Personality Takes Shape

Just when you vow you can't handle the sleep deprivation and the exhaustion has you by the throat in a choke hold...a personality starts to take shape in a new baby. It's God's little wink of encouragement to new moms. Airlie Jane has started smiling...and suddenly I'm renewed. Although lots of caffeine is still in order!

Green Toes and Fingers

As Matt headed back on the road for work I called in backups. My mom and brother came over to help with the girls while I assumed solo parent duty for much of the past two weeks.

I took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy so Mommy and Ella time. My girlfriends tell me this is essential for defraying the jealousy factor created by a new sibling.

We headed to the nail salon. The ladies were very sweet and attentive to Ella. She got to sit in a special chair just for kids...hers had a bunny headrest. Next time she says she wants the panda bear chair. A light in the water tub changed colors as the technician washed and massaged Miss Ella's feet. She was ecstatic to have so much attention, and to have mommy at her side. She chose a lime green paint color, which would not have been my choice for her, and the nice nail lady painted flowers and hearts on her fingers and toes. I have to admit...it is cute.

Housekeeping Items

Our camera crapped out right about the time Airlie Jane arrived, so my apologies for the grainy photos. I'm using the still capture feature on my digital camcorder and the quality is poor. I'm hoping for a new camera for my birthday!

And...the blog has changed names. Since it's no longer just "Ella's World" I've changed the name to Daughter Diaries. I went through a few other ideas before settling upon this one but I think this title suits the purpose of this blog most appropriately. Any other suggestions are always welcome.

Enjoy!

Friends and Their Kids

Two of my best friends brought their kids to visit the baby. It's a surreal thing when you look at friends you've known since you were a kid and see them married with their own children. Anyway...I love this picture of all of our offspring gathered around AJ.

Abby, the blond, daughter of my friend, Gerin came in and asked directly, "is it a girl baby or a boy baby?" I answered girl. She then said, "then why is her name AJ, it sounds like a boy!" I explained her name is Airlie Jane and her nickname is AJ. "Oh, that's a pretty name." I'm sure we'll be getting a lot of that throughout her life. Sorry little one!!

Free Fishing Day

A local park held a free fishing day for kids recently. The fishing experts (rangers of some sort) were on hand to teach the kids. It was a Kiwanis Club sponsored event so there were a ton of people...many of them there seemingly for the free food and prizes.

At any rate...we went sans fishing pole in the hopes of borrowing one from the organizers. We registered Ella and waited for her name to be called for a loaner fishing rod. But we wandered down to the water and missed the call. So Ella didn't actually get to fish but she had a great time playing in the Chattahoochee and watching other kids catch fish. There's a hatchery near our house and I'm betting we'll be paying it a visit, WITH a fishing pole, sometime this summer.

Poolside

As the temps reach scorching mid to upper 90's here in Hot-lanta we have been venturing out to our neighborhood pool quite a bit. It's also a great way to burn off some Ella energy while baby AJ naps in the shade.

We're proud to report Ella is using her swimmies (arm floats) with great success so far this summer. She is jumping in on her own and shows great confidence in the water. Our goal is to have her solo swimming by next summer when Airlie will likely be up and about and in need of lots more attention around the water.

But so far...this is working out nicely.

Pony Riding

Ella loves creatures...everything from the tiniest bug to the biggest animal her imagination conjures up. So when her Godfather, Miles offered an invitation to go for a pony ride at his father's farm she was more than happy to oblige.

Here's a quick video of her trotting along on the little pony. She enjoyed watching them eat and play but as it turns out she didn't really like riding the pony. Nonetheless she returned home equally excited to tell me all about it.

Fernbank

Ella loves Dinosaurs, primarily because of the book, Danny and the Dinosaur so we thought a trip to Fernbank's Dinosaur exhibit would be a great family outing.

As it turns out...it was awesome but a bit too mature for Ella. In other words, an older child might have gleaned more from the interactive learning displays and such.

But...she did enjoy herself. In the naturalist exhibit she got to touch a real snake...twice. Fortunately I was nursing AJ and missed the entire slithering event.

I might be wrong...but I do think she's very science-minded. It's exciting to think of where her mind might take her and what she might be when she grows up.

Ella Tracks

A recent playdate with our friend Caela turned artistic...on my carpet.

No more than ten minutes had passed after checking in on the girls, playing quietly in the playroom, when Caela came running downstairs, hands coated in something dark and slimey. I quickly ran upstairs to the playroom to find this mess...blue and green paint, complete with footprint tracks, all over the upstairs carpet.

Next call...the carpet guy. Fortunately he removed all of it but a tiny spot in the playroom.

Ahh...thank goodness for Crayola washable!!

Airlie Jane....new pictures

While big sis whiled away the afternoon with a much needed nap the other day...I took advantage of some "awake time" with AJ and snapped a few photos. What a sweetie!

Ella...the little funny girl!

It's safe to say she's driving us nuts with the acting out and not listening, mostly attributed to the new addition in the house. But, Miss Ella is funny and at times when we should be stoned-faced it's hard not to laugh.

Sometimes I hear her repeating phrases or reprimands she's heard from us. For example, Matt was getting in the car to run some errands the other day and Ella ran after him. Opening the door to the garage she exclaimed, "Now don't drive crazy!"

Then a few days ago when playing sidewalk paint (which is awesome!!) with our friend Ava across the street Ella reprimanded her with this: "Now leave me alone right now because I'm trying to work, I'll play with you later!" Apparently Ava was trying to get some paint out of the same container Ella was using. I've heard Matt say the same thing to her when he's busy on the laptop.

Yesterday she walked up to me and said, "My daddy gave me poop yogurt!" What the??? Apparently we were all out of Diego yogurt so Matt fed her Activia. A few hours later she yelled from the bathroom, "Mommy, it worked, the poop yogurt worked!"

Just this morning while I was trying to update this very blog and chat with my friend Heidi she came running up to me exclaiming, "Mommy, I put my pull up in the toilet and I can't get it to flush!" Crap...I gotta run...plumbers are expensive!!!

What's in a Name?

First tub bath!

A sweet kiss from big sis

Daddy's girls

We have given our second daughter a unique yet meaningful name, at least for us. But we realize it's going to be tough for her because it is not your typical name...and you can't find it in any of those baby books.

So...how did we come up with it? Airlie is the name of a beautiful little road in Wilmington, NC, one of our favorite places; we miss it dearly. The road is canopied by tall live oaks and pine trees draped in Spanish moss. There are picturesque farms and homes along the way. As you round the bend you can catch a glimpse of the azaleas and huge live oaks of Airlie Gardens through the brush and iron fencing. Soon you come into the light and you are looking out onto the beautiful waters of the intercoastal waterway. Then you catch a whiff of seafood as you near Dockside, a wonderful on the water restaurant. We loved it so much we had our engagement pictures made there.

You can check out the website hyperlinked above...or I suggest you just visit someday...it's beautiful...and a perfect name for our little peach pie!

Jane is a family name traced through both sides of the family!

Airlie Jane is Born!

Airlie Jane joined us a smidgen early (about two weeks) because my blood pressure kept climbing and that made everyone nervous.

She was born April 23rd (her due date was May 4th) at 7:46 a.m. A.J. weighed 6 pounds 2 ounces and was 18 inches long. She is a tiny little thing! So far she's been a pretty good eater and sleeper, unlike her big sis. She nurses every two hours or so during the day and goes every 3-4 hours overnight!!

It's hard to say who she looks like at this point. She has dark hair, my head shape, my nose, mouth and chin and she has Matthew's eye shape and brow line. Oh, and she has those darned long skinny feet. At least I can start spending more on those high priced narrow shoes for Ella...seeing as they'll be handed down.

We had a wonderful hospital experience. A planned c-section beats the heck out of laboring for nearly 24 hours and then getting the cut -- that's what happened with Ella. The only negative...the drugs for pain they put in the spinal made me puke for two hours after delivery!!

Returning home has had it's ups and downs. When I had a c-section in California with Ella we lived in a small one story bungalow and I could walk to the grocery store. Here in suburban Atlanta one must drive everywhere and most houses...including ours...are two stories. The doctors say I'm not supposed to drive, go up and down the stairs (more than once a day) or pick up anything heavier than the baby for six weeks. It's going to be a long and difficult six weeks.

Both moms have pitched-in, taking turns helping us. But...that ends in a few days and we'll be on our own. Fortunately, Matt isn't traveling until after my six week check-up. Whew! By then the neighborhood pool will not only be open...it will hopefully be warm. That will keep Miss Ella busy...that is if this relentless rain lets up for a few hours a day.

Speaking of Ella...she's having a tough time adjusting. It doesn't help that she decided to drop her nap the same week we brought Airlie Jane home from the hospital. She's been having massive meltdowns during which she screams for me. Typically she chooses to do this when I'm nursing or unable to appease her pleading.

She's also been acting out and pushing buttons. Everyone says this is normal and it will pass but no one can give me a time frame. Ella has been very sweet to the baby so far and seems more than eager to help with her. She's just being a little butt when it comes to Mommy and Daddy. Oh well...we did just deliberately turn her world, Ella's World, upside down.

She did what?

Okay...full disclosure...get out your barf bag.

Yesterday was a fun-filled day of poop "incidents". If nature is trying to get me ready for the endless amounts of poop that will soon come with baby A.J. this was definitely the warm-up!!

We've been trying to teach Ella to get up in the morning, go potty, take off her pull-up and put on panties. She only wears pull-ups at night simply because I haven't the heart or energy to deal with the endless changing of sheets.

The other morning...as I waddled downstairs to make our breakfast I instructed Ella to take off her pull up and put on panties before coming down to eat. Ten minutes later, still no Ella. This is not unusual because she's easily distracted. Still I called her downstairs. First she lied about taking off the pull up...upstairs again. Then she came downstairs with panties but no pants. Finally the third time was the charm.

After breakfast I went upstairs to make her bed and discovered a little trail of brown dots on her carpet. A quick whiff assured me of its source. I went into the bathroom where I found evidence of a poop -- clearly tended to by a three year old. Of course she doesn't do the best job of "getting clean" so when she sat down in the floor to put on her panties...apparently scooting a bit in her effort... the pooh left a little trail on the carpet!! Thank goodness for wipes...those things clean up everything.

Then...after nap time we went over to play with Ava. Kelly and I sat outside enjoying the nice sunshine while the girls played in the side yard. At one point Ava said Ella was pulling her pants down. We didn't think much of it.

A bit later...and I can't remember what brought this to my attention...I found Ella struggling to pull up her pants. She was covered in pee. She and Ava have gone on "pee in the yard" adventures before and usually they just end up watering the lawn...not their clothing. As I pulled up her pants I caught a scent that created a wave of nausea...poop. I checked and sure enough she had pooped...but where? There...in the yard. But why was it mushed flat. Oh Gosh! Her shoes. She had stepped in it. So with pee pee soaked jeans and poop caked shoes we said thanks for playing and went home...to strip down and start yet another load of wash.

Baby A.J.

For some reason...and perhaps it's the title of this blog...I've neglected to write a lot about baby number 2...Airlie Jane or baby A.J. as Ella calls her.

I'm 34 weeks pregnant now, the official home stretch is before me, and she weighs approximately 5 pounds 4 ounces. She has a bit of hair...which looks like little prickly things in the ultrasound. The other day she was sucking a toe! She's on track to weigh a good bit more than Ella, who weighed 6 1/2 pounds at birth. The midwife thinks if she stays on her current track she'll be somewhere in the upper sevens...closer to where Matt and I were at birth. I think Ella was small because I was not medicated for the hypertension during that pregnancy. This time the meds have kept my b.p. in normal range...so far.

But everything looks good at this point. I've been trying to upload ultrasound pictures but have had some complications. I'll keep trying!!

Play Date with Caela

My friend Aimee and I decided to take advantage of recent springtime weather and take the girls to the park for a play date. Caela is slightly more than a year younger than Ella but for the most part they play well together.

They ran, climbed, went for a slide and all the usual stuff. Then we went over to the duck pond to feed some bread to the geese and ducks. It all went swimmingly until the bread was no more and I caught Ella feeding the geese their own poop...which looks like giant dried up tootsie rolls. I nearly vomited. It was getting close to nap time so we called it a day anyway. Ella screamed the whole way back to the car. I could have cared less...my mind was on finding the handi-sani and wiping down her goose poop hands!

Next time...I'm thinking a park with no ducks!

Soccer!

First "game"...off to a good start!

Okay...swimming lessons went pretty well and she loves the pool! Ballet did not go so well. Gymnastics went very well...she may have even shown a bit of aptitude there. Now...soccer.

Not going so well. The first "game" (it's a series of learning stations and then a scrimmage) Ella was doing great during warm-up. But as soon as it became a "follow the rules and work as a team" thing she was off to the daisies...literally. Okay it's too early for daisies...tulips. She ran off toward the parking lot trying to make a quick escape. A YMCA volunteer noticed toddler running, very large pregnant woman screaming and efforting the quickest waddle on earth and thankfully snatched toddler from harm's way until out-of-breath mommy could catch up.


The next game was rained out. But the third "game" went a bit better. We made it through three stations with Daddy coaching and encouraging until she lost all interest.

Daddy gives a little direction

Oh well...we took a little team picture which will be cute and despite her disinterest...everyone gets a trophy in a few weeks after the last game. I'm thinking we'll go back to swimming and gymnastics...individual sports for my spirited, independent Ella.

Sharing "secrets" with buddy, Samantha.

St. Paddy's

Ooops...forgot to post this.

Each year we try to go out to lunch on St. Patrick's Day. Not only is it a tribute to my heritage it's also a relatively new tradition. Our first official "outing" (not including church and the doctor) with Ella was St. Paddy's Day 2006!

We waded our way through the drunks in Manhattan Beach, CA to the upstairs "family" area where we enjoyed fish-n-chips and a celebratory beer. It was as much about the Saint and the old home-land as it was about making it to almost three months with a new baby.

This year we went to a pub nearby. The line...albeit long...moved pretty quickly. No pictures of our feasting...sorry.

Each year since we've moved back to GA we have taken a picture of Ella in front of the house wearing her green. This year she refused to sit on the steps...defiance! No she's not of Irish ancestry...why would you say that?

BTW...when Matt referred to March 17th as St. Paddy's Day...Ella matter-of-factly corrected him..."No Daddy, it's St. Patrick's Day!"

Interpretations of a Dramatic Three Year-Old

It's true...that saying...kids say the darndest things. They also do some very funny stuff; the problem is most of the time you're not supposed to laugh.

The other day Ella was having a late afternoon meltdown...most likely a result of crappy nappy. She bonked her head or something and acted as though it was the end of the world. After about 5 minutes of her high pitched screaming in my ear I proclaimed, "that's enough...you're hurting mommy's ears!" She pulled away from me, snot and tears streaming, "Don't worry mommy!" She then placed her hands over my ears and resumed the screaming.

We're trying really hard to drive home the manners thing -- because it is tremendously important to us. This has been challenging with such a headstrong little lady like our Ella. Nevertheless...a few days ago after completing her breakfast she let out a big sigh and proclaimed she was done. Daddy asked, "What do you say?" Ella responded, "I'm sooo full of yogurt!" I mean how are you supposed to keep a straight face, I ask you?

A couple of nights ago when I sat her down for dinner she looked at her plate; sweet potato covered in butter and sprinkles of brown sugar. Her little face lit up. "Mommy, did you make me potato?" Yes I did. "Mommy, I think I might marry you!" That comment was met with many forehead kisses!

I'm sure they all say funny, endearing things. But I feel like Ella says at least on hysterical thing a day...it's really hard to remember them all...and I don't want to forget a thing!

Marching Into Spring

We took down our Valentine's decorations in the morning, replacing them with shamrocks, and by afternoon we were having snow showers. Unfortunately we didn't get too much in our little area of metro Atlanta. The snow that did fall mostly melted away as rain showers moved in. But it was pretty and entertaining while it lasted. We went out and "played" in what was left of it after nap time. Although, we were the only ones out in the neighborhood!

Making sense of Daddyisms...

While in the car the other day, Daddy in the driver's seat, Mommy sitting shotgun, Ella in the five harness in the back, we were maneuvering traffic. Ella tried to pop off a few of Daddy's usual phrases when finally we broke free from the congestion. Daddy put his hand in the back seat for a high five and Ella exclaimed, "Five on time!" Which should have been "Right on Time!"

Then she said, "Now you're greasin', Daddy!" Which was meant to be..."Now you're cookin' with grease!"

We laughed...and now we use her interpretations of the oft-used "Daddyisms"

Princess Pouts Alot

A few days ago she got all dolled up in this get-up and then didn't want her picture taken.

The matching pink sunglasses were an interesting accessory choice!!

Today...she put on the same ensemble and declared, "Princesses don't get spankings!" Hmh...we'll see about that.

Valentine's Cookies

With her great-great Grandmother's apron wrapped around her little waste and Grams at her side, Ella made some yummy Valentine's cookies on V-Day eve.

Then on Valentine's Day Ella spent about an hour with her "boyfriend" Cory while Matt and I went for our preparatory tour of the hospital where we'll deliver "A.J."

Later that evening, Ella went to a party at the YMCA where she played, ate pizza, and watched movies while we went downtown for some great Italian food. Well...it wasn't that great. We were just happy to get a reservation...THE DAY OF!!

Hope everyone had lots of love and treats!!

Grandmom's Dress

Each year we take a picture of Ella wearing the dress Grandmom Majoli wore to our wedding. The idea is to watch her grow into it over the years. It's a tradition my friend Gerin started with her daughter and I love it.

Here are our favorite photos from this year!

And the great news is...Babci has a dress her mother wore to her wedding...and it will be set aside in order to carry on this tradition with baby "A.J."

My Sister's Place

The other day Ella insisted on getting in the baby's bassinet. Matt obliged, even though I thought she might weigh too much.

He even turned on the music and left her in there with "A.J's" new blankies. She got very perturbed when I went in to take the picture. I also reminded her it was the baby's bed, an idea she didn't like either. Could that regression thing be starting already? Fun!!

Godson #3

We went back to North Carolina recently after our great friends, Rosemary and Jay asked me to be the Godmother of one of their twin boys, Bert.


Ella was great and on pretty good behavior most of the time. It was great seeing our friends, being back in NC and meeting those precious little boys.
It was nice to see Ella around babies too...since she's soon to be a big sis. She was very gentle, sweet, interested and attentive when they cried. Let's just hope she's that way when it's a blood relation!!

Georgia Aquarium

This was, pardon the pat on my own back, one of my better ideas. Turner offers discount tickets to employees and fortunately as a freelancer I get to enjoy those perks as well. So in an effort to spice up what can be a long and boring month...I skipped down to the little ticket office and bought some tickets for the Georgia Aquarium. Matt had worked a Monday holiday so he took the following Friday off and away we went.

Since the work Aquarium is a bit of a challenging word for a three year...we simply told her we were going downtown where Mommy works to see the fish behind the glass.

It was an amazing hit. Except for the Wiggles (totally so over...moving onto princesses) concert a couple of years ago...I have never seen her so excited and enthralled. What did she most want to see? Pink starfish. To myself I thought, fat chance, but I told her we'd look for them. Sure enough...they were there.

We also saw cool jellyfish, sharks, stingrays and sea urchins. Speaking of sea urchins...we also saw "Nemo" and "Dorie".

If you live in Atlanta and have never gone to the "fish behind glass"...or you're coming to town for a visit...I highly recommend it. We had a blast!!