First Steps!

Last night I was playing with Ella and it looked like she took a step before lunging for me. So I moved her farther away and she took 4 steps before falling into my arms! She has taken 2-4 steps at a time several times since then. She doesn't always want to do it and sometimes won't straighten her legs when we try to stand her up, but it is so fun! That little walker I bought her at the baby sale last week seemed to help a lot. She wouldn't even consider walking without holding onto us or furniture before we got that thing! This morning she seemed to be getting worse instead of better, but I think she was just getting sick of us trying to get her to walk so much. She just wanted to play. We will take it slow with her, but it is so exciting to see our little girl growing up!

My Little Trouble Maker

The other day I was sitting at our table organizing stuff and Ella was playing on the floor about 5 feet away. I had my back to her for about 3 minutes and when I turned around she had figured out how to open the baby wipes container and had pulled out 25 wipes! They were scattered around her in a little semi circle. I felt like I should discipline her somehow, but I couldn't stop myself from laughing! She is turning into quite a mischievous little thing! So I took a picture and then took the wipes away from her. Then she cried. Oh well. She got over it in about 2 seconds once I gave her a different toy to play with. Am I a bad mom for taking a picture instead of scolding her for bad behavior? Well, if I am so be it, because I could not resist taking a picture. She looked so proud of herself!

Here We Grow Again Sale

Today was a hectic day. I dropped Ella off with my parent's and headed to Eau Claire to volunteer at this huge baby consignment sale. If you volunteered for a 3 hour shift you could shop at the pre-sale, which was also today. I got done with my shift and hung out with my friend Julie for awhile, then we met up with our friend Megan and went to stand in line. People started lining up outside the door at 3:45 and the sale didn't start until 5:30! We got there at 4:30 and stood outside in 35 degree weather for an hour, and then the craziness started. The line was half way across the parking lot before the doors opened! The moms were all over the place, grabbing everything in sight. It was great though. I got tons of clothes for Ella, mostly play clothes because I am guessing for her birthday she will get nice clothes for church and such. I also got her a toy that she can push while she is walking. We have been trying to have her practice walking while holding onto our fingers a lot so she will build up her confidence as well as her balance. So here's what I got:

4 pairs of pajamas
1 swimsuit
2 pairs of shorts
1 pair of jeans
1 pair of capris
4 long sleeve shirts
1 sweatshirt
4 t-shirts



all for $52.75!!! That is 18 articles of clothing! I think I might go back on Sunday after church because then everything is half price. I would like to get Ella some more toys but by the time I started looking at toys I was pretty overwhelmed. Here is a picture of all the clothes:

All diapers are not the same

When Ella was born we received tons of diapers at showers and such. Our bible study gave us 6 jumbo size boxes of Huggies diapers! What a blessing!! Because of other's generosity we were able to try lots of different types of diapers and didn't have to spend any money on diapers until Ella was 9 months old. It was a sad day the first time we paid for diapers with our own money. Anyways, I wanted to try some cheap diapers to save money, but let me tell you- big mistake. I bought the Walmart brand, Parent's Choice, and every since then Ella has been fighting diaper changes like none other. It is kind of driving me crazy. She never fought diaper changes before and -Poof- the day I started the cheap ones she tried to roll off her changing table and cried when I made her lay down. You should see me trying to hold her down and wipe the poop off her butt before she sits up and smears it all over the place! Long story short, I am going to suck it up and buy the expensive diapers. It isn't worth the fight to save a few bucks.

Ella's Eating Habits

It has been interesting entering the world of solids with Ella. Breastfeeding was pretty simple: she ate until she was full and cried when she was hungry again. But now that we are doing formula and solids, I am never really sure she is full. Does she start fussing because she is full or because she is sick of sitting in her high chair? And is she still hungry when she keeps accepting food from me, or is she just eating because it is available and tastes good? So confusing. Now the latest dilemma is when to stop feeding her pureed baby food and give her true solids in small pieces. She doesn't really like fruits and vegetables in solid form, but I think she is also sick of being spoon fed. But she is too young to spoon feed herself, so we are kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. I have also found that she loves cheese, but not cheddar cheese because that makes her throw up. So I have to keep pretty mild cheese in the house for Ella. She also likes deli sliced turkey, but I gave her ham today and she threw up. I tried chicken last night and it didn't make her throw up but after a few bites she started to spit it out.

Basically the only foods I know she will eat every single time I offer it are green beans (pureed), oatmeal cereal, and yogurt. She is absolutely crazy about yogurt! We started giving it to her months before it was suggested for babies, but she has never had a bad reaction to it. Oh, and graham crackers, which she is eating right now. I am excited to get to the point where she just eats what we eat, but I am not sure when she will be ready for that? When do babies stop eating pureed foods? We had friends over for dinner on Monday and we were talking about preparing for pregnancy and reading up on caring for a newborn, but I am pretty clueless about toddlers. I think I need to do some research...

Spring is Here!

And so are Ella's teeth! Today Ella actually let me see inside her mouth and feel around. There are 2 new teeth on top and 1 on the bottom. I am so happy that they have finally broken through the gums! She is in a much better mood and eating better too. We went for a walk today too, which was amazing. It was really cute to see her hair blowing in the wind. Towards the end of our walk she got a little sick of being in the stroller but she was a trooper and didn't cry or whine at all. We walked over to Legacy Chocolates, the best chocolate shop in the world, where I worked for 1 1/2 years. It was fun to see my old coworkers and get a little treat! Ella flirted big time with Tom, who is in his mid 50's and also flirts quite a bit! Its been a great day so far, it will be even better if Ella stops fighting her need to sleep and goes down for her nap. She has been whining in her crib for about 20 minutes now. She took a really good nap this morning, but she still needs to nap this afternoon or she will be a wreck by dinner.

What I Love About Ella

1. Her wispy blond hair
2. How she babbles constantly, even when there is no one in the room
3. Her beautiful blue eyes
4. Her chubby little legs
5. When she giggles; it doesn't happen too often so it is even more special
6. How excited she gets to see me
7. The cute way she says her few words, hi, mama, and papa
8. Watching her play by herself- seeing how she interacts with her toys
9. Her cute little teeth, despite the agony they cause all of us
10. When she hugs me
11. The way she uses the dining room table as a jungle gym
12. The funny things she does with her mouth to make interesting noises
13. The way she looks when she sleeps, so peaceful
14. When she gets excited and all limbs are going crazy
15. Her smile
16. Sometimes when she cries it is actually pretty cute
17. Seeing her interact with her papa. She really loves Kyle
18. Her cute little baby butt
19. When she was first learning to stand on her own she would do it without realizing it, then when she did realize it she would immediately grab on to something or sit down. Silly girl
20. She is constantly changing and becoming less of a baby and more of a child. It is exciting to watch her grow up

This is just what I came up with in about 2 minutes. When Kyle and I used to do this together we spent about 20 minutes talking about everything we loved about Ella.

Why?

Kyle and I can see at least 3 teeth coming through Ella's gums right now, 2 on top and 1 on bottom. We will have to see how big the 2 on top are but it almost looks like there are 4 teeth coming in on top. So it is understandable that Ella has been a bit of a bear the last few weeks. 3-5 teeth coming in at once has to be painful. But knowing that doesn't really make it any easier to deal with. It reminds of me of how Ella was when she was a newborn. Sometimes I wonder why we were blessed with a difficult child. I have a lot of friends who are having babies right now and I try not to compare but it is hard not to when their babies are so easy going and well behaved. Ella is incredibly cute and funny, but she is also so challenging. We have not made it through an entire Sunday at church without her crying or doing something entirely disruptive. She used to scream all through bible study as well. Then I see my friends whose babies sleep through church and don't make a peep during bible study. How could I not compare and feel like we got the short straw? The thing that doesn't make sense is that the moms with the easy babies are way more patient and more equipped to deal with a difficult baby. So why do they have the easy baby and I have the one who makes me want to pull my hair out? I love my daughter, I really do, and I wouldn't trade her for any other baby, but why? Why me? I have thought about it a lot and I think God is trying to teach me to be patient, because I am pretty much the least patient person ever. And I know that when we get through this I will be able to support other moms who are having similar difficulties. I wish those things gave me some comfort, but they really don't. I know I should just be grateful to have a baby, and I am. I guess I am just a complainer and I need to suck it up and focus on the great things about Ella. There are lots of great things about her. When she was younger and way more difficult Kyle and I would sit and go through every thing we loved about Ella so we wouldn't focus too much on how hard it was. I think my next post should be everything I love about Ella.

Ella's Bubble Bath

Earlier this week Kyle and I gave Ella her first bubble bath. She loved it! I tried to post a video of it, but it kept freezing when I tried to play it, so here are some pictures instead.

Thank You Daylight Savings!

Typically I think daylight savings is just dumb, but I have to say it really worked in our favor this time around. I have complained about Ella getting up early in prior posts, but this week she has gotten up between 7:30 and 8:00 every morning. On Saturday we put her to bed at her normal time, then set the clocks ahead and she got up at 7:30 instead of 6:30. Therefore we were able to put her to bed an hour later Sunday night. I was skeptical about this actually working, but lo and behold, Monday morning she got up at 7:50! Hallelujah!! I feel like a new woman after actually getting a good nights sleep! I am sure after I post this she will wake up at 5:00 am tomorrow, but I have thoroughly enjoyed these last few days. It is also nice to put her to bed a little bit later. It is hard to get home some nights early enough to get her ready for bed by 7:00. So thank you daylight savings for making my life a little bit easier!

Ella's Playdate

On Friday night our friends Josh and Chelsea Becker dropped off their son Hurshle at our apartment and he slept overnight while Josh was at a meeting and Chelsea had a track meet. We weren't sure what it would be like to have another baby here all day Saturday, but it went really well and we had fun! I don't think Ella knew what to think at first when we came out to the living room Saturday morning and Hurshle was out there. She did a lot of staring at first, but then they started playing and she seemed to have a lot of fun! They didn't really play together, just near each other. Every once in a while they interacted though. Hurshle used to tackle Ella every time he saw her but now is a little bit gentler. He did give her a hug which resulted in him falling over and taking Ella down with him. Below are a few pictures from the day.

Teething Sucks

It took Ella several months of fussiness for her first tooth to come. Then her second tooth popped up without causing Ella much distress at all. Now she has been really clingy the last few days, waking up screaming a few times and crying at the drop of a hat. It must be teething. I don't really know what it will look like on the top gums when there are teeth coming through, but there seems to be some white spots which could be teeth under the gums still. I kind of wish she could just get all her teeth in one shot and get it over with! For those few weeks before the tooth finally breaks through the surface I feel like my daughter is developing bipolar disorder. Happy one minute, crying the next. Maybe this is just breaking us in for when she goes through puberty...

Ella's New Trick

I Love My Daughter

I am reading a book written from the perspective of many different women, one of them being a first time mom of a 2 month old. She is having a hard time and it reminds me of what it was like for me when Ella was a newborn. I honestly didn't know if I was going to survive. I didn't know if I really loved my daughter. I don't think I had postpartum depression, but it was rough. We got through it though and now when I watch Ella playing on the floor or crawling toward me so excited to see me, I know that I love my little girl. She is so sweet, and she is still tough (right now she is screaming in her crib because she doesn't want to nap) but it is worth it. People have started asking me when we are going to have another baby quite often lately. The first few times it was brought up I was horrified at the thought of going through the newborn stage again. But now when I think about how hard it was, I actually feel hopeful that it will be better next time. I think it was good to have such a tough first child because now I am prepared for anything. I know that juggling two children will make it harder in some ways, but I learned so much and I will do so many things different next time and I really feel like it will run more smoothly. I already have a list started of things I am going to do different! Maybe I am kidding myself and I don't have a clue what I will be getting myself into, but I am excited to see what it would be like to actually enjoy having a newborn. It will probably be a while still before we have another baby though, so don't get any ideas!

No More Boobies For Ella

I recently weaned Ella from breastfeeding. She was only willing to nurse for a few minutes at a time and wasn't getting enough milk, so I decided that switching to formula and bottles would be better so she isn't getting dehydrated and lacking nutrients. I really never liked nursing anyways, so I was ready to be done. And let me tell you, I am loving it! I don't have to worry about breast pads and leaking, nursing bras and trying to be discreet while nursing in public. What a headache. I think the absolute best part though is my breasts being a normal size again! Today I am wearing a bra that I haven't worn since I was about 4 months pregnant. I feel so much more comfortable now. My shirts fit better too. I know breastfeeding Ella was the best thing for her, but I am glad she got sick of it so I could wean her without feeling guilty or selfish. Ahh, sweet freedom....

Clueless

I have been a mom for 10 months now, so you would think that I might know my kid decently well and kind of know what I am doing, but I am completely clueless. After posting that Ella is really consistent with her wake up time, this morning she woke up at 5:00 am. She was awake for 30 minutes before I gave up, fed her a bottle and put her back to sleep. She then slept until 7:45, and at 9:15 was whining and rubbing her eyes. Nap time already? Well, ok, so I give her another bottle and put her down. Now she is in there alternating talking to herself and crying. What the heck?!? She looked super tired, but I guess she isn't ready to sleep? But if I don't put her down she will be yawning and whining. So what am I supposed to do? I feel like I am never going to figure this kid out. 99% of the time as soon as she is yawning and rubbing her eyes she is ready to sleep and falls asleep after about 5 minutes in her crib. Not this morning though. We are going on 20 minutes right now. And did I mention that I am getting a cold and feel like crap? Oh the joy of motherhood...

Home Sweet Home

Living in Menomonie has been hard for Kyle and I lately. Most of our friends have moved away and we spend a lot of time driving to Eau Claire and the Twin Cities. We have decided to move to Eau Claire at some point, but we have been debating on when to do that. Kyle is graduating in May, so most likely we will plan on moving June 1st. It is very exciting to think about being closer to friends and church. Ella will probably be happier too because she has many little play mates in Eau Claire! Below are a few pictures of her with her friends.

Ella and Hurshle on Father's Day

Ella, Nora and Hurshle on Halloween

Ella, Nora and Emma with their mama's

Their are two other babies in our bible study group at church, Owen and Sophia, who were born Dec. 24 and Jan. 27. Ella will have lots of little friends to grow up with. We feel very blessed to have these people in our lives who are going through the same stage of life and are so supportive.