11 months

Our sweet girl is 11 months old today! She is really growing up and looking more and more like a "toddler" than a baby every day.

Elle, here is what you are up to at 11 months.

You are still crawling around, but you have a lot more speed now. You haven't tried to take any steps yet, but your Daddy thinks it will be any day now.

You went from being clingy to being CLINGY! You refuse to do anything on your own and only want to play with your toys if I am in the same room as you. If I set you down somewhere to play and walk away, you immediately start crying and zoom after me.

You had a blast on our trip to Branson and Broken Bow, except when we were in the car, which was only a GIANT percentage of our trip! You were a great sleeper while we were there though, which is all this Momma can really ask for.

We have moved you from an infant car seat to a toddler car seat, so you are now facing forward. I think you like it better now that you can see out, but it also makes you crave more attention since you can see what is going on.

This is how you felt about having your picture taken with the bluebonnets.

Ha! You are very difficult to photograph and still enjoy putting everything in your mouth. I had to fish out a mouthful of bluebonnets after our photoshoot. You have learned how to clinch your jaw now though, so it took us getting back in the car before I could get the flowers out.

You are so good at saying Mama now and I just love it! The way you say Mama is so much cuter and more pronounced than the way you say Dada - ha ha! Yes, I am partial :)

You are growing so quickly now! I put away another box full of your winter clothes this morning and pulled out all your cute summer dresses and shorts. It is funny now how you fit perfectly in your 12 month size clothes that last year I thought would always be too big for you. I am pretty sure I will alway see you as my little 6 pound baby!

You have learned how to play pickaboo and love to play with anyone who is willing. It is funny watching you try to hide behind a small bib or a napkin :) We seeeee you!

You love to play with your friends and have become more gentle with them, which is good. You respond well when I tell you "be gentle" and will pat them now instead of pulling their hair like you used to do. One of these days they are going to get moving and then you might get some payback. Ha Ha!

You love your Daddy and get so excited when he comes home from work. You start squealing and then get this serious look on your face and say Dada over and over again until he walks in the door.

Happy 11 months, sweet Elle!

18 tidbits...

... to make up for the 18 days that it has been since I last posted.

1. Elle is going through a major bout of seperation anxiety. She will not let me out of her sight.

2. The wind is back. I thought it was gone, but no, it is back in full force. It makes our daily walks quite challenging.

3. I got some ridiculously cute Easter pictures of Elle today. Since my camera died while we were in Tyler and yesterday was so cloudy, I had to wait to take some today. It was well worth the wait.

4. We leave for Branson, MO in three days. I can't wait! We are staying here

at The Big Cedar Lodge for two nights and then we will be staying here

in Broken Bow, OK for one night.

5. The last two times we have been to Tyler I get off my diet and then it takes me a few days to work up the willpower to get back on. Today is an OFF on day :)

6. I got Elle's birthday invitations in the mail last week. They turned out really cute! I can't wait to send them out. I am planning to do it next week, so keep an eye out for yours.

7. Elle can officially say Mama. She looked right at me yesterday while she was eating her lunch and said it to me. She won't say if very often though, but at least I know it is there... whenever she chooses to let it come out.

8. Yesterday, on a whim, I ordered 200 spring flower bulbs. I have no idea where we are going to put them all.

9. Elle is still loving the park. It is so cute, because now once we round the corner to the park, she sits up and starts kicking her feet and squealing. She knows when we get close!

10. I am uploading some pictures to facebook while I write this post. I can't figure out how to use the quick uploader, so it takes an eternity. Sheesh.

11. We find out if Elle will have a girl cousin or a boy cousin in t - 17 days. The countdown is on!

12. Elle is deathly afraid of the vacuum cleaner. We have friends coming in town tomorrow, which means, like it or not, Mama's gotta use the vacuum! I have become quite the master of holding a screaming baby who is trying to climb up my shoulder, while vacuuming one handed and singing to try to calm my child. Oh, the lengths we go to.

13. I really want to move. I am ready for a new house. A real new house.

14. Noah is dying to buy a pop-up camper. He thinks it would be the greatest thing. He wants to take it up to the ranch this summer and also take it camping. Stay tuned on that one.

15. I have about 17,000 chores that I should be doing while Elle is napping, but alas, I am on here blogging.

16. Next week I am planning to take Elle to the Dallas zoo. I would like to get a yearly pass so that we can go whenever we want. I know she won't be too interested in seeing the animals yet, but I have always loved the zoo, and she is really good in her stroller, so what could be better than strolling through the zoo?

17. I heard one of the best sermons I have heard in a long time at Hideaway last weekend. I was impressed that the pastor was able to cram so much good information into an hour long service. That is just the way I like it! I tend to get really distracted if the sermons are too long, because Elle is usually in the nursery or at home with Noah and I start to wonder how she is doing.

18. Miss E is up from her nap, so I better wrap this up and try to get some chores done so we can go on another walk. Noah has a class for work until 9:00 PM, so at least I have extra time to get the house cleaned before he gets home. He He.

Hopefully it won't be 18 more days until I post again, but you just never know.

Baby Davis

As most of you already know, Kellie and Justin are expecting their first baby at the end of September. We could not be more excited! Kellie just started into her second trimester and is feeling great. They went in for her 12 week appointment this week and were able to get some really great pictures of their sweet little one.

Only 5 more weeks until they find out if baby Davis is a boy or a girl. We absolutely can.not.wait.

Congratulations, Kellie and Justin! We are so happy for you. Elle can't wait to have a cousin to show the ropes to! :)

10 Months

Elle turned 10 months old yesterday, and to be honest, we were so busy cleaning house and getting ready for guests that I didn't even realize it was the 15th until I was rocking her to sleep. Once I realized, I spent an extra 15 minutes rocking her and apologizing for overlooking the milestone. It is hard to believe that, even though I have spent the last several months preparing for it, in 2 short months Elle will be 12 months old. The time has gone by so quickly! I truly do love and enjoy each milestone though.



Elle, here is what you are up to at 10 months.



You have become less clingy and actually made it through an entire church service in the nursery. We were so proud of you! As long as you have some fun toys to play with and other kids to watch, you are usually fine.



You HATE to have your clothes or diaper changed! You squirm and squirm and are always trying to roll over. We have to give you something to play with while we change you in order to keep you preoccupied. Your favorite things to chew on are your brush, comb, or diaper rash cream.



You stand and pull up on everything! You now know how to open drawers and cabinets. You love to clang around the glasses on the wine rack and also to push the buttons on the cable box and entertainment center. Yesterday you managed to turn on the sound system outside! You love to explore and everything still goes straight to your mouth.



You are on all table food because you refuse to eat anything that you can't feed yourself. You are definitely very independent! Your favorite foods are toast with jelly, eggs, turkey and cheese sandwiches, bananas, and vienna sausages. You are not crazy about peanut butter, most fruits, or chocolate.



You have been sick more this month than any other month of your life. Every time you seem to get over a cold, and I put your humidifier away, a few days later you wake up with another snotty nose. You HATE to have your nose wiped and I HATE to see you with boogies running down your face, so we have been at odds a lot lately.



I cut your hair for the first time this month. You had some crazy long hair in the front that just had to go! I trimmed it up to the length of the rest of your hair and I think it turned out really well. You still have a lot of hair and are really good about keeping your bows in, which makes me so happy!



You are very difficult to photograph these days because you're constantly on the go, which explains why this post has no pictures! I will try to do better next month.

You are still in size 3 diapers and are in mostly 9-12 month clothes. You have a few 6-9 month onesies that still fit, but you also fit in a few pairs of 12-18 month jeans. You are still very petite and feminine.


You are a very happy baby! You are generally very easy to please and if you get upset it is usually because you want some attention. You will still squeal at the top of your lungs when you want to get a rise out of me - and it usually works! You love to blow raspberries and pucker your lips in a kiss.


You have truly made my life complete. I never knew until I had you what it was like to wake up every morning and feel truly, deliciously happy. I am so thankful that God chose me to be your Mom. Thank you for allowing me to learn how to be a better Mom. I know I am not always perfect and I have messed up a lot, but I love you with all of my heart and I will never stop.


Happy 10 months, Elle! Your Daddy and I love you to pieces!

Where did the sun go?

Yesterday Elle and I went to a new park that is down the road from us. It was nice to be at a new playground with different things to play on. Elle still loves the swing and the slide, but yesterday she got to play on a toy car that bounced back and forth, and we even got out the bubbles for awhile. The other kids at the playground liked to chase the bubbles and Elle was content to try to pick up all the leaves and dirt and see how much of it she could eat. Yuck!

Today the sun has disappeared and it has turned into a very cloudy day. It's pretty spooky around here!

We went to the Ft. Worth stock show a few weeks ago and I saw this adorable cowgirl outfit and really wanted to buy it for Elle. It was $24 though, so I decided I better not. Then a few days later I found it at a resale store for $2.49! It fits her now and unfortunately probably (OK, definitely) won't fit her when we go to the ranch in July, so I decided I better get some pictures of her in her cute duds. I also found this cute hat at my favorite thrift store in McKinney for $1.99 and had to get it. At least that should fit her for awhile!

Due to all of the shopping I have been doing lately, Noah was asked to put up a second bar in Elle's closet so I can fit all of her clothes in there. He is always eagar to have a project and Elle enjoyed helping out Daddy as well.

First, you gotta clean out the space...

Then you gotta measure and make sure it's the right size...

Then you gotta get in there and get to work!

March Madness

Is it really already March? Where does the time go? I cannot believe that Elle will be 1-year-old in just two short months! She is really growing in leaps and bounds these days and definitely keeps me busy. The weather has been wonderful this week, so we have been taking a lot of walks and stopping by the playground. I introduced her to the slide this week and she loves it! She is actually able to go down the short one pretty much all by herself.

Elle has decided that she is a big girl and refuses to eat anything that she cannot feed herself. Goodbye to all of the fresh baby food that I slaved over a few weeks ago. Hello to I don't have any fresh green beans so you're just going to have to eat the ones out of the can. Ha Ha. What wonders a few months of motherhood will do to you!

We took Elle down to Hideaway last weekend to visit her Nana and Papaw and she had a wonderful time, as did we all. It was so good to catch up with them and to get away from Dallas for the weekend. I love being able to travel with her now (even though we do have to bring everything but the kitchen sink). She refused to take any naps at their house but did sleep decently at night, which is fine by me. I think we scared Kellie and Justin with the screaming baby who was up for the day at 5 AM, but hey, what can ya do?

Noah and Justin left for a ski trip to Colorado today and will be gone until Monday afternoon. Kellie, Elle and I are planning to go out to my parents house tomorrow to spend some time with them this weekend, so that should be fun. I hate staying at home when Noah is gone :)

I don't have any new pictures uploaded of Elle, so I'll leave you with this one.

Her future self

I am constantly trying to think of new and exciting things for Elle and I to do together during the day. A couple of weeks ago I read a book called The Rookie Mom's Handbook 250 Activites to do with (and without) your baby. One of the ideas that I thought was really cute, was to create an e-mail account for your small child and send e-mails to it that she can read once she gets older. I thought it would be a fun way to document some of the good, bad, and the ugly days, and also some of her milestones or memories that she will want to know about once she gets older.

I thought I would let you all know that I had set this up in case you want to e-mail her too! Her address is elleadelaide09@gmail.com

Apparently handwriting in baby books is old school and screen-based communication is what our children will expect!

Doctor visit

Elle had her 9 month check-up today. She did really well and we got good ratings from the doctor. I am excited because she said at this age we can start feeding her table foods! She said she can have anything from pancakes and eggs to brownies and ice cream. Ha Ha! Obviously we will have to make sure everything is soft enough for her to swallow and I have a feeling we will be holding off on the sugar for awhile. The doctor said that is the luxury you have with your first child - by your third one, their first word is chocolate!

We went to Jazzercise again this morning and Elle did so well in the nursery. I am so glad! It is also nice because so far there has only been one other little boy in there, and today it was just her, so I don't have to worry as much about germs!


Kellie and Jen are coming over this evening for wine night and the guys are going to Top Golf to practice up for the Hide-A-Way course :) Noah and I are really enjoying this stage with Elle where she goes to bed around 7 PM and then we get some alone time or some time to spend with friends.



The weather warmed up some this afternoon and the sun is out, which has been so nice. I was hoping to take Elle on a walk, but she needed another nap once we got home and I have laundry to do and cookies to bake. Hopefully we will be able to get outside some tomorrow.



I know this is a horrible picture because I took it with my phone and (shocker!) she wouldn't sit still, but here is a picture of Miss E at the doctor.

9 months

Elle is 9 months old today!

Elle, here is what you are up to these days.

You weigh 17.5 lbs (20%) and are 27 1/4 inches (45%) long and your head circumference is 16 3/4 (10%).

Your favorite "tricks" (as your Dad calls them) are clapping your hands, shaking your head no, and smacking your lips together in a kiss.

The only three words you say consistently are da-da, hi, and yeah. Now that you have da-da down so well, I have really started working on ma-ma. No luck yet!

You are a very busy girl and crawl around and pull up on everything! You are getting much better balance and can stand only holding on with one hand. You have stood alone for a few seconds a couple of times, but I think it is mostly by accident. Sometimes you forget that you need to hold on and will grab a toy with both hands before you sit down.

We are in between trying to switch you from 3 naps a day to 2. Some days you get 2, some days you get 3. I am beginning to wonder if having 3 naps a day is still best for you, because you tend to sleep better at night when you have 3. I am not sure if that is just a fluke, or if it is actually true.

You are a very happy baby! You love to play at your learning table that Aunt Heather and Uncle Drew got you for Christmas. You push the buttons and it plays music and you love to bend your knees and dance!

We have been doing a few signs with you, but you haven't caught on yet. For some reason I never felt the urge to teach you sign language, so I am assuming that that is what's best for us.

You still only have 2 bottom teeth, but I have a feeling you will be getting more soon.

You have experienced almost all of the holidays. You only have St. Patrick's Day, Easter, and Mother's Day left. Whoo Hoo! I have already bought you some cute easter eggs and some bunny ears :)



You are a much better traveler in the car seat these days. If you're tired you fall asleep, but if you aren't, you just play and talk. If you do ever get fussy, the only thing that will make you stop crying is for me to sing to you. You love Jesus loves Me. Me singing that song to you will quiet any tantrum - at least for a few minutes!

You sleep 10 - 12 hours most nights, except for a few random times when you wake up once. Your bedtime has become a little earlier and we usually try to put you down by 7 or 7:30.

At this age you have some seperation anxiety when you are away from us. You have been to the church nursery once and to the Jazzercise nursery twice. I think you are getting better at it though!

Your nicknames these days are, Aladelaide, Princey, Sweet Pea, and Elbsey. Don't ask me where they all came from!

You are becoming so independent! I am constantly torn between wishing you would slow down and being excited to see you learn new things. You have the sweetest grin and the most kissable cheeks! You bring your Daddy and I so much joy! We love you oh so much. Happy 9 months, my sweet!

Happy Day of Love

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