Our Favorite Things

Ellie is over 5 months old! I cannot believe how fast the time goes! While I want nothing more than to stay home with her all day every day, I do like having the freedom to buy Ellie EVERYTHING!!! I just purchased a whole bunch of fun bowls and spoons so Ellie can eat foods very soon, several more books, a digital crib soother, some Aden + Anais lovies, a toy, and more! If I didn't work, I'd really have to cut back on my shopping. Yes, Ellie takes priority over shopping, but I also know that she is safe and well cared for with Gigi (my mom) during the day while I'm at work. Perhaps if we were in a situation where she had to go to daycare, I would make a different choice. Getting 5+ weeks off during the year helps, too! I love Ellie more than anything in the whole world, but I think having to spend my day away from her makes me appreciate the time I do have with her even more. I live for our time in the evenings and weekends.

As she grows and her personality develops, we have found some things that are our favorites. She may not care about a few of them, but I love them!

1. & 2. Rock n Play and the Blue Gerber Phone

 

The Rock n Play was where she slept for a while when she would spit up every time she layed flat on her back when she was really little. We also had her sleep in it at 4 months old when she was sick, to help with drainage. Now, she hangs out in the Rock n Play in the mornings after I feed her while I finish getting myself ready for work.

The blue Gerber phone was a gift from our neighbor across the street, and it was an instant favorite. There is a little bead or something inside, so it makes a very loud rattle sound when she shakes it - plus it is very easy to grip, so therefore very easy to shake! Funny how she may not actually ever see a real phone shaped like that...

 3. Arms Reach Mini Co-Sleeper & 4. Halo Sleepsack with Swaddle

Here she is in the Arms Reach mini co-sleeper sporting her fleece sleepsack/swaddle. I loved having the co-sleeper, and was sad to move her into her crib. She is now in a cooler cotton sleepsack/swaddle, as the fleece is a bit warm now, but she loves being wrapped up! Around 7:30-8:00 PM I feed her, change her diaper, put her in a onesie, put her in the sleepsack, rock her for a few minutes, and lay her in the crib. As a general rule, she sleeps until I wake her up at 5:45 AM! She might fuss in the middle of the night, needing her paci back, but that's a quick and easy fix. I strongly believe the credit for sleeping through the night goes to the sleepsack.

5. Plastic Rings

Ellie's Uncle, Aunt, and Cousin got her a pack of these bad boys for Christmas. Holy Cow does she love them! They are so easy for her little hands to hold. We even have one that stays in the carseat, and she holds it while she rides. So cute!

6. Sock-Ons

See those little things on her feet, over her socks? Those are Sock-Ons. They are amazing tiny little things. They actually keep her socks on her feet! I highly recommend them. She also loves animals. I think she likes to pet Twix most, but she'll take whoever she can get. Here she is getting an up-close look at Eli!

7.  Books - especially ones with a crinkle page!

Ellie loves books. She will look at the page and then crane her neck back to see your face as you read to her. She is so focused. I love it. I feel like I can actually see her soaking it all in and learning. Sometimes she isn't quite so focused, and just wants to thrash the book back and forth by a crinkle page so it makes noise. 

8. Aden + Anais blankey (security blanket)

I love this little blankey. It is super lightweight and very soft. She loves to rub it on her face when she is sleepy, and feel the satin edges when she's watching something. I also like that she has something that is comforting and smells familiar to her. She is very much a Mama's Girl, and doesn't really want too many other people to hold her. Now she is a little more willing for some people to hold her, if she has her blankey. In the picture, you can see she also has a paci... she loves those too - MAM brand.


So those are our favorite things. We like lots of other things, but those are at the top of the list!

Mama Saree

Hoppy Easter!

Ellie 3 Month Pics!

So Ellie will be 4 months on Sunday! I better share her 3 month pictures before it's too late!

Here are "a few" of my favorites!

 

I love my sweet girl so much!

Mama Saree

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here is one of Ellie's 3 month pictures. I'm waiting to reveal all of my favorites until I can share them with family.

We love our baby girl so much!

Mama Saree

A Post For All Things

Ellie is now 10 weeks old! She "talks" a lot more, she is becoming interested in toys, she LOVES watching tv, she hates tummy time, she sleeps about 6-7 hours at night if in a SwaddleMe, she weighs approximately 10 pounds, and she has a pretty strong neck and very strong legs! She is the sweetest baby ever. She wakes up happy 95% of the time. I love being a mama with everything I am. I knew I wanted to be a mama more than anything, and I was so right! She is fantastic! Look!

It is with a heavy heart that I type this next topic. In early August, I noticed Daisy was limping. After a couple trips to the vet, and some x-rays, we were referred to MedVet in Cincinnati. They took more x-rays and wanted to biopsy her hip. She was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (cancer). Osteosarcoma is quite aggressive, and very painful. In 90% of cases, by the time it is diagnosed, it has already spread to the lungs. We had several prescriptions for her - pain medicine, anti-inflammatories, glucosamine, and a nerve block. She would get a cocktail of 6 pills 2 times a day, usually in the form of a peanut butter sandwich for breakfast and a hot dog with dinner. She got worse, as expected, and about a month ago, we said goodbye. It wasn't fair to her once the pain meds stopped working to keep her alive just for our own selfish needs. She would cry with every breath in and out, and she couldn't put any weight at all on her leg. It was very hard to make the decision, but it had to be done. She was only 5 and a half years old, and is missed terribly. She was such a funny dog.
      
I found her at the pound in Richmond, KY. For $25, she was mine.

Our first Christmas together, 2007

Trying to fit her entire body on a tiny little pillow!

She loved, loved, loved to be outside.

And also loved the bed.

She was a runner. You had to always make sure she didn't escape. I am extremely sad that Ellie won't grow up with Daisy as her best friend. Daisy would have been amazing with her. I hope wherever she is, she has lots of room to run (on all 4 legs) and a giant bed to sleep in.


We made it about 4 weeks without a dog. We are just dog people. I had my requirements - HOUSE BROKEN, good with cats, kids, other dogs, etc. On New Year's Day, we welcomed 6 month old Eli.

He's very sweet. He loves the cats, he's interested in Ellie in a good way, and he's cute! He can never replace Daisy, but I'm glad he's in our lives.

I think that's about it. Christmas was good. Ellie slept through it for the most part. We stayed home on Christmas Day and it was wonderful - very relaxing! I had 2 weeks off work and it went too fast. It was very hard to go back to work. I think hanging out with Ellie all day is my very favorite activity.

That's it for now! I must get some sleep while the baby sleeps!

Mama Saree

8 weeks

Wow! I can't believe how fast the time goes!  Ellie is 8 and a half weeks old! She's growing so fast. Too fast. She has a fantastic smile that I get at least one of every morning. She is finding her voice, so I love hearing her "stories." While there is still a lot of arm flailing,  her hands are open more. And she is getting a very strong neck! She holds her head up very well. Lately, she's been sleeping 6-7 hours through the night! It's awesome!

I am on Christmas break at work. The next 2 weeks are going to fly by, but I am so excited to spend it with Ellie. Staring at her is my favorite pastime, and I think she literally changes before my eyes sometimes. She is such a sweet baby, I don't know how I got to be so lucky.

Mama Saree

Update on Twix

I just thought you would like to know that after all of the stalking, Twix will not come anywhere near Ellie or me. Twix hasn't so much as let me pet her more than once or twice since I've been home with the baby! She hid in the basement for the first couple weeks. Now she comes around upstairs, but she won't come to me. Silly cat. Here is Ellie today!

Don't be fooled by how big she looks in the bouncy seat. I rolled up the small head support pillow that came with the seat and put it under her butt so she would stay up higher. The strap to buckle her in is kind of awkward/large.

Mama Saree