Snow Day

We woke up this morning to a fresh layer of snow on the ground and have been enjoying watching the big fluffy flakes fall from the sky. Elle really likes to watch the snow come down!

I have been enjoying some spiced apple cider and I am planning to bake some cookies this afternoon when Elle wakes up from her nap. I even lit my pine candle and turned on some Christmas songs! Hey, when you live in Dallas, you get very excited about snow, and it always makes me think of Christmas! It just doesn't happen that often here.

I looked and looked through our closets to find something warm/water resistant for Elle to wear to go out and play in the snow, and I can't find a single thing! If the snow sticks for a little while I am going to try to bundle her up and take her outside anyway. Hopefully Noah will make it home for lunch and can help me keep her warm and clean up the mess we are sure to make.

Well, I'm off to go watch the snow fall. I'll post pictures from today a little later.

First time to play in the snow - she loved it!

Snuggling up under some blankets after playing in the snow!

All that playing sure makes a girl tired!

Mommy made some cookies and snow ice cream! Yum!

Eckercise!

I started going to a Jazzercise class on Tuesday and went again today. I bought a two month pass, so I can go any day of the week until April. They have a small nursery where I can leave Elle while I work out, so that has been really nice. She cried a lot yesterday, but today she did much better. They said she only cried for about 2-3 minutes in the beginning. They have a small rocking horse in the room, and since she has one of those at home, she really likes to play on it.

It has been very nice and refreshing to be able to exercise and have an hour to focus on myself. We have been getting up around 8:15 and then we have some breakfast, get our exercise clothes on, and head over to the studio. Yesterday we went by the grocery store on our way home and today we stopped by storytime at the library. By the time we get home, Elle is exhausted, so she goes down for a long nap. Then I have time to do a little more cardio on the treadmill, shower, and eat some lunch. I am hoping that this can start being our new routine.

This is just one of those weeks where I am so glad to be a stay-at-home-mom. I think it is so interesting how God does that. He knows me so well, and knows that after a week like last week, where all I could think was 'getting up and going to work would be MUCH easier than THIS', that I needed some refreshment and a time of reflection to stop and be thankful.

For some insane reason, a couple of days ago I thought it would be fun to teach Elle how to shake her head no. WHY DID I DO THAT? Now she does it constantly! I am not exactly sure what I was thinking on that one. Does that count as sign language? HA HA!

Here is the little booger climbing up on one of our tables.

Helping Daddy put her new toy together.

Rain, Rain Go Away!

It is another dreary Monday around here. We are getting very tired of being stuck inside all of the time due to the cold and rainy weather. I am so ready for it to warm up so that we can go for walks, play at the park, and picnic in the sunshine!

I am currently transitioning Elle from 3 naps a day down to 2. I am hoping that she will start taking longer naps and also continue sleeping well at night. I try to keep her up until 10 AM before she goes down for her first nap, but some mornings she just can't make it (like today!) I have also started giving her larger quantities of formula and spacing out the time in between. So far it has gone well.

Yesterday was Elle's first time in the church nursery. We dropped her off a few minutes before the service started and she made it about 3/4 of the way through. The sermon ended up being about 30 minutes longer than usual, so if it hadn't run long, we are pretty sure she would have made it through the entire service.

They put her name and code up on the screen in the sanctuary, and even though I had been watching it religiously, I totally didn't see it until Kellie pointed it out to me! I pretty much ran out of the service to go get her and she was pretty sad when I got there. She had the 'crying hiccups' for several minutes after I got her. They said she had been crying off and on the whole time. We figure that it is just going to take her awhile to get used to it. We are planning to go back next Sunday. I have really missed being in the 'big church' and it was so nice to be back!

I don't have many pictures from this week, but hopefully I can get some soon. I am still in the beginning stages of learning how to use our new camera, but I am hopeful that I will get the hang of it quickly. So far it has been quite challenging :)

Elle Lately

Honestly, up until today, there hasn't been much to blog about other than a fussy, snotty baby and a cranky, tired Mama. We really turned a corner today though and both of us are feeling much better. I made myself go to bed at 9 PM last night and Elle slept for 12 hours straight, so we both got up on the right side of the bed this morning.

The weather has been keeping us in most days, but we decided today we were going to have lunch with Kellie and do a little shopping. By the ride home Elle had had enough, but most of the day was pretty enjoyable.

Elle is becoming very independent! She loves to crawl around and pull up on everything. She has started 'walking' her way down the couch and loves to pull up on her crib and window sills. We got her a small ball pit in an effort to contain her, but it hasn't helped very much! I have had to start putting her in her pack n'play throughout the day just to get a few things done without wondering what she is getting into. One of her new skills in clapping her hands, which is just too cute! She also loves to say 'hi' when you walk in her room to get her up from a nap.

Noah has tomorrow off, so we are excited to spend the day with him. We have missed going to our play group the last couple of weeks because Elle has been sick and I was out of town, but we are planning to go tomorrow. We normally do not go when Noah is off, but we are both really missing our friends, so we are going to make an exception this time. Noah doesn't seem to mind too much - he said he will just stay home and work on his puzzle :) He is doing a 2000 piece puzzle of the Las Vegas skyline and has been known to stay up until all hours of the night working on it. He is slightly obsessed with it!

Here are a few pictures of Elle at the Ft. Worth Stock Show. They had a small petting zoo so we went in to check it out. Elle really liked all of the animals!

Where does the time go?

The weather was so nice last week that Elle and I spent most days taking walks around the neighborhood and to the park. She really loves to swing and also to 'walk' around on the playground equipment (with some help from Mommy). It makes me really excited for this summer! I can't wait until we can take her swimming and enjoy some outdoor picnics. The weather has been a bit cooler here this week and we are starting to feel a little stir crazy already!



Mimi and Pops are coming over this afternoon to see Elle and while they are here I am planning to run some errands. I have been wanting to go by Babies R Us and get Elle a swing, so I am planning to do that today. I figure that even if the weather is only nice a few days a week, or even just one day a week, that it would be better to start enjoying the swing now. Who knows, our next house may not have big trees that can hold up a baby swing.



Kellie, Jen and I had a wonderful time visiting with our friend Jen Silhan in Pampa last weekend. It was such a great time driving up there and spending time together like we used to. We, of course, got out some old photo albums from college - so fun! I was so proud of Noah too! He did such an amazing job with Elle and really made my time away precious and carefree. Noah - you're the best Dad!



Elle is really starting to crawl all over the house and she loves to pull up on everything! It makes me so nervous and I am constantly saying 'be careful'. I told Noah the other day that those will probably end up being her first words!



Is that the cutest tush you've ever seen, or what?



She goes in for her 9 month check-up on February 16th, so I will have more stats on her then. She isn't supposed to have any shots at that visit, unless they try to give her the second flu shot, which I am planning to decline. I am starting to get worried that she isn't able to eat anything other than baby food and formula. Every time we give her even the tiniest bite of anything, she starts choking. When do they learn to chew and swallow? I'm afraid she will be the only kid who isn't able to eat their own birthday cake without choking on it! I'm hoping the doctor will reassure me that it is okay she isn't eating solids yet.

Here are a few pictures from the last week. I haven't had as much time to take pictures lately since I am constantly chasing Elle around and trying to think of new things for us to do!

8 Months

Elle turned 8 months old last Friday. Noah had the day off, so Elle and I spent the day with him, and that is why I am just now getting to this post.

Elle, here is what you are up to at 8 months.

You are now crawling! You still don't get anywhere very quickly, but you are slowly learning how to pick up speed.



You are a good eater and really enjoy your food. You get rice cereal with fruit in the morning, a fruit or vegetable for lunch, and then the opposite of whatever you had for lunch for dinner. We have tried giving you cheerios, but you still like to shove a bunch of them in your mouth at one time, and that is not a good thing!



You drink water out of your sippy cup, but you still prefer for someone to give it to you. One of these days you'll master this skill on your own!




The only word you say is dah-dah, but you say it all the time about everything!



You don't go to the doctor again until next month, but I would guess that you are around 16-17 lbs. You are certainly getting heavy to hold!



You like to get out and go shopping, which we usually do in the afternoons when you get bored of being cooped up in the house. You're a big girl now and love to sit in the front of the cart and play with your toys.



You are still taking three naps a day and sleeping 12 hours at night, with one night bottle. Thankfully you have started sleeping until 8:00 or 8:30, with no more of that 6:00 AM business!

You love to play with your Daddy and get very excited when you see him walk in the door. I will be spending my first night away from you next weekend. I am going to Pampa, TX with some friends for a girls' weekend. I hope you are a very good girl for your Daddy!



You love to pull up on things and you really wish you could walk! You are not quite steady yet, but I have a feeling it won't be too long before you're walking.



You love to squeal at the top of your lungs constantly! It doesn't matter if you're happy or frustrated, you squeal regardless.



Your Daddy and I love you and can't believe how fast you're growing! Happy 8 months, sweet girl!

Rocking Chair

It occurred to me tonight, as I went back in Elle's room for the second time to rock her to sleep, that over the last eight months, I have experienced some very profound moments in that pink rocking chair that sits in the corner of her room. It has provided hours upon hours of calm for me, as well as some moments of stress, but I know that when she becomes too old to be rocked to sleep by her Mama, that I will remember all of the minutes I spent in that chair with the greatest of pleasure.

It is in that chair that I am so often reminded of the true blessing that my daughter is. I cannot think of another place I would rather be most of the time, than lulling her to sleep in the crook of my arm in that rocking chair. When Elle first arrived, we spent many sleepless nights rocking in that chair while I tried to recall as many lullabies as I possibly could. What a sweet, sweet time.

While rocking in that chair, I am also often convicted of the need to be a little sweeter and a little more patient with my husband. In those moments I am reminded of the love I have for him and the blessing that he is in my life. All of my racing thoughts slow down a bit and I remember to tell him how much I love and appreciate him. The clarity in those moments has been priceless in my life.

In that chair I often find myself praying for my friends who are having a difficult time conceiving, for my friends who are having a difficult time with their own babies, and for the wisdom to know how in the world to raise up my own child in a Godly way.

I am so thankful for that little pink rocking chair that sits in the corner of my daughter's room, that has been such a place of solace for me over the past few months. May it continue to be.

Update

It has taken me awhile to get back in the swing of things since Noah was off for 11 days over Christmas and went back to work this week. It was wonderful having him home for so long! We had one of the best weeks we have ever had, and Elle and I have really been missing him since he went back to work. We really didn't do that much over the break, we spent most days lounging around the house and getting odd chores done, but I know I will always remember it as a sweet time we spent as a family of three. The last time Noah had a week off was when Elle was born and that wasn't much of a vacation!



Elle has turned into such a big girl right before my eyes! Her Nonna came over to babysit her last night while Noah and I went out to dinner and went ice skating for our anniversary, and apparently she taught Elle how to crawl! She got down on all fours and showed her how it was done and now she knows how to do it! Now why didn't I think of that?



And this morning when I was getting her bath ready, I set her down on the rug and she pulled herself up on the tub! Of course, that was after she piddled on the rug, but who cares about that? :)



She still loves to 'scream' and also to spit, but she also loves to eat, so she usually spits in between bites of food and not with her mouth full, so that has been a nice change!



She is still napping well and sleeping well at night, so all in all we are doing good. We met with our playgroup today for the first time since the beginning of December and it was so good to see all the Mom's and their babies. All of the little ones have grown so much in the last three weeks! All of them are now sitting up, when the majority of them weren't at our Christmas party. So much fun to see how big they are all getting!



I am sure all of you saw Elle's pictures of Facebook, but I wanted to post a few more on here. She is getting much, much harder to photograph now that she is so mobile. Enjoy!