Ella realizes she has a rattle in her hand.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Stay-cation: Day 3
Day 3 found us a little worn out from our stay-cation. We rallied though and headed to Grant's Farm for opening weekend. It was chilly on the early morning tram and the tram announcers were a little rusty on their first day, but it was entertaining and we saw lots of wildlife roaming the grounds. We met Joey Rohatsch and the Schucks for Joey's birthday. We had a couple of complimentary beverages to celebrate with Joey. We also watched the baby goats trying to figure out the mass amounts of tourists feeding them bottles of milk for the first time. We sat Ella on the fence for a photo opp with Emma and the goat nibbled on her sweater. I think he only managed to chew a couple of threads.
After a short afternoon nap, Mom and Dad headed to the Cardinals baseball game for some adult time. Ella stayed with Grandma Elfi and met Rookie for the first time. To no one's surprise, Rookie was afraid of our intimidating little girl. We had front row seats that Tim got through his office. It was so nice to kick back and enjoy the game...we only stayed for 10 out of the 20 innings though!
Yadier Molina
After a short afternoon nap, Mom and Dad headed to the Cardinals baseball game for some adult time. Ella stayed with Grandma Elfi and met Rookie for the first time. To no one's surprise, Rookie was afraid of our intimidating little girl. We had front row seats that Tim got through his office. It was so nice to kick back and enjoy the game...we only stayed for 10 out of the 20 innings though!
Yadier Molina
Stay-cation: Day 2
Day 2 of our St. Louis adventures started with a visit to the City Garden downtown. This is a relatively new hotspot. It's the size of a couple city blocks and has a nice walking path to stroll and view a few art exhibits. There are also sprinklers and small wading pools for kids to enjoy. It was a little breezy for swimming and we saw just a handful of kids running through the sprinklers with their shoes & socks off...we decided to join them.
Afterwards, we ate lunch at the new 54th Street Grill in South County. It was tasty. Ella loved looking at all of the decor hanging from their ceiling. We'll have to remember that for next time - free kid distractions!
We ended our extended morning by filing for Ella's passport. We don't know where we are going for sure, but at least we have it for whenever we feel like fleeing the country.
Afterwards, we ate lunch at the new 54th Street Grill in South County. It was tasty. Ella loved looking at all of the decor hanging from their ceiling. We'll have to remember that for next time - free kid distractions!
We ended our extended morning by filing for Ella's passport. We don't know where we are going for sure, but at least we have it for whenever we feel like fleeing the country.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Stay-cation: Day 1
It's been a steamy April, but that hasn't stopped us yet. Tim and I decided to take a little stay-cation before I head back to work (May 3). Today is Day 1...hopefully we make it through 3 without too much exhaustion.
Today we headed to the Zoo and visited the bears, giraffes, camels, zebras, tigers and penguins. We even got to see the new baby camel (which isn't very small for a baby!). It was trying to play with the mommy camel, and clearly she wanted nothing to do with it. That's baby camel, Eli, standing.
My favorite stop is always the giraffes. Most of them were inside for their afternoon nap, however we snapped a photo anyway.
Dad's favorite is, you guessed it, the tiger exhibit. They too, were chillin' in the cool concrete building and not much opportunity for pictures. It was 87-degrees and very sunny today so might as well enjoy the cool when you can.
We think Ella's favorite animal was the zebra because of it's black and white contrasting colored skin pattern.
The day ended like most other kids' visits to the zoo. Hot and tired.
Today we headed to the Zoo and visited the bears, giraffes, camels, zebras, tigers and penguins. We even got to see the new baby camel (which isn't very small for a baby!). It was trying to play with the mommy camel, and clearly she wanted nothing to do with it. That's baby camel, Eli, standing.
My favorite stop is always the giraffes. Most of them were inside for their afternoon nap, however we snapped a photo anyway.
Dad's favorite is, you guessed it, the tiger exhibit. They too, were chillin' in the cool concrete building and not much opportunity for pictures. It was 87-degrees and very sunny today so might as well enjoy the cool when you can.
We think Ella's favorite animal was the zebra because of it's black and white contrasting colored skin pattern.
The day ended like most other kids' visits to the zoo. Hot and tired.
Playdates
Ella has had a couple of fun playdates with her friends. Last week, she visited newborn Luke. Ella and Luke's mom work together at Panera and the kiddos will also be attending the same daycare this Summer. Mom thinks they will become very good buddies soon.
This week, Ella ventured to West County for the Butterfly House with Kim and Mackenzie. It was a hot April day (seems to be the trend lately). Mom was overly impressed with the facilities. There was a very nice playground for the children, a (humid!) butterfly house with the most colorful butterflies, and a separate building for a carousel. Ella strolled through the butterfly house and admittedly worked up a sweat. She passed on the carousel this time around (it was a little too fast), but hopes to ride it soon.
This week, Ella ventured to West County for the Butterfly House with Kim and Mackenzie. It was a hot April day (seems to be the trend lately). Mom was overly impressed with the facilities. There was a very nice playground for the children, a (humid!) butterfly house with the most colorful butterflies, and a separate building for a carousel. Ella strolled through the butterfly house and admittedly worked up a sweat. She passed on the carousel this time around (it was a little too fast), but hopes to ride it soon.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Cardinals Home Opener
Sporting the Cardinals t-shirt from Uncle Matt & Aunt Michelle. It worked too - Cardinals victory score 5-0.
Springtime activities
You are probably starting to notice a trend in that I only get around to posting on the blog about 1-2 times per week. Then, when it rains, it pours...pictures and posts, that is.
Over the weekend, we chilled at home on Friday night in prep for a busy Saturday and Sunday.
On Sat., Mom picked up the pool pass for Ella's (ok, Stef's) Summer enjoyment at the Whitecliff pool. We are very excited to have the pass, along with many of our friends and their kids. It should be fun to hang out on the weekends. Sat. afternoon Grandma Elfi came over and visited with Ella while Dad ran errands and Mom prepped food for the 63123 dinner party. The dinner party was a blast, albeit a very crowded Lynbrook house. The weather was perfect for drinks on the patio while the kiddos ran around the yard.
On Sun., Dad played his first kickball game of the 2010 season in Tower Grove park. Since Mom retired this year, she and Ella are now dedicated full-time cheerleaders. The weather was a perfect 80-degrees and sunny. Ella got her first lathering of sunscreen while Mom tried to wear a cool outfit for a nice sunburn. Here are pics of Ella playing on her blanket in the grass, while Dad kicks a homerun (ok, really it was a pop fly to the infield).
Over the weekend, we chilled at home on Friday night in prep for a busy Saturday and Sunday.
On Sat., Mom picked up the pool pass for Ella's (ok, Stef's) Summer enjoyment at the Whitecliff pool. We are very excited to have the pass, along with many of our friends and their kids. It should be fun to hang out on the weekends. Sat. afternoon Grandma Elfi came over and visited with Ella while Dad ran errands and Mom prepped food for the 63123 dinner party. The dinner party was a blast, albeit a very crowded Lynbrook house. The weather was perfect for drinks on the patio while the kiddos ran around the yard.
On Sun., Dad played his first kickball game of the 2010 season in Tower Grove park. Since Mom retired this year, she and Ella are now dedicated full-time cheerleaders. The weather was a perfect 80-degrees and sunny. Ella got her first lathering of sunscreen while Mom tried to wear a cool outfit for a nice sunburn. Here are pics of Ella playing on her blanket in the grass, while Dad kicks a homerun (ok, really it was a pop fly to the infield).
Eating and Sleeping
Ella had a good week. She has been eating and sleeping so much better lately. She consistently takes larger volumes of formula and has migrated towards a 3-hour feeding schedule. This may not necessarily be the direction we were going for in terms of her schedule, but it seems to be working well for her. She has also been sleeping for a solid 6 consecutive hours (about 10 hours total) at night which is much appreciated by Mom and Dad. Also, one of the goals her Dietitian has is that Ella starts eating at the table as a family so that she gets used to it. Here is a picture of her sporting her new high chair. She seems to like it just fine.
We have another Dietitian appointment this week so we hope to receive plenty of good progress updates on her caloric intake and weight gain. Stay tuned.
We have another Dietitian appointment this week so we hope to receive plenty of good progress updates on her caloric intake and weight gain. Stay tuned.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
5 months old!
Ella turned 5 months on April 3, 2010, just one day before Easter. Her exact weigh in this week was 10lbs, 2oz and she was 22 1/4" long. She's growing! She is becoming more playful everyday. Here are just a couple of pictures that capture her smiles.
Ella's 1st Easter
Ella's first Easter was filled with lots of family gatherings and a windy egg hunt. On Friday, she attended Good Friday service with the Thalheimers followed by the traditional Red Lobster lunch. That evening, we met up with Tim, Renee, Matt & Michelle for an Italian dinner. On Sat, we had a brunch at Oma and Opa's with the Jerrys and Thalheimers. Sunday morning we drove to Perryville for the Bauwens family Easter. We went to church, had a mid-afternoon meal and then the Easter bunny laid eggs and lots of candy in the yard. It was a sunny and warm Easter, but very windy. Ella enjoyed her first hunt and even collected a few goodies to take home, including diapers!
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