Happy Halloween!

WARNING: The following images contain high levels of cuteness and may not be appropriate for women of childbearing age.

When it comes down to deciding what to be for Halloween, Ellie gave it much thought...


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A pumpkin...


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Or maybe a flower...


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Perhaps a pea in a pod...


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Heck no! I'm an octopus!


What do you mean an octopus doesn't need to hold its breath? I'm under water, aren't I?


I know all about being an octopus, like I know an octopus eats fish! I'm good at that!

Black is not the new pink

I bought Ellie a cute black shirt with pink and silver flowers and butterflies on it. It's adorable, as all baby clothes are, but I chose it because I liked the fact that it wasn't your standard pink baby clothing.

I learned my lesson. Black is not meant to be worn by infants. Infants spit up much more than I ever gave them credit for. Apparently such spit up conveniently rubs into and disappears on pink clothing, but no such luck on black.

Maybe there's actually a scientific reason for pink and blue being the main colors for baby clothing... those specialists must know these things already.

Milk - it does the body good

At my dentist appointment (the first since Ellie was born) the dental hygienist was surprised to see how good I looked and commented on the weight I've lost since having the baby (other than the "well duh" weight). I proudly admitted that I am now 5 pounds less than what I was when I first got pregnant.

I've always known that breast feeding would be good for my body, but I thought it would stop at the weight.

Moving on to start the dental portion of my dental appointment, she discovered that the mysterious staining on my teeth had disappeared. Six months ago she had written that I had "moderate" staining even though we couldn't figure out why because at the time I wasn't drinking tea because of the pregnancy. Now I drink 3-5 cups of dark tea a day. Go figure.

Continuing with the fun, she says my gums are healthier too. Whoo hoo! However, I stopped flossing once the baby was born. Go figure.

So in the end she looked at me in confusion and said "well I guess my advice is keep drinking the tea and don't floss."

Maybe, just maybe* it is because I'm breast feeding. Really, you should give it a try sometime.


* Probably not

Yesterday's Lesson

Hahaha... Oh man, you guys. You have no idea how horribly sad and yet so funny yesterday was. Ellie was pooping up a storm, but it was the first time that she had big-girl poop. Every time she needed to go, she would go through the following steps:

1. Tense the entire body
2. Concentrate
3. Squinch up the face
4. Hold breath
5. Push against anything within reach
6. Turn bright red
7. Start to cry
8. Release the tension
9. Cry some more
10. Hug Mommy to recover

Today's Lesson*

Today Baby Ellie is learning about constipation. Hopefully, if all goes well, we will also learn about prunes. Fun.

This lesson has been brought to you by the number 2.

How rude!

Last Sunday Ellie found her tongue. And by that I mean she discovered that not only could she lick the inside of her mouth but she could also lick the outside of her mouth. All day long she had her tongue sticking out. When a stranger would approach her and say "oh, you're such a cutie" her response was to stick her tongue out at the newcomer. I swear my baby isn't being rude, she's just saying "look what I can do!"

As for me, I couldn't stop laughing. She seemed so incredibly proud of her tongue. She would stick it out and then when she noticed someone paying attention to her, she'd get this proud look on her face and stick it out with more confidence. She got a real kick out of it when Mommy stuck her own tongue out in response. It turned out to be a whole family adventure.

Since she spent the majority of the day with her tongue on the outside of her mouth, I couldn't quite tell if she was copying me when I did it first or not. If so, it would be the first REAL sign of her trying to immitate me.

We have a plan

Last Friday we were talking about how we should decide exactly what we're going to do for sleep training now that Ellie is 6 months old. After some discussion, we came to the following plan:

1. Continue what we're doing (feeding and soothing every time she wakes) for one week.

2. In the mean time we're going to try to feed the baby more often in hopes of making sure she gets enough food during the day.

3. Starting next Friday we will only feed her once when she wakes at 1:00 AM or later. Other than that, she needs to put herself back to sleep.

So Friday we went to bed all confident in our decision and our plan.

Friday night she slept until 1:00 AM. Then she ate and slept all the way until 7:00.

Huh. Maybe she heard us talking about the plan.

Saturday night she slept until 5:30 AM. Yes. You heard me right. 5:30 AM !!!! Then she ate and slept until 7:15.

Huh. Does she not know that we were planning on starting the sleep training next week? But way to be ahead of the game, Baby!

Can you imagine anything sadder?

I was telling a friend of mine about how heart breaking it is to see Ellie look at me when she was getting 6 month shots as though she was saying "Why Mommy? Why are they doing this to me?"

She told me about how her daughter got sick when she was young (around the time that she started talking, so I think 1ish??) and they had to draw blood from her. Apparently she was moving around so much that the nurses had to put the needle in many times. In the end, both her parents were holding her down on the table and she was crying "Mommy! Daddy! All done! All done! Bye-bye! All done!"

OH MY GOD. How horrible is that? Just the thought of Ellie going through and saying something like that brings tears to my eyes.

A Great Day

Today we went to another pumpkin patch with Ellie. This time, though, we didn't really go for the pumpkin pictures (just wait until you see how cute those are!!). We just went for the pumpkin festival. We were nervous about it because the farm is a ways away, but it ended up being a perfect day. Ellie slept the hour out there, we stayed for over 3 hours and she slept the hour back. She's one exhausted baby! All in all, it ended up being just about a perfect day for the family.

I'm posting pictures because one of the things that made today so great (besides for the wonderful weather and just all-around beautiful setting) was Ellie's hat. Let's face it, it's not your typical baby hat... but I loved it from the moment I saw it. Our friend made it for us, and I wanted her to know just how many comments we got on it. Everyone loved her hat! We were told that it was the cutest hat on the cutest baby. I love seeing how people think she's cute from afar (meaning they don't actually tell me, but I still see their reactions), and we must have had at least a dozen people actually come up to us and comment on it.

I know it's petty of me, but I love it when people think my baby is so cute! So, thanks Cheryl for helping us have a wonderful day! You should really try to do more of this stuff.

With technology these days...

Every time we go to the pediatrician I can't help but wonder why, in this day and age of over-engineered cup holders and piece-of-$#!+ vacuums, they can't come up with a better way to weigh babies. All it would take would be to have a padded scale - you could zero out the weight of the padding. Or, better yet, why not measure the weight of the parents holding the baby and then again when they're not holding her? Anything would be better than the bare piece of metal they place her on (ok, ok, they are kind of enough to place a single paper towel under her, but still)!!!

P.S. Our 6-month check-up went well. 6 MONTHS!!! Let me repeat that once more in hopes of having it sink in... 6 MONTHS. Nope. That didn't work.

Sitting Pretty

I don't think I told you yet...

The daycare provides us with a summary of each day, which is nice. The first day summary (yes, I know, that was a LONG time ago... over a month ago, I know. Get off my case!) went something like this:

ellie really enjoyed sitting and playing with her toys.

My thought to that? Huh. I didn't know she could sit. Maybe I should start practicing that with her. So, the next day I did just that... I sat her down in front of a bunch of toys, expecting to have to prop her up to prevent her from toppling over.

Nope. She sat like a pro. Weird. I guess we'll check that off our list of things to accomplish. =)

Happy unbirthday!

Today marks Ellie's official unbirthday. Can you believe that 6 months have already passed?

I am really enjoying being a mother now. Ellie is getting to be more fun every day.

Just a few examples...

The other night Michael was washing her face with a diaper wipe (she had gotten avocado up her nose and everything). Every time the cold damp cloth hit her face, she would gasp and suck air in. Then she would laugh. We got it on video. Gasp. Laugh. Gasp. Laugh. It was one of those moments for me.

Another example that is a little related is her gasping from surprise when we squirt her with air from one of her bath toys. She doesn't know where it's coming from or when it will happen, so her reactions are quite entertaining.

She also laughed a bunch once when I decided to sing our bedtime song quietly close to her ear instead of standing up like I usually do.

She loves Counting Kisses and almost always giggles for "7 loud kisses on a pretty belly button".

She loves being upside down. Carrying her by her legs, dangling, keeps her satisfied for moments longer even if she's cranky.

She is fascinated by the cats and I think she might actually be learning the concept of petting instead of grabbing.

She loves our evening walks and seems to always get excited for them.

And best yet... SHE NO LONGER HATES HER CAR SEAT!!!!

Tooth Debut

The tooth has arrived! This is a very exciting time for us. After all that pain and suffering, not to mention yet another horrible night, we now have something solid to show for it. Woo hoo!

When something momentous like this happens, it really makes you sit back and think about life. Well, after taking it all in and considering it for a moment or two, I can't help but continue to think one thought. One deep and meaningful thought...

We have to go through this 19 more times? Are you kidding me?! What king of sick joke is this??

Tooth ache 3

The good news is that I'm not a bad mom.*

The bad news is that my baby had another cranky night due to teething. She's getting closer now. Instead of just a bump on her gums, it feels more bony like a real tooth. Still, no white showing yet though.

The poor little one. She just doesn't want to be left alone at night when she isn't feeling good. And I've learned that her whimpering is more heart-breaking than her all-out cry. The all-out-cry has been heard enough from the early days of hating the car seat that I guess I've lost some sensitivity to that. When she whimpers, though, oh man. That's difficult for me to watch. Instead of the "I'm pissed so I'll piss everyone in hearing distance off as well", it's more of a "I'm hurting but I'm trying not to complain too much" feel to it.

And if it's a trick, she's reached a new low because of it. I'll have to figure out where she's getting these horrible ideas that work so well.

* Disclaimer - Or am I? The morning after super-cranky night I did find her in the fullest, overflowing diaper yet. Maybe that's what was really upsetting her. I hate variables.

It's starting to sink in now...

I'm beginning to realize something.

I'm a mother.

I know, I know. It comes as a shock to all of us, but here's the deal... I have to feed this little girl! No, listen to me... I have to feed this little girl FOOD. Do you realize what that means? It means that I have to PREPARE the food. I have never done such a thing for even myself, let alone someone else.

And now you see the REAL reason we have waited 6 months to introduce solids to Ellie. Laziness. Oh we can always fall back on the books that say that limiting a baby's diet to breast milk until their 6 months old is the best for the baby's health, but we know the truth. We just use that whole "best for baby" as an excuse.

The truth is it's so much easier to just stick her to the breast when she's hungry. That food source is readily available. No preparation needed. Heck, you don't even need a bib! Gone are the days where I thought bibs were pointless.

Sigh. I liked being a lazy @$$.

Avocado Popcicles, Take II

You may not want to read this next paragraph.

Ellie just had her first real poop. What was it like? It seemed to take more effort on her part, that's for sure. Once I started my duties (you know, the diaper changing sorts) I found out exactly what it was like. They say that baby poop looks like the food they eat. I just didn't know they meant it literally. Yep. It was the same gross looking green glob of avocado-like substance. Only this time it smelt bad.

Avocado anyone? I may never look at guacamole quite the same again.

Mmm... avocado popcicles

Today marks the first day that we left solids with the baby at daycare.

So far we've only introduced two things to Ellie's diet - rice cereal and avocado. Mmmm.... avocado. Yummy. My favorite.

I don't know how many people out there are avocado-savvy but in case you're not... mushed up avocado looks gross. Putting this mush into ice cube trays* is even more yucky. Freezing the green ice cube mush makes it even more appalling. Thawing this frozen mush is just disgusting. Apparently frozen avocado looks like gross old avocado (you know, how it gets dark green when it's not fresh... still good to eat, just not fresh?).

Just so we're on the same page, if you blend up an avocado then freeze it into an ice cube then thaw it again... you end up with a dark green lump of gross turd looking baby food. Yummy.

And yes, this is what we decided to bring to the daycare. I figured it's a good way to make an impression on our ability to feed our baby solid foods.


* FYI, ice cube trays are used because each cube provides one nice little baby-sized portion. This way, we can make a food once and store it for multiple quick cube-sized feedings.

Cry Baby

It occured to me just now that Ellie really doesn't cry too much anymore. Sure there is still the occasional car seat ride that doesn't go smoothly, but even that is much less extreme than it used to be. She cries when she refuses the bottle, but that's happening less and less now too. She cries a little when she's tired, but that's more being fussy than anything else. Other than that... she's really actually quite a well behaved little baby (especially when we're out in the exotic places that public has to offer). Additionally, she's been so full of smiles since starting daycare and that's been a real treat for us.

What made me finally realize this? My poor little girl jabbed herself in her eye with her finger and it HURT! I haven't heard a cry like that in a long time. You should be relieved to know that she still has her healthy set of lungs, so they are available for such special occasions.

Tooth Ache 2

I certainly hope that her waking up early in the middle of the night incredibly upset really is due to teething because if it's not... then maybe I really am a bad mom. Hahaha. The poor little baby.

Tooth Aches 1*

We think little Ellie is getting a tooth. Last Friday she was super fussy and barely ate or slept at daycare. When we got her home, we noticed a bump on her gums. Yesterday she repeated her behavoir for me. The poor little baby... she was in a good mood, easily distracted but you could tell that something was bothering her. And then there were the naps - they were all over the place. Her schedule and routine were WAY off.

Last night she woke up very upset and it took us a long time to calm her down. I feel so bad for her because she obviously wants to be comforted and wants me to make it all better. But I can't. There isn't really anything I can do and it breaks my heart. It's a good thing that she most likely won't remember how miserable she is now. I think it's just as hard on her mom, if not harder. I have to remind myself that just because my baby is teething does not mean I am a bad mother. =)

* I can only assume that this post is the first of many to come, so why not start numbering them now? =)

Balloon Physics 101

We gave Ellie her first helium balloon a couple days ago. She loved it. She grabbed it and then of course tried to stick the entire thing into her mouth. After a short while, she dropped the balloon... the balloon went up (like balloons often do)... and looked down and around for it.

Hehehehe... at least we know she understands gravity.

September came and went...

Can you believe it's already October???

Here's a bunch of pictures that I'm sure you'll like. And to think that I actually thought that I didn't have very many pictures of her this month!!!

Nice to taste you

Can you imagine what the world must be like for an small infant? Everything new that she is introduced to ends up in her mouth. Hmmm... keys? Let's see how they taste! Hmmm... you call this toilet paper? How does it taste? Oh, you placed a book in my hand... forget the story line, pass the salt!

Seriously, what kind of world is that when your sense of taste is one of your more exciting senses? What age do we lose that? I think I would place taste at the bottom of the totem pole of senses, but I'm pretty sure it tops the chart for Ellie.