happykiddo

The Ella Lexicon at 20 months old

Can I help you?
Originally uploaded by happykatie.

Ella now says 'real people' words, like:

         1. Shuuhs = shoes
         2. Noh noh noh = uhm, yeah... no that's SO not what we're doing right now
         3. 'nana = banana
         4. Muh (accompanied by sign language) = I want more of something that I don't quite feel like articulating, but instead prefer for you to scramble around until you figure it out at which point I might stop crying giant real tears with a disbelieving look in my eyes
         5. Mama = all dependent on the inflection:

               1. Mommy
               2. Are you seriously even thinking of walking/turning away from me even though I know you're not actually leaving the room or me, but enjoy prostrating myself on the floor and rolling around vigorously with a dramatic arm over my eyes while wailing nonetheless
               3. I'm bored and this is a really easy sound to make, so I'm going to sing it to myself in a really high pitched voice until someone asks me to use my indoor voice

         6. Baby = anything furry or very small, particularly something very small AND furry
         7. Uh... Oh = well THAT was unexpected, I imagine you'll want to rush over here immediately mother
         8. Eash = ears, which Ella can now point out.  I know, she's kind of a genius - she's practically in Med School.  However, her favorite facial feature to point out is her nose.  I believe this is for 2 reasons:

               1. Noses are fun to smoosh and pinch, both of which Ella does to her nose regularly
               2. Nose rhymes with the word 'no' and this makes the Bunn wildly happy

         9. Cook-ee = cookie or maybe an organic Fig Newman, yum

18 months fun - we love our Chatty Ella

It's been a while since I've sent out a decent update on the Bunn.  As you might expect, she is growing, running/skipping and gabbing like crazy.  Her little personality gets bigger every single day, which makes life interesting as we never know what new little Ella quirk we get to deal with every morning.  Usually they are lots of fun, so we have no complaints :)

The Bunn continues along with a few of her favorite activities, namely finding bags around the house (shopping, grocery, garbage, ziplock, mommy's purse - you name it) and filling them with things.  Things like mommy's W-2 form, wallet, favorite lip gloss, Target receipts and (strangely enough) a bottle of ketchup.  We call her the Bag Lady.

On the less fun side, Ella's eczema has returned on her belly and back.  Luckily it doesn't seem to bother her, despite all of her regular and intensive belly button examinations.  We're pretty much banning Johnson and Johnson baby products from our house as even their 'gentle' formula is too harsh on the short one's skin.  Chemicals will do that to you...  instead we love Aveeno's Eczema treatments and especially adore local Australian Scents natural soap.

Oh yay - and we can finally put Ella's hair in pigtails :)  So Adam and I can die happily.  Yes, it's that big of a deal to us - the most hilarious hairstyle ever!!

Ella the little lady - 16.5 months brilliant

Ella has grown and grown and grown.  It's no wonder that she loves dozing off into daily deep afternoon slumbers - it feels like she gains an inch every day!

Her walking has progressed quite nicely - she has matured from a furniture clutching, tumbling Bunn to a little girl who gallops and does a very special little girlie stomp-y dance-prance all around the house.  And I do mean all around the house.  It's a multi-purpose interchangeable move that works well when exceedingly excited and also when exceedingly angry.  Very innovative.

There are so many other things that delight and amaze us about the short one.  She is almost starting to speak now.  Last night she actually told me 'ank u-ooh' after I gave her some dessert (and after I repeated 'thank you' a few times, which probably meant she just wanted me to move onto other more exciting topics of discussion). 

This polite outburst was caught in between a few 'uh ohs' which is another big household phrase right now - from all 3 of us, as Ella has joined in the chorus anytime something potentially dangerous happens (ie:  Ella falling and hitting her head on something hard, Ella trying to climb up and down stairs, Ella accidentally hitting herself in the face with something she has been holding after flailing in excitement, etc.).  So now, Ella gets kind of hurt, we all say 'uh oh' and Ella starts laughing and runs off.  Seriously, she is as resilient as they come.

We get 'mommy/mama/mom' and 'daddy' on a regular basis now and of course every small furry creature is called 'baby'.  There is really absolutely nothing like having a perfect little person call you by the Mommy name.  You just don't realize how powerful that word is until it actually describes you.  It's hands-down one of my favorite things ever.

Happy 2008!!

Ella as a small almost-walking Bunn

Here's Ella back a few months ago as a very small, open-mouthed munchkin just learning how amazing it feels to 1) take her first steps and 2) face plant into the kitchen floor.  I still do both of these regularly myself.  It's genetic.

Getting ready for a wonderful 1st birthday

Ella's 1st birthday is coming up on Tuesday, August 21st!!!!  Woo hoo!!!!  Are you in town this weekend and want to party?  Email me if you'd like to join us for a big garden party fiesta on Sunday, August 19th at 1pm and I'll send you an invite and directions :)

We're going with a fun garden theme and will have cupcakes by the gazillions and, I believe, over a dozen different yummy salads, grilled greatness and other amazing munchies for lunch.  Will be a wonderful time, hope to have you join us :)

The big news: Ella learns how to clap

Tall and skinny - the supermodel baby

Ella and her daddy had a doctor check-up date today and want to share these exciting Bunn updates!:

• Ella is 30 inches long (95th percentile for her age) - she is most likely going to be around 5 ft. 9 inches tall when she is an adult
• Ella weighs 19.5 pounds (40th percentile for her age) - she's healthy, but we've been instructed to 'fatten her up' with olive oil in her food
• Everything else is right on track - the munchkin is getting around and chatting us up just as she is supposed to.  Yay!! 

Fun updates from EllaWorld

Ella is 10.5 months old and into brand new things, like these:

1. Eating leaves off the floor
2. Playing 'chase the parents'
3. Playing 'parents chase the baby'
4. Chewing incredibly well with only two teeth
5. Throwing mommy's cell phone in the (very hard to reach) space between the bed and the wall
6. Completely enchanting every new person we meet by maintaining direct unblinking eye contact for approximately 4 minutes
7. Starting to wave (mostly at inanimate objects and sometimes her mommy)
8. Continuing to be a dancing queen

Her posture obviously comes from her mother

One of the funniest things we've been enjoying about the Bunn lately is her carefree posture and ability to somehow prop herself up on or drape her long legs over anything within a 12-inch proximity.

In the accompanying photo, notice the casual elbow prop on the leg that has been extended over the high chair rail, toes twittering in the air conditioned breeze.

Unladylike?  Yes, a wee bit mayhaps.  Completely awesomely funny?  100%.

Happy 10 month birthday babyElla!

Ella Illuminated
Originally uploaded by happykatie.

Today is Ella's 10 month birthday!  Many wonderful things have happened in the past few weeks, making this one of the most exciting milestones to date:

1. STANDING (almost) - Ella has quickly moved from being satisfied with crawling to standing pretty much on her own...  and just dying to start walking!  I'm still not used to seeing Standing-Laughing-Pointing-Ella peeking over her crib when I come in to the Bunn's room to start the day.
2. Talking - Okay, well not really talking-talking - but Ella's got her 'mamamas', 'bababas' and 'dadadas' down pat.  The best part of the gabby Bunn is when you walk into a room and she stops what she's doing to tell you something obviously really important (by the look on her face), sometimes accompanied by relevant hand gestures and finger movements, and then goes back to chewing and smashing her toys when she feels you've gotten the gist of things.
3. Funny-funny - Ella's personality has never shined through more clearly than in the last few weeks.  She laughs when we laugh, she laughs when I dance, she laughs when we grab her belly and make bizarre noises and sometimes she laughs when we do something embarrassing and didn't think anybody else really noticed.    Smart kid.
4. Little feet - Ella is wearing shoes all the time at school now, as she is constantly standing and needs that good traction.  She looks completely adorable, but we're having to deal with some interesting l'odeur de little baby feet.  A very funny issue to deal with.

TEEF!

Quick BabyElla bulletin:  So it's official - the Bunn officially has a tooth.  Bottom-right-front.

Photo thanks to Buffy the happybuela!  :)

8 months beautiful (to the day)

Happy 8-month birthday sweet baby!

7 months + 6 days

Ella turned 7 months old on March 21 and now weighs a healthy 18 lbs 6 oz now and is in the 95th percentile of her height category (long and slender - that's our girl!).

Our daily interactions grow ever sweeter and more meaningful as the Bunn grows increasingly aware of the world around her (that is, the world beyond blinking lights and mirrors...).  She recognizes our absence from rooms and makes noise when we visit her at daycare until we come and give her the requisite smooches and compliments on how BEAUTIFUL she is today <grin>.

I love watching her interact with the other kiddos at daycare, especially the ones more mobile than she is.  She has such sweet smiles for the 'little people' around her and is fascinated by how they crawl and tumble around - I think she's getting inspired to do some scooting of her own.

Please remain seated

Ella will be 7 months old next week and has hit another major milestone - SITTING UP!!!

She made her solo seated debut this weekend in Austin while sitting on the bed next to her mommy and daddy (soft surfaces are a crucial element in this process, as Ella still endures the occasional face plant).

Things are still a little wobbly but Ella is surprisingly oblivious about the whole sitting thing.   It just makes it a little easier to grab random scraps of paper and small electronic items to explore in her mouth now.  Go talented amazing Ella!

Check back soon for a link to a hilarious video from the happybuela!

Teef?

Sooo....  we've had a few restless nights in a row, increased drooling, a little extra fussiness, a mouth that likes to chomp on everything and quite a bit of ear pulling going on.

The Ella just might be popping out teeth!

Early early this morning, I felt around on the Bunn's gums and felt what could be a little tooth bud.   My efforts were rewarded by a quick little finger up my nose (hers not mine) and a loud 'mmmmmmeh'.

This could mean one of two things:  Ella was being her sassy little self with the typical lack of respect for parental orifices or the Short One is harvesting some chompers.   

Either way, it can't hurt to pick up some Orajel on the way home tonight, even if it is just for my (wisdom) teeth that are coming in.  Going through some new teef experiences myself I am feeling quite empathetic here...

They say it's your (half) birthday

The baby and the Daddy
Originally uploaded by happykatie.

Ella turned 6 months old today. 

We've come a long way since that very first August morning with the Bunn.  These days she spends her wiggly waking moments rolling over (and over and over), eating various fruit sauces (we're on peach this week), giggling at silly faces and making the most beautiful baby conversation with no one in particular.

Since that August day our hearts have grown at least 5 sizes.  There isn't an evening that we don't peek on our sleeping little girl, at least twice, to marvel at her perfect hands, her sweet baby breath and the way we seem to float above her crib high on Baby Ella.

Happy (half) birthday little one.  Thanks for giving us the best birthday present ever.  We owe you big time.

Happykiddo January update

Mid-sentence
Originally uploaded by happykatie.

It's been a way-long time since I've posted any Ella updates.  So here's the skinny:

1. The Bunn had her second round of immunizations this month and did marvelously well.  At the visit, her doctor kept stopping in mid-sentence to marvel at Ella's attentiveness.  She said that she doesn't usually get that kind of eye contact from parents, let alone infants <grin>.
2. Ella weighs 16 lbs and 12 oz and measure 26 inches long
3. As previously mentioned, the munchkin is now rolling over (only from back to front so far) like it's going out of style.  She is also adding various Pilates-esque poses to her daily routine that are quite amusing.
4. We have entered into an entirely new era of Ella noises and conversation.  At a visit to my mom's house yesterday she kept up a solid monologue for a good bit of the afternoon - punctuated by dramatic hand gestures and squeaky-Ella sounds.
5. Ella is getting interested in what we put into our mouths.  I bought some organic applesauce last night and we plan on experimenting with a non-milk snack in the next few days.  Methinks she will be very receptive, judging by the way she fiercely sucks down her grape-flavored allergy medication.

Brilliant!

Almost, but not quite
Originally uploaded by happykatie.

I went to pick Ella up at daycare last night only to be met by a gaggle of smiling onlookers surrounding Ella, who was laying on the floor with both hands in her mouth talking around her fingers. 

The excitement levels were running high as Ella had actually rolled over for the very first time!  Apparently, this development took an entire afternoon of extreme concentration and various methods of throwing her legs and arms around in the air (hey, whatever it takes...).

'She's a genius!!!' I cried when I heard the news.  Ella gurgled in modest agreement.

We sadly didn't get a repeat performance once we got home, but it's amazing to see how much our chica can change in one day.  I dropped off a snoring, sleepy-eyed Ella and returned home victoriously with a brilliant, gravity-defying child.

Chilly Bunn

blanketed baby 11/17/06
Originally uploaded by maggieminder.

Ella is doing pretty well these days - despite a little cough and eczema fun.  This may be a Bad Mommy thing to say, but the chilly weather makes her even prettier - adding to the rosiness of her cheeks and making her eyes a little brighter.

The Bunn weighs an even 14 pounds now and has delightful baby chubb that is oh-so-kissable.  Her smiles are growing ever more frequent and her serious contemplative moments even cuter to watch (who knew that whacking stuffed elephants demanded so much concentration!).

I'm excited as we get closer to Christmas, yet another big first for our little girl.  She is undoubtedly a big fan of this particular holiday, as the world around her is covered in fascinating Christmas lights and other glow-y shiny ornamental distractions.  Ella like.

At this rate, we'll be lucky if she makes eye contact with us at all this month - thanks to the herds of inflatable Santas, illuminated Nativity scenes and rotating Christmas trees.

3 months - where does the time go?

Baby grin
Originally uploaded by happykatie.

Ella hit the 3 month mark last week which is really just unreal. 

She has now been in daycare-land just as long as she has been at home with me on maternity leave.  She is already one set of immunity shots and 3 doctor visits into her young life.  Her little tush no longer fits into Size 1 diapers anymore and her very first infant onesies are growing snugger by the hour.

The past week has been an increasingly talkative week for the Bunn.

She still has her quiet times where she prefers to zone out and look disgustingly bored with whatever it is that we're trying to amuse her with, but now we're starting to hear her little voice saying things other than 'I just decided that I'm hungry and am saddened that you didn't pick up on this a little sooner' and other such things.

I occasionally fall into brief conversation with other mothers and, upon hearing I have a 3-month old, they are quick to sigh with relief (for me I guess??) and tell me that it'll get better from here.... that I just needed to make it this far and life will be easier and better.

I haven't had the heart to tell any of them that Ella is an angel child who sleeps through the night and eats our kisses when she's especially hungry and smiles like every single one of my dreams coming true at the same time and cries only when she needs something and spends the rest of her day loving the way the sunshine bounces off the wall and being the gorgeous little life that she is.

Sometimes the phrase 'it doesn't get any better than this' just doesn't cover it, you know?

Hologram Band-aids and ice cream for Mommy

It's a hard life being a baby - eating, burping, diaper filling, sleeping.  Then there are the annoying parent people always hovering around, waiting for you to do something 'cute' and getting over-excited like those little back-flipping trained circus poodles.

The last couple of weeks have been good to the Ella - it's amazing how much she changes with every passing day.  She weighs 11.8 pounds now and survived her first round of immunizations.  They went something like this:

Shot 1: 

Ella smiles at the nurse.  Ella smiles at the alcohol-soaked cotton ball.  Ella smiles at her Mommy.  Ella stops smiling and concentrates on something invisible directly above my head.  An eyebrow shoots up and directs 'A Look' at everyone in the room, a look who's lightning bolt sharpness will only be perfected in the decades to come.

Shot 2: 

Ella's tiny hands, only seconds before little feathery cheerful baby hands, transform into mighty death-grip talons who exist only to convey the extreme dismay this sharp pokey piece of metal brings upon her world.  Grip (release).  GRip (release).  GRRIIPP.

Shot 3: 

Angry noises.  Flash silver hologram Band-Aids are applied to no one's amusement.  Mommy decides to get a consolation McFlurry on the way home.  More angry noises - a little more violent and meaningful this time.

5 minutes later:

Ella smiles at her socks.  Ella smiles at her fingers.  Ella smiles at my car keys.  Ella is a good baby :)

Sniffles - a long overdue Ella update

Sniffles
Originally uploaded by happykatie.

Ella is growing more and more beautiful everyday.  I know that's a boring and typical new mommy thing to say, but it's da' troof!!  The chica remains a very sweet and lovely little being.  End of story.

Read on for further Ella news:

The perfection of a 5 week old

Weighing in
Originally uploaded by happykatie.

Today is the kiddo's 5 week birthday and boy have we come a long way.  Thus far, she has gained around 3 pounds and grown 1.5 inches - making her the most beautiful 10 pound baby in the world right now.

It's difficult, as we knew it would be, to remember the days when we didn't know how perfectly she fits into our arms and how hilarious she sounds when she gets irritated with us for taking too long to do something (exactly like a pissed off tiny dinosaur, it's awesome!!).

Ella is absolutely the best thing about our lives and these past five weeks have been a terrific (if rather sleepless) adventure.  The three of us still have lots to learn about each other, but we intend to continue enjoying the process immensely.

Happy 5 week birthday Ella-baby!!

Ella ETA: August 21, 2006

The Big News:

This week was our final ultrasound to double-double-double check that all is going well with the happykiddo.  Not only is she healthy and happy, but has grown so quickly (weighing in at somewhere between 8 to 8.5 pounds) that she'll be here sooner than anticipated.

We will be inducing labor on Sunday evening (August 20) and expect to have her in our arms sometime on Monday, August 21.

It goes without saying that we are over the moon - and boy does it feel good actually having a solid date to expect the kiddo.  Please send any available positive vibes and birthday love over in Ella's direction as she makes her debut this Monday.

Quickie August happykiddo update

Sleeping Hands [DSCF2210]
Originally uploaded by portfolium.

So we've arrived to the August month, also known as Ella Month.  The chica is growing and likes to spend her days doing advanced yoga poses to see how many directions my belly will stretch at one time (the record at this point is 3).

Earlier this week was breastfeeding class and that was beyond informative and empowering - and was especially appropriate considering that this is National Breastfeeding Month.

Tomorrow we go for our first labor and delivery class, where I will huff and puff on the floor and race all of the other pregnant ladies for the restroom during our breaks.  Bladder control is just not one of my primary skills at this point, but maybe this is a little more than you cared to know :)

Things are getting closer and closer to Ella's birthday - perhaps even a week or two earlier than expected.  So much to look forward to!  So many naps to take before then!

Quickie happykiddo July update

We had another ultrasound this week to check on Ella's progress, as her arrival date gets closer and closer...  now almost a month away - eep!

There are a couple of new photos to share (that are still not up, as much as I keep promising everyone) of her beautiful, extremely huge head and her pretty long fingers.

Ah yes, let's go back to the extremely huge head part - as this really is the news of the month.  When a doctor repeats 'wow, that's a really big head' 5-6 times during the course of a 10-minute visit, you know that your child does indeed have a really big head.

When a doctor whispers 'yeah that's big' as if in awe of the sheer enormity of your precious soon-to-be-born little girl's head, you know that not only does your child have a really large head but also that you now have major ammo for the next 20 years against said precious child's father who happens to have one of the largest heads ever seen on the face of the planet.

Genetics is a fun thing.

Quickie happykiddo June update #2

LITTLE HAND
Originally uploaded by *schizOo_23*.

First off, Ella is not here yet and that is not her tiny little hand.  The hand, in fact, belongs to a very small Frenchman named Gael who is extremely cute.

Today was another hospital check-up - a fast and easy one where we listened to our favorite heartbeat (strong, strong, strong) and I made the doctor laugh while describing the various acrobatic antics of our unborn child.

In two weeks, we will have another ultrasound to check on how the little lady is growing -- and also to see what faces she makes at us when she thinks that we aren't looking.  We cannot wait.

All is well - I am a little sore and more than a little worn-out, but remain extremely happy and spoiled by a wonderful man/daddy-to-be who does all sorts of wonderful things for his girls... like mopping floors, talking to bellies and coring pineapples at 10pm.

Because she is our Joy...

Our little one finally has a name!  Actually, she probably knew it all along but it took some hard thinking, scribbling in notepads and baby name book buying for us to finally figure it out.

Ella Marie Joy

So why 3 names?  A breakdown:

• Ella - Old English for 'beautiful fairy woman'  (view name trend visual here)
  ~The name of my grandmother who passed away last summer - not as if she could be replaced, but our lady will be a sweet daily reminder of someone incredibly special
  ~Secondarily, it is also the name of one of the most beautiful sounds in music ever.
• Marie - From the Ancient Egyptian name Mery, which means 'beloved'
  ~The first names of both of our mothers and, of course, after Our Lady
• Joy - Old English word that we still use today
  ~This name is in honor of my Mark, the light behind my smile and the very best of what it means to have a brother.  When asked what we should name the baby, Mark thought that Joy was perfect as that's what she is to us - a Joy.  We completely agree.

Quickie happykiddo June update

A quick update on our visit to the doctor yesterday:

• Our girl's heartbeat is fast and strong - actually it's REALLY fast and strong, sounding more like a drum n' bass bassline than I would have ever imagined possible
• My glucose levels are normal and my blood pressure is also normal now too (phew)
• My weight gain is healthy, although at 150 lbs I feel like a force to be reckoned with - baby or no baby

Looks like we're still on track for August 27th!!  I'm all registered for delivery at the hospital and am looking forward to taking some baby classes and a grand tour of the hospital (mostly because of the free snacks, but whatever...).

Life with happykiddo continues to get more and more interesting, as her little feet and elbows are frequently finding their way in between my ribs and semi-frequent bouts of hiccups rattle my belly in a most amusing fashion.   

It appears that hk really likes Mexican food (now that she's allowing me to eat spicier fare again), but still has issues with eggs and cheese-y pizza much to my dismay.  C'est la vie.