We got snow!

January 20, 2009- What a day! A new president and no school due to snow! Yes we can!

We went to see the "Man in Red"! Ella thought it was cool at first,when she was sitting on Daddy's lap, but then Santa asked her to sit on Santa's lap- you see how you felt about it!

This holiday season has been magical- Ella loves the lights, playing with "Baby Geegus, Joseph, and Mawy", being 3rd row on Disney on Ice (thank you Meme and Bapa!), and just enjoying all of the sights and sounds of the holidays! We are awaiting Santa's arrival at our house. . .

I be 2!

That's what we say around here these days! Ella turned 2 on Friday, October 3! We had a Dora the Explorer party for all of her friends, and then Gigi and Papa had a party for her in Greensboro on Sunday, October 19th! She received many princess accessories and is ready for her new role as the 2 year old princess!

My future's so bright!

Yes, we are wearing "Backpack" from Dora! She wanted to wear her glasses to her babysitter's house today!

We're back- I mean to the blog and from the beach!

We went to Ocean Isle Beach last week with Gigi and Papa, Chris and Anne Christian and had a blast. We stayed at the Islander condos on the west end, where we played in the pool and the ocean and the sand! Ella was a little fish- loved every minute, including staying up till midnight each night!

Ella turns one!

Okay, so it's been 7 months since I've updated Ella's blog! Wow- a lot has happened- she's been walking since 11 months, dancing since about 10 months, (with some new moves in the past few weeks), and turned one on October 3rd! Of course we had a party- those pictures will be sent to you within the next 48 hours- Elmo was the theme of her party on her actual birthday, then we had the 25+ person party on October 14th that included pumpkins, bobbing for apples, and lots of pink and orange! She has become quite an independent little thing- she wants to do everything by herself, but loves getting and giving kisses (when you say, "Can I have a kiss?" she puts her head down, so that you can kiss her on her head- precious!).

October was a big month- filled with turning one and lots of pumpkins! We went one weekend with Kate, and one weekend with Annaliese! How fun! Until next time. . .

6 Month Update!

I know, I know, it's been a long time since we've let you know everything that's going on with Miss Ella! She turned 6 months on Tuesday, weighing in at 16 lbs, 12 ounces, and 26 1/2 inches long! She grew 2 1/2 inches since her 4 month appointment! I'm having trouble keeping pants to fit, because she's getting so long- everything looks like capris all of a sudden! Ella is still a very happy baby, sleeping about 10-12 hours a night. Not a big nap fan still, but we are okay with that, because she's such a good night sleeper! We started rice cereal last week, and she did great- even happier when we started squash on Wednesday! So the path to solids has begun! She is so much fun- always smiling, always talking (last night we heard our first bit of "da, da, da, da, da"). She can roll front to back and back to front, so if you put her down on a blanket, she rolls and rolls and rolls! Not quite sitting up fully by herself, but trying really hard. Learning to hold toys and links very well, passing them from hand to hand, and shaking them with a flailing hand, up and down, trying to learn about motion! We can't wait for the Easter Bunny!

Ella has a cousin!

On Tuesday, February 13th, Kurt (Tad's brother) and Suzanne had Annaliese Marie! She is beautiful- dark hair and her mother's pretty olive skin! We are so excited to have another girl in the family- Ella started cooing and kicking her legs when we told her! Everyone is doing great and the new family went home today! We can't wait to see her again real soon!

Ella gets Baptized

On Saturday, January 27th, Ella Marie was baptized at St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church in Wake Forest, NC. She was baptized with 7 other children, and not one child cried! Her godparents are Sara Kathryn and Chris . Ella wore a beautiful, long, white gown. She was such a sweetie through the whole service! Afterwards, a reception was held at our house with close family and friends.

Thanks to all who were there and for your love and support as Ella became a member of the church!

Ella meets the Big Man in Red!

On Saturday, December 9th, Ella met Santa Claus at a Christmas party! She was very alert, just kind of checking him out, while getting her fingers caught up in Santa's beard! This year she enjoyed it- we'll see what happens next year!

2 months old!

Ella's over 9 weeks old- we need to keep everyone updated! As of Thursday, she is rolling over! GiGi was babysitting her, and one minute she was on her tummy, and the next minute, she was on her back! She did the same thing today for Mommy! Ella is doing a great job at tummy time- pushing up on her hands and holding her head up. Even better news, Ella has been sleeping through the night since Thanksgiving! On a previous post, I mentioned that she was sleeping through the night, but at that point, she was still waking for one or two feedings- sorry for the confusion! Now, she is REALLY sleeping 8-10 hours a night uninterrupted! At her 2 month checkup last Friday (Dec. 1) she weiged 11 pounds! She wakes up very happy in the morning- ready to talk and laugh. On Saturday, Ella will go visit Santa Claus for the first time! We'll let you know how she does. . .

Ella had her first playgroups this week! This picture was taken with two of my good friends' from high school's babies- Maggie Claire and Ben. Maggie Claire is 3 weeks older and Ben is 8 weeks older. They were so cute!

picture

Today Ella made her big debut to some of GiGi and Papa's (Abby's parents) friends. GiGi and Papa celebrated one year at their lakehouse and their new granddaughter with a party!
Ella stayed awake for a majority of the party- very alert and enjoyed being passed around. It was great to see everyone and a fabulous time was had by all!

Welcome to our Ella's page!

Hello to all of our family and friends!

Chris set this blog up to keep everyone updated of my pregnancy, showers, etc, but as you can tell, it never happened! We will now use it to post any updates and pictures of our sweet Ella! She turned 4 weeks on Tuesday, October 31st- hard to believe, I know! She is growing everyday and starting to coo! (Seeing as how her mother never stops talking, she should be talking by 3 months!) She's now focusing on objects, and starting to use her hands a little bit- holding her pacifier in her mouth or gripping at your clothes when you hold her. Ella's doing great in the sleeping department, sleeping about 8 hours a night and we're working on naps during the day! I'm able to take a shower in the morning and get stuff done, which has been great! She's very content laying on a blanket and stretching her little legs and arms while Mommy gets stuff done! She's even starting to enjoy baths a little more, because that was not fun at the beginning.

Well, baby's sleeping, so time to get something done! We'll keep you posted and thanks so much for everyone's emails, cards and gifts!