Happy Half-Birthday to E!

Today is Ella's half-birthday. These first six months have FLOWN by. I'm already sad that her first birthday is so close. Sometimes I wish life had a pause button.

To celebrate this momentous occasion :) here are some pics showing how far she's come...



In the NICU on the day she was born (I only have one picture of her not in the NICU with all those tubes & wires from the day she was born & it would probably gross too many people out, so I won't post it)

Still in the hospital a couple days later...



Today (with a lot less hair)...

And a couple from yesterday just cause she's so cute. :)

Videos of Ella...finally

We have a video camera, but for the life of us cannot figure out how to upload videos to post on here (it's a digital one - doesn't have a USB cable & our Mac won't accept the small DVD's it records on), but I now have a phone with video capabilities. So, I'll just have to settle for the lesser quality videos so Ella's Grandpa G (A's dad) can see her antics.

This is her FAVORITE thing to do after her bath...chew on her toes. As soon as her diaper comes off, the toes go in the mouth. Wesley cracks up every time she does it. I told him her feet were MUCH cleaner than his are so it's okay for her to chew on hers :)



And, here's one of her playing with her rattle. She's just figured out how to work the rattles. It's so cute when she does it because she blinks her eyes everytime it makes noise & bops herself in the head constantly. She's in her stroller in the video (was going to post pics of why, but blogger isn't letting me upload them - will have to try again another day).

Four & Five Month Pictures...

Man, I have really not been good about posting here. Sorry bout' that.

Here are Ella's 'rug' pictures (and some others from those shoots) from the last couple months...

Four months

And, Five months (this past Saturday)




"Is that ol' Daddy tickling you?"


And, my favorite, "Momma, it is SO not cool to show a girl's booty on the internet."

Two & Three Month Pics...

A little behind on posting her monthly photos, but here you go...

Two Months...

Three Months...

Roll Call...

Saw this on someone else's blog & thought, "I really need to do that on ours."

I would really like to know who all reads our blog. I know who some of you are because you leave comments every now and then, but I'm wondering just how many 'readers' we actually have.

So, please leave your name and where you're from in the comments. If you don't feel comfortable leaving your name, at least put where you live (no need to be real specific - you can just put the state you live in if you want).

Look forward to hearing from you!

Must be something in the water...

I keep a list of links to friends' blogs (mostly college friends, so I can keep up with what's happening in their lives) that I don't necessarily get to check every day. I've been pretty bad about checking some of them since lil' Miss Ella came along. So, today I thought I would get all caught up on the happenins' that I've missed out on. I check a couple and find out my neighbor from when Wesley was born is expecting her fourth (Yay for her!), check a few more and find out a friend from the BSU at UT Martin (or BCM for the younger folks) & his wife are expecting their third & FOURTH (double Yay for them!), then check a few more & find out a college friend that I've known since going to church together back in high school & his wife are expecting their first (Yay for them, too!).

It's a little overwhelming, I tell you. Of course, my brother & his wife are also expecting. I'm thinking I really need to master the art of knitting so I can get to work on some lil' pink & blue booties (I started trying to learn when I was pregnant with Ella, but gave up because I couldn't figure it out from the written instructions - I'm much more of a visual learner - guess I'll have to find someone who can teach me).

Almost forgot to add a picture...

This is at our friends' house after Wesley played in the mud with their

kids (I don't think he's ever been that dirty before :) - don't know if you

can tell from the picture, but his shorts were completely caked with mud)

Funny conversation...

Read this on Tara Whitney's blog & laughed out loud. Anyone who is married will certainly identify with this.

Edited to add: forgot to add a picture - can't have a blog post without a picture :)

My mom was holding Ella & talking to her. Her eyes have gotten stronger since this picture was taken, because I think this is the last time I saw her go cross-eyed trying to look at someone/something.

Our lil' family

found this little doo-dad from someone else's blog - you can create a family 'sticker' - thought it was cute, so I had to have one for myself...

Create your own family sticker graphic at pYzam.com

Lil' Slugger...

Wesley hit his first home run a week or so ago. I think he might have gotten a 'home run' in t-ball, but I don't think it really counts unless you're hitting a moving ball. He was bursting with pride because all the parents were hollering for him when he was running the bases & a bunch of them said something after the game. Of course, Anthony & I have worked it into the conversation with practically everyone we've talked to over the past week.

Here's a shot of right after he hit it...

As he's rounding third...

and one of him playing center field...

Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice...

My brother & sister-in-law (Eric & Tiffany) had their ultrasound today to find out what they're having. My mom just called to tell me that it's a GIRL! She's due at the end of October, which means Ella will have two cousins within a year of her age (one on both sides of the family). Poor Wesley doesn't have any cousins on mine or Anthony's side of the family within three years of him since he was the first grandchild & only has one on his dad's side within two years of him. Lucky for Ella, she'll always have someone to play with at family gatherings & I'll have someone to pass down all the pretty little outfits that she outgrows way too fast (she just turned 3 months old and is already out-growing some of her 3-6 months clothes).


So, congratulations, Eric & Tiffany. Can't wait to spoil her!


And, what's a post without a picture...

Ella & her daddy - watching Wesley's baseball game last week

A great big brother...

Wesley has impressed me with how he has moved easily into the role of big brother. He really loves Ella - as evidenced by:

• He hates to hear her fuss or cry & will make sure Anthony or I do something to make her happy when she starts - I think this is partly because he doesn't like the sound of her cry since he covers his ears when she really gets upset.

• He's interested in her daily routine - "Is it time for her to eat?" "Is it time for her bath?" "Are you changing her diaper?"
  
• He likes playing with her & her toys - or maybe he just likes playing with her toys : )
  
• His car seat is in the back seat with hers & he'll move her sunshade on her car seat to make sure the sun isn't in her face (without me even asking him to) & he'll put her pacifier back in her mouth when she spits it out.
  
• He gets her things when he's gone to his dad's - he got her some baby sunglasses with a strap that holds them on (she did not care for those much when I put them on) & asked his granny (Jody's mom) to make her a baby blanket when she was making one for Jody's brother & sister-in-law.
  
• He asks to hold her (usually when we're visiting people & someone other than me or Anthony is holding her).
  
• When he gets to daycare in the afternoons he goes to her room to "check" on her (which I think is oh so sweet).
  
• He has dealt with not being the center of attention like he used to be fairly well and he seems to have matured since she was born.
  
• And, he gives her kisses & hugs before he goes to bed at night.

By popular demand...

Our first family photo as a quartet (from this past Sunday) (click on it to see full-size)...

Our kitty doesn't know he's a cat...

Top five characteristics of Ace's that indicate he's confused about his species:

1. He growls when he hears someone come to the door.

2. He sits in chairs like a human, not curled up like a normal cat. (see picture below)

3. He likes for us to play fetch with him with his toys (which consist of rubber bands or those rubber bracelets like the yellow "Live Strong" ones). He will usually bring it back to us each time so we'll throw it again. (I really need to get a picture of him doing this - only have it on video & am clueless as to how to post video on here)

4. He gets lonely & whines if our other cat goes outside & he's left inside, which is not a normal cat trait (she likes to escape when the door is open, but he is afraid of the outside).

5. He prefers the water out of the faucets in the kitchen & bathroom rather than from their water bowl (even though they get clean water each day).

Adventures in Sports Related Injuries...

Wesley moved up from t-ball this year to the 7-8 yr. old machine pitch league. The machine they use is different from the ones you typically see in batting cages & doesn't have a motor or need electricity. It will throw strikes as well as balls so they have to learn to judge where the ball is going. Wesley has been adjusting from hitting a ball off the tee to hitting a moving ball pretty well. That is, until a few weeks ago (the day my mother-in-law passed away to be precise) at one of his practices. My mom was watching him for us & had taken him to his practice. I had just gotten home & was about to step in the shower & then take a nap, because I had been up since about 5 am with no shower. I had gotten my clean clothes together & was on my way to the bathroom & the phone rang. It was our friend Chris (who has a son on Wesley's team & was the one who graciously let Wesley stay with them the week that we were at the hospital 24/7 with Anthony's mom). He said, "Hey. I know you're having a rough day, but I've got some more bad news." I was thinking, "Oh, no. I'm not sure how much more I can take." Me: "What is it?" Chris: "Wesley got hit in the nose with the baseball & we think he may have broken it. Your mom is going to take him to the ER." So, I gathered Ella up & raced back out the door (sans makeup & still not having taken a shower).

When I got to the ER a few minutes after them Wesley was still pretty tore up (I've heard having a broken nose is one of the most painful bones to break). They had filled a plastic (lunchlady) glove with ice at the ballpark & put it on his nose & paper towels to soak up the blood. He moved the ice bag so I could see & I couldn't keep myself from gasping in shock. It looked really bad (it was already starting to swell up) & just continued to get worse over the next few hours. We didn't have to spend more than an hour or two in the ER. They did x-rays that confirmed that it was broken, gave us a perscription for tylenol with codeine and told us to keep icing it every hour or two for the next 24 hours then follow up with his pediatrician the next day (this happened on a Sunday). At first he was crying pretty hard, but by the time they did the x-rays and we sat waiting for the doctor to come in he had calmed down & it wasn't hurting much unless he touched it. Then he started asking all about what they would do, if he would need a cast (on his nose, mind you), etc. He was pretty dissapointed that he wouldn't get a cast if it indeed was broken (I remember it being pretty special to have a cast for everyone to sign when I was a kid, so I understood). After he found out he wouldn't get one he said, "Well, I wish I had broken my arm instead so I could have a cast."

When I asked him later what had happened he said, "The ball went all crazy & hit me in the nose."

And, what's a post without pictures...

From the side...

These are about 24 hours later (his dad drove up the night it happened & took Wesley home with him so he could take care of him because he knew we had a lot to deal with at the time). According to Jody, this was much better than the way he looked Sunday night.

From the front...

This one was 5 days after it happened - he still had just a little swelling & the black eyes were turning yellow.
And for reference, this is what he normally looks like...

On a brighter note...

I felt bad burdening you with that last post, so I thought I would put up something a little happier. Ella started smiling over a month ago, but until last night I wasn't able to get a picture of her while she was smiling. EVERY time she would start smiling & I would ask Anthony to go get the camera, by the time he got it she would stop. We would try & try to get her to smile again, but she wouldn't do it. It got pretty funny after a while. I had to get Wesley to run & get the camera last night & take a picture really quickly - it's not the best picture, but we finally caught it on film (or disc as it may be).

thank you

Thank you for any thoughts and prayers you have sent our way.

Anthony's mom passed away a few days after my last post, on Sunday, May 4th and her memorial service was a week ago yesterday.

People keep asking how I'm doing, how Anthony is doing, how Randall (A's step-dad) is doing. All I can tell them is we're making it. I think for Randall his loss is very real since he has to go home to an empty house every night, but for the rest of us, it hasn't quite sunk in & sort of hits us in waves. The other day I was in the drive thru at McDonald's and the thought of chicken tenders almost made me burst into tears (she worked at Tyson - which is the supplier for all of McDonald's chicken items). Or, when they play the song on the radio that the preacher read at her memorial service (usually on my way to work) & I have to fight back the tears so I can see the road. I've never lost anyone so close to me. Right now I feel sort of numb, like I've got to keep fighting back the emotion or it will overtake me. I think we're all using the same strategy of trying to keep ourselves busy.

You know how when you or someone you know is expecting a child & even though you see her belly growing & you look at ultrasound pictures (and as a mom you dream about your child), it just isn't real until you see the baby for the first time, hold her in your arms, hear her little noises & smell that sweet new baby smell. Well, this is sort of the opposite. One day you're cooking dinner & running around your house trying to straighten up before your in-laws get there & life is very real & a little tedious. You're chatting with your mother-in-law while she holds her granddaughter (but you don't realize it's the last time she'll ever hold her). Then, just two weeks later you wake up to the news that she has passed on. And you feel like you're reaching out into an empty space trying to find her again, trying to recount & store up every memory you have of her, afraid you'll lose them, afraid you'll lose her. And you begin to realize how precious time is, how you took her for granted a little bit and how much you long for your children to have her in their lives. And it's all so very unreal.

in case you were wondering...

where we've been & why we haven't posted...
besides the normal busyness of having an infant, returning to work, baseball season starting, etc. Anthony's mother, Shanda, has been fighting cancer for about six years now & her body is tired of fighting. She has been going downhill very fast over the last few weeks & we've been spending as much time as we can with her. We (her immediate family) have all been at the hospital since Monday evening when her doctor said he thought she only had about 24 hours to live. She's been hanging on. Needless to say, your prayers would be appreciated right now as the family prepares to let her go & for her to be as comfortable as possible at this time.

One month pics...

I'm going to try really hard to take pictures of Ella each month to document her growth. It's something I wish I would have done with Wesley. I've seen lots of ideas of how to do this, but the two I like best are photographing her on a rug & with the same stuffed animal each month. So, here are her one month photos from a couple weeks ago...




My sister had her R & R leave from her tour of duty in Iraq recently & was home for 18 days. She & my mom came down & spent a couple days with us. It was so good to see my sister, to be able to hug her & know that for the next few days she wouldn't be in harms way (at least not anymore than what is normal). She met Ella. Here's a picture of her making faces at Ella (she'll probably kill me for posting this picture, but I don't care. I think it's cute) & one of her & my mom talking to Ella & Ella just looking at them like she totally understands what they're saying.

Granola momma

I am a babywearing, breastfeeding, cloth diapering momma, effectively earning me the title of being a 'granola momma.' In case you're not familiar with that term, wikipedia says granola is used as slang "describing a person who is hippie-like."

The babywearing is mostly out of necessity. When she gets bored or is fighting sleep I can put her in one of the carriers (usually the wrap because it's more stretchy & comfortable for us both) and do some housework, which usually lulls her to sleep.

The breastfeeding is because...

1. It's the best thing for her nutritionally
2. It's cheaper than formula
3. It's more convenient (mostly) than formula - I say mostly because while I don't have to worry about bottles for now, when I go back to work I will be pumping & sending bottles with her to daycare - wish I didn't have to go back.
4. I enjoy being able to do it - it means I get an 'excuse' to stop, sit down & cuddle her multiple times a day
5. And, I almost forgot...makes it really easy to lose that pregnancy weight (at least for me it has both times)
   

The cloth diapering is because...

1. It's better for the environment
2. It's better for my wallet (besides how much I'll save with just Ella, if I have another child I can diaper him/her for free {except for the cost of washing them}. If I don't have another one, I can re-sell the diapers I have and probably recover at least half what I have spent on them)
   
3. They're almost as easy as disposables - the laundering, figuring out how they work, etc. wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be
4. My friend Sunny was instrumental in bringing me over to the dark side of CDing (short for cloth diapering). If you are at all interested in what 'modern' cloth diapers look like, how they work, etc., I encourage you to click here & take a look at her online store.
5. And, if those aren't reason enough, they are way cuter than disposables - I can match her diaper to her outfit :)

And, what's a blog post without pictures...

Ella in her first cloth diaper (a Bum genius 3.0 pocket diaper in Blossom - these are one size, meaning they adjust from newborn size up to toddler)

Ella in a prefold & Thirsties cover in Celery

And, Ella in a Swaddlebees - which she has already outgrown (her little buddha belly won't squeeze into it anymore) (don't have a link to these in Sunny's store), sporting an expression that makes her look very much like her Daddy :)

Edited to add: I don't believe parenting is a 'one-size-fits-all' type of thing & I hope this post didn't come off that way. I think all parents should make the choices they believe are the best ones for their family.

"Enough equipment for two babies..."

That's what Anthony says about all the baby 'stuff,' but if it helps keep her happy & occupied so I can say, take a shower or cook a meal then it's worth it.
What it takes to keep Ella happy...

The swing...The bouncy seat...

The play gym...

And, you've already seen the babyhawk (see post below). We also have an exersaucer in storage that she can use once she's able to kind of sit up on her own.