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.

7 wks

6 weeks old

Please forgive me for not updating the blog as much as I would like to. We are finally getting on a schedule, which has been wonderful for all of us. You would not believe how much Ella is growing and changing over the last few weeks! She has completely outgrown the newborn outfits and is filling out the 3 month clothes now. I have not weighed her since her last doctor's appointment, but I only imagine what she is up to now. She is so much more alert, too. She is starting to make cooing sounds and smiling at times. Unfortunately, I never seem to be able to catch it all on camera. She has great control of her head and can even sit in her Bumbo seat with assistance. Believe it or not, she has not lost any of hair. It just keeps growing longer! She'll have pig tails before too long at this rate! In the meantime, I torture her with bow hair clips. I dread the day I have to go back to work, which will probably be mid-March.

5 Weeks Old