Little Gardener

Ella loves being outside -- that's no secret if you read this blog from time to time. She reminds me so much of my Granny sometimes. She can spent half an hour just pulling at weeds, playing with rocks and touching plants in the front yard.


Speaking of Grandmothers (or Great-grandmothers) Ella recently discovered the gorgeous Birds of Paradise just beginning to bloom. They were part of the reason we chose this house. This time last year I was just beginning to be really uncomfortable in my pregnancy and we still hadn't found a home to move into and await the arrival of our little blessing.

When we arrived to this little bungalow in Redondo Beach the "Birds" were blooming. We saw it as a sign from Grandmom M. that this was the place for us. She so loved the exotic and beautiful plants. They are breathtaking.

Ten Months Old

Our blue-eyed baby girl is now ten months old. She continues to amaze us each and every day. She has gone through a bit of a growth spurt lately and is looking more and more like a little girl all the time. Along with that growth she's gaining more confidence. She's moved onto one-handed cruising. For instance, while holding onto the coffee table she'll reach for the chair and move from one piece of furniture to the other. She even stood on her own for the first time Friday, on her ten month birthday. Matt and I were playing with her in the floor in her room when she used Daddy to pull herself up and for a split second she was standing on her own. When we tried to repeat said accomplishment she promptly sat down. That's okay! I'm sure that's a little freaky the first time it happens.

She didn't have a flawless "birthday". Somewhere in her little mouth more teeth are moving in and causing major discomfort once more. But with enough Tylenol, Orajel, and Motrin she enjoyed parts of the day. Who wouldn't grin just a little on all that medication?

Priceless

A room full of toys....hundreds of dollars

An 84 count pampers purchase...20 something dollars

A Daddy propelled box ride...priceless

These are the moments that make everything worth it!

Picking Out A Pumpkin

Saturday brought a drive down to Long Beach and a visit to Pa's Pumpkin Patch. We had specific orders from Babci to buy a big pumpkin for Ella since this will be her first Halloween.

The pumpkin patch was fantastic! There were of course a great abundance of the orange gourdes in every size imagineable. And there were a number of rides and exhibits for kids of all ages. Once we roamed the pumpkins and got an idea of what we wanted we went to the petting zoo. Ella had the most fun petting the goats and touching their horns. She also liked the ducks but they weren't very playful.

We also went for a little train ride. The first few times around went well, but then Ella either grew tired, motion sick, or bored and started letting me know (by whining) she had had enough. So I glared at the man operating the ride and he let us go around 2 more times and then let us off. I felt badly for the little boy who got to be the conductor -- he was grinning from ear to ear and ringing the bell like there was no tomorrow. Sorry kid.

We watched the pony rides for a few minutes and decided it was time to go. We picked out a mammoth pumpkin and were ready to go until we found out the really big pumpkins start at $50 bucks. What?!! So we opted for a really big regular sized one ($20), two small ones and a mini one.

After the pumpkin patch daddy and I were hungry so we stopped at In-n-Out Burger for a quick bite before getting back on the freeway. Such a delicious way to end a fun outing.

Once we got back home we fixed a pumpkin display on the front porch as you can see Ella really seemed to be relishing all the holiday festivities.

She's Getting So Tall

We often find ourselves just looking at her lately. She's becoming less of a little baby and more of a little girl. I know the pediatrician says she's slightly below average for height but she seems tall to us.

This is how we know she's getting sleepy. She'll lie down, pretty much wherever she is, and start sucking her thumb and playing with the hair at the back of her head. We think it's so sweet.

A Hiccup in Plans

On Saturday we had big plans to go to the movies and see "The Departed". We haven't been to the movie theater since before Ella was born -- almost a year now. I worked a mid-day shift and got home around six o'clock. Miss Nassim came by for one last visit with Ella before returning to Atlanta on Sunday. We got to the house about the same time and were greeted by a pretty cranky baby. Matt said she had been good all day and seemed very happy. Of course that made me feel wonderful (read sarcasm). Anyway -- by the time our friends came over to babysit Ella she was in full meltdown mode and nothing was soothing her. Our friends, who are not parents themselves, urged us to go and said everything would be fine. But after a few attempts to leave -- we ended up staying until Ella had a bedtime bottle and was tucked in -- quiet and peaceful at last. We missed the movie so we just went out for a nice dinner.



On Sunday our hopes for a good time were crushed once more. On our way to Church we noticed streets were closed in downtown Manhattan Beach for a fall festival. There were pony rides! I immediately insisted we bring Ella down after her mid-morning nap (following services). Things went according to plan -- for a moment. Parking was a bear but we finally got a pretty good spot and strolled down to the action. Ella was fine until we entered the crowd of people. She started crying and whining and acting just unhappy in general. We walked swiftly past most of the vendors (although Matt managed to buy a couple of little gifts for his parents). I took her out of the stroller guessing perhaps she was disgruntled because her little head is at butt level -- and that's not pretty. But carrying her didn't work either. She refused to wear her hat and her little head started turning pink.

Finally (back in the stroller with the visor over her big white head) I suggested we just try the pony rides. I don't know why. Maybe I just saw an adorable moment, memory, photo in the mental thought of it. We made our way through the "kids" area and saw what appeared to be a decent sized line for the ponies. When we stopped to better evaluate the situation Ella let out a big wail. So we flipped the brakes off the stroller and hoofed it back to the car. Sweaty and tired we got home and put her down for a nap. I freshened up and left for a late shift at work. Maybe some of this parenting stuff works better if you don't plan a single thing.

Making Angels Proud

Granny Nellie, Babci Mary and Grandmom Albina were probably all smiling down on Ella from heaven when this picture was taken on Friday. Perhaps following in their footsteps -- Miss Ella seemed right at home and very content playing with the pots and pans.

A Visitor from Georgia

Miss Nassim (Uncle Richard's girlfriend) arrived around 7:30 last night. Ella had just taken her "before bed" bottle and was enjoying a bit of a second wind. Poor Nassim is staying in Redondo Beach but spent the day working in the northern San Fernando Valley. She learned very quickly what all locals already know -- you can't expect to get anywhere fast on the 405, through the Sepulveda pass during rush hour (a collective sigh just went out from anyone who has ever driven that nightmare). But -- she got here safely and that's what matters. It took her about an hour and a half to go approximately 25 miles.

Ella was happy to see her and they played for about half an hour. Uncle Richard sent her an adorable little cow -- whom we haven't yet named. Any suggestions? My little brother is the only person I've ever known to play that "claw" game (the one where you direct the claw with a joystick over a pile of toys) and win something cute!

After Ella went to the land of nod we had dinner and nice conversation. We talked about coming home for Christmas and how much fun it will be to see everyone and let everyone see Ella. We have been home already once for her Baptism. She was just four months old and slept through everything! Our usually very alert, very verbal child saw the mass hordes of strange people with outstretched arms (and occasionally too much perfume) coming at her with outstretched arms and effectively conked out. No one got to see her do anything but snooze.

I have great hope that Christmas will be different. Otherwise I'm convinced she's already trying to defy me.

Today I think we may go for a bike ride at the beach if it's not too cloudy. And we're headed to the mall for a little greeting card shopping -- so many birthdays in October!

More Teeth

Ella's getting two more bottom teeth at the same time and the fourth top one is trying to break through -- needless to say life has been challenging. However, my sister-in-law Durene suggested we switch from Tylenol to Motrin and it really has made a difference. And -- with the confidence of a more seasoned mother, my friend LeAnne admonished, "those new teeth are mean." Yes, they are!

The latest and cutest new thing she's doing is imitating us when we eat -- particularly the chewing action. When we rarely have a meal together during Ella's waking hours -- she watches us from the comforts of her exersaucer or high chair. Paying close attention -- she starts moving her mouth like a hungry calf who has just happened upon a lush patch of clover. Is that what we look like?

She's also cruising now. For those who are not "in the know" (as I was just 9 short months ago) that means she's pulling to a stand and then walking (often sideways) while holding on to something. She's becoming a pro on the coffee table.

Today we're headed to the costume store to get the "family" costume. Yes we're going to be that family. And maybe to the YMCA -- but I've been having a problem with my equalibrium and am not sure if it's best I get on a treadmill.

Later today Uncle Richard's girlfriend, Nassim is coming for a visit. She's in town on business and should arrive shortly after Ella's dinner and before her bath. That's usually a fun time. After Ella's nods off to sleepy time we'll have dinner and that should be nice. We'll take pictures and post them, hopefully tomorrow.