Family Time

Ella has spent some quality time with the family lately.

Last week while she was home sick from daycare she was well cared for by her Oma, Opa and Grandma Elfi, as well as Tante Gerda, Aunt Stacie and Cousin Evan.

On Friday night, Mom and Dad went to a friend's wedding, while Ella had a slumber party at Grandpa Tim and Nana Renee's place.

Sunday, the family attended Patrick's high school graduation and partied afterwards at Uncle Tom and Aunt Marybeth's. While there, Nana & Papa fed her and gave her extra hugs and kisses.

On Memorial Day, we ventured to Perryville to hang out with the Bauwens side. We had a big lunch where Aunt Stacie & Aunt Shelly played with Ella, proceeded by Cousin Mallory feeding her. Grandma Norma then stepped in to put Ella to sleep for her nap.

On behalf of Ella, "thank you". We are very lucky to have such loving family.

Rockin' the Rice

Ella started "solid" foods today! She tasted some rice cereal mixed with formula and did pretty well, considering she had never before eaten from a spoon. She laughed and spit some of it down her chin, but all in all, a success in my opinion. We're anxious to introduce her to some veggies and fruits this week too. I pureed my own carrots this weekend to see what homemade baby food was all about. Honestly, it will probably be my first and last time doing that. It wasn't necessarily difficult, just time consuming compared to grabbing a jar off of the grocery store shelf. We'll see...

Inaugural Dip

Dressed in the cutest bathing suits, Ella took her first dips in the Affton pool on Memorial Day weekend! On Saturday late afternoon, Tim finished airing up the inflatable pool in our backyard and filling it with water. I dressed Ella in her one piece bathing suit and lathered her in sunscreen. We let the water set for a couple of hours so the sun would warm the water. Once we got outside, we quickly realized the water was still too cold for her so we just sat on the edge and pretended that we went swimming. On Sunday morning, we gave it another shot (which gave us an excuse to put another suit on her, the 2 pc. yellow polka dot bikini from the Cliftons). This time, we were able to actually dip her in the water, although she didn't like it. I guess it will take some time to get used to it. Although she loves bath water, I have to remind myself that the tub has a nice comfortable hammock and has very warm water. This was a different experience. I'm anxious for her to try out her new floating device too. She'll be cruising all over the Whitecliff pool soon.
-Stef

Sick baby

Ella's immune system is strenghtening as I type, however she experienced her first virus/illness. I'm sure she is getting exposed to all sorts of unfamiliar germs at daycare, which I suppose isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Her symptoms started with congestion and a cough last week and then she started running a low grade fever on Saturday. We took her to the Pediatrician to make sure her lungs were clear and ears were free of infection. Everything checked out fine and the doc indicated the virus just needed to run it's course. We gave her Tylenol drops to reduce the fever...they're grape flavored and she loves them! However on Sunday, the fever got worse, with the highest being 102 degrees. She was not a happy baby - very fussy and just wanted to be held all day. Although I didn't mind the extra cuddle time, I certainly did not get household chores done as I had planned. Oh well, those can wait. Everyone keeps saying that she'll grow up too fast anyway and I'll want those days back where she will let me hold her. On Monday, the fever dropped back down to 100 and she stayed home from daycare with Tim and I doing a swing shift working from home while tending to the little one. Much of the same happened on Tuesday, however this morning (Wed) she seems to be back to normal. We kept her out of daycare one more day to ensure she was symptom-free. Now, we're just debating whether we keep her out of daycare the remainder of the since she only has 1 1/2 days left to avoid paying for the full week. There seems to be plenty of willing volunteers especially since school is out for the Summer for many.

We revisited the Pediatrician on Monday for a routine visit and she seemed to enjoy being naked and liked the noise of kicking the crinkly paper on the table. Here are a few cute pictures of her waiting for the doc. I love her blue eyes and big smile.

Look How She's Grown

Ella has grown so much since many of you have last seen her. She has such a personality now, chatting and laughing during the day. Sometimes I think she does it just to patronize me too. The therapist said her social skills are advanced, and I believe it.

Here are a few pictures to give you a glimpse into Ella's life as a 6-month old.


Sitting up straight and tall (she still needs some assistance though)






















Ella still loves bathtime, and now she's playing with toys while she gets clean!


Ella was so exhausted, she actually fell asleep during playtime. This is unprecedented for her.


Complimentary photo of Shiloh and Tiger. They feel left out these days. They're dreaming of greener pastures in this picture.



-Stef

A Very Special Mother's Day

This year marked my first 'guest of honor' title for one of the most wonderful days of the year, Mother's Day. Ella woke like her usual self at 6am, smiling, belly laughing, and babbling vowel sounds. She is, by far, the best alarm clock I've ever had. After going through our morning routine of getting dressed, eating, and playing, Ella had a photoshoot in her cute dress. Afterwards, Tim and Ella took me to a tasty brunch at Jilly's. We had stuffed french toast and layered breakfast sandwiches. We finished off our meal with cupcakes to-go, of course. It was such a quaint place to have a relaxing brunch. We spent the rest of the day driving around looking at potential new houses and then chilling at the homestead. It was a perfect day, hanging with my sweet family.



-Stef

Changes

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off to Work Mom Goes...

On May 3, I returned to full-time work, which also meant it was Ella's first day at daycare. Tim and I dropped her off together and even though I said I wouldn't cry, I did. It was difficult to think about not getting to see her every smile and movement during the day.

Back at work though, there was little time to think about anything other than business. I was sucked into the vortex sooner than I had hoped. The schedule has been challenging since I'm only able to see Ella awake for about 2 hours each day, but it just makes me appreciate the weekends even more. Tim has generally been dropping Ella off at daycare and I have pick-up duty. The evening routine is a bit crazy between bathing and feeding Ella while trying to squeeze in some quality play time all before her 7pm bedtime. Everyone keeps saying it gets easier.























May 3 marked another milestone, which was Ella's 6-month birthday! We made a cake for her to celebrate. Although many people have asked, we did not allow Ella to touch or eat it. She just stared at it.



-Stef

Long Overdue

Yes, I realize the blog updates are long overdue. A lot has happened since mid-April.

Tim celebrated his 30th birthday in Atlantic City, NJ while Ella had her first overnight weekend in Perryville. I'm sure she had lots of fun hanging out, watching soccer games and skipping her naps. ; ) It worked to our advantage though because whatever the magic recipe was, she slept through the night for the first time ever! Stacie had to check on her every couple of hours just to make sure she was alright.



In addition to Atlantic City, I surprised Tim by arranging for him to fly an airplane! It was a themed weekend and I knew he'd never figure out the surprise gift. On Sat evening, we ate chicken wings at Frankie G's. Once home, we rented the movie Up in Air. On Sunday, I drove him to the secret destination, Spirit of St. Louis airport, where I told him what he'd be doing for the day. No doubt, he was nervous. He was able to fly a Cessna for approximately 40 minutes with a flight instructor on board. For the most part, this flight was all about Timmy the Pilot, except some assistance from the instructor on the take off and landing. After it was all said and done, he admitted to actually enjoying it depsite his soaking wet armpits. Ella and I hung outside, looked in the hangar and took a short stroller ride.



-Stef