The Duranimals

Ellie's First Haircut!!!

2012-02-07T13:33:00.001-08:00

Up until today, Ellie has only had her bangs cut....by me....which usually involves me chasing her with scissors. Ha! Our neighbor & hair girl does my hair, so it's high time Ellie gets her hair done too!!! Thanks Bethany!!!!

As soon as Ellie woke up from her nap, it was her turn. She sat on my counter to watch all the action! Just a little trim in the back to even it all out.. And a bangs cut too. She sat sort of still but I think she loved it! We captured some locks for this sentimental momma.

After

Before (silly blogger)

After

Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo

2012-02-01T15:57:00.001-08:00

Oh boy! Did Ellie have a fun time being pushed around in her stroller, looking at all the animals!!! Cows, pigs, bunnies, chicks, and lots more. She seemed more comfortable in the stroller than out. But that's ok. Gotta love my shy cautious girl.

She didn't want to have her picture taken on a pony. Nor did she want to pet some baby goats & have her picture taken! Those both cost $11. But she did want to feed & pet the goats in the petting zoo :) For $1 you got a small ice cream come filled with pellets. They went crazy over the cones. He he. Ellie did a pretty good job of holding out her hand and feeding them.

Thank you to our friend Katie for getting us in for free & showing us around!!!

Beauty & the Beast

2012-01-27T07:46:00.001-08:00

Ellie has been to the movies before, so this wasn't her first time.......she was still excited, saying she would see Belle BIG! And in 3d. :)

We invited bestie Wendy & Hayden to come along. So off we went to see Beauty & the Beast in 3d!!!! Oh but first we stopped to get chicken nuggets & French fries. Yep, we snuck that in. ;)

The girls didn't keep their glasses on the whole but they still enjoyed it. For two year olds, they did awesome!!! Even in the "scary" parts where the dogs were barking & the beast was yelling!

I enjoyed seeing a childhood movie and the Tangled short story ;)

Here are some pics of the girls enjoying movie, popcorn, candy, nuggets, fries, a maybe a little Mr Pibb ;)

How today became "clean bath tub" day

2012-01-16T10:34:00.001-08:00

It's almost Ellie's nap time and I'm thinking, "we can hurry up and get my bathroom chores done before I lay her down." She loves chores, especially wiping out the sinks and counter tops. However today, she got distracted by a brush scrubber and sponge by the bath tub. She was playing with them and kept telling me she was cleaning. Sure, fine, as long as you're happy and not eating the sponge, it's cool. So I do the bathroom chores by myself.

I move on to making the bed & tidying up my room. She's too quiet, I think, but I keep putting the pillows on the bed.

I walk into the bathroom to find this!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh my! Ellie says, "I'm cleaning momma"

All I could do was praise her for helping me clean, hold back the laughter, and help her finish cleaning the bath tub!

Catch all post.....

2012-01-14T10:46:00.001-08:00

The Duranimals are busy, or so it seems. It's all relative I suppose. I'm working three days a week, which is pretty awesome. I get to be home with Ellie 4 days a week! We have an awesome friend who keeps Ellie when I'm working during the week. We are so blessed by her! She loves Ellie like her own & Ellie thrives on the interaction with her friends, Brooklyn & Brenley. She comes home saying the funniest, smartest things! ....including requesting Justin Bieber dance-alongs to "baby baby". She thinks the song is about literal babies, not ooo-la-la like ;) she grabs a doll & bounces away. Good times!

Jon is working for Chesapeake energy & loves that! Thank goodness some people like to do research, review documents, and post to excel spreadsheets all day! I admire his love for his job.

As I said, Ellie likes babies. Posted is a picture of her with a load of babies in her stroller. She even had them underneath! Her face couldn't contain the excitement she had; so proud to have piled up so many ;) At 28 months old - her latest happenings are potty training, waiting on 2 year molars, talking non-stop, and taking care of babies (of course). She loves to watch Cinderella & Where the Wild Things Are; still loves Olivia; enjoys all things "princess" & can cook up a storm in her play kitchen. She makes me laugh all the time and I am so grateful for our days together.

Blogging via iPhone

2012-01-13T14:17:00.001-08:00

Well isn't this going to be much easier!!!!!! I downloaded the blogger app.....so here I am! On a mission to blog a few times a week! Today Ellie & I have been hanging out at the house, minus a trip to Kroger :) She read to her babies, pushed them around in her stroller & then took a long ole nap herself! It's been a good day!!!!

Big girl bed!

2011-11-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

Jon & I have been very lucky parents when it comes to the sleeping department. When we brought Ellie home from the hospital, she & I spent about a month & a half on the couch. Yes, the couch. Gasp! Isnt that not recommended by the AAP?!?!?! You're right but oh well! It was important to me that Jon got his rest since he was still having to get up & go to work. Ellie made an easy transition into her bed upstairs & we only did CIO (cry it out) for a few nights. She has been such a great sleeper from the beginning. Then one day...wow! She started saying "cant go night night." That lasted for about a week but then she would still go to sleep fine. Guess she was serious about this cant go night night business because after a week of saying that, she made it come true. For two nights she screamed in her crib for 3+ hours. I am not joking! 3+ hours. Who knows how long it really lasted, because after trying EVERYTHING we know, we shut off the monitor & went to bed. Cruel but wow, she was crazy! We then went to Houston for a weekend & for 3 nights she slept in the bed with us. Gasp again! But there was no way I was going to listen to all of that screaming when we were all 3 sharing a room!

My mom talked to me a lot about this and she mentioned that when David & I were little she would stay on the floor by our beds until we could calm down. Genius! I had been praying and asking for prayer that I would know what to do about this whole "cant go night night" business. Does Ellie need me or is she just being 2 & she needs to work it all out?!?!?!?!? The decision was made - take this opportunity to move her to a big girl bed since she was already having issues. Two birds, one stone. I had been dreading the transition to toddler bed, so why not knock it all out? Thus....

We got back into town and I took Ellie to Target. We went up & down the bedding isle and she decided on Cinderella. :) This is something I swore I'd never do -- no character room. You can tell how desperate I was to play up the idea of sleeping in her toddler bed with no tears/screaming. It worked! She watched her daddy take it all apart & make a big girl bed, she loved sitting on her Cinderella sheets, and that night she fussed for 7 minutes. Yes, 7 minutes!! Thats amazing compared to where we were a few days before! Oh, I forgot to mention that I bought everything Cinderella in Target -- sheets, bedspread, stuffed animal, night light, pj's, sippy cup, play phone! I stopped short at Cinderella wall decals. That was going a little overboard for me ;) Here is Ellie her after her first night in the big girl bed!

Since she's been in her big girl bed, she still will complain about going to bed, but goes without a fight and without crazy screaming. She doesnt try to get out of bed or her room. Today for her nap, she climbed the stairs with me, without complaint! Thank you Lord for your favor & direction! Ah! We've made it past another milestone. TODDLER BED!

26 months old!!!!

2011-11-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

Oh my sweet Ellie belly! You are 26 months old! WOW! Where did time go to?!?!?!? Let me just take a moment to tell you what I love about you the most these days....

You now love ketchup (you used to despise it)..but now ketchup makes it all better!
Same goes for ranch dressing. YUM. I knew you were a Texan!
You love going to church and learning about Jesus. Every time you go, you come home with a new story or saying. I love your innocent love for the Lord!
You like to tell the story of Noah's Ark; complete with the details -- it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, Noah wasnt scared because God said it would be ok, a bird had leaves in her mouth and thats how Noah knew it was safe now......oh and a few other details you made up, like -- Noah had a big TV on the ark. Silly girl!
You picked out Cinderella bedding for your new big girl bed. I love how you call her Cinderellie ;) (that story is for another post)
You still love babies! You love to feed them, shoosh them, rock them, change them...you know, all those mommy things
You call out in us, the things we call out in you! - dont show your food, no talking, be nice (just to name a few)
You are doing so well with potty-training when you are with mommy. With other people....hm....
You remember almost everything we say to you. We have to be careful!
Your fave foods are -- pizza, pears, apples, strawberries, bars, fruit snacks, broccoli, corn

Well....I am sure there are so many more things I love about you....but you are calling me to play with you! I love you, my big 26 month old!!!

Happy Halloween 2011!!!

2011-11-07T14:26:00.001-08:00

Trick or treating was FUN this year! Ellie really is beginning to enjoy these kinds of things and Jon & I are enjoying our sweet girl growing up (run on sentence, wowo). This Halloween Ellie was...............................................................................

OLIVIA

You know, the pig from Nick Jr. The show really is funny and probably my favorite Nick Jr show....even though Olivia is kinda a brat and calls her little brother, her little bother :/ Her favorite candy from the night was suckers! Yum! Ellie did really good out and about; we pushed her in a car so it would move along a little faster. When we got home, we had about $40 worth of candy to pass out ourselves. She was very generous to the kiddos, giving them all BIG handfuls! Thank you Jesus that she didnt freak out, like "thats myyyyy candy" blah blah! She really was a sweetheart about it all! At 8:30 it all ended and our little piggie went fast asleep!

Gateway's Fall "Festibal"

2011-11-07T14:19:00.001-08:00

The "festibal" as Ellie calls it, was a hit again this year! I feel so blessed to be a part of a church that has such love for people! The fall festival was so much fun, for all of us!!! Ellie rode on a merry go round thingy, played lots of games, ate pizza and a some turkey leg, got lots of candy, and got to play in the special kiddie play area of church! We didnt really see too many friends, although I know they were there....it was just so crowded! She is still talking about going to the fesibal and thinks that we are going there every time we turn into the church parking lot. Silly girl. How am I going to get her to understand that it is only once a year?!?!?

Ellie's friend, baby Kaylin has arrived!!!!

2011-11-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

On October 15, sweet 7 pound 9 ounce, Kaylin was born! Ellie has been talking a lot about this arrival and is enjoying her visits with a baby!
Her first visit to see Kaylin was precious to say the least! She kept saying "she come out" and wanted to inspect every inch of her! Her toes, her fingers, her outfit, her hair. It really was a sight to see! We're still working on making sure she touches her nicely and doesnt scare her...I think she'll catch on soon!

3 weeks later and Ellie is still talking about how baby Kaylin was in JJ's belly but now she came out. Boy, the thing she remembers! I was blessed to be there during the delivery and one day, will share that story with Ellie!

Trip to Wisconsin

2011-11-07T07:09:00.000-08:00

Ellie's first airplane ride!!!!!! We ventured out to Wisconsin in October to visit Jon's parents. Yes, they live here too but they also have a house up north. Its nice to get out to different weather!!!! His grandmother lives up there too, so it was a nice family visit! Here is Ellie after take-off, watching Nemo! She did such a good job on the airplane, no tears! It was a little hard to keep a 2 year old still and keep her from pushing the "need flight attendant light" but all in all, it was good! She got a window seat and kept saying "the pilot talk to me" when the flight attendant or pilot would talk over the loud speaker. Her innocence was so cute!

In WI, we took a nature walk and got to see all the beautiful colors.

Pumpkin Patch!!! Every year we visit the Flower Mound PP, but this year we took advantage of a PP up north. Ellie picked out 3 little pumpkins! It took her a bit to warm up, but after a while she was running around to all the pumpkins. The weather was really nice that day; perfect PP weather!!!

Here is the 4 generation pic!

Here is Daddy and Ellie playing out back in the leaves!!!!

HONKERS!!!! Ellie was obsessed with these! We saw them frequently and she would yell out "honkers" He he!!! The last few pics are of her on the plane ride back. Again, she was a trooper! No tears, just wiggles. All in all, we enjoyed our fall trip to WI.

Ellie's 2 year pics!

2011-09-19T12:31:00.002-07:00

Ellie had her 2 year pics taken at the Fort Worth Stockyards by our friend & neighbor, Caroline Carmack. They came out great! Here are a few of my faves!

Since Ellie has turned 2, she is so different! Her sentences, words, personality! All of it! Jon and I are enjoying this time of growth and learning ourselves, how to handle her changes! She sure has determination & will ;) Ellie is still concerned with other people and how they feel. She will ask how we are, if we like our food, ask to kiss boo-boos, and overall just make sure our worlds are ok. It is so sweet to see her spirit shine through!

Ellie's favorite toys now a days are little figurines from Nemo, Toy Story 3, & Olivia. She has also rediscovered Violet, the talking dog. She sings along with the songs and plays them over and over before bedtime. She loves to sing songs - Where is Jesus, No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Rock a By Baby!

Ok, well there's your Ellie update. :)

Ellie

2011-09-19T12:31:00.001-07:00

Ellie's 2nd Birthday Party!!!!

2011-09-06T08:45:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Ellie's Under the Sea Adventure!!! Complete with photo booth, miniature jello oceans, blue sea punch, Nemo playing in the background, & lots of kiddos & love! I spent a lot of time planning this party......I love idea stealing from other blogs & etsy ;) Hits this year were - clothes (lots of them!), OLIVIA toys, craft stuff, and dress up items! I intended on putting some of them away to pull out on a rainy day (ha! whats rain)...but I forgot & Ellie is enjoying all of her toys!

I should really blog.....

2011-07-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hey guys....wow life is hard sometimes...hard to keep up with this blog, hard to get out of bed, hard to prioritize....you know?!?!

What have we been up to lately?? Its like 100 degrees everyday here in wonderful Texas, so that means lots of indoor time or swim time. I have been going up the YMCA to work out - Zumba or using the elliptical. It feels so good to work out. But it feels so bad to have to turn down that Sprinkles cupcake. Maybe I'll just have half. We also go the the Y to swim!!!!! Ellie loves it! She is such a fish! Her puddle jumper floatie lets her be so independent. It really is sweet to watch. Other than working out and swimming our lives are pretty routine....work, eat, sleep, work, play, eat, sleep... I am in the middle of planning two parties - one for Jana - her baby shower and Ellie's second birthday party. I'll keep you posted on those!

For lack of typing time, I'll leave you with some recent pics!!!

Ellie update...

2011-04-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

What might our sweet angel be up to these days???

-She is 19 months old (almost 20)

-She talks up a storm!!!! Mostly words we understand but still jibberish at times.

-She says please and thank you

-Another two word sentence she says is "dogs bark"

-She loves to help! She has such a helping spirit! I love it.

-She is obsessed with shoes, shoes, shoes!

-She has to sit in time out frequently

-She is learning/trying to play me. When I tell her to sit, she asks for hugs ;)

-She loves horses, but has never seen one in real life

-She thinks she needs to feed her fish at least 5x/day

-She still sleeps with her blankies

-She tries to sing along to twinkle twinkle little star

-She can repeat almost any word I ask her too (eek)

She is the love of our lives and we are so blessed!

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T13:42:00.001-07:00

For Easter this year, Ellie had a week long celebration it seems like. We headed to Houston/The Woodlands to see my parents the weekend before Easter. Ellie had her first Easter egg hunt there. At home, on Easter weekend, Jon's parents stayed at our house and Ellie opened two more Easter baskets!!!! Wow! We went to church on Saturday night and hung out with family on Sunday.

My sweet girl in her Easter dress!!!

Thank you Jesus for paying the price so we can celebrate freely! You rock!

Well, hello there Blogger!

2011-04-14T12:40:00.001-07:00

My, my, my! Where have I been??? Well, well, well! I have been cleaning the house, playing with Ellie, boiling chicken for raider, hanging out with Jon, taking care of the babies at work, having quiet time with God, catching up on DVR & probably much more.

But now, here I am, updating my blog! Hang out for about 5 fun filled posts!!!!

Check out our sweet Ellie belly hanging out in the bluebonnets!!! She was unsure of what to do, sitting on a steep hill, surrounded by flowers. I got a few shots and this was my favorite!

PINK Impact

2011-04-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Wow, oh, wow, oh, wow! This years PINK Impact at Gateway church was nothing short of amazing! Gateway, the church I call home, has a womens conference every year. I have been two other times but this time my heart was so open to hear and change. I was so blessed by the speakers....and am forever changed! Every time I've gone to PINK, its been with my bff and this year was no different...we had such a good time!

PINK friends, PINK after party, PINK scarfs!!!!!!! Praise God for a wonderful time, wonderful fellowship, wonderful worship, and wonderful change!

Next year --- PINK Impact 2012 featuring Beth Moore! www.pinkimpact.com

Frog Alley

2011-04-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

After visiting Lubbock for their fan day, the next weekend we completed the college rounds with a visit to TCU's game day. Frog Alley is all about KIDS! Bounce house, bounce house, bounce house! Wow. Ellie is all over that. She doesnt yet understand having to take turns, so when the lady would blow her whistle to let us know it was time to get out and let the next group of kids jump...she was upset!

They also have face painting but shes not old enough for that, I dont think. However she would stay still long enough to have TCU painted on her arm. She was so proud!!!

This time, Ellie & I didnt stay at the game too long...nap time was calling! All in all, we enjoyed. We got some game worn jerseys, jumped a little, and watched a few plays!

Texas Tech, here we come!

2011-04-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Every year, we make a trip to Lubbock, TX for the football spring game & autograph signing event. This is Ellie's second year to go & she definitely enjoyed it more this time! Our seats were right behind the horse & masked rider......& Ellie came unglued! "orse, orse, orse!!!!!" she screamed! When the masked rider left to wave at the other fans, we thought we would have to change seats to keep her contained! She loves orses ;)

Sitting in the stands during the game, we had a clear view of the cheerleader! Oh my, the dancing that came out of Ellie was hysterical! She loves watching them dance & then she danced along! Jon got all but one autographs he came for & Ellie ran around on the field. She especially liked wallering around on the 40 yd line :)

Prairie Dog Town is one of the 'highlights' of a trip to Lubbock! Seriously! Back when I was going to school there, the PD's were plentiful....today, not so much, but there were still a few to enjoy! Ellie wasnt so sure about these animals. They bark but dont look like dogs. I enjoyed visiting PD town & enjoyed passing on one of my Lubbock, TX traditional visits to Ellie!

Visit from Mimi & Pops

2011-04-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

In March, my parents visited us in Keller! My dad had an education class in Dallas on Saturday, so Ellie, me & my mom shopped a little ;) Ellie came home with shoes!!!!!!!!!! And a purse!!!!

I love this picture below, such a sweet moment!

Ellie loves stickers. And by love, I mean LOVE!!!!!! "ticker" is what she calls them and if you ever give her a sheet of stickers, you are her new best friend. I guess she decided that this would be a funny was to play with stickers this night!

My dad wanted to see Ellie eat pizza, since we always rave about how funny it is to watch her carry around a piece and eat like such a big girl. After pizza, we took Ellie to Bear Creek Park. She loves playgrounds, swinging, & running around. I love these family pics! Such a great day! I miss them so much & would love to live closer!

Raider

2011-04-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Raider, our first baby was diagnosed with chronic renal failure about 1 1/2 months ago. He just wasnt acting the same and we took him to the vet for a check up. He had lost some weight and wasnt eating very well. His kidney numbers came back very elevated, so much so that the vet said she was surprised he was alive. His BUN was 110 & Cr 9.5. After 2 full days of doggie IV fluids, his numbers dropped to 80/6.5 (still very elevated). But the vet is hopeful that his life can be extended with special kidney meds and food.

He now looks much better than these pics. We have been making him chicken tenders and lean beef. On days he wont eat that, we let him have a can of dog food. Its most important that he eats, even if it cant be chicken & beef all the time! He's had some trouble with vomitting and we had him on pepto every day. We now switched to pepcid to help, since he starting vomitting again :( Just when I thought his time was up, we got some good news. We have this urine specific gravity tester (loaned to us by a wonderful friend, Stan) His ability to concentrate urine is actually getting better. I was a little confused about what #'s he was supposed to have and called the vet one day when I thought his #'s were out of range. To my surprise, his # was actually improving! Thank God. Jon had just told me that he had been praying for Raider....so definitely a prayer answered.

Thank you all for your support during this time! Especially to Stan, who has been through doggie renal failure before with his own fur baby. Jon and I can always count on our friends and we are so thankful!

Fort Worth Children's Museum

2011-04-14T11:24:00.001-07:00

I am always looking for fun & exciting things to do with Ellie.....especially outside of the house! My nurse & mommy friend, Jaime invited us to the Children's Museum recently! Ellie had so much fun!

She played dress up Doctor, but come on guys, we all know that being a nurse is WAY more fun ;) She dressed up, picked out a baby from the nursery & weighed the baby. So sweet!

Stella & Ellie really enjoyed playing with the bubble wall!

Grocery shopping was Ellie favorite thing, I think. She was a little confused about what to do, but had fun picking out fruits & veggies...& then pushing around the buggy!

Thanks Jaime & Stella for inviting us out! We had a great time!

A week of firsts.......

2011-02-13T18:46:00.000-08:00

Ellie has been doing a lot of fun things lately.....

We ventured out to the dog park today. Tipps Canine Park in NRH. Us and the Schaeffers packed up the dogs for some playtime. The doggies had fun and Ellie enjoyed seeing all the furry friends.....unless one of them just appeared in her line of sight and then she cried. :) There were about 10 other schnauzers there and 2 other maltese.......so Raider, Bailey, Macy and Molly all had look-alike playmates. Everyone left worn out!

We went to the Watauga Public Library with Angie, Brenley and Brooklyn. The girls had fun playing in the little house, looking through books and running around acting very un-library like ;)

On Friday night, Ellie spent the night at JJ's house. This was the first time Jon and I have been away from Ellie at night. Jon dropped her off at 6 and when I came home from work, Jon and I headed out for an evening alone. We had reservations at Silver Fox, a yummy steak place near TCU. The place was PACKED! Our late reservations were for 9pm but we didnt get a table until 10. Good thing Ellie was staying somewhere else for the night. Jana said that Ellie did great! They played, ate pizza, and all that kind of fun girl stuff. I picked her up Sunday morning, after a sound nights sleep. I'm so glad that she was close enough for me to not have a mommy freak out moment! Thanks JJ!!!!!!!!

SNOW!!!!! WEEK!!!!!!

2011-02-04T20:24:00.000-08:00

This past week has been the craziest weather that I have seen in a long time! Less than 20 degree temps, ice and snow have consumed our week! Jon has pretty much stayed home from work and I braved the black ice to drive to and from work on Wednesday and Thursday. It took me one hour to go 13 miles!!!! Ellie has enjoyed staying home with daddy...except on Thursday when she went to Miss Angie's so daddy could work from home. We've played in the snow a bit. The first day of snow, Ellie was fine to walk around outside for a bit...not too excited about it, but okay to be out there. Then today she didnt really want anything to do with it! She just wanted to be held. Maybe it was the falling snow...who knows....but Jon and I had fun looking at it. Aunt JJ came down to play but Ellie wasnt much for playing outside...so they moved their fun back inside.

Here's a few pics from our snow week....

And a pic from last February............

Kroger Marketplace

2011-01-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

Keller got a new Kroger! That makes us seem po-dunk, but really Keller isn't. It's just fun that we have the latest and greatest Kroger here! Since they opened a few weeks ago, I have been up to this sacred place at least once a week....usually twice a week....any excuse to shop at the place that has produce galore, fresh tortillas, towels, furniture, and a huge organic section. They even have these kiddie carts, that the little ones can push around. Here are some pics (and a video) from the place....and yes.....I dedicated a whole post to Kroger Marketplace!

Thanksgiving and such......

2010-12-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

I guess this counts as Ellie's first official Thanksgiving (turkey and all) since last year she wasn't eating soilds. We celebrated at our house......my mom, dad, brother, grandma, and aunt came up for a couple days to EAT and SHOP. This year, our turkey was prepared by Chef Pointe. If you've never heard of it, it's 5 star food in a gas station. Yep, thats right.....a restaurant in a Conoco, or a Texaco...I can't remember....some red colored gas station nonetheless. We frequent this place for yummy breakfast.....a lot! I picked up the turkey on Wednesday night and re-heated it on Thursday. It was delicious!! Ellie enjoyed......

So what's Ellie been up to lately......

Her newest words are (hope these arent repeats) socks and shoes. I love it when she says socks because it sounds like sauce! So cute. She has the sweetest little voice. She still thinks all animals are dogs, unless you have a beak, then you are a duck. He he. She is still all over the place....touching the Christmas tree ornaments, getting into the tupperware drawer, chasing the dogs, playing with my perfume bottles, getting into the bathroom drawers, and mich more! She has a sweet spirit but gets so upset that she cant communicate with us. Her frustrations turn into whines but I am tolerant of it (for the most part) since I know it wont last forever. She loves to help unload the washing machine and dryer. She loves to close doors...like when we are done loading the dishwasher, she closes the door....when we are done in the pantry, she closes the door.....when we let the dogs outside, she closes the back door. Such a sweet helper. She knows how to "high-five" and dance along to music. Unless of course, its Christmas music, she turns the CD player off. She claps a lot and chews on her Your Baby Can Read flashcards. She has her own playroom now (we kicked daddy out and he is in the garage now). She has so much fun running from her playroom to her room and back and forth. She likes to help me push the grocery cart. I hold her on my hip and she leans forward with one hand on the cart handle. She thinks she is helping me push. :) Ellie truly is mu love and I enjoy all of my sweet moments with her.

Here are some of my favorite pics from November...

It's Fall Y'all

2010-10-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

The weather is crisp and we are wearing long sleeves. It must be fall! Our church has a fall festival every year at Dragon Football Stadium in Southlake, TX. It was Ellie's first year to go. She dressed up as a fairy and enjoyed the petting zoo and the water games.

Baby BFF's

......a life size cut out of Gateway's Pastor.....LOL

Just some cute Ellie pics from October

We went to the Fort Worth zoo!!! Ellie loved all the "dogs" he he

What's Been Going on Lately.......

2010-10-20T09:03:00.000-07:00

Well.....our sweet 13 month old is growing like a weed! Eating so much! Laughing all the time! Making us laugh at the time! And getting too big too fast!

Ellie's favorite foods are strawberries, chicken nuggets. fig newtons, waffles, green beans, ......and as far as drinks go...she loves juice, warm milk, and capri sun

Her newest words are duck, ball, dog, and frog. Of course she is still going strong with mama, dada, and baby. She is such a sponge, it amazes us everyday. Jon showed her what a frog was and then started saying give me your frog...and she will find it and bring it to you! And as if she wasnt acting big enough already....she is pushing her babies around in her play stroller! Or her stuffed animals or Raider's toys. LOL.

Bottles are a thing of the past. I cant remember if I have blogged about this before....but we took them away about a month ago. She now has her milk out of a straw sippy. The transition was much harder for me that her...it was the anticipation of something horribe that turned out to not be bad at all!!!

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

This year was another great pumpkin patch experience! If you need a great PP to visit, try the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch. I know FM seems far, but its really just up the road! This year Jim, Wendy, & Hayden came too. Ellie was just taking it all in, not her usual chatty smiley self. Thats ok though, we still had fun & even enjoyed Fletcher's Corn Dogs & Funnel Cakes.

Here are some pics from the day. Hayden & Ellie have on Hello Kitty shirts and tutu's made by yours truly!

And last year at this time.......

Such a difference! Happy Fall Yall...and check out the pumpkin patch if you can!

Watch me grow

2010-09-25T14:51:00.000-07:00

Ellie is ONE!!!

2010-09-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

Where has one year gone??? Seems like yesterday I became a mommy. To commemorate the birthday, I rocked my little one to sleep on Septmber 5th for old time sake, cried some tears of joy, and reflected on year one of being a mommy. The next day was full of birthday fun. Breakfast with a candle topped pancake, after lunch cake mashing, and dinner with a candle topped Olive Garden breadstick! We had fun even if Ellie had no idea what was going on and why she was getting so much attention. As for her party........

I spent a lot of time, and by a lot of time, I mean like, oh, um, 3 months. I made the decorations with help of some great friends and made her outfit with some help also! Giraffes were the theme since for a few months there, Ellie was OBSESSED with Sophie the giraffe. You remember the facebook posts, I'm sure (especially the one where Sophie #1 was ran over). Anyway, on to birthday fun.......we had her party at the Keller Smithfield Activity Node, a park here in town. It was hot. Heat index 107. But the kiddos didnt care and thats all the mattered. Jana made the cake with painstakingly care. Missy took the pictures for us - probably one of the most thoughtful and gracious gifts ever. Thanks Cody and Sarah!

The pictures speak for themselves!

What a great celebration!

PS - at Ellie's one year pediatrician appointment she weighed 20 pounds 5 ounces and was 30 inches tall. Still long and lean. She is walking and learning new words everyday. Baby is her favorite word and while she used to distinguish between baby and doggie, now everything is "baby." She also says ball and duck (dup) along with her usual daddy and mama. She is growing and changing everyday and is helping me realize how great life is! God has truly blessed us and I am working hard to remember that everyday!

Photo credit http://www.melissaellenstudios.com/

Psalm 91

2010-08-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

It all happened about two weeks ago. Ellie, our normally sound and peaceful sleeper started waking up screaming. Screaming bloody murder, on all fours, with eyes closed. Talk about scare a momma. I mean, what could be wrong? She seems asleep because her eyes are closed yet she is screaming at the top of her lungs as if something hurt her. Jon or I would have to go up in her room, pick her up and rock her back to peaceful sleep. After that, she seemed to be fine....would sleep through the night and wake up happy. I began to pray for peaceful nights but nothing seemed to be working. I was to a point (after two weeks of constant weird waking up screaming) where I didn't know what to pray for anymore....I didn't even know what was wrong. I was frustrated!

On Sunday, I dropped her off in the Barnyard Room at church and the lady asked if we had any prayer requests. Immediately I said, yes, pray for her night terrors (or whatever they are). That night, she woke up once again. I put a CD player by her door and played a God Made Nightime CD for her all night. I was trying to ward off whatever was frightening her. On Monday night I took her back up to church, to the Healing Room and she received prayer once again. The two people who prayed for her, prayed the blood of Jesus over her, prayed protection over her, annointed her, and commanded me to annoint her crib. I was also encouraged to read Ps 91 over her once she falls asleep. This is a Psalm of of protection. So thats what I did....we did it all. And so far, no more night terrors! Praise God. I also had to get to a point where I had the mindset of trusting God, having faith that He would protect her. So there we are! Ellie is safe and mommy is learning to have faith even in the little things.

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.

A conversation with Ellie

2010-07-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

Me: "Mommy"

Ellie: "Daddy"

Me: "Mommy"

Ellie: "Da doo"

Me: "Mommy"

Ellie: "Daddy"

***ugh**

lately.....

2010-07-19T18:55:00.001-07:00

Whats been going on with us you might ask? Well we have been busy as usual. Raising a kid is hard work.

Recently I took Ellie to a local farm in Keller. Homestead Farms. They raise goats and chickens and have fresh produce. We came away with some Goat's Milk. Yum. Not. But Ellie doesn't seem to mind it. I just add some to her bottles everyday. She's had it straight and at first made a face like, um what is that. But then she kept coming back for more. tee hee. Why goats milk? Because I am not sure whats all in cow's milk after its been pasteurized and all of that. I mean, what is left? What nutrients were whisked away in the process. Alas, the goat's milk. And yes, it is too early to give her milk but oh well. A friend of mine and Ellie's mom away from me (her care taker) introduced me to goat's milk and so there we are.....I give my kid goat's milk. So it sorta seems like I am writing like I talk. Oh well, thats probably because I have been having this conversation a lot -- the one regarding giving goat's milk to my child. I know, its weird. While we are airing out dirty laundry I also forward face her in the car, give her Mott's sugar free applesauce, let her sleep with stuffed animals in her crib, and tonight I put her to bed with a bottle. **gasp** At least half of those are against the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations. Oh well, she looks healthy right???

She is also taking a liking to more table foods. She's had Annie's organic o's (basically spaghetti o's), Annie's cheese ravioli, lamb, pita bread, chicken, cheese slices, crackers, beans, and much more. She used to gag on them or just spit it out. But now she's a big girl!

Lately, like the past week, Ellis has been falling asleep ok but then waking up screaming. Like horrible scream. I have to go up there, get her out of her crib, and rock her to settle her down. It is heart breaking. I am not sure what is waking her up. Jon and I are very quiet downstairs. Who knows if she is waking up scared, having night terrors, or what. I am going to hopefully take her to the healing room at church. If I remember correctly it is a place, or more like a set aside time for you to go and receive prayer. I have emailed a few people to find out when and where so that I can take her. I always pray over her when this happens but I still feel like I should take her. There are a lot of gifted people out there with a huge power of prayer and intercessory (is that a word). Anyway, will keep you posted.

Ellie really cuts into my blogging time....

2010-06-30T20:53:00.000-07:00

Tee Hee, but really it is true. I am a horrible blogger because of her. But who wouldnt want to spend every waking moment with a sweet angel like her? Its ok, I'll forgive her. I guess the best way for me to sum up our lives these days would be to make a list....

1. Ellie is now walking along the furniture, unassisted

2. Ellie follows me into the kitchen, by crawling in there (kind of a long way for such a little girl)

3. Her (late) 9 month appointment stats were 17.5 pounds; 28 in (my long & lean girl)

4. She still looooves to swim, she is seriously a fish

5. We started her on "chunkier" foods, aka Stage 3 foods. I puree the food less.

6. Also, she is taking to "solid foods" At first, she didnt like chopped up whole green beans, but

now she is better at it. I put peas and cut up mandarin oranges on her tray and she feeds

herself :)

7. We are starting the weaning process **tear** I'll spend some time explaining that one.

Originally I planned on breastfeeding for the first year. However, when Ellie was 7 months old, I developed mastitis (infection of milk ducts) and my supply took a hit. I spent a month building it back up only to get it again last week. So down goes my supply again. Plus, she is at the age where she would rather play than nurse. And....she is eating more solids now and drinking less milk. But the main reason is that when I am pumping now, I am not able to express all of the milk. My body just isnt responding to the pump anymore. So needless to say, whats the point? I cannot replace what she eats when I am at work. Thus, the weaning process begins. This week I took away the 1200 nursing session. When I am home from work, she gets a bottle of half EBM and half formula. I do not pump. Next week, I'll drop the 1600 feed and the following week I'll drop the 0800 feed. In the meantime, whether I am at home or at work, her bottles are a mix of EBM and formula until I run out of my stored frozen EBM. She'll be on 100% formula in 3 weeks. I am sad. I cried when I gave her her first bottle (from me) on Monday. I know that I'll always be her mom and she'll always need me.....but this is like the last bodily connection. Gosh, first the umbilical cord then the breastfeeding ;) Now I am ok. Still sad, but so thankful we made it 10 months and that she is doing well with it. She is tolerating the formula just fine and isnt crying or refusing the bottle, wondering why isnt mom feeding me. Thank God for that. Ok now back to the list....

8. She has her 2 bottom teeth...came up at the end of May. She was such a trooper! Didnt seem

to affect her too much.

9. She loves to take big girl baths. If she tumps over, I can usually let her figure out how to get

back up.

10. She gets so excited to see the dogs. I think that she has always liked them but now they pay

attention to her. She even shares her food with Raider. He takes it so gently from her hand

and she laughs at his tickling tongue.

11. Jon can really make her laugh these days. There's nothing sweeter than a baby's little laugh.

Ellie's a Water Baby

2010-05-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

You know how it is like, oh, 90 something degrees in Texas right now?!?!? Well since its getting hot, it's high time Ellie learned how to spend some of these hot summer days in the pool. Jon and I bought Ellie a little backyard pool one day and about a week ago we put her in it. She has been taking a "big girl bath" so "swimming" in a pool was no different. Well, except for the pool water is cooler. Anyways, she loved it. I put some bath toys in there and she sat there, splashed, crawled around the pool, all of that fun stuff. I am sure she is going to grow up loving the pool.

Today, I took her the the real pool. She loved it! Even though the water was a tad cold. It was mid 80's out today; I guess because it was overcast. We went anyway. We went to Wendy's neighborhood pool, threw the floaties in the water and put the girls in 'em. Both Ellie and Hayden seemed to enjoy the water. Both splashed and laughed. We though that we'd keep them in the kiddie pool, but for whatever reason the kiddie pool water seemed colder than the regular pool water. They stayed in for a little while and then got out to have snacks. Baby Mum-Mums of course. It was high past nap time, so we left. But since both the girls did great, we'll be going back soon. Ellie was so wiped out from the fun that she went to bed at 6:30 pm and is still asleep (it's 11:00 as I type this)

It is so much fun to watch her grow up and get to do all of these things. I am so blessed to be able to show her the world. Speaking of growing up.....Ellie now crawls (very well, I might add), pulls up on things into a standing postion (funny to watch), and is eating a TON of food. She still mostly eats purees but the amount she is taking in is crazy. She also gets snacks now - Baby Mum Mum's (melt in your mouth cracker things), baby puffs, and cooked baby carrots. She's an eater for sure! :)

TCU and Texas Tech Spring Games

2010-04-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

Every year Jon and I go to the spring games for the two schools I went to. The spring games are like a practice football game that fans can attend. The games are totally rigged but it is still fun. Afterwards, the players usually sign autographs, that Jon proudly displays on his game room wall. If you have ever been to our house, you know what I am talking about.

This year, the TCU game was first. Jon's parents came as well and I spent very little time watching the game and more time paying attention to Ellie. Ellie was really good and enjoyed watching real life players run all over the field, as opposed to on a TV screen. We pulled her stroller down to an open aisle and she just hung out. She even ate her baby food. A big wow since she is usually easily distracted. Unfortunately, she was not sporting a TCU onsie because she has grown out of her only one. We of course, bought her a new one when we were there!

The weekend afterwards, we all made the trek to Lubbock, TX. Jon booked us a room at The Overton Hotel - the latest and greatest thing to hit the other cow town. Usually we stay at some less than par hotel because, well, that's Lubbock, TX for ya. But this year was a treat! We stayed on the 13th floor of a 15 floor hotel and had to scan our room key to even get the elevator to take us up to that floor. (Sarcastic tone here) --- We were hiiigh rollers. We had separate breakfast from floors 1-12 and had a special turn down service where we got cookies and they turned on a sleeping sound machine. LOL. Ok, all sarcasm aside, it was a really nice place and within walking distance to the football stadium. When we rolled into cow town, the weather was very unexpected - cold, windy, rainy. Needless to say, we had to make a trip to Babies R Us and the mall to get proper clothes for Ellie and I. We also bought a rain slicker for Ellie's stroller. We were hoping that would protect her from the elements and she would be able to enjoy the spring game. Wrong. When we got there on Saturday morning, it was soooo windy that I could barely stand it. There was no way that I could safely pull Ellie out of the stroller without her for sure getting sick! Her and I stayed at the spring game for oh, about 15 minutes and then made our way to the car to play there. Jon stayed at the stadium and froze but still enjoyed himself. Ellie and I just hung out in the car, but we didn't mind. I kept us busy by nursing her, playing with her, teaching her how to use her sippy cup, talking on the phone to Wendy, driving Ellie around when she took a nap.....and then Jon was done and we left. He he :) Too bad I didn't get to show Ellie off, because she was the cutest Red Raider I have ever seen! She had a TTU onsie and a cute red and black hat. We ate out, shopped for Tech gear and just had a fun time as a family. It was really great! The only down side was giving Ellie a bath in the small bathroom sink because all they had was a shower, no tub. She did not enjoy. And then I had to do it again at 1130 pm because she threw up in her sleep (random). She enjoyed that sink bath even less. She was like, uh mom why are you putting me in here, I was sleeping?!?!?!? I let her sleep with us the rest of the night and then took a shower with her the next morning. There was something about that fast 1130 pm sink bath that just didn't get all the nasty off. Boy, did she looove a shower. I was afraid she wouldn't like the water hitting her, but nope, she loved it. Of course I had to have Jon's help because she got slippery fast. Anyway, her favorite blankey was ruined by throw up and the hotels laundry service was only M-F. Boo. Jon had to clean the blankey in the shower and then wring it out frequently so that it would dry for her by Saturday night. All this wringing out made the blankey extra long. So now Jon says she can use it until she is 18 :) Anyway, I leave you with some pics from the weekend.

We love her soo much! Our sweet, future Red Raider!!!

Man, it has been a while

2010-04-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

Little Ellie has been keeping me so busy, obviously! It has been over a month since my last post. I am going to try to be better, I promise. Ellie has been dedicated to the Lord, she's turned 6 months, she's had her first Easter, and much more!

Her baby dedication was in the middle of March, at our church home Gateway. It was during the morning service and a lot of her family came to see it. We stood up at the front of the congregation with many other families who were dedicating their little ones to God as well. She was prayed over and loved on by many family members.

Here is Ellies 6 month picture. Every month, I take a picture of her and it has been fun to see her grow. As I am writing this (very late) I am laughing because now her pictures are taken sitting up. I am not quite sure what I am going to do when she is too big to sit in the Boppy.

Ellie's first Easter was great! Except for me scheduling myself to work ALL weekend. Luckily, another nurse agreed to come in early for me on Saturday, so we could still go to church as a family. Ellie had a very sweet pink and white dress and enjoyed her first Easter basket. On my way home from work on that Saturday, I realized I had forgotten to get her a bow that matched the pink of her dress. What a bad mommy. Thankfully, there is a place very close to our house and on the way home that carries bows! I rushed in, matched the pink and made her look adorable. She loved holding onto that lamb stuffed animal (given to her by grandparents in an Easter basket), but quickly Raider mistook it for his doggie toy lamb and her lamb was toast!

This post is getting a little long for me to work with, so I'll close for now and pick up where I left off!

Since the last time I wrote....

2010-03-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

......Ellie has mastered the back-to-front roll over and we have ventured into homemade organic baby food.

I'll start from the beginning. Ellie learned the back-to-front roll over one day while she was home with daddy and I was at work. **tear** I missed it. I kept waiting and waiting for her to do it for me. Dang it, it took about a week and a half for me to witness it with my own eyes!! Now she is a rolling machine, moving all over the place. It was even waking her up in the middle of the night. I guess she would roll over on her tummy and then not really know how to get back, even though she mastered the front-to-back roll first. Whatever it was, it was waking her up and sometimes she'd go back to sleep and sometimes not. I'd have to go up there and flip her back over and she'd be fine. During the time I was waiting to see her roll over with my own eyes, I walked into her room to find this --

Now Ellie is a rolling machine! Ok next topic. Even back to when I was pregnant with Ellie, I knew that I wanted to make her food. And I knew that I wanted it to be organic. My friend, Wendy was given the Beaba BabyCook Baby Food Maker. I had heard of this food processor, or sorts and decided to get one for myself too. They retail for $150 but I got mine on Ebay. It came with the food processor, cook book, and 2 food storage containers. Together, those retail for $210 but I got it all for $120. I was so shocked and thankful to God for providing me with this deal! Sweet potatoes are what I tried out first. I had to make one potato at a time, but all in all it took about 10-15 minutes each. All you do is, peel it, cut it, steam it, mash it, and viola! I dished the potato out into the storage things to freeze them. The storage container is silicone, so once frozen, I popped them out and transferred them to a storage Ziploc. I have yet to use the BabyCook again, but Ellie is still learning to eat, so we haven't used that many servings. Pics below are of the process. Ellie helped by riding in the baby bjorn while I drank and glass of wine and made pureed sweet potatoes. What an evening!

So far, Ellie has eated Oatmeal (not homemade but still organic), Sweet Potatoes, and Peas. She loved them all once she warmed up to the idea of eating solids. So far, no weird reactions to foods. At first, I thought they were upsetting her tummy because she was gassy and I had to sleep with her one night (she seemed to be in so much pain and the only way I could get her to fall asleep was with me). Who knows if it was the solids or not?!?!? Want to see some pics of her enjoying solids? She is so cute!

Day of Love

2010-02-18T18:34:00.000-08:00

snow day....2010

2010-02-17T18:42:00.000-08:00

Supposedly it was the most snow North Texas has had in 35 some odd years. It was crazy, the snow just kept coming and coming and coming. All day long. I bundled up Ellie and took her out there....just to take her picture. She's too little to be out there for real, you know. Every house with a kiddo had a snowman. They were so cute. I cant wait until Ellie is old enough to play outside like that. She is the love of my life, I am blessed to be her mommy and see her grow up.

5 months old

2010-02-07T20:42:00.000-08:00

It's sooooo bittersweet with each passing month. I cannot believe that Ellie has been a part of my life for 5 months now. She is growing so fast and is a constant reminder of God's love for me. I love her so much and know that I am one of those people who could stay home with their child all the time. She is at that age where I dont want a break from her. **Just wait until she is 2, then I might need one** Haha! Anyway, she had her pictures done the other day..... rough starting out but then her sweet side came out. Ahhh, I just love her so much.

Poor Sophie

2010-01-27T19:00:00.000-08:00

Poor Sophie. What happened to Sophie? Well first, let me tell you what a Sophie is. Sophie is a toy giraffe. It looks like a doggie toy, smells like a doggie toy and squeaks like a doggie toy...but it isn't. She is a kids toy. A teether. Kids are supposed to like Sophie because she has fun spots to look at, she smells good, she squeaks, she is fun to chew on, and she is fun to hold and play with. I ordered this for Ellie when I saw a bunch of people posting about her on babycenter.com Ellie loves her! We don't go anywhere without Sophie. Obviously. So this morning, Ellie was chewing on Sophie and we were getting her out of the car to go to daycare. She must have fallen out of the car un-noticed. Tonight when I go to put Ellie back in the carseat, I am looking for Sophie and she is no where to be found. Uh oh. I think, well maybe we didn't bring her this morning. But I am sure we did. I drive out of the parking spot and there.....right there on the side of the road is SOPHIE. But now Sophie has tire marks on her. What the heck? Sophie fell out of my car and was run over. As soon as I post this, I am ordering Ellie another one and putting a rush on it! Ellie loves her Sophie, she loves to chew on her face and those pointy thing next to her ears (who knows what they are called). Kinda glad she isn't old enough to ask for her yet...or else we'd be in big trouble.

Sambucus..yuck!

2010-01-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

I am always looking for a healthier way to take care of Ellie. I drink organic milk and buy organic veggies and meat so that her milk isn't full of hormones and antibiotics; I give her a Probiotic to help with her immune system; I give her daily vitamin C; and now she takes daily Sambucus. Sambucus, also called elderberry is another immune booster. I just don't want to pump her full of antibiotics or Tylenol every time she is sick. The goal is to decrease the amount of time she is sick by giving her all of this. Daycare is really the pitfall of it all. She has already had RSV and is now congested again. Needless to say, we are beefing up her immune system by giving these things more often. The first time I gave her the Sambucus, I mixed it in 1/2 ounce of water and she did NOT like it. I give her the vitamin C just straight up and decided to do the same with the Sambucus after she turned her nose up. It tastes just like wine...haha. I cant imagine why she doesn't like it! Anyway, all is ok now, she just takes it. And hey, best to start early when she doesn't know any different. I just cant stand to see her sick...it breaks my heart! I'm sure I sound like a freak giving all this stuff to her, but oh well. The way I see it, you do what you can. I mean, I still eat at McDonald's and Chicken Express. I still buy processed foods, but there are a few things I would rather have organic. Semi-crunchy is what I am - organic milk, organic meats, vaccine delaying, selective vaccinating, on demand breast feeding, supplement giving kind of momma. And yes, Jon thinks I am crazy.

Bye Bye Miracle Blanket

2010-01-19T16:51:00.000-08:00

Last night big girl Ellie slept without being swaddled in her Miracle Blanket. I am so proud of her. I knew I had to do this on a day where I didn't have to work the next day. Who knew what the night was going to hold. Thankfully, she slept her usual 12 hours! The MB was on stand by and I planned on giving it to her if she needed....but she didn't! Tonight is night two and my fingers are crossed. She is already asleep and I am hoping she isn't going to need it again. I plan on packing it tomorrow for daycare (she uses it for naps too). Hopefully they wont need it because I haven't used it for two days (for naps). I am so glad this was an easy wean! Score for mommy, daddy, and Ellie.

Friends

2010-01-19T16:45:00.000-08:00

Today I am reminded how special friends are. Sure your hubby (or spouse) is supposed to be your best friend, the one you tell everything to.....but besides him, I am so thankful for friends. I know that God has placed each and every one you in my life for a reason. I am blessed with a few close friends who I can cry with, pray with, laugh with, be silly with, and hang out with. Each one of these friendships has enriched my life so much and I want you all to know that I love you and cherish our time together. With this said, I pray that Ellie will come to be close with a few girls and they will enrich her life just the same.

Leaks

2010-01-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

What's up with Ellie leaking out of her diapers ALL the time? I mean, for real, I change diapers for a living so I know it isn't me. The diapers are the right size, so I know it isn't that. If it is the brand, then I am just going to have to live with it. I am a diaper snob and refuse to use anything else but Pampers. Ok, so we are out shopping today and we have a huge stinky poo as soon as we see someone we know in Babies R Us. Haha, even they could smell it. But that poo was contained, so all was good. Then we are spending way too much money at the Ella Bella Boutique and she poos out her diaper and we have no extra outfit. Good thing Wendy had an extra (darn that lesson I did not take from her when I examined her diaper bag packing skills.) I knew that if I left the house without an extra outfit, that we would need it. We sure did. Ugh. So, thanks Hayden for helping us out and letting us borrow your cute outfit. I only hope that she isn't in the process of pooing in it right now. I had to laugh at Raider sniffing her to death when we got home. Raider knew that wasn't her smell - it was probably a combination of Hayden, Buster and your laundry detergent. Anyway, so our girls outing was a lot of fun today! Babies R Us, Chick fil a, Ella Bella! I love being able to nurse right along with you, Wendy. I know Hayden and Ellie enjoy it to! So, here's to you Wendy! Thanks for being my nursing buddy.....and it is even better in the Chick fil a parking lot. :)

Yuck, yearly check up

2010-01-12T13:58:00.000-08:00

Why, oh why do we women have to be put thru this??? **Warning** quit reading now if you don't want to know more details about my doctor's visit. Everything went fine but as I was driving up to the hospital/doctor's offices all of these emotions came rushing back to me about Ellie's delivery day. I began to be frustrated that I was in the maternal obs area for 30 minutes before being checked; thus leading to the mass chaos of having to get me into an L&D room ASAP. I started to feel a little bitter about not having any time to process what was going on. I mean, seriously, when they handed me my child I was like what the crap just happened?!?! There isn't anything that could have been done to change that or slow my labor, but I was kinda disappointed that I really don't remember much about that morning. I mean, I do remember things, but in the moment, there was no time to process anything. Don't get me wrong, I am thankful for Ellie's quick, safe arrival but seriously.....can a girl get a break? Please don't read this and then comment and tell me that I should be grateful that I didn't have labor that lasted 24 hours or something like that. I get it. I am lucky. I am not 'unhappy' about my birth story, I am just still floored when I think about how it all went down. It is almost unbelievable to me...still....after 4 months. So with all that said, it was nice to see Dr Tatum and not be pregnant. It was refreshing to know that I am past all of that and my sweet angel is here. Well, anyway, I was going to tell a funny story about something that Dr Tatum said to me about ahem (clears throat) but now that I am writing this, I think it might not be appropriate since I am not sure who all reads my blog. If you know Dr Tatum and can just imagine the smart ass things he might have said to me and want to know what it is....email me. Haha.

Also something that I do almost yearly.....have my eyebrows waxed! Well, not exaclty once a year, but seriously close enough. When I had this done on Sunday afternoon, the lady was like, "now your husband recognize you." Um excuse me, they weren't THAT bad and come on, I have a 4 month old at home, give me a break. Hehe. Before the eyes, Jana and I got pedicures. Yum! We usually go for the Lavender pedi, but we ventured out this time and went with the Vanilla Latte pedi. You might remember me posting a pic of the Lavender one on my Facebook. That was my last pedicure before Ellie and our last bff day sans child. If you live in this area and love pedi's you MUST go to this place. It is great! The bulding is awful but the service is well worth it.

After much prayer time.....

2010-01-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

Jon and I are happy to say that he has his old job back!!! Woo hoo! Between Christmas and New Years in 2008, when the economy was going thru the toilet, Jon lost his 'dream' job as a Landman. For whatever reason, that I pretend to understand, he likes to deal with numbers and spreadsheets galore! He was devastated. He had finally found job satisfaction. After some time, he picked himself back up and started working as a leasing consultant and then leasing manager for an apartment in Las Colinas. Jon desperately wanted his old job back and after a lot of prayer, asking for God's guidance, understanding, and patience HE STARTS BACK AT HIS OLD JOB IN 2 WEEKS!!! Praise God. I interviewed for a NICU position in Houston a few weeks back and now I understand why I did not get that job...we were meant to stay here in Fort Worth so that Jon can continue to fulfill his dream. I am proud to be by his side, watching his journey. And there are so many things her in Fort Worth that mean a lot to us - our house, friends, church, the city, TCU.......

Ellie Belly Rolls Over

2010-01-11T13:43:00.000-08:00

Ellie Belly rolled over from her belly to her back today! I have been waiting for this moment!!!!! I was putting her down for a nap (strike that, attempting to put her down) and I laid her down on her belly. She just lifted up her head and then boom! ROLL OVER. I was so happy that I think I got her all excited and then she was awake. I brought her downstairs and broke out the video camera, praying that she would do it again. Yay Ellie! She rolled over about 6 times. Here is a little snip of today's excitement. It's video from the Blackberry, so excuse the quality! Ahhhh mommy so excited!!!!!!!!

New Year, New Blog

2010-01-09T19:00:00.000-08:00

I decided that my blog needed to be CUTER, so here we are, at Blogger. Please visit this site to view older posts, as I am technologically challenged and cannot figure out how to import a WordPress blog into a Blogger blog.

http://jessicalauren.wordpress.com