Fashion Show

Old Navy was having a 50% off of clearance sale today, and since Ella only has clothes appropriate for the arctic tundra, I decided to invest in some clothes that would serve her in weather that is typical, for, say,

Arizona and Texas in February. Well. When I get new clothes, I like to try them all on at home

and have a mini-fashion show. So naturally, Ella would also like this approach... NOT! But too bad for her, she grows too fast for me to buy clothes without trying them on first, so she had to suffer through.

Except in this case, where I decided, they probably fit. I was done fighting.

Do you hear what I hear?

Well, the update on Ella's new sleeping arrangement is this.
Night One: Ella woke up as we were getting in bed wanting to nurse. (I thought her own room was supposed to prevent that!!) So I laid down on the bed in her room and nursed her... until we both fell asleep and didn't wake up until Paul got up to get ready for work. So, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind.
Night Two: I successfully slept in my own room! For two hours, where I woke up, I swear, every fifteen minutes wondering if Ella was okay. So, more sad news, Ella sleeps better in her own room than I sleep in my own room. :) Finally, (two hours is a LONG time when you're trying to sleep) I just got up and slept in the bed in her room again. Baby steps, right?
Tonight (night three) the plan is, bring the baby monitor in our room (even though her room is only ten feet away from our bed, and I KNOW I can hear her) and turn it all the way up and leave it right next to my head. Paul laughed at this idea, but I asked him very nicely if he would just feed my neurosis for a couple of more nights, so that maybe I could permenantly transition into having my own room again.
I never, ever thought I would have this problem. Remember the days when I swore I wouldn't be one of those "obsessive moms"? Yeah, I'm eating crow.

Christmas is over.

And our tree is waiting in the backyard for Paul to send it home to its maker. It left us its own kind of gifts, however, and I am still finding pine needles everywhere. :) Thanks for the memories, Tree.

Well, tonight Ella is sleeping in her own bedroom, for the first time ever. And I am a little nervous, but I think it will stick, because we had to take the crib apart to get it out of our bedroom and into hers, and I'd have to be pretty desperate to do that again. She had a little trouble falling asleep in her new room, but she is sleeping soundly now, so I am hopeful! In some ways, I am sure that I am a bad parent, because babies want to be close to their parents and maybe even snuggle with them at night. But we tried that, and she doesn't sleep very well in our bed, and we wake her up every night when she sleeps in our bedroom. (I used to think that she just got hungry every night at ten or ten-thirty, but then I realized, even if we were quiet as little churchmice, she would always be "hungry" right when we went to bed.) So I guess separate rooms are just right for our family-- but I'll let you know how it goes in the future.

And on the food front, here is another update:

Yummm. Blueberries.

So Many Options!

Here I am, alone in my own home for the first time in weeks! Mom and Archie came out for Christmas, and then we had Richard, Jess, and Laurel here for New Year's and then came Todd and Lisa's wedding. So now, Ella's napping, and the opportunities are limitless! I could clean, I could read a book, I could sleep, I could turn up the heat and Paul would never know.... I have had a 100% BLAST in the last could of weeks, but I have to admit, it sure is nice to have the quieter options available. :)

More fun news: Ella started solid foods over Christmas. We got some fun footage of that :) But life is basically just good here. Maybe I'll even start blogging regularly again!

Aunt Laurel and Aunt Rachel

After church on Sunday we decided that we needed to take more pictures of Ella, to celebrate her cuteness. I must admit that you would be hard pressed to convince me that there isn't an appropriate time to take pictures of Ella, in honor of her cuteness, or for most any other reason. Besides, Laurel in her black dress, and Ella in her polka-dot dress-- it was just too good to pass up.

Laurel actually ended up spending the whole weekend at Mom and Archie's with us, and then I drove down with her Sunday and spent the next two nights sleeping at her place. It was a blast. I haven't had such good quality Laurel time in SO SO long!

I love it when Ella holds her hands together. I feel that she looks like one of the Von Trapp children, preparing for a concert. You don't get quite the full effect in this picture... but you get the idea.

Rachel and I also got to spend lots of time together this trip. We (Rachel, Mom, Me, Ella, Mitch) met for breakfast one morning at IHOP-- delish. And then I spent another afternoon with her at her apartment, which was just so nice. There's just never enough visiting time when I visit Texas.

Ella has a foot fetish... only her foot, though. At this moment she is nursing, I am typing with one hand, and she is grasping her foot as close to her face as she possibly can. Her foot is only safe when it is in her mouth. I can understand that. I often feel that way, too.

A day of fussiness.

While in Houston, Ella and I drove down to spend a day in League City to see my brothers and sisters. Mom, lives up in Montgomery now, so it's kind of a big drive, but I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. Well, in reality, Ella was pretty relaxed about the whole day, she was a rock star in the car... but when bed time rolled around she decided that she was ready to assert herself more than usual:

Poor Traci got the brunt of it. She just was not a happy baby. She was really just wanting her mom, which was fine with me, but I wanted to get pictures with Ella and other people, so we developed a system where I would calm Ella down, pass her off, take a quick picture, and then give her back in record time. That is, until Josh took his turn:

No need to pass back this time. Ella loves Josh. Bummer for everyone else who had been cried at that night... but I still think it's funny :)

On the upside, I now have drapes and a clean house.

Well, it's time for me to blog the events of a month and a half ago. I'm really ready this time, so don't try to convince me to put it off any longer, it won't do any good :) Late in September I made a pilgramage to the Holy Land (Houston). [It's funny-- I didn't start calling it that until we moved to the Land of Desolation (Idaho).] And it was marvelous... but yet another reminder that "winter" means different things to different people.

We left on September 22, the day Ella turned three months, and after my mom picked me up at the airport we spent most of the day at Grandma Polly's. This is a significant day, because Ella's Aunt Joy got her to laugh for the first time ever. These were no little heh heh's. This was a full on giggle. It has taken me weeks to replicate the magnitude of giggling that Aunt Joy brought on. I am pleased to report, however, that Ella does giggle furiously on a regular basis for both her father and me.

As with ever child I have ever encountered, Ella was thrilled with my mom's scooter. You just wouldn't believe all the tire marks they left around the house from pealing out and taking sharp corners. :) Mom and Archie's house was home base during my two week visit to Houston, and we had a blast. Papa Archie rocked Ella to sleep while he was doing his homework. (Or watching football.) (Or both.) And we all bonded over Dancing with the Stars. And although Archie insists he is too manly to enjoy such a show, I percieved that he was secretly enjoying it. Don't hide who you truly are, Arch, embrace your love for Ballroom Dance Reality Shows.

Ella Giggles

I'm testing this link (with a really cute video of Ella laughing) to see if I want to use this site in the future. I'll spend time writing later.


My Montage 10/20/08

Enjoy!

Spud Fest 2008

I realize some of you may believe that I have exaggerated the role of potatoes in our Idaho Lifestyle. But now that I have made you aware of the real life Spud Fest that takes place each September in Shelley, Idaho, you can better understand the pervasive effects of those marvelous tubers in our day to day lives.



It all begins with a rousing parade in the true style of Idaho... lots of tractors and pick-ups; two marching bands: the High School and the Junior High... and a team of cloggers from the big city (Idaho Falls) ranging from age 5 to 13. This year it rained. Last year people got sunburned. The year before that, it snowed. But does that stop the patriotic citizens of Idaho from wearing their spuds on their sleeves? No, sir, it does not.


Following the parade there are a variety of Potato-related activities, the most exciting of which was the free baked-potatoes booth. Paul and I got two each. :) We unfortunately left before the Tug-of-War competition began, complete with a massive pile of mashed potatoes for the losers to be tugged in to. There is also a potato picking contest, along with a talent show. And whoever said there's nothing to do in Idaho!? :)


Well, another Spud Day has come and gone. Although our lives have taken on a hollow quality about them, due to lack of potato celebration, we can always cling to the memories we made as we honored that sacred crop.

It's snowing. Right this very minute.

This is Ella. She is having her floor time wrapped up like an eskimo baby, because it is too gosh darn cold for her to be exposed to the harsh elements of our home.

Here is the living proof. I took this picture literally three minutes ago. The sad thing is that in the last three minutes, so much more snow has accumulated that I am seriously considering taking another one. Although that would be breaking Cardinal Rule #2: Avoid snow at all costs. (Ask Paul about Cardinal Rule #1.)

On a more optimistic note, the first snow of the year means that I can officially listen to Christmas music with pride. In fact, my good ol' buddy Bing is serenading me at this very moment.

Well, gang. Sorry about the break in posts. I've been visiting the Chosen Land. (Yes, I did go outdoor swimming just last week. And I can still swim faster than my cousins.) I'm going to just post things in chronological order from now on, and ignore the fact that we are three weeks behind. (But a three week delay on reporting my snow just wouldn't be the same.) Happy Holidays!