You are my Sunshine

The weather has been amazing the  past two days in Texas, so we have been taking advantage of the park by our house.  We made the mistake of going when the middle school let out on Tuesday.  There were teenagers perched all over the playground and I had to ask them to get off the baby swings so that Ella could play.  They also smeared nasty pizza slices all over the dino slide.  I was pissed.

E loves, loves, loves the slide now that she can climb on the sides.  I know she looks silly in this hat, but it was super sunny when we left the house and it was in her eyes.  Plus, I love how her cheeks hang over the little strap.

and my absolute favorite...

Vacation = No Baby!

I was dreading leaving Ella since we bought our plane tickets to Breckenridge months ago, but I knew I had to put my big girl panties on and let E spend the weekend with Grammie.  Turns out, I had nothing to worry about.  Bobby and I had a great time with our friends and Grammie taught Ella how to sleep in her pack and play for nap time - no more swing for Miss E!

A blizzard hit Denver the morning of our flight, but luckily we made it with no delays.  We had our first wildlife sighting within the first hour that we were there.

A momma and baby moose!!  We have been looking for these guys for years and they just wandered through the back yard looking for a snack.  They do not like Wheat Thins.

We went skiing, shopped in town and ate way too much.  Simon taught us how to do the Bernie and Brittnee curled my hair!  Successful weekend.

It was actually nice to have a little break from mommy duty, but I was dying to get back to the bug.  Look what I found when I woke up the next morning!  SO happy to be home!!

ELLA GROWS!! 9 Months!!

Ella's Stats:

Height:  28 inches     65th percentile
Weight:  17.3 lbs       36th percentile
Head:  17.7 inches    83rd percentile

Ella did a great job at her appointment and didn't even make a peep when they pricked her toe to check her iron levels.  Can you believe how huge her head is?!  Dr. Terry say that she was verbally advanced based on how chatty she was during the appointment.  I think that means that I am going to be in big trouble when she really starts talking.

Teeth:
TWO!  Her two little bunny teeth are so cute!  She has figured out how to bite when she is done eating and I really don't appreciate it. I think she is teething again because the drool monster is back.

Food:
She likes everything and is exploring lots of new foods.  Some new favorites are cheese, noodles, black beans, broccoli, pancakes and canadian bacon.  It is so much easier feeding her real food rather than purees and I think she likes it a lot better too.  She has started to self wean after our trip to Breckenridge, so she has been having 1-2 formula bottles a day.  Grammie taught her how to hold her bottle and she hangs out and watches Sesame Street while eating.

Awesome Stuff She is Doing:

Ella is standing with support and climbing all over things. Scooting/army crawling is her preferred method of transportation, but I think normal crawling will come very soon. She loves playing with her stacking cups and Scout puppy the most.  Clapping at everything is really fun too. 

She is always chatting and examining the world around her. Ella loves to repeat sounds like "oooh",  "ahh" and of course "dada". I will tell her to say "mama" and she immediately yells "dada"...not cool Ella.  She is obsessed with bath time and can empty her tub by splashing all of the water out.

Her little pointer finger kills me.  Busy, busy, busy.  Pointing at Chloe's ear, a speck of dirt on the ground, a freckle on my arm, all of the buttons on the remote.  I pinched that little pointer in her carseat buckle and she lost it.  I injured her favorite exploration tool - it broke my heart.  She has a little blister on it now :(

We finally cleared out the office to make room for all of her toys.  We painted and replaced the carpet and I think she likes it already.  I have grand plans for this room but a tiny budget, so we will see what we end up with over the next couple months.  

We are crazy in love with this little nugget and I am so thankful that I get to spend my days with her.  She is growing so quickly and becoming more and more independent.  I don't like it. 

3 more months until the big ONE!!