Nana and Papa visit

Nana and Papa drove up from McDonough last night for a visit. Aunt Durene, Alex and Zach joined us briefly before they whisked off to swim lessons.

Daddy grilled up dinner and we all enjoyed some summer favorites. Then we all tore into Nana's amaretto cake. Yum!! As Matt always says, twice the fat, twice as good. And it was.

They also brought Ella the coolest thing, an aquadoodle. It's the greatest thing since sidewalk chalk in my opinion. It helps her learn how to hold a pen and start "doodling" without the worry of stains on furniture, carpet or walls.

And a soft, sweetest puppy was a big hit and a wonderful addition to her stuffed animal collection.

Summer Corn

We'll make a Georgia Peach out of this California Baby yet. She had her first taste of big, juicy summer corn this week and seemed to really enjoy it.

I love this picture, Daddy's girl learning to eat corn on the cob. Okay so she doesn't quite have it yet but she's getting it.

18 Months Old

Ella turned 18 months on the 20th. I am saddened I didn't get to blog on her special day, but as usual we were out and about running like chickens with their heads cut off. But Grams is moved in to her new place, although not completely un-boxed.

At any rate, she went to the doctor on her half year birthday and passed the autism screening with nearly flying colors. I answered yes for one of the indicators, staring off at nothing. The doctor said it was not one of the big markers and she's probably just a day dreamer. Maybe she'll have a great imagination as a result. She also had blood drawn, which didn't fase her in the least. But the three shots sent her into outer orbit. She still got a special "birthday" cupcake after lunch.

So here's a little mommy assessment of how and what Ella's doing at 18 months:

At 18 months Ella....

says I love you

identifies her cousins; Emma, Ax, Ack, Tay

Emma, Alex, Zach and Trey

still loves Elmo but she's also grown attached to Cookie Monster and Barney

likes to hide and when she's found she closes her eyes, probably thinking since she can't see me, I can't see her

can climb the stairs and get back down them pretty well, but we still supervise

is clumbsy -- she's forever falling and bumping something and she bruises easily, like me

LOVES choo choos, saying "shoo shoo" whenever she sees one. Naturally she adores Thomas and Friends.

Says Babci and Granddad, although it comes out bah-shee and ga-duh.

still refuses to call my mom Grams

loves ice, i.e. ice cubes, icicles, ice cream, etc.

is still a picky little eater

has to have a squirt of chocolate in her milk, otherwise she won't drink it

loves the swimming pool and the bathtub

seems to be sharing pretty well so far

is kind

loves exploring

says "I know!" a lot. So for instance you might say, "Ella, you're sweet." To which she'll respond, "I know!!"

wants to be outside on even the hottest day

is non-stop -- a lot of work -- and a great joy

Daddy's Girl

All is right with Ella's World, once more

We didn't get to spend much time together, just us three, this Father's Day weekend. Matt got home late Friday after having been in D.C. since Saturday morning. He phoned ahead and pleaded with me to keep Ella up past her bedtime to greet him. Easier said than done. After her bath, lotion rub-down, Desitine, saline spray, diaper, jammies, tooth-brushing and hair drying we usually have a book and then bedtime. Friday after hair drying I put her down and she ran to the big rocker yelling, "book, book!" I had to say no, not now, and she immediately began whaling.

I distracted her by taking her downstairs to play.

Finally as 8:3o rolled around, an hour past bedtime, I heard the 1966 Bronco pull into the garage. All week long when I heard something like an airplane, a dog bark, a train, I'd ask Ella, "what's that?" To which she would answer, "Daddy!" So when I heard the truck I asked this same questions and she responded "Airplane!"

She was so happy to see him. And, as if it had been planned, he scooped her up kissed her and then she said, "Un-go ah-side?" (wanna go outside?) That's where Daddy found his new grill!! It played out beautifully. More beautiful than the giant blue/purple bruise on my ankle from getting the darned thing out of the Escape and onto the deck, alone.

Anyway, that was it for our together time this weekend. So we managed to squeeze as much time together as possible on Monday. Ella and Matt took a morning stroll together. And then after work, we played in her little kiddy pool on the back deck. Mostly because our neighborhood pool was closed due to a maintenance issue. I think someone must have pulled the old Baby Ruth trick!

I snapped some sweet moments. Enjoy the slide show!!

Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day a day early with Matt's family. Uncle Rob and Aunt Stephanie had the whole gang over for a cookout Saturday night. The kids played in the little inflatable pool. Ella and Emma looked so cute in their matching swimsuits (purchased separately -- a complete coincidence). Everything was great until cousin Zach took El and Em on a wagon ride through the backyard -- straight through an ant pile. The girls were okay in the wagon but he had lots of bites on his little feet and I got a couple of mean ones trying to rescue everyone. All the other adults were sampling appetizers and sipping down cold ones. Lucky me.

After everyone had a bath and the two littlest ones went to bed we had dinner. All was well. We decided to spend the night because Ella was sleeping so soundly and because they live closer to the interstate we'd be taking Sunday morning to get to my dad's grave. But about 2:30 Ella woke up screaming. Desperate not to wake up everyone else, we put her in bed with us. This is generally a no, no in our book. She thought it was play time. Between the hours of 2:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. we might have gotten an hour's sleep. At one point she had her crotch on my head and her foot in my ear. Again, we're going to blame this one on those darned teeth she's cutting.

We were basically zombies on Sunday. Ella was in pretty good spirits for having pulled an all nighter.

The Father's Day moment for me was when she nearly broke my heart in two. Without any prompting, she picked some flowers and walked over to her Grandpa's grave, knelt down and gently patted the stone. She just sat there for a moment. I became a puddle.

Later that day, after everyone had met at the family cemetery we met back at our house for a cookout (too much red meat this weekend) and some family time. It was as nice as it could be with a nearly 18 month old and a 2 1/2 year old running around.

Happy Father's Day!!

A quick blog as I am short on time. We're off to celebrate Father's Day with Daddy's family tonight and we'll be headed to Grandpa's grave tomorrow and then back home for a cookout (on Daddy's new grill) at our house with Mommy's family.

Will post lots of pictures early next week.

Have a fantastic Father's Day everyone!!

Oh yeah -- just in time for Father's Day, during a meltdown after a serious scolding, Ella sobbed the words I've been dreading....

"I want my Daddy!"

Joy

Finally -- Playtime

As you may recall from a previous blog entry, Ella and I have been quite busy helping her Grams with a yard sale and impending move. But today we only left the house to go buy some necessities at the grocery store and a few father's day cards. Most importantly we rested and played.

We finally had a chance to play in her brand new sand box. Well, Nana and Papa gave it to her for her birthday but it's new to us. Daddy got sand for it last weekend but we haven't had time to really play in it. Today we took the bucket and shovel and a few other toys along with some Elmo bubbles out to our little play area outside the basement door. She played in the sand until she realized that dumping sand on her head was not such a good idea. Then we swang for a while and chatted about airplanes and birds passing overhead. After playtime we went to the store where Ella sat in one of those race car buggies. I bought her some rod pretzels and she went to town on them (cutting canines or eye teeth) while I shopped.

Once we were home and the groceries were put away we went out on the deck so Ella could eat some "ice", that's what she calls homemade ice pops (cranberry juice and water). She enjoyed sharing her "ice" with me and the geraniums.

During bathtime I gave her some crayons made of soap so she could write on the walls of the tub. She enjoyed this at Babci and Granddad's Sunday night. It was a bowl of fun until the soap started to disintegrate in her hands, making a pink and green mushy mess. She squished her hands together, made an awful face, looked up at me and said, "Yuck!"

After bathtime she had a meltdown like I haven't seen in months. I'm going to attribute it to teething and being over tired.

A Strange New Game

After a serious scolding for throwing something off the second floor banister into the foyer down below, Ella and I were talking (okay I was talking) about why throwing is not acceptable. She sat in my lap as I explained why she had gotten in trouble. Then she began bringing me throw pillows from my bedroom. She placed them in my lap and then sat down. I thought maybe she just wanted to be more comfortable. Then once all the pillows had been stacked on top of me she moved on to stuffed animals. By the time it was all over Elmo's hand was up my nose and part of the train track was stabbing my throat. She then seemed pleased and walked away to play elsewhere. I slowly pushed the pile away and removed myself from beneath the rubble of toys and broken tracks. Sometimes you wonder what inspires them. I think perhaps she reasoned with herself that if mommy's unable to move, she can throw things until the cows come home.

Busy, busy bee

Just wanted to leave a quick post letting all blog readers know I haven't abondoned ship. I have however, been extremely busy. My mother is moving out of her house (built in 1910) which she has lived in for 33 years. Yep, that's 33 years without any garage sales and rare trips to Salvation Army to drop off old crap. I of course, drew the short straw and have been helping her prepare for a yard sale and impending move. Needless to say, it's a daunting task.

Granddad with sparkler candles on brownies and traditional candles on key lime pie

But here's a few quick pictures of Ella enjoying Granddad's 65th birthday, which came complete with fireworks. Ella didn't even flinch at all the pops and sparks. I'm not sure that's a good thing.

Ella watching fireworks with Aunt Durene as cousin Alex looks on

Sprinkler Splashing

A Tractor Full of Fun!

If you don't already know, most of Georgia is under a watering ban. Sunday morning is one of our designated morning's to water the lawn. Matt inherited a "rain train", which looks more like a tractor to me, from his parents. It has a sprinkler attached and moves along the hose watering the lawn as it goes.

Babci and Granddad were here with cousin Emma Sunday morning and decided to venture outside with the girls. While Emma stood back and watched, not feeling quite herself ~ possibly cutting two year molars, Ella walked right into the water. She was drenched and having a ball. She didn't dance in it or run through it, she just stood there and watched it hit her legs, looking up and laughing every now and again.

Then she took off down the sidewalk talking to the trees and birds and showing Granddad just how fast she can walk, alone thank you, no hand holding.

Zach turns six!

Cousin Zach turned six on Thursday, Happy Birthday.

We went to Uncle Wayne and Aunt Durene's to join the rest of the immediate family for dinner and homemade birthday cake, thanks to Zach's Grandma!

The kids had a great time playing, eating and ripping through Zach's mountain of birthday presents. Ella was particularly interested in telling everyone the birthday cake candles were "hot!!"

Tricycle!

Daddy finally put together the tricycle Ella got for Christmas! It's been on his honey do list for a while now and I came to understand why when I scanned the assembly instructions. The trike is German made so the directions came without written direction, maybe because of translation costs or confusion, so there were diagrams with letters and numbers -- that was it. It took an engineering degree -- thank goodness he has one.

But the inaugural spin around the house was loads of fun. Now, poor Ella is torn between her car and her trike. Decisions, decisions.

Cup -- Not Quite Running Over

While sorting laundry this morning -- Ella had a hard time deciding between my sports bra and my pretty bra.

Yesterday she was trying on my shoes. We're in trouble.

Grams Love

It's a rare occasion when Ella allows anyone to snuggle with her, unless she's really sleepy or sick. But she gave Grams a short-lived loving moment and I was able to capture it, because the camera just happened to be sitting right next to me. How sweet!

Side note -- my mother wants to be called Grams by her grandchildren and no one knows why. Ella has taken it upon herself to call her NaNa instead. Little Miss Independent.

Alexandria's First Holy Communion

For some reason I couldn't post a picture of Alex receiving her first Holy Communion in the previous blog, so here it is. She was just beautiful. And the reception following the service at Uncle Wayne and Aunt Durene's was lovely.

Alexandria with Uncle Matt, who is also her Godfather

Congratulations Alex!

Hair Up -- Winding Down

Ella enjoyed a nice long weekend with Babci and Granddad while Matt and I ran around between churches (see previous blogs).

When we picked her up Sunday she seemed happy as a clam. B and G were happy to report she had slept pretty well and had eaten like a horse, something she doesn't do for me. She also had a wonderful time playing with cousins and friends after Alex's First Communion reception on Saturday. Granddad said she tried her hardest to keep up with the other kids, but she is the youngest so as soon as she caught up they had gone in another direction. Sad but cute.

With the exception of a minor catastrophe which involved Ella dunking one of Alex's purses into the toilet, everything seemed to have gone pretty smoothly. Sorry, Alex. Guess I know what you're getting for Christmas from Ella.

Before we left B and G's house, Ella enjoyed a nice swing with Babci and a walk through the backyard with Granddad.

A Whole Lotta Church

The weekend of the 19th marked cousin Alexandria's First Holy Communion and the wedding of Daddy's college friend, Kyle. Needless to say we were busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest.

Friday night was rehearsal and rehearsal dinner downtown Atlanta. Mommy had too much champaign. That's what happens when Babci and Granddad offer to take the little one and Mommy actually gets to shower and put on make-up.

Saturday morning came early, and with a big pounding headache. But we put on our happy faces and headed to another church for Miss Alex's special day. Here's a shot of Ella during the first ten minutes or so before she became squirmy and had to be released into the gathering area and then the big field behind the church.

The service was lovely but took forever. There were 66 kids receiving first Communion. At that was one of several masses to take place at that particular church. I never knew there were so many Catholics down south. Yankee transplants I guess.

We left early because Ella was approaching an hour past nap-time. She only got about 45 minutes in before folks started showing up for the reception. That was quick also because Daddy and I had to leave early to get to the wedding. Once my hair was put up with five thousand bobby pins I dropped Matt off at the church for pictures. I then headed down the street to check into our hotel. A quick change into my gown and then back downstairs to wait 20 minutes for the valet guys to find my car which they had just parked.

Ella's parents all gussied up!

The wedding was beautiful and everything appeared to go smoothly. Weddings are a lot of fun when your only responsibilities are to eat, drink and be pleasant to your spouses old friends. Not a bad gig if you can get it. Plus it's always nice to hear those vows again. It seems to renew things a bit. Serves as a little reminder of things that get so lost in the everyday concerns of life and diaper changes.

Good Luck, Kyle and Erica!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day was busy and began very early in the morning. Daddy woke with Ella and once diaper duty was over they came to visit me in bed before heading down for breakfast. Hearing her say "Mama" on my special day -- made the day for me.

But it wasn't really my day. The grandmothers had to be honored first and foremost. So we leapt into action cooking dishes and tossing fruit salads for a brunch at Aunt Durene's for Babci. Of course, of all mornings this was the morning the lighter on the gas stove top wouldn't quit clicking well after it was used. Daddy ended up turning off something in the basement but after about 20 minutes of rushed preparation and non-stop clicking -- nerves were already shot.

Brunch was nice and relaxing. The kids played and we all enjoyed what turned out to be a very nice meal.

Granddad "eating" Ella's feet while Babci, Zach and Alex look on

Then we headed home for a few hours before going over to Grams's house for a picnic at the park. Daddy and Ella surprised me with some nice and funny cards and a big ole gift certificate to a spa.

CAN'T WAIT!!


Uncle David swings Trey and Ella together

Around 4:00 we met the rest of the family at Grams's house and went over to Shorty Howell Park for a picnic. Trey and Ella enjoyed swinging and climbing on eveything. Aunt Leshia andUncle David attempted to make homemade ice cream which turned out to be more like a milkshake but it was yummy. As you can see, Ella and I thoroughly enjoyed it.


It was a very nice Mother's Day #2.

Lessons Learned

These days it seems I'm almost always saying no to Ella. Some days I have to say it so much I hear Ella walking around singing a little song that goes, "No, no, no, Ella."

But while teaching her not to pull on the iron cord, not to pull my hair and not to throw food are arduous parenting necessities, there are a few teaching moments that are special and poignant.

For instance, Ella has recently started getting up on her rocky horse all by herself. When I was ironing this morning she quietly went into the playroom and got up on him and started rocking away for a good five to ten minutes. I imagine she's been encouraged by seeing her cousins Emma and Trey hop right on their respective ponies and trot away.

All was quiet and good until I heard a thud! I knew before I even rounded the corner she had fallen off her horse. After the "delay cry" (face red, mouth agape, no sound) I gave her a kiss and told her it was okay. She started trying to explain to me in her own little language what had happened. I simply said, "You have to get back on and go again." Yes, that old "when a horse throws you off..." lesson. She didn't hesitate, she got right back on and started riding again. I was so proud of her.

I am also happy to report Ella is now saying Mommy

Just in time for my big weekend. And last Sunday she brought me a flower for the first time. My heart melted. She had plucked the blossom from my freshly planted flowers, and although I probably should have, I didn't tell her no, no, Ella.

I'm pressing it for her keepsake box.

Because I probably won't post again until next week -- Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies who come across this blog. God Bless You!

Cinco de Mayo - E Gang Style

Saturday night we met Granddad and Babci over at Uncle Rob and Aunt Stephanie's for some margaritas and Mexican food. Ella and cousin Emma (E-Gang -- 8 weeks apart) had a great time playing together. The older they get the more they interact with one another.

However, they're also very quick and busy. Babci had a hard time keeping up with them as they went running here and there.

They slowed down a bit for bath time but it's probably fairly easy to tell their energy levels haven't quite petered out yet.

Dinner was great and the girls went down to bed pretty easily.

The adults played an I love the 80's trivia game. It was a total riot. Who knew such random things associated with one of the weirdest decades in history would come in so handy. Tons of fun!!

Sticker Fun!

I was working on greeting cards for the month of May the other day (hey, a rhyme) and after several desperate attempts to find something that would entertain the little one, I turned to the little gold Hallmark stickers. She loved them. The books say she's old enough for crayons, which she tries to eat, but I never assumed she would be interested in stickers.

First we put stuck them on her ears like earrings and she thought her reflection in the mirror was pretty puh-teee. But by the time I got the camera out she had moved this sticker to her nose. You can see she was really having fun.

We've entered the parenting chapter entitled: Your Child Loves Stickers: Cover the Antique Furniture.

Long Distance Dedication

Happy Birthday, Greta!!

Love~

Your Blogging Buddy,

Ella

Daddy's Turn

It's strange, swim lessons at the YMCA are largely "parented" by Dads. Matt missed the first one but he's been right there with her the last two weeks along with all the othere dads. He's teaching her to kick her legs and she's doing quite well. Miss Kelly continues to give Ella lots of special attention and Ella continues to splash and laugh and learn. She's getting so comfortable in the water that she's started dumping cup fulls over her head during bath time. The teacher says that's a good thing. She also got brave enough at this morning's lesson to put her face in the water. That did not elicit happy cheers and laughter, rather great big balls of crying. But there's no other way to learn humans are not equipped to breathe water is there?

They look quite serious in these pictures but they really are having a great time. We allowed Ella to play in the pool after swim lessons this morning while we waited for the family locker room to clear out. When we had to leave she cried and cried. She LOVES the water.

The Sand Trap

Aunt Leshia had to go out of town and Uncle David was working so I took Ella up to their house to play. Grams welcomed the company and the kids had a great time playing in the sand. Uncle David dumped it in a low area of the yard to help fill it in but the kids had other plans.

Play Date with Maddie and Steele

We weren't able to make it to Maddie's fouth birthday party so we scheduled a play date instead. Ella had lots of fun playing with Steele's feet and looking at his cool hair. And Maddie showed Ella how much fun it is to play dress-up. Now she attempts to put on any pair of shoes I have laying around.

The Hot Seat

Mommy couldn't resist this hot pink little plastic chair. Now Miss Ella has a place to sit on the deck while everyone else sits in the "big people" chairs. She still climbs up on them anyway but her little chair is starting to grow on her.

And she's found many new uses for it. For instance, it's small enough to carry inside allowing her access to lots of things that are higher than she.

No Cameras Please

In her best effort to mimic all the Hollywood brats -- Ella pulled Daddy's AU hat over her head and pushed the camera away. Does Mommy take too many pictures? Never!

Ella said Auburn for the first time this week. Daddy was grinning ear to ear. She's also started carrying around Carnell "the Cadillac". He's a big (much bigger than she) stuffed tiger. It's quite adorble to see her pull him behind her, throw him down, then lie down on him and take a rest. I'll have to try and capture this to share with all of you. That is if Miss Priss will let me take a picture of her.