6 Month Photo Shoot

Here are some new things Ella Reese has been doing the past two weeks. She started saying "da da" last week, not because she's talking about Ryan but has found a new noise to make. She also LOVES to pant like a dog. That and saying da da is her favorite language. She especially likes it when you do both those noises at her.

She has began, we noticed this past week, to smile for a longer time. She will give a real cheesy grin and hold it for a long time. It is so sweet to see. She also has begun more and more to laugh (a belly laugh) at more things. Her favorite game is peek-a-boo. That gets her laughing all the time. We use to have to really work to get her to laugh. Now it seems she is more easily amused. We love it!

She is rolling from front to back, back to front, turning on her tummy to the right and left, sometimes even turning in a complete circle. One afternoon I put her on the floor to play as I got a bath ready and when I came back she was across the room. That was the day she mastered rolling back onto her back. I am working with her on sitting up. She can do it for a while then nose dives to the floor or falls to the side.

Still no teeth. Although this past month and all of January we were sure they were coming. She had cold like symptoms and was waking up in the night several times. She just got over a cold and I am working hard to get her back to her sleeping 10 plus hours in the night.

But I must say, although it was rough waking a few times in the night with her, I loved those moments of just being able to hold her and smell her. Holding her in the rocker as she slept or as I nursed her, I tried to remind myself with eyes barely able to keep awake and my head nodding off that these were brief moments and would pass all too soon. Then was I able to push aside my complaining and tired thoughts and enjoy her during those hours.

She is loving eating the sweet potatoes and carrots I am giving her, along with rice or mixed cereal. I just need to be better at giving them to her more consistently. Her eczema has gotten a little better, but I still have not pinpointed the culprit. It is a mild eczema and really only bothers me.

She's a jumper. She always has been a bouncer when you put her on her feet. But now that we have gotten an exersaucer, she will jump all the time! You hold her in the air and she moves her feet like she is jumping. I try to change her and she will push her feet onto the other end of the table and bounce. I even nurse her and she sometimes push her feet off the rocker and will bounce. If she is crying, fussy or tired...the remedy always is: put her on her feet and she is good as gold.

Can't wait to see what milestones and exciting things she will begin doing next!

Pics

6 Months Old!

Can you believe it!! I can't. Last week Ryan and I were talking about how fast she is changing and how it amazed us that she was already 6 months old. Then I began to ponder aloud that soon she won't be nursing anymore, then will begin crawling and walking and I really thought I was about to cry. But I am so very grateful for the days I have with her now and know that she is such a gift to us and will only continue to bring us joy as she grows...but not too fast Ella Reese. Not too fast.

I have been bad at posting lately, but still have not ceased in my picture taking. I will try to post the pics I took of her for her 6 month birthday soon. These were all taken that week. She turned 6 months on Feb 8th.

It is so funny to me how when you have your own child you could just sit and stare at them all day. Every movememt, blink and sound is so adorable and as if they had never done it before. As you can see in the following photgraphs, they all probably look the same to you. And the funny part is that I have a dozen or more of the same pictures! And only I would be the one that would think that every picture was in fact a different one. Moms, you know what I am talking about. There are days that when Ryan gets home from work, I will excitedly show him pictures I took that day and all the adorable things she did. And after the 20th picture, Ryan will say, " These are all the same.." and " Okay, that's enough..I think now I can actually say I was there".

I will post more later,..oh yes,..I have more.

My friend Chels loaned me this swing thing. She loves watching the birds and toys move around. When I was taking these I thought that she was going to fly right out of the seat. She would get all excited and try to reach for the mobile and nearly roll right out. Her new favorite thing right now is to jump. So she would try to jump in the swing...as you can see in the third pic down. Iwent ahead and gave it back to Chels. Ella Reese's new faorite toy and love of her life is the exersaucer.

I love the smell of rain....

I was cruising the Desiring God website and this verse and picture popped up the site. I thought it was appropriate for this rainy Tuesday. I stepped outside just to smell the rain..I love it. This verse is such a reminder of who our Creator is and that it is HE that sent us that rain.

I have been constantly trying to study every part of Ella Reese's face and body so I will not forget what a precious gift and joy she is!

She just turned 6 months last week and I am still in shock. Pretty soon here she will stop nursing, which make me sad, and crawling..and I don't even want to think about it...But what an amazing creator we have!!! How wise and kind that he so intricately made and knit us, and little Ella Reese, for his enjoyment. What a good God we have!

Hanging with Christian

Aaron and Laura- our caregroup leaders- had us over for dinner last Friday night. Thanks guys for your hospitality and caring for us!!! We tried to get a photo of the babies. Ella Reese did not know what was going on and Christian fell asleep as soon as Laura laid him next to her....still a cute pic of the kiddos!

Random Pics

Toes

Friends over

Trillia, Amy and Amy came over last Friday. Here are some pics of our fun time together. This is the second time we have all gotten together with our little ones. You can look back at a post from October to see their first meeting- wow have they changed!!! The Sadster cheesin it
Weston and Sadie Amelia and Weston playing with a toy together. They kept taking turns holding the ball. Maybe they were, in their baby way, fighting over it...who knows. It was cute though.
Trill and Weston
The babies didn't actually "play" together, as you can see. It was really an excuse for us moms to spend time together. We did fail to get a group shot- once agian. Next time!

Best Friends

This was taken on a Sunday about a month and a half ago in our church's chilren's ministry.

She is with my very good friend Jenny Sander's precious girl Tabitha. They are exactly a week a part. See Jenny! They are best friends without us forcing them to be! Notice Ella Reese is holding her hand!

She's Here!!!

My older sister Doris had her baby last, last Thursday! Two weeks overdue at 6:51 pm she arrived at 8 lbs abd 5 ounces, 20 1/2 inches long. Evangeline En-Mei Dalton is here! Her middle name means beautiful grace. And as you can see she is SO Very Beautiful!! So precious and absolutely gorgeous!!!

We all rejoice and celebrate with you Doris and Tim! What a blessing a joy she is!

Love you!!

My first niece! I love you Evie! (that is what they are calling her)

Happy Birthday!

Lil' Jailbird

Ryan came home on Wednesday and said she looked like a jailbird. But a cute one!

You can see the exzema she will occasionally break out in from time to time on her face. It started probably around a month old appearing randomly. It never gets any worse than this photo. She has gotten - more like a dry skin- on her legs and on ehr arms. But right now it has only been coming on her face and hands. I have tried taking out certain foods out of my diet-- since I am nursing- to try to get down to the bottom of it. Milk, cheese, eggs... and I can't pinpoint it. I talked to Amy M. and she gave me some pointers. I need to first try to take out those foods for longer than a week span and test it out for more like 3-4 weeks. Any one else have any similar thoughts or have had to deal with food allergies in baby?We just got a hold of an exersaucer and she loves it! Here is the little jailbird exploring her new toy.


Ryan was going to go skiing with Dave Stanley yesterday and was getting his gear ready and put on his face gear to show Ella Reese. She wasn't scared at all, she just stared at him...

Visit from Sharon and presents

"I love you Sharon", says Ella Reese.
Sharon stopped by the other day to drop off some Christmas gifts from mom and my big sister Doris. Doris had her baby by the way last Thursday! Pictures and update will be coming soon....

There is a funny story to this picture...Sharon was holding Ella Reese and I was opening her presents that Doris had gotten her. I was opening the last one explaining what it was and who gave it to her and I looked up and she was leaned in real close to the toy. I got excited and said ,"Sharon! Look! She must really like this toy! Look how interested she is in it. She is leaning in and staring at it!". Then moments later I realized that she was NOT leaning in because she was interested, but that she had leaned over too far and could not sit back up...since she hasn't mastered the sitting-on-her-own skill yet. I told Sharon and we died laughing. And here we thought she really loved the toy I was opening for her. Which Doris by the way she DOES love the toys you got her. I hung that one toy on her care seat and she loves it. She also loves that Chicco rattle, but she bops her head with it all the time when she is laying down becasue it is heavy. She hasn't cried yet though. She was shaking it so hard once that I thought she was going to bruise Sharon's leg!

My Grandmother sent these silk sashes to me as a gift. I was trying to give Ella Reese an 80's material girl/Cyndi Lauper look and we turned around and the sash was covering her eyes and she was franticaly shaking her head back and forth until she could see. We both cracked up laughing. Cruel, I know but it was very funny.
























"Doris thanks for all my gifts!" says Ella Reese. She really loved this the best. A was a winter potholder you got me. She could not keep her mouth off the penguin's beak. She was very hungry and was sucking on the beak thinking, I guess, that milk was going to come out...