For Today

Outside my window...the sun has set and it's dark and cloudy out.

I am thinking...about a Nooma video by Rob Bell I watched tonight.

I am thankful for...a hardworking husband.

From the kitchen...BBQ chicken, baby potatoes from the garden, romaine and mandarin orange salad

with toasted almonds, corn, and icecream with berries

I am wearing...denim, Old Navy bermuda shorts and a t-shirt.

I am creating...editing pictures of Ellie to print at London Drugs.

I am going...to bed soon.

I am hoping...to see a good friend from University days soon.

I am reading...My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

I am hearing...the sound of the train going through Lacombe.

Around the house...there are lots of piles of school things as I gear up to go back at the end of August.

One of my favorite things...watching Ellie sleep.

A few plans for the rest of the week...going into Red Deer to run errands and check out new stores at the mall; picking raspberries, saskatoons, and strawberries; moving our office to the family room.

A picture to share...Ellie at the beach this last weekend :).

At 9 months, Ellie...

* has quite the personality! We've noticed that she is a detailed person. She loves to investigate new things and play with ribbons, tags, and other small things. She is so expressive and loves to spend time talking with people.

* gets quite excited when she sees her Daddy come home.

* is no longer in her newborn, baby carseat. We bought her a bigger carseat as she outgrew the new and improved bucket seat in height and weight.

* started drinking milk and water from a Nuby sippy cup.

* still has no teeth but chews and chomps on cold teethers.

* loves spending time outside on the grass, in the sand, or out for a walk. We enjoy watching her feet feel the new textures and her eyes take in the new sights.

* has quite the sandle tan. She has her Daddy's skin :)!

* does not like it when sunscreen is applied or wearing hats. She will pull on the hat until she gets it off.

* started raising her hands above her head when she's happy, clapping, and waving.

* has started to spin around in circles on her tummy and will motor backwards. She will pull herself forward if she grabs our hands.

* gets excited when she hears the water running for bathtime. She's quite the little fish and will splash in the water for a long time!

* had her first Canada Day BBQ and Westerner Days parade.

A sunny day for a parade...

Ready, Set, Maybe...

Dear Ellie,

Tonight you woke up with a start just after 10:00 pm. I'm not sure if you had a bad dream or if your stuffy nose and cough from your cold startled you. I went into your room, lifted you up from your crib, and sat down in the rocking chair. At first I tried to hold you close to me with your head resting on my shoulder but you wanted something different. You wiggled and squirmed until you had turned yourself around and were facing out. I gently tucked your arm behind my back, wiped the tears from your eyes, put my hand on the side of your cheek, and then you immediately put your head on my chest. You lifted your other hand and rested your fingers on my arm. I wasn't ready to lay you back down after you settled and were calm. Instead I held you, your head resting against my chest, feeling those tiny fingers against my skin, listening to the steady rhythm of your breathing, your body perfectly cradled in my arms. I wished time would slow down and almost stop. I wished I could hold you like that for a long time. My eyes welled up and tears fell down my cheek. I was speechless except for one prayer silently whispered, "Thank you, Lord for my Ellie. "

Love, Mommy

Hiccups, Giggles, & Jumps

At 8 months, Ellie...

* made 6 plane rides to North Carolina and Thunder Bay, Ontario. She was a wonderful, little traveler. Now she has been to each coast of North America.

* and her mommy (and daddy too) are thankful to be home for the rest of the summer.

* measures 30" long, has blonde hair, and dark brown eyes. We've been told that she has very distinct eyebrows :).

* is wearing some 9 month clothing but mostly fitting into 12-18 month clothes.

* doesn't like to play on her back anymore but likes to sit up to see and reach for things around her.

* can push herself backward when on her tummy.

* is very ticklish and laughs every day.

* makes gaga, baba, aaahhhh, mama, and murmel sounds.

* LOVES food! So far she has tried applesauce, pears, peaches, bananas, and orange wedges,

sweet potato, carrots, peas, green beans, pumpkin, cucumber, and corn on the cob,

cereal, yogurt, chicken, and crackers.

* has no elbows, knees, nuckles, or ankles...a little chunky monkey!

* uses her pointer finger and thumb (and sometimes her whole fist) to pick Cheerios and Puffed Wheat off her highchair tray.

* celebrated her first Father's Day!

I can't believe that Ellie is 3/4 of the way to her first birthday! I know this summer will go by fast!

At 7 months, Ellie...

* loves to jump in her Jumperoo.

* is sitting up on her own but still a bit unsteady.

* enjoys playing Peek-A-Boo, singing songs like "Little Green Frog", "You Are My Sunshine", and "Skin-na-ma-rink-i-dink-i-dink", and reading books (although she likes to eat the pages :)).

* had her first swimming lesson and loved the water. She is a little fish indeed!

* still loves the yogurt and cereals we started a month and a bit ago and now enjoys sweet potato, carrots, pumpkin, applesauce, pears, and peaches too.

* instantly loved the Cheerios when we gave them to her the first time.

* went to visit her Grandma and Grandpa de Andrade in Abbotsford and meet her cousins, as well as other special friends, for the first time.

* travelled over the mountains, took 2 ferry rides to Victoria, and got to visit the ocean too!

* had her first Starbucks Strawberry Lemonade :).

* slept in many new beds and did well but it wasn't her favourite part of travelling.

* celebrated many family birthdays and her first Mother's Day!

At 6 months, Ellie...

* went for her checkup and weighs 16 lbs. 13 oz. and is 63 1/2 cm. long.

* started eating solid foods about 2 weeks ago as she was waking up out of sorts at night and really early in the morning.

* has tried yogurt, oats, and wheat cereal and thinks they're pretty yummy!

* doesn't sit in her bouncy chair anymore but in her Bumbo.

* continues to be a wonderful napper, with 2-3 naps a day.

* is sleeping much better with a fuller tummy at night.

* puts everything in her mouth to explore and taste.

* is still so happy, calm, and content.

* is recognizing familiar faces.

* celebrated her first Easter!

* and her Mommy survived 4 nights without her Daddy but were sure glad to see him when he got home!

1 stroller, hoodie, blanket, and soother

2 winter boots 

3 pictures snapped

4 rosy cheeks after our walk

     

So Much Joy

"...Your laugh, baby
To me it’s just like helium
I breathe it in until I am
Ten feet off the ground

Oh, your laugh darlin’
It warms me up like sunshine
It is golden, it is so fine
Baby, when you laugh..."   --Carolyn Arends--

At 4 months, Ellie...

* wears 6 month clothing and size 3 diapers.  She is a long baby!

* goes to bed around 7/730 and sleeps through the night with a little snack before I head to bed      at 1030/11.  We are so very blessed!

* wakes up from her sleeps happy and calls out from her crib with a voice like "Mommy, I'm ready now..."

* had a weekend sleepover with her Bestemor and Bestefar while Marco and I were at BreakForth

* had her first set of shots and we both did okay :)

* enjoys tummy-time and playing with her Clutch Cube 

* is happy to sit in her bouncy chair while I have my breakfast or make supper

* has the best smile and is full of giggles and laughs

* thinks her Daddy is pretty fun

* is so content

* had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa de Andrade from Abbotsford, BC

Outside Our Window

I woke up this morning to it looking like this outside our window and the weather report saying it is -30C with the wind chill:

So it is a good day for a warm oven, rhubarb muffins,

and a second cup.

Hope you are keeping warm!

Monday Mornings

I love Monday mornings because of moments like these and a little girl who brings so much joy.

At 3 months, Ellie...

* has discovered her hands and loves to look at them and suck on them

* smiles, laughs, and brings so much joy

* is so strong and can roll from her tummy to her back (did it for the first time on January 9th)

* celebrated her first holiday...Christmas and New Years

* is getting to be so alert and aware of what is going on around her

* loves to kick during bath time, push her feet against the edge of the tub and is so serious when she does

* likes to be wrapped up and snuggled with the blanket on her cheek with she's tired

* has at least 3 naps during the day and sleeps through the night from 10:30 pm to 8 am (has been doing this for over a month now :))

* sleeps with her hands folded like she's praying

* still has dark hair and brown eyes like her Daddy

* is beautiful and we love her so much!

Tree Day

My sister has eagerly anticipated the Advent Season and "Tree Day" this year. I must admit that her excitement has rubbed off on me too. Tree Day is not a day that is on our calendars but it's a day we count the number of sleeps until it's here. We get bundled up, go to the nearest tree lot, and choose the tree to fit our home. Then it doesn't mater how young or old you are but the time it takes to let the tree defrost and open up seems to take a LONG time.

In our home, Marco always fits the tree in the stand and does the lights so they are just right. Then we decorate the tree together with old, new, and treasured ornaments. This year, Ellie sat next to us gazing at the lights as we decorated. It's like our second-first Christmas!

Sunshine

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

You make me happy, when skies are grey.
You'll never know, dear, how much I love you.
Please don't take my sunshine away.

Twenty One

Today Ellie is 3 weeks old. As I was thinking back on the last 21 days, I started making a list about some of the things I love about her.

1. the way she fits on my chest

2. how she loves to snuggle

3. the way she rests her hands underneath her chin to let me know she's asleep

4. the way she sighs with contentment when her tummy is full and her bum is clean :)

5. her dark brown eyes and the way she looks up at me when I'm holding her in my arms

6. her ten perfect fingers and ten perfect toes

7. her dark brown hair

8. the way she smells after a bath

9. the way she buries herself in the fuzzy, warm bath towel because she doesn't like being naked :)

10. how calm and peaceful she is

11. the indescribeable joy she brings to our family

12. the way she turns when she hears her Daddy's voice

13. whispering how much I love her

14. her yawn

15. her beauty

16. her many faces, especially when she scrunches up her little nose and eyebrows

17. the humming and little noises I hear as I walk by her cradle

18. she is our "El", "love", "pumpkin", "sunshine"...

19. that she is an answer to our prayers and she came at just the right time

20. that when I look at her I am reminded of our awesome Creator

21. "I will give thanks to You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14

Ellie Renae

Our Ellie ("light") Renae ("reborn") is 10 days old today.  She came into the world on October 27th at 4:03 am and weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz.  The last week and a bit we have been resting at home and enjoying the love that has been showered on us by grandparents, brothers, sisters, a great-grandmother, and friends. We are truly blessed! We have also been doing a lot of cuddling, especially in Daddy's safe and strong arms. The last two days our little family has gone for a drive into Red Deer.  The time together has been so special!

From Cookies to A Bun In the Oven

It's been a long time since my last post and a lot has changed for us! Thank you to all you faithful readers who have kept on checking for the last 9 months. Marco and I are eagerly anticipating the birth day of our baby and it could be any day now. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures that my talented sister Erika took on Thanksgiving Monday. I'm so glad I said "Yes" to being in front of the camera because we had such a wonderful time together and the pictures are beautiful!