Calm Before the Storm

We are experiencing the calm before the storm over here. Actually, we might be past the "calm" and onto "a storm is brewing." Ella is about to be on the move! As I type, she's climbing on me...and...she just fell over and hit her head. See what I mean!!!

I give it about 2 more weeks and she'll be crawling. She is able to get on all fours and rock back and forth. Her teachers write in her daily reports that she gets so excited as she rocks, then falls to her tummy and lets out a little cry as though she's frustrated. I tried working with her last weekend but that led to her falling face first into the floor. And of course, I stopped myself and asked "Why am I encouraging this?" I don't want her to crawl!!

She's also pulling up on us (why she fell just a minute ago), the furniture, her toys, etc and can move from crawling to sitting position and vice versa.

Wearing one of my baby dresses...at least 27 years old. So crazy!

Won't stay still, not even for a quick picture. Next, she pulls herself up on the side of the chair:)

Cute little bum cheek:)

It's Beginning To Look a lot Like Christmas

Well, not really but Brian got toy happy on Amazon last week. He ordered Ella Grace a block set, Leap Frog musical table, and a foam puzzle mat to reduce bumps and bruises from falls to the hard wood floor. Oh, and did I mention we've grown out of our house already and have no more room for toys:)?!!!

5 1/2 Month Photo Shoot

These pictures, taken by Joe & Jill, are amazing! They are extremely talented photographers here in Seattle. What I love about them the most is that they snap "in the moment" shots and edit them to look so natural. Take a look!

http://www.joejill.com/ella/

Go VOLS Go!

Ella Grace cheering on our VOLS in her Halloween PJ's!

Happy Halloween!

I took Ella Grace to the park today - she loved eating leaves and trying out the swing for the first time! No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get a shot without leaves in her mouth. She didn't want to smile either!

Weird lighting but the only pic we took together

Earlier in the day before the park - passed out!

Pre-Halloween Pic

Today, Ella Grace also had her Halloween party at school. Most of the infants left before the party started so I can't say it was eventful. However, it was fun to walk around to the other rooms (the school goes up to Pre-K) and see the other children in their cute costumes. We stayed for a little while then headed out to dinner. It must have been Halloween night for our neighborhood because kids were everywhere trick-or-treating their way through all of the stores and restaurants. We saw some great costumes! Anyway, below is a picture taken of Ella Grace at school. We'll get more tomorrow. Our pumpkin is passed out!

6 Month Check-up

Today, Ella Grace had her 6 month well check. Below are her updated vs. 4 month stats:

Head Circumference: 44.1 cm (42.4) - 90th percentile
Height: 26 1/2 in. (24 1/2) - 70th percentile
Weight: 16 lbs 10.5 oz (14.6) - 60th percentile

She wasn't as cooperative today. I think Dr. Spector's scruffy look frightened her! She also had 7 vaccinations. Some were combos but she still had 4 shots (2 in each thigh) and 1 oral. One of the shots was her first round of the flu shot. She goes back in a month to get the second round and possibly the H1N1 shot, if available. Poor baby! She did cry for a little while but became her calm, sweet self shortly after.

We have ourselves a healthy baby girl!