Nine Month Pictures!

Ella Pearl-
Here are some of your nine-month pictures. We really weren't going to take nine-month pics, but one day when we were at Sam's, there was a company setting up appointments for these old-time photos. We thought it would be something different, so we scheduled you up. On picture day, you were not your normal smiley self. Mommy and Daddy kept trying to make you smile, but the photographer politely told me "I got it, Mom." Well, apparently she DIDN'T have it with her feather duster and lame noises because she never got you to smile one time. Oh well. You still look adorable, even when you're not smiling.
These are sooo much your 9 month faces...
Love, Mommy

I've been an awful Mommy

Ella Pearl,
I know it's been a whole month since Mommy has posted anything on your blog. Yesterday was your 10-month mark, and I have been horrible. Between school ending and our trip to Minnesota, I have TOTALLY been slacking. Not to mention Mommy's laptop is on the fritz! Regardless, thats mo reason to slack on my beautiful little girl, so I promise to do better!
Your Aunt Mary has a new baby blog for her baby (check it out at http://babyutz.blogspot.com/), and she has totally inspired me to get my booty moving!

So, at 10 months you've had sooo many milestones! I'll put pics and videos of all of them, but I'll just say that you've been taking your first steps, singing, dancing, and saying Ma Ma Ma and Da Da Da. It's been quite a monumental month!

I love you sooo much, and you are growing up too fast!! I can't believe you're going to be a year in just two short months. I love you, my sweet pea.

Mommy

Big Girl Car Seat

Ella

Here's a quick pic of you in your new big girl car seat. So far so good. You LOVE being able to see yourself in the mirror and out the window, and it looks sooo comfy!!

Love,
Mommy

More Milestones

Hey baby girl,

We had quite a busy week! Wednesday night, the three of us went to Buffalo Wild Wings to meet some teacher friends for the Astros game. The girls gooed and gahed over you the whole time. I was so glad you got to meet Crystal and Eric, because they were planning to babysit you this Friday night.

You really bonded with your Aunt Crystal.

And you seemed to make a good impression on Aunt Alex too!

And Aunt Christine never wanted to put you down!!

You had a blast! You even got to gnaw on some celery, just like the Wonder Pets!!

Oh, and you've got two bruises on your face!! One on each cheek! Now that you're pulling up on anything and everything, you fall just as easily! The other day, daddy and I heard when you fell in your playpen onto your music vanity...it was a hard hit, and it probably contributed to one of your bruises. Poor baby...everyone says its just the beginning too!

Friday night, Crystal and Christine (both teachers from Arnold) came to babysit you so Mommy and Daddy could have a date night. Eric had a late flight (he's a pilot), and he was sooo disappointed he missed the poo poo diapers! But Aunt Crystal and Aunt Christine took charge and had a great time babysitting you. You were soooo good for them too (great job, by the way...our plan is working!!), and you made a great impression. Ha ha.

Mommy and Daddy had dinner and saw a movie (17 Again, it was sooooo very funny!). It was a great night, and it was probably the latest we've stayed out in a looong time.

Another thing you do right now, besides the clapping and shaking your head NO, is putting your hands above your head. Not sure what you're doing there. Dancing? You love to dance with Elmo, so maybe that's just a new dance move!

Today, when we all woke up, your second tooth has broken the surface of your gums!! It looks sooo cool. Later that day, we all three went to my school's teacher crawfish boil. I was so impressed by the spicy crawfish and cajun setup, and it was nice to meet some new friends. When we left there, we shopped for a new car seat for our little big girl. After much shopping and travelling, we FINALLY found one we liked. I think you're going to love it too. After Daddy installs it tomorrow, we'll have to take some pics of you in it. Sooo cool.

Well, we're all pooped! I hope you had as good of a weekend as we did! I love you, my little angel.

Love, Mommy

Stormy Weather means No School!

Little Ella,

We all got a treat today! Last night it rained and stormed and lightning-ed and thundered...so much, that today Mommy didn't have any school and Daddy didn't have work! It was bad for Houston because it was really bad weather, but it was good for us because we got to spend the whole day with you!! We lost power off and on, and the rain in the pond in the back got really high. The highest we've ever seen it. Northwest Houston saw 11 inches of rain! Crazy!

Fortunately, we found lots of things to do around the house with our favorite little girl!

Love, Mommy

PoOoOoO PoOoOo!!

ELLA!!

Picture it! This past Thursday. In the evening.
You are playing in your playpen, while Mommy is picking up around the house. I look over at you because you got mighty quiet, and I see you playing in something. It's dark and your patting your hands in it....I get a little closer, and I see it is a puddle of POO POO!!!
Eeeeewww!!

Well, I just about died! I ran over to you, and picked you up under your arms. I called for your daddy from upstairs. He called down and wanted to know what you were doing. I said, "PLAYING IN POO!!" He ran down to help me. We put your straight in the tub - dress, diaper, sandals and all. I hosed you off and started stripping you down. Meanwhile, daddy started hosing off your toys, playmat, and sandals. It was sooooooo nasty!

But you got a great bath out of it, and we got everything nice and clean again. But wow!
What a stinky situation!!

Speaking of "Picture It," another Golden Girl passed away today! Bea Arthur, the lady who played Dorothy Zsbornak died of cancer. So sad.

Ella's New Tricks!

Here are just a few shots of your latest and greatest moves. Yesterday, you came home from daycare clapping your hands! You do it all the time now. And you also learned how to shake your head NO. You do THAT all the time too, but sometimes when you shake your head, I think it might shake off your shoulders!! You are a character. You've been crawling a lot, and your favorite thing to do is still pull yourself up and stand. You can stand for a while!

Mommy's been feeling ok. Already, I definitely think it's a boy because all the wonderful things that happened when I was pregnant for you, it's opposite now! I have pimply face - what's up with that?? Daddy says they're really not that bad, but eww....I think they're gross. Pizza face, as Jenny called it when she was preggers for Briggs. And I am sooooo tired. When I was pregnant for you, I felt GREAT all the time! It must be a boy!!

P.S. Make sure you check out BOTH videos on this posting!