner made. I often feel like a bad parent but, she likes it and it keeps her entertained. There are much worse things in the world then a little TV.

4. There are a million things that we all say that we will always do with our kids but when it comes down to it, you don't because it's easier. Case in point, I told myself that my child would always wear shoes. It was a pet peeve of mine when kids of any age didn't have shoes on. So from the minute that I could find shoes that fit Ella's feet, she had them on. That was until she developed her own personality, decided she hates shoes, and kicks and screams until she gets them off her feet. Now, I can't even remember the last time Ella wore shoes. It still bugs me but it's not worth the fight.

5. It's very easy to be judgmental of how others are raising their kids when you don't have any. Once you have your own and you see how it is, you realize why people do the things that they do when it comes to raising children.

6. There is no right or wrong way to raise a child. You just have to figure out what works for your family and go with it. If only there were an instruction manual on how to raise a perfect family...

7. There is nothing in the world like the love a mother has for her child. I can't describe it but if you are a mom you will know exactly what I mean.

8. I definitely need to work on my patience. I thought I was a lot better then I am. Ella has a very annoying high pitched, squealing whine that she does and it just makes me CRAZY!!

9. Even though being a mom is one of the toughest jobs I've ever had, I would not trade a minute of it for anything in the world.

10. Life is pretty miraculous. Every day I look at this beautiful little girl and I'm still amazed that Taylor and I made her. She grew in my tummy and came out this gorgeous little being that looks just like her daddy (seriously anyone could be that kids mother). It blows my mind when I watch her grow and learn new things. Pretty unbelievable if you ask me.

A Little Freaky

About 2 years ago I got my palm read just for fun. A girl that I work with does it on the side and she was giving a few quick readings at work. When she read my palm she asked what I wanted to know about. I told her that I wanted to know about my future family. Would Taylor and I end up having kids? Would it be sooner or later?? She looked at my palm and said that yes I would have a family but, I would only have one child. She said the reason being is that I would have a difficult delivery and I would be prevented from having anymore children even though I would want them. I don't know why but I thought about this palm reading the other day. I did end up having a difficult delivery. I got to thinking, could Ella really be our one and only?? I guess only time will tell but it is a little creepy to think that things so far have gone the exact way that I was told they would go. Freaky!!

Sitting Up!!

Well..... Sort of! Not fully sitting up but she's getting there!!

Is Your Baby 9 Months Old??

NO PEOPLE!! She's just a big girl!!

I honestly get asked that a lot. People are always amazed that she is only 5 months old. I don't know why I get so defensive when people say that she is big for her age but I find myself getting really upset about it. Whether she is big or small, she is still pretty damn adorable and I don't know why I expect anything else. I literally come from a family of babies that are born the size of small toddlers. Ella is still quite small compared to others in my family.

TV Junkie

Ella is literally a TV junkie!! If the TV is on at all sometimes we can't even get her to eat. She will watch anything but she does have her favorites. I'm becoming quite familiar with all of the PBS shows. Some of her favorites are....

Anything Baby Einstein. I don't get what she loves about hand puppets and random toys on the screen but she loves it. She is completely mesmerized by it.

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That. This is probably my least favorite of all of the shows that she likes but she seems to enjoy it.

Dinosaur Train completely captures her attention. I think it may be how colorful everything is on this show.

Super Why! This is hands down her favorite. She kicks and squeals and gets really excited when Super Why comes on.

Just Chillin! Watching my shows in my diaper! (this kid loves to be naked) Seriously though!! Check out how hooked she is. This picture was taken while watching Super Why on Sunday morning. At least the shows that she likes are educational. Maybe she's learning?? At least that's what I try and convince myself.

Mmmm.... Carrots!!

First Bite!

More please!!

That's good stuff!

Ever since we got Ella on a sleep schedule she has been a champ about sleeping though the night. That was until recently. She's started to wake up around 3:00 because she is hungry. She eats a bottle and usually goes right back to sleep. We decided that in an effort to keep her tummy full through the night it was time to try some food. My pediatrician said that while they recommend waiting until 6 months, I could start Ella any time between 4 and 6 months if I thought that she was ready. Just make sure to start her on veggies. We decided to start her on carrots because she loves the frozen ones that she has been chewing on while she's been teething. While the first attempt was sooo messy, it was awesome!! Ella loved the carrots. Once she got the hang of eating off a spoon she even started chasing the spoon and opening wide when Taylor would bring the spoon to her. I really went back and forth on whether or not to start her. I wasn't sure she was ready and I really wanted to wait until the recommended age. Now that we have tried it and it was such a huge success I'm glad I went for it.

Summer Days

As I've posted before Ella is teething. We have started to give her frozen carrots to munch on and she loves them. Taylor caught some pretty cute pics of her carrot eating.






Ella absolutely loves her bath. She has never cried when it comes to bath time. So I thought, naturally, that she must love water. I decided to buy her this kiddie pool for the back yard. I couldn't wait to get her in it and see how excited she was. Turns out, not so much. She cried as soon as I put her in it. There is someone else who ended up enjoying the pool though. At least it wasn't a complete waste. Ella is however, in love with her new jumper that Grandpa Scott and Grandma Kelly gave her. Thanks so much guys. This thing is awesome!! She spent her day in the back yard in her swim suit not swimming but bouncing in her jumper.