Olive Garden

I have always felt fortunate that Ella is a good eater, and I think we have a rare little 2 year old who generally will eat whatever is fed to her.  It is odd, too, because she can have a great deal of stubborn-ness in her but chooses to save it for other battles. (diaper changes, bed time, picking up toys, etc) :)

Last night was just crazy!!  Derek, Ella and I went to Olive Garden to eat. Ella ate salad the entire time she was there. She ate about 3 plates of lettuce, tomato, cheese and croutons! She didn't care about the entrees Derek and I tried to feed her, she just kept right on eating her salad and a nibble or two off her breadstick. She can be such a little grown up!

Update on Baby

We had our ultrasound yesterday! I am so happy to hear Baby is looking healthy and perfect! Heart rate was 159 and weighing roughly 7 ounces. It was so fun to to take a peek (most likely the last) before it's arrival. Things have sure changed since our last pregnancy.... they sent us home with a CD of 20 pictures and 2 short video clips. Some of my favorites are below:

Watching the 4 chambers of the baby's heart:

Looking at baby's perfectly round little belly:

Baby looks pretty comfy in there with legs crossed!



"Why?"

This conversation literally happened 15 times today:

<insert command from mother to child>
E: "Why?"
H: *silence*
E: "Because, Mom?"
H: "Yes, because."

I plan to ride out this train as long as I can before I have to start thinking of excuses.

Fast Forward 20 Years

My only comfort (or "lovey") when I was little was a set of cloth diapers that I would use as a blankie to carry around and suck on. These things were literally rags by the time I was finished with them. A few months ago, my Mom brought one of them to my house that she was ready to get rid of. Low and behold, it has become one of Ella's favorite dolly blankets!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Our Christmas was absolutely awesome this year, we all really enjoyed the company and Ella loved tearing open presents. In addition to our own gift opening and breakfast, we were able to make it to 4 other Christmases this year. (Half in part to Ella becoming really easy to travel with and half because things just fell together nicely this year.) Christmas always makes me realize how awesome her grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends all are.... all year round.

We have 3 new additions to our family!

"Shaniqua:" This baby dolly eats plastic food! Continuous feeding and no mess, hooray!

 "Abby:" This puppy walks, barks, and wags its tail. Its hilarious chasing Ella with it using its little remote!

"Emmy:" This baby (who Ella wanted to name "Charlotte") likes to eat, drink, and go potty!



Funny Conversations

(In the car on the way home from work/daycare)

Me: *Yawn*

Ella: “You tired, Mom?”

Me: “Yes, Mommy’s tired.”

Ella: “You want Mimi?” (handing her up to the front of the car)

You know you're loved when Ella is willing to lend you Mimi!

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Me: “Did you see baby puppies at Jenise’s today?”

Ella: “Yeah!”

Me: “Really? What color were they?”

Ella: “Green!”

"I Want a Kiss!"

Last night, Ella and I were talking on the phone to Derek who has been away deer hunting. Ella listened intently to the call, and actually held the phone up to her ear.  You could tell she really missed her Daddy. After our "love yous," "miss yous," and "Goodnights," we hung up.

Not a minute went by and Ella, seemingly disatisfied with the farewell, shouted "I want a kiss!" while looking at her phone. We dialed Derek back up, and Ella and Derek kissed there phones back and forth several times with another round of "Love You," "Miss You," and "Good Night."
SO CUTE!

Getting Anxious for Santa

An Apology Nearing Supper Time

Derek: "Ella, go tell Mom you're sorry."
Ella: "Sorry Mom...." *hug*
Hether: "Are you sorry for being naughty?"
Ella: "Yeah. I'm sorry. I want chicken."

Updates on All!

Derek has been gearing up for deer hunting season this coming weekend. He is so anxious to get on the road, although he doesn't leave until Thursday night. He's due for a weekend away! We have a few things planned during his absence but will definitely be thinking of him non-stop.

Ella has really started making me laugh this week. Our roles have swapped as parent vs child. She has started to get a really condescending tone to some of the things she'll say. Like immediately after Derek accidentally burned his hand on a hot plate, she patronized him with "Dont touch...."  Or as she was slurping from my glass of water for 5 minutes, she must have sensed I was growing impatient with her shenanigans. She looked at me matter-of-factly and said "Last time...." Or when I tell her she has 5 minutes until bedtime, she likes to remind me "5 minutes...." until the countdown is over. I'm just waiting for her to start wagging her finger at us like a teacher!

I had another OB appointment this week! Things are looking great, and we are a few short weeks away from (hopefully) finding out the gender. I am really starting to brainstorm nursery ideas! Other than a few headaches and backaches here and there, I have no complaints! This week has another milestone: I've been able to feel someone inside there. :)

Christmas Party

This weekend included a holiday party with several of our closest friends! It is an annual tradition to get together, have a big holiday meal, do a white-elephant gift exchange, and have a contest on who can find/wear the craziest Christmas sweater! Here are a couple pictures from the event:

 Derek was the winner of the Christmas Sweater contest (2nd year in a row)! He won a big basket of prizes.

Buried Treasures

This week's baby progrss includes a lot of time digging through all of our baby totes, mainly looking for maternity clothes, pregnancy books, and gender neutral baby items (burp clothes, pacifiers, bottles, blankets, etc). Ella thinks Christmas has come early!

She has been entertained by a box of bottles and pacifiers for 4 days now, trying to find lids that fit the bottles and walking around with a pacifier in her mouth laughing. It is SO cute seeing her use her old bibs and blankets on her dollies. Big sister in training!