Spring Break Weekend

Ok, here's the update I promised!

The Wednesday of Spring Break, your daddy and I set off for Louisiana. We were so excited to see family and friends! Wednesday night, we spent time visiting with Paw Paw Tom, Aunt Mary, Uncle Tommy, Uncle Pat and Aunt Anna. They were all SOO excited to see you. Paw Paw Tom has a beard now, and he looks just like Santa. Just as you were not too sure about Santa, you were not too sure about Paw Paw Tom's beard, but one day, when you realize how much he resembles the man who brings the presents, you will LOVE it. Ha ha.

Aunt Mary's friend Mr. Jim got you a cute Hurley red jacket. They thought it would be too warm for March, but little did Aunt Mary and Mr. Jim know - it was cold again the next weekend!! That's southern weather for ya!

Thursday morning, we brought you down to Garyville to stay with your Mammy and Paw Paw Larry. They were also SOOO excited to see you, and Mammy had been counting down the days unti your visit. After we unpacked ALL your toys and clothes and stuff, Mommy and Daddy headed to Biloxi, Ms for a few days while you visited with tons of family. I have lots of pictures that Mammy took of your stay, but I'll post those later since she has failed to send those to me yet!! She's slacking! But we heard you rode the tractor with Paw Paw, you spent the night at your Nanny's house, and you got to visit your Great Maw Maw Myrtle! And guess what else happened while we were away??? Your first tooth broke through the surface of your gums!! Yay!

Your Mommy and Daddy didn't come back until Saturday, and boy, did we miss you! We called like five times a day while we were away (this was the longest we had ever been away from you!), and we talked about you the whole time we were in Mississippi.

Saturday afternnon, we had dinner with Aunt Melissa, Aunt Lacie, Aunt Lani, Aunt Jenny and your friend Briggs. You and Briggs are getting so big, and I know yall are going to be best of friends one day. We were celebrating Aunt Lacie's engagement, and we got to check out her beautiful bling-bling ring! It was so much fun to hang with the girls (and Briggs) and talk wedding!

Sunday was a GREAT day but a super busy one too! All the family came over to Mammy and Paw Paw's to celebrate Aunt Shelly and Nanny's birthday. It was also Fr Paul and Taunt Nel's birthday, and although Fr Paul made it, Taunt Nel had the chickenpox, so she couldn't come. But all your cousins were there...Paw Paw got some great pictures of you all. It was a beautiful day with great food! You even ate a little ice cream from the cake!

That afternoon, we went to Aunt Anna's house, and we got to visit with lots of family there too! Uncle Travis barbecued as well, and it was yummy! By the time we got in the car to come home, we were all POOPED!

But it was a wonderful weekend, and a great way to end Spring Break!

Love, Mommy

Ella Giggle Pants

Ella Ella Ella....I have a big update coming of your wonderful weekend in Louisiana, but for now - here's a video of you and Zoe. Zoe just tickles you pink right now.

On the Verge of Crawling

You had a great day. This afternoon, the weather was soooo beautiful. You went outside and caught some rays. Aunt Necoy couldn't resist a few squeezes and smiles from her favorite little princess.

Oh, and lookout....Ella is on the verge of crawling!!

Yes, tonight in the living room, you were tired but you were on your belly, and you had your butt up in the air. You rocked back and forth on your arms...raring to go. I tried to get video, but like I said - you weren't in the greatest of moods because you were tired (plus it was dark because Daddy was watching 24). I say that you'll be crawling by the end of the month!

What do you think? Take my poll!

Love, Mommy

P.S. You had another bath in the sink, and Mommy just couldn't resist.

Sippy Cup Serenade

Hey Poopsie,

You had a great weekend. Daddy was feeling better on Sunday, so we took you to the Cypress Home and Garden Show. It was a bit smaller than the normal Home and Garden show, but it was still a lot of fun stuff to look at. Then you ate something you had never eaten before....PRUNES! Yes, although it looks like gooey chocolate or some other brown substance, you really liked it!! It was a mess though!! Afterwards, you washed it down with some water and juice in a SIPPY CUP! Yes, it was your first time drinking from a big girl sippy cup, and you did really good too! So many new things going on!!

Love,

Mommy

Happy 7 Months!

Hey baby girl!

In honor of the 7 months you have been in our lives, Mommy decided to give you a bath in the kitchen sink! We hadn't bathed you downstairs in the kitchen since you were much smaller. You had sooo much fun! You splashed and played. I am so glad Mommy is on Spring Break so she can spend some well-needed time with you.

I love you my baby girl.

Love, Mommy

Best Baby Milestones

I was reading my Parents magazine, and there was a poll for favorite baby milestones. Most people said that the baby's first smile was their favorite, and then the laugh was second. Last place was baby's first wave. I would have to say my favorite milestone so far has been and probably will always be your laugh. Your giggle is just about the most wonderful sound God has made. Your laugh is like a burst of jubilation (that's a vocabulary word this week with my 8th graders), and when I hear your giggle, one just can't help but laugh too. It's contagious. It's sweet. It's sooooo adorable.

Ok, ok...so I admit, my second favorite milestone is definitely the smile. Your smile has a smiliar effect. But my favorite part about that is actually MAKING you smile. You can be all serious, and then when I catch your attention, you look at me with those big, serious eyes. And all of sudden, your whole face transforms, and that grin spreads across your perfect little face. It's like utter magic, and it makes me feel sooo good.

Who knew such simple little things could touch the heart of a parent so easily?

Ella's New Walker

Hey my little Ella,

Mommy and daddy thought we'd give you an alternative to the jumper, so we got you an old-school walker. I think everyone from the 80s had one of these when they were babies. I figured it worked for us, so what ever happened to them? Why do they make kids jump and dangle their feet in a saucer nowadays? Why aren't babies mobile!??

So, here's your own personal MOBILE walker. It's pretty and pink with princesses and castles. When we first put you in it, we were a bit miffed because your feet didn't touch the floor!!
There's only one adjustment on the height, and your pretty little feet just dangled.

(I'm sure you'll thank us for that picture above one day!!) Anyway, when we put you in it today, you were just determined to have your feet touch that floor. You patted the ceramic floor with your little toot tootsies. Then you even taught yourself how to push backwards!! You were so excited to mooooove!! Hee hee...you love it, and we love seeing you enjoy it.

So now we'll see how long it takes you to learn to push yourself forward too!!

I love you my baby girl. Here's a little video of you in action.

Love, Mommy

Ella at her first rodeo!!

Hello my little cowgirl,
What an exciting weekend you had!!

Friday night, Mommy and Daddy did something they had not done in a loooong time. Get a full night's sleep? Ha ha. No! (and just kidding, we always get a full night's sleep with YOU because you looove to sleep!) No, we went see a band in concert. Mommy bought daddy tickets in December for his birthday to see his favorite band Big Head Todd at the House of Blues in Houston. It's a brand new House of Blues, and I think we figured out that we had not seen a band since we had been married (which being the music lovers that we are, we should be ashamed!)

Anyway, YOU went to your next-door neighbor Auntie Necoy, Auntie Tina and Auntie Tiffany's house. Mommy and daddy had a blast at the concert, and you had a blast keeping those ladies company!! On top of that, you slept all night without coughing that night! Your getting better! Yay!

Saturday, we all went to the Houston Livestock and Rodeo with our friends Kurt, Robin and Dean. The Rodeo is really big in Houston each year - maybe comparable to the Jazz Fest in New Orleans? It takes place in downtown Houston in the parking lot around the Reliant Center, Astrodome, and Reliant Center. In fact, we parked on the grassy lot that used to be Astroworld (VERY DEPRESSING!) The rodeo lasts from March 3-22. There's a huge carnival, TONS of Texas BBQ, major authetic Texas shopping, and well FARM ANIMALS!!

Yes, right there inside the Reliant Center were cows, sheep, chickens, pigs, and many other animals. It was sooo neat.

You could walk down rows and rows of giant pigs and cows. There were educational booths of everything from how to milk a cow (with demonstrations) to watching baby chicks hatch to seeing newborn piglets and lambs to taking a picture on a longhorn. I mean, there were some serious animals in there (and it didn't stink either!!) Inside, there was also shopping. Every kind of country booth you could think of. They sold lots of rhinestone clothing, belts, cowboy hats, leather, cow-hide rugs, and turquoise jewelry. It was such a culture lesson for me!!

Outside, there was a kiddie land with hands-on things for them to do. You were a bit young, but in years to come, you are gonna LOVE IT. We saw Swifty the Pig-Racing Swine in the pig races. And there was a huge carnival with every ride you could ever imagine. The food ranged from bbq brisket sandwiches to roasted corn on the cob to Texas-sized turkey legs, sausage on a stick and giant barrels of sweet tea. It was just a blast! There are also concerts (at night, I guess?) - this year some of the artists are Reba, Jonas Bros, Toby Keith, ZZ Top, etc. We didn't do the concert thing though.

And in the evening, there's a rodeo apparently at the arena, but we were pooped and you are still a little young for that. But you had sooo much fun! Mommy layered on the sunscreen because the weather was gorgeous!! What a fun day and experience for us all. We will definitely be back again next year.

You and Dean had such a great time. This was our last photo of the night. I believe the two of you are sitting on the exact location of where the Viper roller coaster used to be at Astroworld.

Love,

Mommy

Always coughing

Well, Ella - you've been keeping mommy and daddy up for the past few nights with your coughing and snotty nose. I know babies get colds, but you're going on three weeks now, so I brought you to see Dr. Nguyen this afternoon. She said you have an ear infection in BOTH EARS!! You'd never know it by your demeanor. You're just as happy and playful as can be. She said they are not reeeally bad, but on a scale from 1-4, its a 2.5. That's scary enough for me!!

So, she has you on Amoxycillin (antibiotic) for a few days. Hopefully, as it clears up your ears, it will also clear up your nose and throat. Poor baby. Daddy is at the store as we speak to get an electric snot sucker. Ha ha. Apparently they work, and you're poor nose is SOO tired of the manual nose sucker. We shall see if it works!!!

Love, Mommy

Oh, and one more thing...

Sorry...I have so many videos, and I just needed to share. This one cracks me up. It starts out slow, but once you spot daddy video taping you, you hold on for the ride. You looove your jumper! And here's another pic from the weekend taken from my blackberry. You are striking a pose on the table at Husky's. You're so hip! Ha ha!

Interesting Info (and a video)

Here's some interesting info I just got from a baby website.


Ella's half birthday is February 11 (which is also our anniversary and her Aunt Lacie's birthday!)
Her astrological sign is Leo (just like her Aunt Mary).
Her flower is Gladiola or Poppy (Orange, Red and Light Green)
(This is what gladiolas look like - I had to google it!)

She will start kindergarten in 2013, be old enough to drive a car in 2024, finish high school in 2026, and will graduate from college with the class of 2030, give or take a year.
Can you imagine?
This time last year I was 17 Weeks Pregnant!

Here's a little video of our little superstar. She looves to sing!!

A Mommy's Love

Have I told you lately how much I love you?

Nothing New on the Homefront

Not a whole lot to report.

Mommy and Daddy enjoyed a nice weekend with you! We did a lot of shopping, and as always, you were a complete angel.

You just started holding your own bottle...well, you've been doing that for quite a while now, but now you're a pro! When I went to pick you up today, you were "hanging with the girls" at daycare - yall were all sitting upright in a circle on the play mat. Too cute!

Other than that, there's nothing new. You have an endless snotty nose that's making you cough at night. Maybe you inherited mommy and daddy's allergies.

Here are a few pics from the past couple of days - you're still majorly teething - I'm waiting for that tooth any day now. You're getting so big so fast. STOP GROWING ALREADY!