Ella & Mommy have been wandering outside quite frequently this summer. Ella loves to swing on the porch swing. We go out in the morning & then again in the evening with Daddy. Mostly it keeps her from fussing and sometimes we even get a small nap.
After a short nap, Ella had some fun playing with Daddy.
She loves to grab at anything she can get her hands on...glasses, Mommy's hair, Daddy's nose...
Then we gave Ella a special treat...plums. Yummy! (we have to put the fruit in a mesh bag so she can hold it herself, plus if you try to hold it for her, she tries to bite pieces off and then tries to suck the entire piece of fruit into her mouth!)
So the little munchkin is sitting up more and more since the weekend. She is pretty good at it as long at she doesn't get overly excited by the cat or her toys.
On Tuesday, we went over to Miss Erin's for another play date. Poor Ella is the smallest one there! But she really loves to watch the kiddos running around and Momma loves when she falls asleep on my shoulder. On the way home from the play date, Ella would not stop blabbing. The whole way home I heard ayayaya lala ahhh. And she hasn't stopped jabbering since. Sometimes if you say "Ella" enough to her it actually sounds like she is trying to say her name. As the days go by, Mommy is saddened because she now gets a da-da sound in there. Tear. I have been preparing myself for this day. I get some form of relief when I see her look at the ceiling light and say da da da because part of me knows she has no idea that da da actually means something. At the same time, it breaks my heart to see Russell's face when she blabs da da da. Oh, the bittersweetness of motherhood.
Because Ella can't seem to get enough of Maggie and because all of you can't seem to get enough of Ella playing with Maggie...here is yet another video of the two of them.
Mimi & Pappy Bill came to visit last weekend (yes, I know I am behind). We did our best to bore them death but they just wouldn't leave (just kidding, loved having you both here!). Really, I just think our little munchkin is so cute to watch that you couldn't possibly be bored with her in the room. Anyhoo, it was a nice weekend and Mimi only caused a small panic with one of her crazy spells this time.
We tend to go sans footwear in our house. But Mimi brought the cutest pink sandals and since they didn't fit me we tried them out on the babes...
Thanks Mimi, they meet Ella's approval and taste yummy.
Enough with the shoes, Pappy Bill to the rescue...
Ella is usually the early bird in the house waking us up about 7 or 8. She finally had some competition because Pappy Bill likes to get up at the crack of dawn. Needless to say Ella had Mommy up by 6am so she could nurse. Mimi thought she just might get to sleep in but Ella had a different plan.
At least they were nice enough to put her down for a nap and then feed her some yummy peas and milk for lunch before they headed out the door.
Mommy & Daddy were feeling left out of all the picture action so we forced them to hand over our little girl so we could get...
I'm starting to think Maggie just might be Ella's new best friend. As soon as she catches a glimpse of the white fur ball, she goes crazy flailing her arms and legs and giggling.
The other night she practically squirmed out of Daddy's arms trying to get some of that tasty fur.
Yeah, it's cute except cat hair and slobbery hands don't mix. It's all fun and games until someone coughs up a hairball...
As I am sure you have already read, Ella got her first front tooth the 23rd of June. Last night we had some minor fussing at bedtime. This always puzzles Mommy because we have a good little girl that knows to go to sleep as soon as you lay her down in the crib. This morning we woke to find another sharp white thing to chomp on Mommy & Daddy's fingers with. We have been desperately trying to get a good picture of Ella's pearly whites but she only opens her mouth to insert fingers...
...or to let her crankiness be known to the entire block...
(Note: click on the pictures and they should open up full size so you can see her razor sharp tooth!)
She really truly was happy in the swing just seconds before we snapped those pictures.
And after all the crying, there really is nothing better than a power nap...
We tried to reposition her but she wanted no part of sleeping in a comfortable position!
Month 5 already! Our little girl is growing up so fast. This month Ella misses out on the big, fun mirror at the doctor's office, which also means no shots! YAY! That also means no official baby stats for the month. But she has been eating & nursing like crazy so I would estimate over 13 pounds. She still loves her rice cereal but she has also been enjoying sweet potatoes, squash, peaches, pears, & most recently carrots. She is still sleeping all night, but is starting to cut back to 1 nap a day. Ella also got her first tooth this month. We are still waiting for it to come in the whole way!
She has been giving Mommy & Daddy quite a fight when it come to diaper changes. She has also started fake coughing and sneezing just to get attention. But her all time favorite attention getter is making funny faces at us.
After looking at the blog for the 100th time today, I realized that I had posted the wrong video of Ella playing with Maggie. I have to admit it is the first mistake I have ever made and I promise to not let it happen again...
Dimmeydale, the neighborhood we live in, had it's annual 4th of July celebration Saturday. All the neighbors decorate motorized vehicles, wagons, strollers, etc. and let the kiddos loose in the street for a parade.
We fancied up the stroller and off Ella(& Daddy) went...you didn't think she was going to push the stroller herself did you? Of course, we had to invite Alexander & Niki to come over and join in on the fun (yes, we invited their parents too, what kind of people do you think us West Virginians are).
All three Mommies headed down to watch our beautiful children debut in their 1st parade. Ella even managed to stay wake for the entire parade!
After a stroll around the block, everyone ended up at our neighborhood park for a cookout and games for the kids. We left Ella play in the shade since she is too little to partake in the kiddie games.
Sunday, we had lunch on the charcoal grill with Grandma & Pappy Green.
After a cranky afternoon, Ella finally decided to demonstrate all the new sounds she can make. If you listen closely you will hear a fake sneeze and many fake coughs.
Daddy and Ella like to play the "up & down" game when she starts to get restless. However, I think Daddy is really just making her do squats since she is starting to develop those cute leg rolls.
Maggie (the cat) and Ella are new buddies. Ella just loves the cat and the cat, well, she tolerates Ella because it gets her some attention plus maybe, just maybe, she might get to play with the awesome baby toys and not get yelled at.
We decide to forgo the normal bedtime routine and take Miss Ella to see her first firework display. I'm pretty sure we caught her watching the sky light up a few times (yes, we were far enough way that they weren't loud)...although, the passing cars were pretty interesting!
