Mother's Day

These days Elli keeps us laughing much of the day. She is getting such a personality and understands so much of what we say. If you ask her where her "poo poo" is she will lift up her skirt or put her hand right on her bottom. Sometimes we ask her if she has to "poo poo" and we get a big grunt out of her. It is the funniest thing. I could tell story after story, but I'm exhausted right now! She still loves dancing and also enjoys singing! Going outside to play is a favorite activity.

Recently, I've taped 2 episodes of sesame street not knowing if this is something she would actually sit and watch (she has yet to sit down for more than 3 or so minutes to watch a t.v. show). Well....she LOVED them....we only watched certain parts of each episode for only about 15 minutes. Cookie monster and Elmo have become 2 very close friends of hers and she enjoys seeing their face whenever possible.

Elli has become quite the helper. She enjoys sweeping the floor, helping put laundry in the dryer, folding clothes (obviously this means that I usually have to fold the clothes 2 different times), handing me clothes while I hang them up, putting away food in the fridge, throwing away trash, and so much more. She helped us plant some vegetables tonight and loved watering them with her own watering can. I'd say she's earning her keep around this house :)

I had a really great mother's day weekend! We started the weekend out with a ride in the "wagon" around the neighborhood. We got a lot done around the house on Saturday and went out to dinner that night. Elli did great at dinner; however, I unfortunately started feeling sick right as we sat down. I then spent the rest of the dinner having some pretty strong braxton hicks contractions.....this guy definitely didn't want us to forget he was there. I felt much better after I relaxed that night and drank lots of water.

We will be getting Elli a wagon of her own soon. This is Scott's lawn cart!

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Elli and I on Mother's Day....

Little princess in her church outfit! I took her to the toddler classroom and I heard one of the women tell the other workers "She's so sweet....she never cries." I laughed and told them they must be thinking of another child! Never cries??

"Hi Mom!" Elli took more rides in her "wagon."

We played outside for quite a while on Sunday. Our neighbor's 2nd grade kid came and played with her for a while. She was fascinated by him and completely forgot that I was there. She wanted nothing to do with me and everything to do with him. Hmmm....a crush?

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Pictures with my girls for mother's day!!

After playing outside and running errands, Scott and Elli got an ice cream cake for me! He knows how much I LOVE ice cream cakes!!

They spoil me way too much!

Elli enjoyed the ice cream cake just as much as we did!

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I'm beginning to discover all the things that Columbus has to offer for toddlers. Our usual trip to the library for circle time on Tuesdays has been put on hold until June. The library takes a break during May for circle time. I signed us up for a free class today at a place called "My Little Gym." It was basically a 45 minute gymnastic class for toddlers. Elli was all over the place and loved everything! I told Scott we will definitely be enrolling her in a little gymnastics class in a couple years.

We've also been going to the mall to play in the play area and over to the park when the weather is good. This Friday we are going with one of my friends and her son to a coffee shop where they have music and story time for kids. There are a couple other places I want to try out, but next week we are pretty much booked. I have to take Elli into work on Monday for a meeting (ha....we'll see how that goes) and then we have plans to go to the zoo with one of my friends later in the week. I'm really enjoying all these activities with my little girl!!

15 months old

Elliana is 15 months old and sadly I didn't even realize this until later in the week last week (to say I've been busy at work is an understatement. Lately, all of Elli's naptime and during the evening is spent doing work....I should be working now, but I'm not motivated at all....tomorrow will be a long night!). Time is going so quickly and she is growing up so fast!

We went to Elli's 15 month dr. appointment last week and she passed with flying colors. The nurse practitioner (our dr. was out for the morning) recommended we go see an opthamologist because of Elli's astigmatism. And then I recommended to the NP that Elli get an audiological evaluation because of her history of ear infections, constant colds (meaning possible fluid behind her eardrum), and speech production :) She thought this was a good idea and would ease my mind. Elli did GREAT at her appointment and loved playing with the NP and nurse. She cried for a bit after her shots and then I mentioned fruit snacks....this quickly changed her mood. So....here are her stats:

Elli is 30 1/4 inches (50-75%) and 20 lbs. 12 oz. (25-50%). She's never been this high on the growth charts for height!!

The big thing we've noticed this past week has been Elli's independence. She started using forks and spoons (with help) during eating the last week or so and has loved it. This occasionally causes some difficulty during eating, as she wants to do it ALL on her own and doesn't want any help. I've also noticed the past few days that she doesn't want to drink out of her straw/sippy cup, but wants to drink out of a regular cup if she sees it on the table. Elli also wants get herself dressed without help. She doesn't quite understand that she needs help. She would try all day long to put clothes/socks/shoes on if I let her. Elli was successful at putting her shirt over her head the other day, but that only happened once....I think this gave her confidence a boost.

I introduced Elli to the dollar store today and I've never seen anyone so excited in there before (this could be because she had chocolate chip banana bread for her snack....the recipe calls for a little bit of coffee and 1 cup of chocolate chips....I accidentally put the whole bag of chocolate chips in....opps. She was hyper! She went crazy over the toy aisle and had to show me every balloon in the store. I was going to buy her a balloon, but told Scott I wanted him to go back with us this weekend to pick one out just so he could see her reaction. She wanted everything!!

Look at her little smile. She is on cloud nine in the picture because I let her pick up our other camera for a second. Anytime she gets a hold of something she isn't supposed to have (car keys, remote, phone) she comes up to us and gives us a kiss....kind of like her "thank you." Our friend, Faith, gave Elli her phone on Monday night and Elli gave her a "thank you" kiss and then was attached to her the rest of the night.

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We are ready for some nice, sunny weather! This girl loves her accessories.....

I am excited to spend another Mother's Day with Elli this Sunday. It is so crazy to me that next year I will have 2 little ones to help me celebrate Mother's Day. We've already booked our weekend full of work to do around the house (and taking a little break to help our friends move). I asked Scott the other night if he thought 15 weeks sounded like a long time from now....we both agreed that it doesn't sound far away at all (this baby will be here before we know it)! I don't think I'm in the nesting phase yet; however, i could have fooled anyone by the way I was scrubbing, yes I mean scrubbing the kitchen and cleaning out the cabinet going through the list of things yet to be done this past Sunday. I'm excited to get all these things done around the house, so we can enjoy some rain-free weather (whenever that may be)!

And to answer the million dollar question (because I think someone new asks me this daily)....What is this little guy's name? Well....we have a list of a few names we like, but still have no clue what his name will be. Scott has just recently been calling him a specific name (one that probably isn't my top pick, but I wouldn't yet rule it out), but we will probably wait until we see the little guy to figure out what his name will be. We are pretty sure on a middle name, but not 100%. We're not against telling everyone his name, but we really just don't know yet :)

Easter

Last weekend we were able to see lots of family and enjoy our 2nd Easter with Elliana. Elli got to go on 3 Easter egg hunts and received a lot of goodies. Her little brother even got a few new things.

Here is Elli's 1st Easter egg hunt!

Unfortunately it rained, so we had to stick to finding eggs inside. It is hard to tell, but Elli has a huge grin on her face as she is getting ready to put her egg in the basket.

Sitting with all her goodies! Notice the beads around her neck....she LOVES necklaces and will put one on as soon as she sees it.... and never wants to take it off!

Trying to get a good picture of the 3 of them. At least they are all smiling :) Next year will be even harder with a 4th one in the mix.

Elli also got to experience many tractor rides. Although she loves all things girly, she does enjoy the tractor!

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On Friday, we were able to head up north to help celebrate Elli's Great-Grandma Wamsley's birthday. Grandma Wamsley surprised us by giving Elli a quilt that she had made. I love it and love that Elli will always have this from her Grandmother....

This was the best picture I got of the 3 of them!

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We also celebrated birthdays in my family. Elli and Kensley were a lot of help when it came to unwrapping gifts.

Elliana even wanted to try on the new undies I got for my b-day. This is typical. Underwear fit perfectly around her neck....if she sees them....you better believe they are going on her head or neck. Amber tried to put them on her the right way, but she was not a fan of that....potty training seems to be in our VERY distant future.

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Kensley and Elli were waiting for us to put our suits on for the pool!

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This girl loves to swing!

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We finally got to have an Easter egg hunt outside...

More tractor rides....

Time for a much needed bath. Yep, Elli is drinking the water from her Easter egg.

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Easter morning. All dressed up for church.

Smiling so pretty (of course with a necklace on)!!

This is the best picture we got of all 3 of us.

Vegas

About 2 weeks ago, Scott and I had the opportunity to go out to Las Vegas with Travis and Sarah. Elli was able to spend 4 days with one set of grandparents and 4 days with the other (we didn't spend that much time in Vegas, but Scott and I had to work a couple days after we got home, so we couldn't go get her until we were done with work for the week). I was extremely nervous about leaving Elli for so long and many times I thought I was going to have to cancel the trip because I couldn't imagine leaving her. BUT...we all got along well and she did great without us! I can tell she had a great time and really opened up with our parents. Typically she is very shy, but didn't seem like it this weekend.

So....here is what we did in Vegas....

Resting after walking, walking, and walking some more!

Scott doing "cirque du soleil" in the pool. Why you might ask.....

We went to go see Mystere and loved it! We left that show and Scott felt like he needed to diet after seeing all the performers. AND....he has actually stuck to his diet.

The strip

Watching the fountains at the Bellagio after we ate dinner there. Scott was insistent that we eat at the Bellagio buffet after he saw it on the food network. It was good, but I'm not sure we will eat there again. We had a brunch buffet at the Wynn and loved it....we will definitely be going back there!

A picture of our hotel, the Luxor.

We had a great time in Vegas and are looking forward to another vacation with Travis and Sarah! Thanks for a good time guys!!

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Elli looked huge when we saw her for the first time after being away. We couldn't wait to hold and play with her! She is getting so big! Since we've been home, she has been working on feeding herself with a fork and spoon and has done a great job! She is pretty independent with oatmeal and casserole (foods that stick together and are easy to scoop), but needs a little help with something such as spaghettiOs. She wants to use a fork/spoon at every meal now! Such a big girl!!

Wow....2 posts in 1 day!!

Pictures

Elli loves going outside and fortunately we had a pretty good weekend of weather that we were able to spend some time outdoors. We decided on the zoo for Saturday- not as hot and we figured the crowd would be less due to the forecast for Sunday. We had planned to go to the park on Sunday, but Elli's fever climbed. We spent a good portion of the day letting her rest, but spent the later part of the afternoon outside playing.

Elliana loved throwing the football...

Don't look too closely at her hair :) It has a mind of its own, especially after naps. I'm finding curly hair isn't as easy to deal with....especially when it is humid outside....her hair tends to go everywhere :) I'm thinking we are on our way to a mullet as the back continues to grow, but the front/top is at a standstill.

Can't figure out why the picture loaded this way! The football is about as big as her. We kept trying to take away the "niney" but she wouldn't let us!

Again, thinking that throwing the football is so funny. At least she enjoys it. An activity she can do with her brother when they are bigger.

Helping Daddy mow (clearly the mower is turned off). She LOVED this and concentrated so hard on pushing it.

So they had to go all around the sidewalk....stopping only to wave a couple times.

We ended the weekend with Elli falling asleep on me. I loved this, as it doesn't happen very often...unless she is really tired. I kept her there for about an hour and finally put her in her crib after I could tell she was getting a little uncomfortable and restless.

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I was getting Elli's breakfast ready after her dr. appointment on Monday and I found this. Elli was feeding Bella her food one by one. Elli LOVES LOVES LOVES dogs and can pick them out anywhere. I'm so glad she has Bella (and one day Bella will be glad she has Elli).

Sweet Little Lady

Our weeks seem to be flying by as this little girl keeps us extremely busy! She has so much energy, but is the perfect playmate! Today, her focus seemed to be on pushing her baby around in the stroller and thought it was extremely funny when she would run the stroller into things :) Elli tends to be somewhat tough on her toys as she often bangs her piano, throws toys while putting them away, and enjoys standing on her riding toy and many other things despite our attempts to keep her seated. We will definitely be working on playing more gentle within the next couple of months. Our friends brought their 6 month old over on Saturday night. Elli was nice enough to bring him a couple of her toys; however, she threw them rather than nicely putting them in front of him.

All dressed up for church! Elli LOVES the camera and reaches for it every time I get it out!

One of Elli's favorite games is playing chase! As you can see, Scott and Bella are chasing her. She LOVES it!

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We decided to give Elli a bath in the guest bathroom. The tub is smaller so we thought it might be easier to wash her. We quickly realized that this particular tub might not make the bath any easier on us. She figured out how to pull the drain (the drain cap comes completely off) to let all the water out and did this OVER AND OVER again.

She loves baths!

She then figured out that she was tall enough that she could just climb out if she wanted to.

This is the face we get so much these days! This is the "I know I'm not supposed to do this....I'm going to stare you down and test my limits" face. Oh Elli!

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And finally, I had been meaning to do this for the last couple weeks, but just hadn't gotten around to it. We finally took a pregnancy picture. I documented my pregnancy with Elli so well, but haven't done a great job with this little guy. One day I'm sure he will see this blog, so I couldn't leave him out! Here is me at 20 weeks! I'm officially in maternity clothes and can no longer button my regular pants. I think it's time to go shopping again....

We are getting more excited to see this little guy!

Elli is SO much fun and we couldn't imagine life without her. I think she gets a million kisses from Scott and I each day....we just can't resist her cute little face!!!! I still get extremely excited to pick her up from daycare each Wed. and Thursday (I usually get a 5 minute long hug from her when I get her) and still hate dropping her off at daycare in the morning....I don't think this will ever change. I just love spending time with her!