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Ellen at 9 Months

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Ellen is 9 months old today, and we have had quite a busy month. So, that means two things for this post: 1. the pictures are all from my iphone because we were on the go and 2. I don’t have tons of documentation because we were really busy! So, I will do my best for ya guys.
Ok, this is probably the biggest development this month. Ellen is on the move! Here she is after I set her down in the hallway to go grab my blow dryer. When I came back, Ellen had backed herself into the bathroom and was pretty proud of herself. This experience was also really exciting because her black pants were a little too honest about how dirty our floors are.
                          

She also pivots around in circles to get where she wants. She’s like her own little personal game of Twister.
Ellen has been enjoying riding on Mike’s shoulders. She was quoted saying, “Ew, Mom. Did you check out the grime on top of the fridge too?” And I said, “You can complain about it when you can clean it.”
 
Our sweet baby sleeping on her daddy. Mike successfully got her out of the car and into bed without waking her up. I am batting .500 at that game right now. Usually I drive to the McDonalds by the mall and order myself a small fry (or a large fry and a hot fudge sundae – extra hot fudge…) and read my Kindle in the parking lot so she will continue to sleep and I get a little bit o’ mommy-time. In unrelated news, I put on a few pounds this month.
 
I made some homemade play-doh for Ellen and it was the best recipe ever! It was super squishy and easy and fast. I spent most of the time keeping it out her mouth, but it was totally non-toxic so at least there was that. Also, we made enough that we were able to share a little bit with Ellen’s new friend Cliffie. She met him at her gym class, and both of our families have become good friends. We do play time and brunch and all kinds of fun stuff with Cliffie and his mommy and daddy.
 
Of course, this would be Ellen’s first Easter this month. She didn’t get any candy, but she got a little book about the meaning of Easter and an Easter bunny Little People figure. She loooooves the book so much. She holds it all the time and talks to the pictures all day. It’s adorbs. We spent the Easter with my in-laws who made the drive all the way out here from Michigan. Ellen hammed it up for them, and she loved spending some QT with her grandparents and aunt and uncle.
 
Here is Ellen with the Easter bunny. “Why is the picture so far away and blurry?” you ask. Well, have you ever taken your kid to see the Easter bunny? Do you have any idea how much they charge for those pictures?? You know what is cheaper? Having your mom stand behind the photographer with your iPhone and sneaking a shot. Yup. Way cheaper.
 
On Thursdays, Ellen and I have been doing story time. We sing songs, read a few books and then have play time. Below, Ellen is either worried because all of the toys have been licked and all she has left is a tiny red ball or she is embarrassed because she showed up wearing the exact same sweatshirt as that other girl in the picture. Awkward.
 
Oh yeah. This was fun. This took all of 30 seconds while wasn’t looking. It turns out I can’t leave her unsupervised anymore. This shelf now contains all Ellen friendly things. And, I couldn’t help but laugh because after I put all of her things on the bottom shelf, I caught her pulling herself up onto the second shelf so she could pull all my books down again. She’s like a backwards librarian.
 
The standy-uppy girl! So what if we call her that?
I almost lost Ellen in a wind storm this month. I was laughing too hard and taking too many pictures to help her out here. Please forgive me, future Ellen.
 
OK, true confession time. I had NO idea about feeding Ellen finger foods. I didn’t know when or what or how or if or anything. If you follow me on Facebook, you’ll know I was terrified. I thought she was just going to put a Cheerio in her mouth and choke. Turns out she did ok, and I was just being a weenie. She is getting the hang of small pieces of food, but she mostly just plays with them.
 
Her favorite treat now is unsalted Ritz crackers. Ellen has been teething for a million years now with no teeth, but the crackers feel good on her gums, and it’s super cute when she eats them.
 
The cracker-math
 
My little polar bear. Look how thrilled she is! She actually really enjoyed the lions, and Mike taught her how to roar! Mike was quoted saying, “I have never been more proud of anyone for anything in my life.”
 
Ellen’s favorite toys this month are finger puppets! Featured in this picture is Valerie the Mullet Ballerina. She has about 30 puppets, but the gas attendant and the Amish farmer are my favorites. The best part is, she really thinks they are real. She is so gentle when she touches them and gives them kisses.
 
Ellen is also learning how to use a crayon. Again, as most things, they usually go in her mouth, but she is really grasping the concept of putting them to the paper. Here she is giving the Count the business. Apparently the number of the day was 17, and Ellen really prefers 16.
 
Ellen has also been busy waving and trying to say words. She will say, “duh!” when she sees her rubber ducky. When Mike is around she will say, “dadadadada.” If something really gets her attention, she can say, “wow!” And once in a while, she will wave and say something that sounds like “hi!”
And, that’s our gal at 9 months. My sweet baby gal who has been out of my tummy for as long as she was in it. I love you, Beanie.
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We Went to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

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Ellen went to the zoo for the first time this past weekend. It has been so wonderfully warm in MN these past couple of weeks, and it was perfect for an outdoor excursion. There aren’t a whole lot of pictures of animals here because, well, you’ve seen a zoo. And while I have always been a huge fan of the zoo, it turns out watching your kid discover the place is way more fun.

Ellen was a big fan of the prairie dogs, fish and warthogs. Mike loved the wolves. I was a big fan of the sea otters and the coral reefs. What is your favorite zoo animal? Tell me in the comment section below!

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Ellen’s First Library Card

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Ellen received her first library card this month. I took her over to the library to sign up, and then we picked out a few books and a DVD. I like to culture them young. Or just get our lazy butts out of the house while saving our money for important things like Target. So, um, here is what she picked:
Source: amazon.com via Jenna on Pinterest

I love this book. Each page has a picture of a beautiful garden and words like Arbor, Bulbs, Compost and Dig. It’s a great Spring book because we can read about what we are seeing outside. And bonus, Ellen gets to see what a garden really looks like since her mother has a black thumb. One time, we killed a cactus. Not kidding.
Source: amazon.com via Jenna on Pinterest
Being Catholic, this is a fun way to teach Ellen about some of the best parts of our religion. This book celebrates everything from Ash Wednesday to charity to the colored vestments of each holiday. I want to check this one out when she is older too. It seems like a great book to bring to church with us. Right now Cheerios are doing the trick.
Source: amazon.com via Jenna on Pinterest
This book is another one full of pretty illustrations. Each page has one line of the prayer, which is not only great for memorizing, but as I’m reading it, it helps me to reflect on the prayer’s meaning more deeply. As a bonus, in the back, there is a commentary on each line explaining it what it means in language kids will understand. Takes all the work out. Thank you.
Source: amazon.com via Jenna on Pinterest
Out of all of the books we checked out, this might be my favorite. The author goes through the alphabet using abstract art ranging from sculpture to paint to mixed media. The letters are hidden in each piece, and each work has an alliterative caption using vivid, descriptive language. I might just have to buy this one. I love buying things.
Source: amazon.com via Jenna on Pinterest
This one is Ellen’s favorite. She loves when I say, “I love you, Stinky Face!” She gets the biggest smile on her face. She loves to pet this book, and lately this is her sign of affection. If she likes something, she either pets it or bangs it against something else she likes. It’s, you know, endearing. Love that kid.
At the library, Ellen loves pulling out the drawers in the board book section and staring at the other kids. Most of the time, I can’t get her to focus on a book because she is entranced by another baby walking around the area. I am loving taking her to the library because not only is it a great way to get out of the house, Ellen gets to interact with others while doing one of my favorite things – reading in a child-filled environment where we are supposed to be quiet which means I am so stressed about the entire thing. I mean, just the reading part.
Whatever. I hope that this library card is her ticket to life-long reading…just like her mommy.What books are your kids reading right now?

Ellen at 8 Months

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8 Months. I have given up trying to make her stop growing. But, I’m ok with that. She is getting cooler every day. Here is what Ellen has been up to this month:
I got this idea from an old friend. Ellen has been doing some sensory play with beans. She loves picking them up and just holding them. She gets a handful and then death grips them. She also loves swishing her feet through the beans. At first, she didn’t like the sound when they hit the baking sheet, but after a few days of playing, she is used to it!
 

Ellen loves her daddy so much. When he walks in the door, her face lights up bright enough to make a mama jealous. Here she is spending some q.t. with her favorite d.a.d.
 

Ellen can balance on all fours if I help her into position. She isn’t crawling yet, but she is flopping around like a fish out of water. That is her main mode of mobility right now. If she wants something, she just leans in its direction until she falls over, then she flops to it. It’s super effective.
 
Ellen can also hold herself up on furniture. She can’t pull herself up on it yet, but if we help her up there, she stands on her own. Once she is standing, she loves to bang on things. It’s a whole new world perspective out there for her now!
 
Ellen met some of my good college friends, Tony and Courtney. They live in MN, so when we moved, we knew we had friends close by. As you can see here, Ellen has entered the “stranger danger” phase of babyhood. Really, Tony. She likes you. She just likes me more! As Mike said, “I feel bad when she is terrified like that, but there is something oddly rewarding knowing that she only wants us.”
One of the defining themes of this month is sleep…or lack there of. Ellen has been having a heck of a time falling asleep and staying asleep this month. We don’t know what is going on. She has been a bit sick, so maybe that is it. She hasn’t cut any teeth yet, but I don’t see any sign of them coming any time soon either. So, to keep myself from going soincrediblyinsane (!!!), I have been loading Ellen in the car and driving around until she sleeps. Once asleep, I enjoy myself a McDonald’s hot fudge sundae and read my Kindle in the parking lot of the mall. Sometimes I even join her in a nap which may have gotten me some weird looks from shoppers.
Two of our doctors have recommended the Ferber method (aka Cry It Out). Ugh. I just don’t know if I can handle that. We are reading every book ever published on the topic, and I have read the whole Internet as well. All of it. Once Ellen gets over this cold, if things aren’t better, we are going to try a few things we learned to help her sleep. Any insight or advice is beyond welcome.
 
Here is our sick little gal with her nose drops and Boogie Wipes. She is really a trooper when she is sick despite not sleeping. I joined a mom’s group, and Ellen spent her first time in daycare while I was at the meeting. I had a hard time leaving her, but I just walked away instead of making a scene, and she did great! But, between the daycare, the doctor’s office, the library (check out tomorrow’s post to read about Ellen’s first library card!) and her gym time, she got sick. I’m looking on the bright side though: it’s making her stronger.
 
New foods this month are broccoli, sweet potatoes, prune juice, pears, and apple sauce. Weirdly, she is not a big fan of apple sauce. She didn’t get that from Mike or me; we love the stuff. She has also been using one of those mesh food bags to gum some bananas. She spends most of her time chewing the Elmo on top, but she seems to like it.
 
Here is Ellen discovering how to take off her clothes! Her Uncle Alex bought her a Tiger’s hat, and while she loves wearing it. She loves taking it off way more.
 
Here is Ellen playing at her gym class. All she wants to do is hold onto that little ball. She is totally uninterested in anything else and will loudly protest if you take away her toy. If Ellen likes something (usually something that fits in the palm of her hand), she holds it close to her heart and stares around like she is looking out for potential thieves. I think it is the cutest thing ever, but here’s hoping this kid doesn’t end up with sharing problems!
 
 
For Ellen’s first St. Patrick’s day, her Mima and Gramps sent her a green package. It had this MSU romper, green sparkle bows, green baby food, green toys and green bubbles. She loves the green ball they sent. See above for how she plays with it.
Ellen’s favorite toys are still her picnic basket, Sophie the giraffe, ducky and her Elmo doll. Here we are having a little picnic together with her special guests, Elmo and Kitty Baby. Ellen likes when I hold up different items from the basket and she carefully considers and chooses which items she wants and which are for me. She also does this in the morning when we pick out clothes. She has very good style, actually. See:
Our big girl grew out of her infant carrier this month. We bought two of these babies off a recommendation by a friend. They are so great! I don’t have to lug that incredibly heavy carrier up and down stairs anymore.  Instead, I just grab Ellen and our mini diaper bag (disposable diaper, wipes and nursing cover), and we are out the door. I love it!
 
Bath time is one of Ellen’s favorite times now. Here she is holding her ducky close to her heart. She loves that guy as much as Elmo!
 
Finally, Ellen experienced her first thunderstorm earlier this week. Mike and I love thunderstorms and can’t bear the thought of a kid who hates them, so we tried really hard to make it a great experience for her. We took her out on the porch to check it out. We “ooed!” and “ahhed!” and clapped and smiled through all of the flashes and crashes. She really enjoyed herself, and I pray that this sentiment lasts.
  
I’m head over heels for my gal, and I am so proud of all of her accomplishments this month. What have you been up to? Tell me in the comment section below.
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Ellen at 7 Months

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Ellen turns seven months old today! My baby gal has been really busy this month too. I think the jump from six to seven months has been the most dramatic as far as milestones and developments. Let me explain:
Here is Ellen’s seven month photo. As you can see, everything goes in her mouth these days. This is the best I could do! You’ll also notice her Elmo doll. Ellen doesn’t watch TV yet (ok, I let her watch Sesame Street for the first time this month), but somehow she has become obsessed with Elmo. She even has an Elmo hair clip that we keep above her changing table. When it’s time for a diaper change, we have to wait until Ellen locates the clip, she smiles and waves at it, then we can change her. I try to move it around to give her a challenge.

Ellen totally digs when Mike plays guitar for her. She dances to any music she hears, but her favorite is Elmo music. I tried to change it up yesterday, and she about had a panic attack. She also has two dance moves: the motorcycle where she revs her pretend engine and the rocking chair.
 
Ellen still loves to snuggle me in the morning. I pull her in to bed for her morning meal, and we chat and hug and just hang out for a while until we actually get up. Sleeping has been a lot easier in some ways and harder in others. Ellen is still waking a couple of times a night to eat. And, man does she eat at night. It’s no midnight snack. So, we are trying to load her up in the day so that she stays fuller longer. She has been going to bed at a decent hour (IN HER OWN BED) these days as well. She is finally going down between eight and nine. 
But, with the good comes the bad. Ellen’s first tooth is making itself known, and our poor gal is in the most pain at night. It disrupts her sleep a bit, but I will say she is handling it like a real trooper. Oddly though, she has stopped her tremendous drooling since she started teething. Weird. However, that has been replaced by ear pulling. She doesn’t have an ear infection, but rather thinks her gum pain is coming from her ears.
 
Ellen spent three nights in a row sleeping in hotels. My girl is so awesome that it didn’t even phase her. I was worried that all of the moving commotion would get her all out of whack. She took it in stride, and we are so grateful! It was also helpful that during the move, we used disposable diapers and jarred baby food. If you’re on a trip, I highly recommend it. It’s such a stress minimizer.
 
Ellen has discovered my iPhone these days. She grabs for it any time it is within her reach. She knows how to swipe the screen to make things change. I can’t believe how well she grasps cause and effect! She also loves to play peek-a-boo now. If there is any type of fabric near her, she grabs it and puts it over her face. Then we have to say, “Where’s Ellen?” and she pulls it off with a big smile :)
 
Ellen is a pretty happy baby, but if there is one thing that makes this girl mad, it’s when you take away her rubber ducky. Ducky is a bath time staple, and when the bath is done, Ducky comes too, and we have to somehow dress her while keeping him in her hands. She loves him so much, I had to buy her a pink one for her first Valentine’s day!
I finally got a new baby carrier this month. I tried an Infantino, a Baby Bjorn and a Baby K’Tan, but they really hurt my back. Now I have a Beco Gemini and I love it! All of the weight is placed on my hips instead of my back and shoulders.
 
I’ve mentioned in a previous post that Ellen is doing solid foods now. She has tackled rice cereal, peas and carrots. She is picky about texture and acts all dramatic when something it too chunky. Mama don’t play that game though and we eat it anyway. Mama does heat it up a little bit though! I have been making my own food, and it is pretty darn easy with a hand blender.  Next up, I bought yellow squash, bananas, avocados, okra and cauliflower. I also need to buy some sweet potatoes, apples and pears. I have been buying frozen produce to make the food since Ellen is still at the stage where we have to wait in between each food to check for reactions. On top of all of this, Ellen is practicing with a sippy cup. She is still hydrated mostly by breast milk, but I let her have sips of water for practice now.
 
 
  
Ellen is also super dexterous this month. She loves picking up small things and palming her favorite yellow ball.
 
Baby girl has outgrown her bouncer. I used to be able to sit her in it and take a shower. Now, she just bounces herself out of it and bonks her head. After catching her doing this a couple of times, we banned the bouncer. She sits up well enough on her own to just sit on the floor anyway!
 
Finally, one of Ellen’s greatest new tricks is screaming out of joy. It cracks me up every time. I could scream about how much I love her and how proud I am. So, what have you been up to this month?
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Solid Deal

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I’m going to come right out and say it: starting solid foods is really stressful for me. It’s such a confusing mish mash of breastfeeding and rice cereal and fruits and veggies and do this at this time and wean her at this time and start with one meal and thicken the cereal and watch for allergies and don’t feed her this and my head is going to explode and she’s going to have to eat brains. I am a scheduled and visual learner and no one can seem to teach me about that topic in that way. Everyone’s all loosey goosey and “just relax” about it. Well, I’m not. So, there. 


Anyway, I have found this chart to be helpful in my understanding. I want to take it to Ellen’s doctor to see if he agrees with it as well. We were supposed to see him tonight, but he is sick and not taking appointments. So, next week it is. Until then, we were told we could start rice cereal. Mmmm! And, despite my neurosis, I was pretty excited to give Ellen her first big girl meal.



Here’s a little look into how it went (I don’t know why Blogger is making these pictures look so orange, and my computer is bust so I can’t edit them. Sorry!):

Excited for big girl food! Mommy tried it first, and said it was sweet. Then she realized she had mixed breast milk in it. Whoops! How was your first taste of booby treats, Mom?

My first bite.


Ok. I swallowed it.


Whoa! That was pretty good!


If that tastes good, I wonder how my bib tastes?


This bib is pretty good, too. I might actually prefer it, Dad.


Ok. After 4 oz, it’s time to get some work done.

Our first big girl meal was a success! I was a tiny bit sad that I could no longer say that Ellen had grown solely by me alone, but it’s cool that she is one step closer to becoming an independent lady!

So, do you have any tips/recipes/magical charts that tell me everything about child-rearing that you wish to share? Let me know in the comment section below!
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Brag Book

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I can officially post this now that Christmas is over. It is a Christmas gift we gave to Mike’s mom and dad. His parents are such generous people who want for nothing. I find it hard to buy for them because all they really want is time with family and maybe some good food! So, this year for Christmas, we gave them a photo book of Ellen’s life so far and a cd with even more recent photos. We also spent most of the week of Christmas with them because we love them so much.
So, bear with me while I post a little brag book of my gal. Thanks, people.
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Ellen’s First Christmas

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Baby girl celebrated her first Christmas this year. We spent Christmas Eve with my family, went to midnight Mass, celebrated Christmas Day with Mike’s family, and spent the entire week hanging out with good friends, family and enough food to make my butt jiggle a little bit. We had such a great time filled with so many activities that I could not possibly tell you everything. So, let me give you Ellen’s first Christmas in pictures.
Ellen hanging her first ornament.

Opening mountains of presents! Uncle Alex got her noise canceling headphones!
Christmas with Mike’s family. Ellen got a new sled!
Bonding with Uncle Alex while he babysat, and Mike and I went to see The Muppets.
Alex bought Mike a robot tank spy camera that is iphone operated. It is basically a glorified, manly baby monitor. At least that is what Mike is using it for…
Playing bocce ball

Meeting her new friend, Isaac, on New Year’s
And spent.

In one word, Ellen says her Christmas was blessed. What one word would you use to describe yours? Tell me in the comment section below.

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Ellen at Five Months

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My Bean Gal is five months old today. I was pretty sure I signed up for one of those models that doesn’t get older, so I don’t understand what is happening. At least she keeps getting cooler every single day. 
Also, I fall in love with her more and more every single day. That part is actually scary to me. It continually amazes me how my capacity to love grows and grows and grows. 
So, here is what Ellen has been up to at five months. I’m sorry about the blurry pictures this time around; I’m not quite sure what happened…

I walked downstairs at my parents’ house the other day to this scene. My parents were acting like such grandparents taking pictures of Ellen in this little winter wonderland.

Ellen also is getting really good at sucking her thumb. She has been doing this for a while, but here is a great picture. We are ok with this habit because we feel like it fosters the ability to self-sooth.
Ellen also had her first visit with Santa.She got all dolled up and we found a free Santa visit too! Bonus! All of you parents out there: Santa visits are so crazy expensive, am I right??? Ellen sat on Santa’s lap like a champ and asked for teeth and enough hair for pigtails.
We also saw Ellen’s cousins, Emma and Lucy a few times this month. These are Ellen’s best friends! I got to hold both of the babes at once, and I was in heaven. We visited with the girls for Family Olympics, and we went and saw a life-size gingerbread house!
Ellen also learned how to drive a car. She did ok at best. She ran a few stop signs and told us it was only because she couldn’t reach the pedals. Whatever, Ellen. I think you’re just reckless. (Before you call CPS, we were in a parking lot.)
You might think this is Ellen in a mirror. Nope. Here she is hanging with Emma again. Ellen prefers to stand. She has not mastered the art of sitting yet because every time we try to sit her down, she pops herself back up to standing. She has rolled over both ways though, and she thinks it’s hilarious when she does!
Ooh. Here we are on Daddy’s birthday. Daddy turned the big 2-4 this year. What a grown up! Mike’s birthday was the Saturday after Thanksgiving this year, so we partied hard all weekend. Ellen even had a great onesie that said, “Thankful for Daddy!” Aww.
Ellen learned all about Black Friday shopping. We went to Joann’s and bought craft supplies to hold us over until next year. While we were shopping, Mima decided Ellen needed a crown. So, there you go.
Ellen finally met her Uncle Alex this month! Uncle Alex is staying with us a few days and is getting all of his play time in. He has already spun her around until she puked and taught her the words to “Rapper’s Delight.” Such a good uncle. 
Here is my kiddo making the cutest face I ever did see. She is just the happiest baby. She is smiling and laughing almost all day long. I wish I could say that I have some amazing parenting advice on how to raise a really happy, easy-going baby, but we just got lucky with this one!

Ellen wishes you a very Merry Christmas and wants to know what you have been up to this month. Tell us in the comment section below!


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My Idea for an iphone Commercial

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So, I mentioned in a previous post that Ellen has been having trouble driving in the car at night. This really doesn’t work for our lives as we need to commute two-ish hours to see our families on weekends and holidays. So, we had to get creative.
Cue commercial.
The camera focuses on the clock in a car. Two parents can be heard singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider over and over and over and over….in the background. In between rounds, a baby can be heard screaming bloody murder. Cut to mom. She has a brilliant idea! She grabs dad’s iphone and hits record. The parents continue to sing the song. Bam. Recorded. Mom strategically places iphone above baby’s head and baby is none the wiser. Parents breathe a sigh of relief. Tagline: What creative uses have you found for your iphone?
Brilliant, right? The best ideas come from experience, ya know.
Anyway, The Itsy Bitsy Spider has become somewhat of a hero in our house as of late. I really should buy him something nice for Christmas. I think I’ll give him his fifteen minutes (or 3:33) of fame on my blog. Ellen loves this video, and I really do too!

What creative ways have you found to keep your kids from crying themselves into a frenzy? Tell me in the comment section below.

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