Lots of new things happening!

These last few weeks have been full of new things happening, and it is time for me to finally blog about it! Yay! Ella's asleep and my coffee is beside me, so I am ready to go!

So the biggest news is the newest additions to our family. My younger cousin had a child and so did my sister! I am officially an aunt! And all the new babies are girls, no suprise there though! I seriously feel like it is impossible for our family to have a boy. I only have one male cousin, and he is the only one that has had a son. It is so crazy! But anyway, the new babies are precious. My little neice, Aubrey, is less than 3 weeks old, and I am so glad I have gotten to spend a good amount of time with her. And I also got to meet little Miss Karsyn, and she is also adorable! Ella is going to have a ton of ready-made playmates with all of the babies in my family. :)

The next big news story is that Ella took her first steps!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!!!! I seriously can't believe it. She is on her way to walking everywhere. I am so happy....but also kinda sad. This is a huge milestone, but it just reaffirms the fact that she is growing up so fast! I am so proud of her though! And the best part is that KT and I were both with her when it happened. We have been having a lot of discussions lately about work getting in the way of being able to witness these big moments in her life, so I know it was a huge deal for him to be there for that. We were both so proud and happy. It actually happened in her Gymboree class. At the end of her class everyone was getting their shoes on to leave, I stood Ella up on the floor, and then out of nowhere she just tooks two steps!! Then she hit her knees and proceeded to scream about the audacity of that floor daring to hurt her precious knees. But it was such a monumental moment that it took KT and I a second to process that she had just walked. I of course was like "Oh my gosh. KT, did she just walk?!?!" He was pretty caught off guard too because it took him a second before he acknowledged it. We were shocked! I am so glad that we are doing these classes. They have had such an impact on her already. She is one of the youngest babies her age group, so she is one of the only ones not walking in the class. And she cannot stand it! LOL! But this is a good thing because she is really trying to imitate what the other babies are doing. She loves the group play that the class does. And it is allowing her to learn how to interact with other babies and to be comfortable crawling away from KT and I to play with another baby. Last Wednesday the teacher announced it was the end of class and called for the babies to come get their "Gymbo stamps" on their hands. Everyone (babies and adults alike) started heading out of the play area, but KT and I were waiting for Ella to crawl back over to us so we could carry her out like usual. However, Ella had other plans. She literally crawled out of the exit of the play area to get her stamp herself. She even had the gall to look back at us waiting for her with such a look of impatience! She wanted her stamp, and she was going to get it whether we were coming or not! I tell you this story because if you know Ella, then you know how reserved and cautious she is around other people. This class is bringing out a new side of her! And the best part is that we won 3 free months of these classes via a drawing at Babypalooza!!

Another big piece of news is that KT got a job in Birmingham! Yay for no more commuting to Tuscaloosa! He got a new job with a better position and pay, so we are really excited for that. It also has the opportunity for quick advancement, which is a really nice perk. It still isn't in the work genre he wants, but it is giving him great management experience to go along with his OM degree. So it may not be the longterm job, but it's a great stepping stone. I also got hired for a job....and then turned said job down. I know, I know. I have been wanting to go back to work for so long now, but with KT's new job I am going to be able to be more selective of what job I take. This job could have been great for someone without the family commitments of having a child. The travel and opportunities for advancement were great, but I just can't commit to being away from Ella for 2-3 weeks at a time. It was also heavily based in sales for the entry level management position I was hired for, and that's not really the area my strengths are in. I can sell things fine, but I cannot try to, for lack of a better term, "harass" people into buying things. I was also shocked at how strongly I reacted to the idea of leaving Ella to go back to work. I cried and cried and cried. But KT is amazing and told me he supported whatever decision I made. He even encouraged me to stay home until I found a job I was passionate about. That was a huge burden off of me. I hate feeling like I am not handling my fair share of the responsibilities, but he reassured me repeatedly that he was happy to have me stay home with Ella and that I was doing enough by taking care of her and the house. Who knew I was so domesticated?!? I sure didn't. So I am still job-searching, but now I am only applying for things that I really want to do. I will probably end up finishing the year out at home, but for the first time ever I am okay with that!

I also am in the middle of planning Ella's first birthday. These things are such a big deal! It's kind of stressful, but luckily, it is the kind of stress that doesn't make you lose sleep. I love coming up with all of the ideas for the party. And I also have help, which is a big relief! But I will be posting about the journey of planning a first birthday in a separate post, so be on the lookout for that! Now it is time for me to go do some updating to the look of the blog!

Ella's Six Months Old!! And new pictures!!

Yesterday was a big day for Ella! She turned 6 months old. I was so happy and sad at the same time. I can't believe that it has already been half a year since we were blessed with the best baby in the whole world! It has gone by so quickly that I am almost sad to already reach this milestone. The past 6 months have truly been the best of my life. Everyday I fall even more in love with my amazing daughter. (Even though it has been six months it still sounds weird to say "my daughter", but it's a good weird!)
Since KT had to work that afternoon, Ella and I decided to celebrate with a mommy-daughter day. We went to McAlister's first for our lunch date, then to make Mother's Day cards for both grandmas, nanny, and auntie at Target, and then we capped the day off by meeting up with Jania and James for ice cream and a photo shoot on UA's campus. I'd say it was a pretty good day. And by the smiles and laughter coming from Ella throughout the day, I'd say she agrees. There are some pictures below from our day out for her 6 month birthday and just some pictures of Ella that are cute!

Tomorrow is Mother's Day, so hopefully we will have another great day together as a family tomorrow. Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful mommies!! By the way, I say mommies need way more than just one day out of the year to honor all of the hard work that goes into raising kids, having a career, and taking care of the household!!

Sitting with Saban!

 

 Sitting with Saban again! (Btw, I didn't realize I couldn't rotate the

pictures until I already uploaded them and now I don't feel like

re-doing everything to fix it. LOL. Sorry!)

 

 In front of the stadium! Sorry again! LOL.

 

 Ella sitting beside me at McAlister's being the best baby in the world!

Such big, beautiful brown eyes!

 

 "I'm six months old!!" Seriously, could she be anymore adorable??

 

 Just chillin' on the couch like a big girl!

 

 Eating some yummy Cold Stone Creamery!

 

Loving her new exersaucer!

 

Sleeping on her daddy's chest! :)

 

 

These pictures make me smile. Tomorrow I will do her official six month pictures like I have been doing every month. If you missed last months pictures, you can see them here. Also, I am still looking for guest writers, so contact me if you are interested! Don't be shy! Tomorrow I will let you guys know how my first Mother's Day goes! 

The baby girl who stole my heart

While reading the blog post I posted about earlier (if you haven't read it, you can find it here), I realized just how incredibly blessed I am to have the most amazing little girl in my life. And I get to call her my daughter. I can't even describe how being Ella's mommy makes me feel. Unconditional love doesn't even cover it. She literally holds my heart in her tiny palm, and I am perfectly okay with that. Before becoming a parent, I had no idea that you could love one person (especially someone so tiny!!) this much. I saw other parents and they obviously loved their children, but I assumed it was the same kind of love you had for anyone else in your life. I was wrong. The type of love you have for your child is so different from anything you will ever feel for another human being. That is not to say that your love for someone else is not as great but love for a child is just on a completely different level.

While this post may not have much relevance for anyone besides me, I will do it anyways. Many parents go through heartbreak that I cannot even imagine. And I know that I have been blessed with Ella, so I am choosing to celebrate my precious baby and the love I have for her. So for no other reason than just because I love her, this post is solely dedicated to Ella and how amazing, brilliant, beautiful, and loving she is every single day.  :)     You can call me cheesy now if you want!

These are some of the 4 month pictures I promised!

The flash makes her eyes big. So funny!

Yesterday, we had Ella's four month well baby check-up. She is doing amazing! She is a healthy 14lb 1oz and 24 1/2 inches long. She did so great with the doctors too! She laughed and smiled at them while they did their physical check of her. She thought the leg stretches, tummy time, and getting picked up and put on her feet were all games, so she played right along! Both of the doctors were impressed with how well she holds her head up, keeps her back rigid, and can push up with her arms while on her tummy. They said she is really close to sitting up by herself and rolling all the way over. The doctor also said her bottom teetth will come first, but we are about a month away from the first ones popping out. KT and I sat and watched her getting examined and showing off her skills like such proud parents! It felt like we were watching her first real "baby challenge" and she passed with flying colors! She made us so happy! She even did well with her second round of immunizations. She cried when they did it of course, but after it was over she went back to just being her normal happy self. Just like with the first round, she didn't even get a fever! Another reason I am happy we have been able to breastfeed! The benefits are so widespread!

Ella loves to play on her playmat! She REALLY loves when I pretend to kiss her cute little feet! Sorry for the kissing sounds! LOL

Another quick update, Ella loves bananas in her rice cereal! I tried that today because she was eating the rice cereal a little bit, but she wasn't enthused about it. I want her to enjoy eating, so I mushed a small piece of a banana and mixed it in and she loved it!

These are from our trip to the park to celebrate her four month birthday! Ella loves her Daddy!





My adorable little family! 

I love this little girl more than anything in the entire world!

XOXO,
Dani

Ella's Four Months Today!!!

It is March 10, which means my pretty baby is 4 months old! Crazy that time has flown by so fast. We celebrated by enjoying the great weather we had by going to the park. Ella hated it, but we tried. LOL! Really it was just super windy, and she did not like the wind blowing on her. Once the wind calmed down she spent her time watching everyone go by. We have such a curious baby. But her curiousity can actually be a negative thing sometimes because she makes herself stay awake to watch everything. That results in one cranky baby, which we experienced when we got home. Thankfully, she finally gave in and went to sleep.

She has definitely been making some strides to be a big girl lately. She started attempting to eat her rice cereal. (By the way, any recommendations on the best brand of rice cereal? We have her on Beech Nut because it is supposed to be easier on the tummy, but I'd love to hear your opinion!) She also started using her baby shampoo, which is a step up from just using infant head-to-toe wash. I know, I know, but I was excited about it! Her hair smells so yummy now! :) She also is becoming so mobile! We put her on her playmat and she never stays in the same position anymore. She pedals herself around until she is facing the complete opposite direction. Hopefully, she will be fully rolling over soon. Right now she is just getting on her side. But I can tell she is getting close for sure!

The biggest accomplishment so far has been that today she said her first "mama" sounds! It lit up my heart! Before you all tell me that she isn't actually addressing me as "mama", I know this! However, I choose to believe in my mind that she spoke directly TO me as she said the magic words! And nothing you say will take that away from me! :)

Unfortunately, Ella fell asleep before I could do her four month pictures. Guess those will have to wait until tomorrow. She should look the same right?? :) Pictures to come tomorrow!

XOXO
Dani