Girls Rule!

It's strange to me that I used to dream of having a little boy, but I did.  I had his name picked out.  I bought him his first outfit.  But God has different plans...and boy are they GREAT!  I love, love, love having a daughter!  I can't imagine not having Ella Beth.  What's neat, is that Scott feels the same way.  He loves having a little girl, too.  Of course, I am sure we would have felt the same way if we had had a boy. :)

We went to Mimi's house (my mom's) for the weekend and had a wonderful visit.  I believe when Ella Beth gets bigger she is going to have a hard time leaving.  She will be so excited to swim, ride the Sea Doo, play with the animals, and even drive the golf cart.  She got in some practice this weekend.  The way she placed her hands correctly on the steering wheel and wrapped her tiny fingers around the wheel made it look like she has been driving her whole life!  She had such a good time. 

A friend of mine, Jennifer Stowe, gave Ella Beth a jumper and it has become her favorite past time.  She would jump up to 30 minutes if we let her!  It's hilarious watching her jump up as far as she can; she can clear about 12 inches!  She loves to sway and turn in it as she plays with toys.  It's also a hoot to watch her drop her toys and then try to bend over in her jumper and look for them.  Too cute!  Thanks, Jenn, for such a good gift!

Confessions and Carseat Moments

I have a confession to make.  I like cartoons.  How did this happen???  The sad part is that Ella Beth has no interest in them (other than when they sing).  Today, Ella Beth was down for a nap and I decided to grab a bite for lunch.  Instead of sitting in complete silence to eat, I turned the TV on and immediately turned to the Disney channel.  The funny thing is that I didn't even notice what I had done until half way through my lunch when I said (out loud), "Oh my word, I'm watching Higglytown Heroes" - I was even enjoying myself.  What has happened to me?!!  I guess it was inevitable that my fondness for cartoons would someday return, but I never expected to really look forward to them!  Can I make another confession and say that I am looking forward to the new cartoon "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" that starts in May?  Oh boy...I think I need more free time. :)

If there was anywhere I wish I could hide a camera and have it go off on my command it would be in the car.  I love watching Ella Beth play in the rear view mirror; yes, I watch the road, too!  She is so stinking cute when she is talking to herself and "reading" her books.  She is also absolutely precious when she is just sitting quietly and taking everything in.  Today, she dropped all of her toys over the side of her carseat and  decided that her pant leg would be a fine toy.  HILARIOUS!  I laughed out loud watching her try to pick up her leg so that she could get her pant leg into her mouth.  She got so frustrated being buckled in, and the faces she made were priceless!  It's simple moments like these that I want to capture in my memory forever.  Does anyone have a suggestion of how to go about that?

My growing weed

It's funny how time flies so quickly now that I have Ella Beth.  A friend of mine was retelling her first newborn "explosion" moment and I realized that it's been FOREVER since Ella Beth has had an explosive diaper, let alone a true explosion right on the changing table.  Can you believe I actually miss that?!?!  Weird, but I do.  Ella Beth has grown and changed so much, but I love each day more than the one before.  At 8 1/2 months old, she is such a joy.  She is standing now for as long as 45 seconds at a time and has even tried taking a few steps.  Am I ready for this new leap?  I feel not, but somehow I know that I will be ready when she starts walking towards me.  That's how it's been.  I have felt so reserved at the changes that "will come," but once they do I embrace them and cherish them as I did her first smile and her first coo.  My friend Mere asks me questions sometimes that I miss asking, "Is it okay that his poop is green???" "Did Ella Beth ever_____?"  Somehow, at some point, I became a true mother and an expert at Ella Beth.  I kind of miss the unknown, but not as much as I enjoy the right now.  She has truly taught me how to live in the moment.

Who ever invented "play dates" was a saint. :)  We had a play date today with Jennifer and her little girl Ava who is 3 weeks older than Ella Beth.  It's funny how these play dates aren't just for us mommies any more...Ella Beth and Ava actually enjoy one another's company, too.  It's fun watching little ones interact and learn from one another; it's also so enjoyable to have adult conversation with a sweet friend who's "been there, done that!"  Can't wait to play again soon!

Chapstick, socks, and old catalogs

It's so funny how the simplest things can amuse a baby.  Ella Beth has so many toys to play with, but right now her favorite things are my chapstick (closed, of course), her tiny socks, and old magazines that she is able to shred into many, many pieces on my newly vacuumed floor. :)  I love to watch her play like this because these are the unscripted memories that I will always cherish of my daughter.  Her face lights up with pure excitement that no Baby Genius could conjure up.  We visited with my friend Jessica today and her little boy, Cade.  His excitement at the "little things" was also precious.  He loves any kind of ball that he can throw or roll around.  I loved that when he was excited there was no missing it...his mouth was open as far it would open and his eyes were beams of light!  I think people could learn a lot about happiness from watching babies enjoy themselves.  I know that Ella Beth teaches me every day.

What's even more precious is that God has intrusted this petite beauty (I know...I'm biased) to me...ME.  When I try to comprehend how much I love her, it's overwhelming.  When she laughs, I can honestly feel my heart smile; when she cries, I feel my heart ache.  I can't imagine what God feels for us.  As I pray over Ella Beth each night when I lay her in her crib, I thank God that He loves her even more than I do.  I wasn't one to shed many tears during my pregnancy, but one time last summer while I was pregnant I cried while I was at church.  It was the realization that Jesus died for Ella Beth who wasn't even out into the world yet.  At that moment I learned more about the extent of God's love than ever before.  He wanted so much for Ella Beth to be His, that even before she took her first breath Jesus has already claimed her.  Our God is good.

Okay, I'm going to bed now before I get so emotional that I feel the need to go wake Ella Beth up from "sleepy town!"

Blue Bird Day

Thank goodness for the return of Spring!  It was so wonderful to get out today and enjoy the great outdoors - especially after a long, rough night.  For some reason, Ella Beth was very upset last night and would not sleep well.  She went to sleep (1st time) at 8:10, which is her normal time.  At 8:50, I was nursing her again thinking that she fell asleep too quickly and was still hungry.  Well, that idea was shot down when she woke again 30 minutes later and would not settle down.  She screamed, cried, fussed, calmed down, screamed until 1:19 AM...yes, that's morning.  It was an insane hour that I have not experienced in a long time.  Scott and I took shifts trading off our screaming daughter.  We walked her, rocked her, sang to her, changed her diaper, laid with her - can I be honest and say that I actually got in the crib with her.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.  Well, we summed it up determining that her tummy was hurting her; when all other options don't pan out, always go with gas!  Needless to say, the beauty of today was greatly appreciated.  We went for a walk this morning.  Ella Beth was asleep before I even got going. 

Have you ever noticed how sweet babies are when they sleep?  Maybe it's just because I was deprived of sleep last night and was envious, but watching her sleep still melts my heart.  She is so still and peaceful, and she pooches her plump lips out.  I have to refrain myself from kissing them because I have been known, on more than one occassion, to wake her up with kisses.  I actucally caught myself wondering if I can love her too much.  Do you think that is possible?  I am consumed with love for her that I feel my heart could actually explode.  I don't know how you moms of multiple kids do it...your hearts must be so swollen. :)

One last thing...Ella Beth has the craziest hair when she wakes up.  This picture was not altered or enhanced in any way - no gel or hairspray was used.  Some how she squirms and squirms while she sleeps and her hair actually looks like this most mornings!  LOVE IT! 

Something new

So I've never done anything like blogging before, but a friend suggested that I try it out since I was telling her that sometimes I just want to talk...but with an 8-month old as my only audience most of the day...well, you get the drift.  I don't want anyone to think that I don't talk to my cute hubbie, but after he's had a long day at work I feel a little bad bombarding him with all of the "stuff" that I've kept inside all day!  My friend convinced me that this would be a wonderful "out" (and my hubbie can always keep up at his own leisure). :)

Well, in the last week something wonderful has happened to me twice.  While at the grocery store/grocery store parking lot two complete strangers have shown true kindness.  At Wal-mart last week, an older gentleman unloaded my grocery cart for me.  I had Ella Beth in her front carrier, and as you moms know, bending over is quite a challenge!  The man was from Germany, and he told me that where he was from no one ever helped out a stranger, but he wanted to change that since he moved to the States.  Then today, I again had Ella Beth in the front carrier (definitely in the top 10 inventions) and I was unloading my groceries into my car.  Well, the wind was so crazy that it was actually carrying my cart off!  While I was chashing after it, a kind lady came up to me and told me that she would load all of the groceries into my car.  Umm, can anyone say an act of service?!  It just made me so happy inside to know that among all of the yuck in the world, there is still a lot of good.  How blessed am I to have it shown to me twice in one week!  It just reminds me of the role our Savior took as a servant to show His love for us.  I hope that in the near future I have the opportunity to serve someone, too.

4 Whole Ounces!

Who would have ever thought that 4 ounces could make someone so happy, but when Birdie went in for a "weigh in" today we were all happy!  She is now 14 lbs, 2 oz. :)  It's still not up to her weight in March of 14 lbs, 8 oz, but at least she is gaining and not losing weight!  Of course she is still way below the chart, but we wouldn't want her to jump up to the 50th percentile in two weeks!  Speaking of "the chart," I have done quite a bit of research in the last couple of weeks in regard to it and what I found was pretty interesting.  Did you know that the Growth Chart that is used in the United States is based soley on formula-fed babies?  In Europe, they have two growth charts - one for formula-fed babies and one for those who are breast-fed.  Why don't we?  That's a good question, and it is actually somewhat of a hot topic in the world of pediatricians these days.  Birdie is still "under" the chart for breast-fed babies, but not quite as much.  In doing my research I found that I am not nearly as concerned as I was.  Scott is very lean, I am petite, so it's really no surprise that our little girl is a little squirt!  She's healthy, growing (smarter and cuter :) every day, and is happy.  What more could we ask for?!