A Weekend of "Firsts"

What a weekend we had! Aunt Jenn, Uncle Preston, and Mr. Reagan came up for a visit, and it was a very busy weekend. Gene and Preston met up with old buddies at the Alpha Gamma Rho Founder's Day in Nacogdoches. Meanwhile, Jenn and I took the kids to the Tyler Zoo. It was Ella's first trip to the zoo and Ella and Reagan's first date! Although Ella slept through most of it, I think she enjoyed it. Jenn and I quickly learned what a fiasco it can be to pack up a baby and two year old. Now we know to get an early start! The weather was absolutely beautiful, so we all enjoyed being outside.

The guys did not get back until late on Saturday night, so Jenn and I were even daring enough to take the kids out for dinner. Reagan and Ella both did great. Reagan was a trooper even though he had started to run fever that evening. Jenn was quite upset to realize it was the one and only time she had not over packed and brought the thermometer and medicine. A quick trip to Walgreens fixed all of that. By morning, Reagan was good to go!

Sunday morning, Jenn and I once again took the kids out for another adventure. This time it was to the park. Ella enjoyed many more "firsts" at the park. She tried out the swing, which she wasn't too sure about since it was a little too big. She touched the grass with her bare feet and tickled her toes in the clover. She even went down the slide with Mommy. The straight slide went well, but the curly slide was a little too scary. Reagan was very brave and took on the Big Slide. After climbing up all of those steps, he started to rethink his decision. After some coaxing and cheering from Mom and Aunt MeMe, he made it down the slide. We also flew like Superman on our swings. Before we left, Reagan was a little gentleman and gave his girlfriend a pretty flower. How sweet!

We had so much fun with Aunt Jenn, Uncle Preston, and Mr. Reagan and look forward to our first road trip down there in a couple of weeks. I hope they're ready for us!

More pictures!

3 Months Old!

Can you believe it's already been 3 months? It seems like just yesterday we brought home our little Snuggle Bug. We had a very busy week while Grammy and Grampa were in town. I had to on work one of the days, so Grammy and Grampa had Ella all to themselves. I'm surprised they didn't leave town with her while Gene and I were gone.

We spent the next day at the mall since the weather was a bit chilly, and we all wanted to get out of the house for a little while. On Saturday, Ella had her first adventure to Canton. For those of you who are not familiar with Canton, it is the largest flea market. The weather was beautiful, so everyone else seemed to have the same idea to go to Canton. I was on a mission for hair bows, so Ella has expanded her bow collection. Grammy and Grampa found some treasures, too. We also drove around Tyler to admire all of the Azaleas in bloom. Sunday we went to church, and then Gene's parents came over for a cook-out.


We were very sad to say good-bye to Grammy and Grampa when it came time for them to leave. See you soon in July!

Ella is continuing to entertain us with her talking and activity. I think she will be rolling over very soon. She rolls to each side but hasn't quite gotten the legs to follow over. I have given her strict instructions to not roll unless Mommy is there to see it! She has outgrown her 3 months pajamas because she is too long for them now. She is long and skinny, especially compared to her chubby, bald friends at daycare.

We are looking forward to Aunt Jenn, Uncle Preston, and Mr. Reagan visiting in a couple of weeks!

12 weeks old

Ella Grace is 12 weeks old, but, unfortunately, she has not gotten off on a very fun start. She woke up during the night with a low grade fever, so Mom called into work to take care of her most important patient. Although it's nothing serious, I thought she could use a day at home with Mommy to recover. After a little rest and some extra love from her mommy, Ella seems to be feeling better already.

Despite the cold symptoms, Ella is continuing to grow and explore. She is doing even better on her tummy and is enjoying playing in her Jumperoo. I loves the monkey and toucan bird. She is even more talkative these days. No longer is she only making "oooh" sounds. We are enjoying lots of long talks together! It won't be long before I'm having to tell her to stop talking. Believe it or not, she has not lost any of her baby hair yet. It's only getting longer! I think I could pull enough of it together for little pig tails on top of her head.

We are looking forward to Gramma and Grampa Riley's visit this week. I don't think I'll even be able to change a diaper while they are here.

I can't believe Ella is already 11 weeks old! Time is flying by quicker than ever these days! I haven't been updating the blog as often now that I am back to work and Ella is in daycare. We are both transitioning well, though. Ella's first day at "school" was a little traumatic for her, but she has done great ever since. Her teachers adore her and have nothing but wonderful things to say about Ella everyday. I am getting back into the routine of working. Fortunately, my manager has been very accommodating and flexible with my schedule.

Ella is continuing to grow and develop before our eyes. She is smiling more and "talking." Her favorite sound to make is "ooooh." After a bottle feeding, she is the happiest and most talkative. She is grabbing onto things and bats at toys when playing on her gym mat. Tummy time is not fun for Ella, but she is holding her head up well and starting to push up on her arms a little. When she gets mad, she starts flailing her arms and legs all around and looks like she is swimming. She is definitely a strong kicker, whether she's kicking during a diaper change or kicking Mommy's belly. She is now sleeping through the night except for the occasional replacing of the pacifier. Mommy and Daddy are enjoying the sleep!

Daddy turned 30 on March 18, so we celebrated with his parents at Outback. Ella is quickly learning how to behave out at restaurants.

We all enjoyed Ella's first Easter. It was a busy weekend as Ella met most of her extended family on Gene's side of the family. Ella did well considering her schedule was a mess for 3 days. Everyone was exhausted by Sunday! Her Nana and Poppy bought her her own bed and Jumperoo to use at their house. Ella enjoyed trying it all out.

Let it snow!

What a day we had today! We started off the day with snow covering the ground. I couldn't resist, so I bundled up Ella in her coat that she will probably never where again and took some pictures. Then we had our 2 month doctor's appointment with Dr. Everett. Ella now weights 11 lb and 8 oz. and is 22 and 3/4 inches long. My sweet pea is definitely growing big! Dr. Everett was very pleased with her progress. Ella was a trouper when it came to the shots. She settled down very quickly after taking a bottle. Hopefully she will not have any reactions to immunizations. So far so good!

8 weeks old

Miss Ella is continuing to grow and change before our eyes every day. I was finally able to get her a floor gym to burn off some of her new found energy. She doesn't like it as much as the mobile in her pack 'n play, but it entertains her for a little while. I put together her bouncer seat, which ended up being way too big. I think she will need another month or two before she is ready for it. Ella is scheduled for the dreaded 2 month shots this week. After that, she will be ready to start daycare next week. I'm worried she will be in for a rude awakening after getting spoiled at home with mommy everyday. She is becoming more and more of a mommy's girl, so I am quickly having to learn to do things with one hand. Although she is not napping as well during the day (I never thought the day would come that she actually didn't want to sleep!), we had our first night of continuous sleep. Hopefully it was not just a one time thing, and she will continue to sleep through the night.