Two Months!

How has the summer gone by this fast?  I am loving all of this time that I get to see Ellie grow and boy, has she!  She can focus on so much more for longer periods of time, and doesn't sleep as much (both a happy and sad thing for Mommy :)).  At two months, our little girl:

*weighs 11 lbs., .5 oz.- 50th percentile
*is 22 1/2 inches long- 50th percentile
*has a case of acid reflux (which we are going to try some new things to help with it)
*is extremely healthy in all other areas and is developmentally strong
*wearing mostly 3 month clothes (Mommy was in tears packing away most of the newborn clothing :/)
*wears a size 1 diaper
*eats 3.5 oz. of formula at a time, eating every 2-3 hours during the day and between 3-6 hours at night
*loves to spend time in her monkey bouncer.  She just recently learned how to hit the toys that dangle from the bar and this makes her giggle!
*has went to the YMCA daycare and the Northside daycare.  As hard as it was to take her, I know that I need that time in each of those places to make me a great mom :)
*is grabbing items such as blankets or burp cloths and holding onto them for longer periods of time.
*loves having floor time, especially when her Daddy is home.
*will track you with her eyes when you are moving about.
*is adjusting to Penny and will even squeal when Penny licks her now :)
*is an absolute joy and the reason why my heart is overfilled with love each and every day. 

She hates posing for these monthly pictures, but I love them!

I randomly took this picture on my phone the other day and love the joy on her face.  It makes my heart melt.

Thumbsucker?

These days, E has been doing a lot of thumb/finger sucking.  I am trying my hardest to teach her how to use a pacifier, but sometimes she just wants those fingers.  Although I don't necessarily want her sucking her thumb (much harder to take away than a Nuxy), it is too cute to watch her try.  Watching her discover her hands has been so much fun to witness.  Here is a shot that I took to capture this:

This headstrong little girl might just get her way with the thumbsucking...

First Trip to the Zoo

E and I were invited to go to the zoo with our friends on Tuesday for Amie's birthday!  I didn't renew my zoo membership this summer because most days were too hot to take Ellie out, but we enjoyed the somewhat cooler temperatures and hanging out with some of our favorite people.  I think Chris and I will always remember Ellie's first zoo trip because of the turtles "hugging" as Riley says :)  I got a video but since the blog is PG rated, it won't make the cut!

Here is my little monkey ready for the zoo (although she slept most of the day :))...

Cammie's First Sleepover!

On Thursday, we were so lucky to be able to have my C Monkey all night!  Chris and Amie went on a much-needed and awaited trip to Chicago to watch the Cubbies.  Although I have to admit that I was a little jealous (baseball is one of our favorite things to experience as a four-some), I was thrilled to be able to watch Cammie.  She is at SUCH a fun age.  She is always wanting to explore and discover and she loves our Ellie-Bell more than I even could have imagined.  On Thursday night, we ate ice cream and played outside until we couldn't see anymore.  I was a little worried about how she would handle not having her mom during bedtime, but she did great!  We got to FaceTime Amie, which was too cool seeing C react to "seeing" her mom and telling her good night.  (Sidenote:  What did we ever do before iPhone technology?!)  She then went to bed with me and Nick (with Ellie in the bassinet), and after a couple of episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, she was out for the night. 

Getting ready for bed with Nick, A.K.A Dick, one of her best buddies

The next day was filled with bubbles (before it reached 102 degrees), watering the flowers, coloring, blocks, and eating some of our favorite foods (Froot Loops, chicken nuggets, pretzels, and Oreos dipped in milk).  It was such a fun time, although I will say that I plan on having my kiddos more than 22 months apart :) 

Eating some Loops while watching Oso in the morning

Love, love, love this one :)  She is like her Aunt C and loves Oreos and milk!

And I had to throw one of E in here... I know she looks a lot like me, but this one is the first time I have taken a picture and said, "Woah!"  How can you not love that little grin?

Happy Father's Day!

We had a great Father's Day around here.  Nick got to celebrate his first one, which was awesome.  I made a Pinterest-inspired creation for breakfast, which I found here.  We did our favorite thing to do on Sunday mornings, which is have breakfast together and read the paper (well, N reads the sports section and I read all of the ads for the upcoming week :)), and then we had to get ready for our day.

Here is little miss in her outfit for her Daddy:

Last year, Nick and I started a new tradition by taking both of our dads to The New Albanian on Bank Street for their bloody mary bar.  Our dads love it!  They both say it is one of their favorite days of the year, and I would have to agree with them. 

Here we are from last year (2011):

And this year... notice a new guest at lunch :)

After lunch with our dads and Caitie, we went to see my Grandpa Bud.  He is downright one of the happiest people that I know, and an absolute joy to be around.  He loves Eliot a ton! 

I forgot to snap a picture with them, but here he is meeting her for the first time at the hospital. 

So very thankful for some amazing men in my life!! 

Newborn Pictures

Thanks to Chris' Aunt Bug, we have some beautiful newborn pictures of Baby Ellie.  She was our wedding photographer, and has taken a few photo shoots in the past few years of us.  Now that Eliot is here, I have a feeling we will be taking the drive up to North Vernon to see her a lot :)  Here are some of our favorites!

 Mom and Ellie... love her with all of my heart <3

 Gotta show our Reds pride, even at a week old!

 Love a wedding band/baby feet picture :)

 Love these little girls.  They make my heart melt.

 Haha... even if she wasn't happy, I love how she is showing off her Chuck's, just like her mom and Aunt A!

My baby girl :)

She was a Daddy's girl from the first moment!  Watching him with her makes me so proud and makes me fall in love with him all over again :)

One Month Already?!

This has been the fastest month of my life.  I know everyone kept telling me how quick it would go by once she was here, and they were absolutely correct!  Ellie is the light of a lot of people's lives, and has been such a blessing to all of us.  I am extremely fortunate to still have quite a bit of time left with her and am still trying to soak it all in with her (even through fussy time :)). 

At one month, Eliot...

*eats every two hours during the day, but can make it three to four hours at night (and her momma thanks her for that daily!).
*eats 3 oz. at a time.
*is still on Similac Sensitive formula.
*gets tons of hiccups everyday, but they don't seem to bother her much.
*wears size NB diapers.
*wears size NB or 0-3 month clothing.
*only has a few pairs of socks that fit her.
*LOVES bathtime.
*has a fussy time (or a bit of colic) each night for up to an hour.
*is 8 lbs. 12 oz.- 50th percentile.
*is 21.1 inches long- 50th percentile.
*has a head circumference of 14 inches- 50th percentile.
*loves her swing and laying on her belly... especially laying on dad's belly.
*sleeps in a bassinet next to our bed.
*takes a pacifier sometimes, but still hasn't gotten the hang of how it exactly works.  Her Nuxy has a bunny on it currently.
*is the love of our lives!!! 

 Can't decide whether to laugh or cry!

Happy one month baby girl!!!