I guess...

I am not very good at this blogging thing. Especially when I have a crawler who likes to pull up on things and put anything and everything in her mouth. I will be sure to post after Christmas...this will have to do for now. :)

We had family pictures taken last month and here are a couple. One family shot and one with Ellie and her cousins, Zach and Ben. I love how Ellie's hand is on top of Ben's. They are so cute together!

8 Months

I guess it has been a while.
Ellie is changing like crazy (and very mobile) these days. She is pulling up and army crawling and making all kinds of sounds. We even found her standing in her crib the other morning when she woke up. What a surprise!
She is waving and learning to clap. She is sitting in a high chair at restaurants and sits in her stroller like a big girl. She loves shopping and will go with me to Target or the grocery store. She still enjoys bath time and goes to sleep like a champ most nights. She is taking 2-3 naps during the day and sleeps 12 hours a night...couldn't ask for more! She moves her feet ALL THE TIME! You can tell how excited she is by how fast her feet are going around in a circle. She is starting to eat just a little bit of table food, but we will stick with formula and baby food for now. She loves sweet potatoes, but isn't so sure about peaches.
She loves her cousins, Zach and Ben SO much! She also loves watching videos of herself or looking at pictures (oh dear). She has quite the personality and I see a little more of it each day.

I will post pictures later - I just wanted to say "Happy Birthday, Ellie!"

Here is a little note from Ellie...

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7 months!

Well, she turned months almost 2 weeks ago, but this post still works. :)

As a 7 month old Ellie is...
waving
rolling EVERYWHERE
rocking on all fours
eating fruits and veggies
sleeping 12-13 hours a night
wanting to pull up and crawl
blabbering more and more (and sometimes screaming just for fun)
chewing on anything and everything
and melting our hearts everyday.

These picture are from before Halloween, but they are SO cute! Enjoy!

New Pictures

So I uploaded a lot of pictures from our camera and had a few that I wanted to post so there are several new posts this morning so be sure to scroll down. :)
Ellie is taking her morning nap so I thought I would post some of her more recent sleeping pictures...she gets in some of the funniest (and cutest) positions! Yes...we take a lot of pictures of her sleeping and we actually have more than this. Richard keeps saying she is the most photographed baby ever and I am starting to think it is true.

Jump-A-Roo

Here is Ellie in her Jump-A-Roo. She LOVES to spin herself and is starting to figure out how to jump. She always loves a new toy - here are some pictures from her first time in it.

Green Beans!

Ellie started on baby food a couple of weeks ago. So far she is in love with whatever I give her. It is so funny to see her eat and if it is cold (or a new taste) she will shiver and then want more right away. I put the food in the same kind of bowl each time she eats and now she knows that when I get the bowl out of the cabinet she is going to eat. She will put her arms out, wiggle her feet and coo. She loves to eat!
Here are a couple of pictures from her first feeding...before and after. We also have video so I will have Richard work on that.

Pictures

My friend, Alayna, came over last week and took 6 month pictures of Ellie. I made her a huge bow and tutu for some of them and Alayna brought over a few things. I think they all turned out really cute! She is still working on making a CD of all of them, but you can go to her blog at http://therubyjewel.blogspot.com/ and scroll down to see what she has done so far. Alayna is so extremely talented and creative and we can't thank her enough for doing these for us!!

Fun Pictures and Teeth!

Here are a few pictures of Ellie with her new toy - her first sitting toy!!
And I got a good shot of her two bottom teeth!

Happy 6 Months!!

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I can't believe how fast the past 6 months have gone! Some times I am glad it has gone by fast...some days I never want her to grow up. Either way, she amazes me every single day.

Now that Ellie is 6 months old, she is...
rolling over in any and all directions
sitting up all by herself

She loves to play with...
things that stack
anything she can put in her mouth

A little about Ellie...
She wakes up every morning with a smile on her face
She enjoys playing Peek A Boo (even if you don't hide)
She has the same routine every night - bath, bottle, bed
She sucks her thumb (even though we are against it)
She has two bottom teeth

Happy 6 months, Ellie!

Happy Girl!

Excersaucer

Ellie likes her new excersaucer. She is a little short so she stands on a box, but she can bounce and turn herself to play with all the toys. Her favorite toy right now is the purple hippo. It is the perfect length to chew on.

Ellie Eating First Solids

Ellie Eating First Solids from Richard Brandt on Vimeo.

Ellie Rolls Over

Ellie Rolls Over from Richard Brandt on Vimeo.

It's Official...

We have a tooth!!

We are so excited that she has a tooth. She is already very interested in eating so it is great that we are on our way, but I can do without the fussiness. Poor girl. You can just tell she doesn't feel well. We will keep her on a steady stream of Tylenol, OraJel and cold teethers.

5 Months

I really feel like this month has flown by. We are settling in to a routine since I have gone back to work and everything is going well. She is such a good baby!!
Her likes and dislikes are, for the most part, the same as her 4 month update. She is now rolling over in all directions and usually ends up on her stomach to sleep. She sucks her thumb more (usually when she is falling asleep) and is really talking these days! She is SO loud sometimes! :)


Lori (the lady that babysits her M, W, Th) has a photographer friend so they took some 5 month pictures today. Fun!

Random Pics...

Here are a few random pictures from our summer.

This one is after her first temper tantrum. She was screaming and there was nothing I could do. Richard wasn't home yet and I was at my whits end. I tried everything (that is why she is naked). Finally I laid her on my bed to take a break, she reached up and grabbed my sheet, stuck her thumb in her mouth and was out. Good grief!! Now I know. :)



This was a lovely explosion that daddy got to experience. She was sitting in her Bumbo and when he got her out she was a mess!!! You can see her face in the mirror and she doesn't seem to notice at all. Ha. We went straight to the bathtub!




This is her in her Bumbo (not the same day as the explosion). She will sit there while I empty the dishwasher or cook dinner. She can last 20 minutes or so. It is great!! (I can't remember why she doesn't have clothes on...just one of those days I guess)




We spent a lot (A LOT) of time together this summer and I am so grateful! I love that I had a solid 4 months with her before I even had to think about going back to work. Not every day was fun and there were times I wanted to put her on our neighbors front step, but I wouldn't trade those days for anything and I am already excited about next summer! Just 34 more weeks. Ha Ha Ha!

Ellie Fix

Ellie is rolling over like crazy now. She is almost sitting up on her own and will be crawling before we know it. :)

4 Months

I almost missed the 4 month post.


To mark her 4 month birthday yesterday she started rolling over from her tummy to her back today. I have it on video so I will have Richard post it soon.

Things she loves...
mommy and daddy
her floor gym (finally)
her elephant
bath time (still)
watching older kids

Things she does not love...
her swing
the bulb syringe
strangers or strange sounds

Things she is doing...
ROLLING OVER from tummy to back
grabbing and holding toys
laughing
examining her hands and holding her feet

Here are pictures of her rolling over. 1...2...3...

Ellie's First Swim

A few weekends ago we went swimming at my aunt's pool. It rained the night before so the water was pretty cold, but it was the only time we were going to be around a pool as a family so Richard and Ellie got in the water for a little bit for her first swim. She did really well and even sat in a little boat for a few minutes. Her cousins, Zach and Ben, were there and between watching them and sitting in the sun she was pooped (as you can see from the last picture). I have really enjoyed my summer with her and can't believe school starts next week. I have some more pictures from our summer and will post them soon.

A Conversation With Ellie

A Conversation With Ellie from Richard Brandt on Vimeo.

The Perfect Sneeze

The Perfect Sneeze from Richard Brandt on Vimeo.

It's Been A While

Sorry for the lack of posts. School starts in less than a month so I am trying to enjoy every single second with Ellie. I am so glad I am a teacher and I have had so much time home with her. I am also already looking forward to next summer and all of my breaks that I have during the year. I know it will be hard to leave her, but I know it is the best thing to do...I love my job and don't think I am cut out to be a stay at home mom 365 days a year.
We have had a wonderful summer! Last weekend my nephew turned 1 and he had a water party. Ellie didn't get wet, but she wore her swimsuit to join in the fun.

Too Cute

Last week my parents drove Ellie and I to Owasso for a friend's birthday party (Richard had to work). I got in the backseat and Ellie looked at me with the biggest smile on her face. She was so excited to have someone sitting in the backseat with her. :) She is too cute.

3 Months!

Ellie is 3 months old!

Things she loves...
mommy and daddy (of course)
being held at all times
talking to anyone who will listen
watching the ceiling fan :)
bath time

Things she does not love...
being alone
afternoon naps
her car seat - unless we are in the car and moving
getting out of the bath
tummy time

Things she is doing...
holding her head up
concentrating and focusing
turning her head to see where sound is coming from
scooting when she is on her back
sitting in her Bumbo (Don't know what a Bumbo is? Go here.)

She melts our hearts everyday and we still can't believe she is ours. How lucky are we?