Baby Carrier

We have a Baby Bjorn baby carrier Grandpa got for Ella and she loves it. Ron carries her around all over the house in it! It makes her feel like a big girl as she can look out at everyone and freely move her arms and legs. Because she's also teething she loves to chew on the front of it and drool all over the front (hence the drool cloth) :) It was so hot outside today, we put a hat and sunscreen on Ella when Ron took her outside for a short walk. She likes her carrier so much, she actually falls asleep in it.
We left Ella with Ron and Granddad, while Grandma and I went to a movie. "The Devil Wears Prada" was a cute, chick flick. Then we went to Babies R Us and spent all the gift cards on summer clothes for Hawaii that happen to be on sale now. Great deals on all the end of season stuff we can wear all year round in Hawaii. Fun Fun!

Shopping Sprees!

For three days Georgia has a tax-free promotion, so anything you buy isn't taxed. Dawn, Ella and I went shopping at Walmart, Babies R Us and Old Navy. I used all my diaper coupons and bought a stash of diapers to ship to Hawaii with our clothes in September. Of course, we went a little crazy...nothing we didn't need of course :) I've been debating getting a high chair for Ella, we really don't need another piece of furniture. I found a booster seat that attaches to a regular chair and takes up no space. I brought it home and it's crap! Considering it was less than $20 I shouldn't have really expected much, so I'm returning it tomorrow. We've also been looking at jogging strollers for Ron and a bicycle trailer for Ella. He loves to go running and it would be great in Hawaii as Ella gets bigger, he can take her with him. With the bicycle trailer, we could attach her to our bikes and go out all together. Babies and kids are such expensive little people! So much fun stuff to buy but it all takes up so much space!! Going back to Babies R Us tomorrow to see about the high chair and return the booster seat. Ah, more shopping, I guess it really can't be helped :)

Georgia Summer

It is sooooo crazy hot here. I know the whole east coast is going through a heat wave but this is ridiculous! The heat index is like 107 degrees. Ella and I stayed in all day, I can't handle this kind of weather...you know being from Canada and all :)
Here is a picture of a deer we saw this afternoon in the backyard. What a rare sight here in Georgia... a deer quietly eating, a live deer! Usually if you see a deer, it's dead on the back of some bumpkin's pickup truck. Between the development and hunting, deer don't stand a chance here.
It's been so hot that I let Ella lounge around in her birthday suit while I gave her a bottle. We ended up having a bath as she peed on her waterproof mat, five minutes after I took the diaper off and while she was having a bottle. What a big girl she is, holding her bottle all by herself!

Yummy!

Today, Ella and I met up with Nolan and Amy and went to my favorite place for lunch. Moe's, it's soooooo good! Nolan and Ella are getting better and better each day. Ella was talking and flirting with Nolan and was fascinated with him. Nolan didn't say much to Ella, he must have been stunned by her beauty! :) You can really see their personalities now that they are out of that newborn phase. Each week that goes by, each milestone they accomplish makes them more and more fun. I don't have any pics of Nolan and Ella today because I forgot my camera at the house. It's too bad because they were both in such a good moods and then took their naps while we shopped. Ella had a bit of a moment at Moe's but she was hungry and once her belly was full she was great! I took these pics yesterday...whoo hoo books!!!

After Moe's we went to Babies R' Us and ooh, there is so much to buy before we go to Hawaii! This weekend is tax-free here in Georgia so Ella and I are going shopping with all our Babies R' Us coupons. How much fun will that be! We're taking Grandma as Ron will veto all my purchases :)

Naptime?

I'm trying to wean Ella off her swing. She sleeps all night in her crib, but during the day she will only nap in her swing. If you put her in her crib she may sleep for 20 minutes and then wakes up screaming. It's as if she knows it's daytime and she needs to be out of "bed". Once we pack up her swing in September, it's going to be a shock to her. So I've decided to give her a morning nap in her swing, and then let her take her afternoon nap on our bed. She likes to snuggle up with her blanket and sometimes I find her playing like this... she's too funny. She'll have her thumb in her mouth and the blanket all up over her head. When I call out her name, she flings off the blanket and has a huge smile on her face. Once she falls asleep, I take the blanket away, heaven forbid she suffocate herself.

We went for another walk today but this time Ella had to be in her stroller as she needs to be shielded from the sun. It's soooooo hot here! Too bad it rained and stormed here tonight. Shucks, looks like I can't go walking again tonight :)

Ouch!

Oooh, my aching body! Today was a boring day. Ella was up early and then down for a 3 hour nap again in the morning. Ron came home early from work and took care of Ella while I re-organized the pantry and sorted through the kitchen. This is a picture of Ella with her Uncle Lee at brunch yesterday...she loves her uncles!

Grandma has been walking and getting ready for the 3-Day Walk for breast cancer. She is so determined and has lost so much weight. She looks so fabulous, she's inspired me to try to get back into some sort of shape. We went walking after dinner and I decided to carry Ella in her front carrier rather than take her in her stroller. A bit of an over-achievement! I was struggling up the hills and by the time I got back home I was exhausted!!! Ella loved it though so I think I'll try it again and work my way up to an hour. She's 13 extra pounds so she should help me whip my butt into shape! I'm going to post a link to Dawn's fundraising website. Please help me help her raise money for a cure for breast cancer. Every little bit helps! Check out the link to the right.

Sunday Brunch

This morning we celebrated Grandma's birthday by going to have a late breakfast at the Renaissance Hotel. It was really good, not super greasy like the Waffle House. I forgot how good hotel buffets are if you go to the nice hotels. We ate waaaaayyyy too much but it was so yummy. Why do we always feel the need to "get our money's worth" at a buffet. I guess if you look at the whole scheme of things, eating one huge meal and a light snack before bed might not be so bad...as long as it's only on special occasions. :)

Update on the tree: it fell. At sometime after 11 last night there was a huge crash which we all though might have been some thunder from the storm that was moving through. It hit the corner of the roof and knocked a chunk of gutter and shingles off, but not enough to create any problems inside. Joey went out on the deck to inspect the damage and stepped on a nail from the debris. He had to have a tetanus shot this morning. Now the tree is still against the house but broken up. At least it's down and not putting pressure on the other one.

Ella's latest thing is her tongue. I guess it must feel good on those aching gums. She keeps it stuck out and just looks stunned all the time...with the drool she looks sooooo attractive! LOL

Family Dynamics

It is so funny to watch four men solve yard work problems and play with new toys. Three sons and a dad have such a stereotypical relationship that it was all I could do to not laugh at them all. You've got the oldest son, Ron, the apprentice eager to learn and try out the new chainsaw. Dad and his eldest took turns chopping up all the fallen trees. The youngest son, Lee, playfully watches while jumping the logs, neither helping or hindering the process. The middle son, Joey, the work horse of the four, diligently collecting and stacking the newly chopped wood. Ella and I of course just sat on the deck and watched the comedy unfold. I love this picture of her, the look says it all...."what the heck are those fools doing down there?" :)
The whole impetus of the new chainsaw was the tree that fell down towards the house the other night, but thankfully it was stopped by another tree and didn't come down on the master bedroom and kitchen. Now both trees are hovering precariously over the house. The new chainsaw was to get the fallen tree off the good tree so they don't both come down. However, it looks like a professional is going to have to do the job...but there were lots of other dead trees that allowed the boys to play with the new toy!
Today was Grandma's birthday and the girls went out to lunch and then went for pedicures while the boys played in the yard. All the ladies loved Ella. She was fascinated with the whole pedicure process and flirted with all the people in the nail shop. I can't wait til she's old enough to get her own pedicure, a mommy-daughter day out.

Happy Birthday Grandma!!

Home

Today was a day of rest and relaxation. Could Ella be going through another growth spurt? She slept in until 8:30 for the second morning in a row, napped for an hour at 10, for two hours at 12 and another two hours at 4:30! I actually decided to join her at 4:30 and managed a nap for a couple hours too. It's now 9 and she's out and been out since 8:30. To top the whole day off, Grandma cooked dinner and I got to eat a hot meal I didn't have to prepare myself or pay someone else to make for me. How nice is it that!
In my heart I am always home when I'm with my husband and my daughter, no matter where we are, where we go, or what we are doing. But I have truly found a physical home here in Georgia with my in-laws. I have missed having a place to call home since my mother passed away almost two years ago. Going back to the west coast where I grew up, no longer feels the same because my mom isn't there. I have wonderful friends, my mom's friends and my brother so it will always be a place I love. I have learned that home can be a place of refuge, love and security, but only if that place is where your family and your friends reside. Because no matter how great a place is, it will never be home without moms, dads, babies, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters or friends :)

Boyfriend

Today Ella and I went to Peachtree City to see Eli and Leah. How big he's grown! Such a handsome man, all baby chunky! He had a lot to say to Ella but she definitely was playing hard and just starred at him. Girl with an attitude to be sure! It was really nice to see Leah and Eli again, we even got to see Scott for a minute before he was out the door.
We went and had lunch at a little joint that has all you can eat pizza and salad...for like $6. How much fun was that. Ella and Eli behaved very well and Ella seems more and more interested in what I'm eating than eating herself. The doctor said to just keep doing what I'm doing with nursing and formula and she'd see us in September at Ella's 6-month check up. I wish I had asked her about baby food...I was really looking forward to getting messy with Ella when she tries all the new foods. I guess as long as she's growing and healthy I'll just wait til September, well maybe sooner :)