It’s me again… I find that it is easier for me to high-jack either Mommy or Daddy’s laptop and write these little entries on my own then wait for Mommy or Daddy to write them for me. They are so busy and when they have free time ((when I am sleeping)) they like to spend time together and catch up on tv shows or movies — actually I don’t know what they do, but I find this is helpful to them both if I write about all my adventures… so here we go… my first Christmas and New Years Eve!
Along with celebrating my first Christmas and New Years Eve, I also turned 7 months old and in just a few days I will be 8 months old. I can’t get over how quickly the days are going. I am learning and experiencing so many fun things that I forget just how old I am becoming!
The month of December arrived and within days this tree appeared in our living room at home. I thought trees belonged outside, but for some reason this one is in our house!! I don’t quite understand why there is a tree in our house, but it looks pretty. It has so many nice lights and hanging little decorations on it. I love looking at it and I also love reaching for the tree. I will just sit in front of the tree and stare, reach and smile at the tree! Before to long wrapped packages appeared under the tree. This looked really nice and I can’t wait to learn how to wrap packages. This year I needed Mommy and Daddy’s help in wrapping the presents I picked out for them. I am sure the next few years I will also need help, but they look really nice once wrapped!
With the Christmas holiday approaching quickly I really grew up quickly… I knew that Mommy and Daddy would need some time to get things done so I learned how to play better on my own with my toys and read my books. Mommy and Daddy have a lot of my books on a bookshelf and I love taking all the books off the shelf . As soon as they put them back on the shelf, I take them back off. While I try to understand what I am reading, I pretty much try to read with my mouth as I love chewing on all the books! Maybe I will be the first little girl to read with my mouth?!?
I also really enjoy more than anything to be on my feet. I can’t walk or stand by myself yet, but if Mommy or Daddy give me their fingers to hold on to, I will pull myself up into a standing position. If I have a choice I definitely want to be on my feet and or bouncing. While “Albert” isn’t my favorite thing anymore I still use him from time to time, but prefer to hold someones fingers and try walking or using my Elmo walker. While I am a bit to short yet to get it moving and cruising I do enjoy being in it!
I am currently eating Stage II foods in the Gerber line of foods. Since Dr. Kromash insists that I only try one new thing at a time, it is taking me awhile to get through all the Stage II foods. I am eating solids 3 times a day. In the morning Mommy and Daddy give me some sort of fruit with rice cereal, ((soon I will be trying wheat cereal)) after my morning nap I usually eat whatever “trial” food I am eating and then around 5:00 or so I eat my third solid. Formula is still a main part of my diet as Dr. says I need it to get a lot of the vitamins and nutrition I need until I turn one. Some days are better than others when it comes to eating, but I think we are all that way. I have tried apple juice which tastes different to me, I think I am used to my formula that the change to juice is just shocking to my taste buds. Mommy and Daddy got me a sippy cup which I just started using and I think they plan to put juice or water in it daily to get me used to holding cups/bottles on my own. While I try to hold my bottle on my own, I just can’t get it up enough to drink it on my own without help. The sippy cup has handles so it may help me with the concept. 🙂 A real treat for me is drinking water from a straw, it is so much fun!!!! When we go out to lunch or dinner somewhere Mommy will use her straw and give me water, I really like it!
I have somewhat of a schedule when it comes to my sleeping habits. I am usually up anywhere from 8:00 – 9am. I then eat, as I mentioned above, and then play or do things around the house with Mommy. On a normal day, I will then lay down for a nap anywhere from 10 – 11am and usually sleep from 2 – 2.5 hours. When I wake up I eat my lunch and play some more unless we have somewhere to go or something else going on. I then try to get a quick cat nap in the afternoon. I don’t always take a nap in the afternoon, but if I can I try to as I then am happier! Daddy is the one who usually puts me to bed at night. Since he works all day and isn’t home with me, this gives him some time to spend with me. I enjoy it! We usually retire to my room with a bottle and binky anytime from 7:00- 8pm. I have my days and nights when things don’t go as I mentioned here, but usually this is how my days goes.
I still don’t have any teeth. I keep hearing Mommy tell me to “grow teeth”… I wish I understood what she meant by that. From what I can tell food is rather liquidy. I do see Mommy and Daddy eating all sorts of things though and I do notice when they talk and smile at me they have these white things in their mouths, maybe those are teeth. Anyway, I guess at some point I will “grow teeth” and make Mommy happy!
I have also learned to rock back and forth when I am sitting. When given something new I will hold it and rock like a nut!!! I get excited and this is my way of showing everyone that I am happy with what I was just given. I heard Daddy telling Mommy just today that when a baby rocks it is a sign of rhythm.. Yea, I got rhythm!!! HA!
While being on my stomach still isn’t one of my favorite things, I am getting used to it. Now when I am sitting and reaching for things I topple onto my stomach and instead of getting upset I now lift myself on my arms and look around and/or reach for things. My rear-end is what seems to be holding up the show… it just doesn’t want to keep up with my arms. I kinda look like a worm wiggling on the ground. I keep trying and Mommy and Daddy continue to help me out and show me that I have knees, I just need to get it all together and I’ll be on the move!
I have been talking for some time now, but over the past few weeks my “Ella Talk” has turned into sounds that begin with M’s and B’s along with a few other letters. In fact, Mommy and Daddy continue to tell me that they think my first word is going to be “Hi” as a number of times it has sounded like I have said “Hi”.. I guess we’ll see what my first word is in a matter of time!
I visited Dr. Kromash in late November and I weighed 20 pounds 4 ozs. and was 27.5 inches in length. I handled my shots like a champ too! I received my first flu shot too which has a lot easier to handle then the normal shots. I return next week to get the 2nd half of the flu shot.
Okay, enough about my advancements and changes… on to the holidays…
Christmas was a lot of fun for me this year. Everyone seemed to be all about Ella! I wonder if it will be like that next year. I know that “Peanut” will also be here then but I am willing to share in the fun and attention.
Leading up to Christmas there were a lot of holiday commericals on TV, some of my favorites include the HHGREGG commerical, TJMAXX/MARSHALLS commerical and the PA Lottery commerical. I absolutely love HH, he along with the ground hog from the PA lottery make me stop whatever I am doing and watch them on tv and smile. The ladies and men on the TJMAXX/MARSHALLS commerical singing while riding the escaltor have the same effect on me. Mommy and Daddy call the HHGREGG guy my boyfriend – silly huh?
Mommy and Daddy took me to church on Christmas Eve. I loved listening to all the Christmas songs and had fun playing with Marissa and Katie Dobbs. They even let me chew on their antlers!!! 🙂 At the end of the service we sang Silent Night and I had my very own candle. I just wanted to chew it, but it was neat seeing all the lights in the church and hear the pretty music. After church we went to MoMom and PoPops for dinner and to open gifts. Uncle Matt was there too! I got him the best gift – BACON… and it talks!!! I don’t think Uncle Matt knew quite what to say, but in the end I think he liked his bacon. I received a lot of nice gifts as well. One of my favorites are the Crayola color “eggs” – they move all over the place and I love reaching for them! I also got a nice plate that I can use next year with “Peanut” to leave Santa a snack! Mommy and I will have to bake some cookies next year!
Christmas Day was a first for Mommy and Daddy, we stayed home!!! Apparently Mommy and Daddy wouldn’t stay home on Christmas Day, but decided to this year so I could enjoy the day at home. It was nice, I really liked being home and having my bed here to take naps. MoMom, PoPop, Grammom and Granddad along with Uncle Matt joined us for the day. In the morning however I woke up and saw all these fun toys under the tree… Santa must have found me even though I didn’t leave him a snack. ((I guess first timers are given a pass)) Mommy, Daddy and I had fun opening and playing with my new toys. I also gave Daddy his gift – a tea set, and Mommy her gift – socks for the season. They both seemed very happy with their gifts which made me one happy little girl! In the afternoon I had more gifts from Grammom and Granddad and Great-Grammom sent me a gift too, she didn’t come up for Christmas. I took a nice afternoon nap and then ate dinner with the rest of the family. Lots of yummy food!!!
Christmas was fantastic… I loved being with my Mommy and Daddy and the rest of my family!!!! I can’t wait for next year!!!
New Years Eve wasn’t all the fun for me… I guess it is a big thing for older people -like Mommy and Daddy. I did stay up a bit later — 8:30pm but certainly didn’t make it until midnight like Mommy and Daddy. I did wake up about 30 seconds before midnight and said in my own language “Happy New Year”.. I am hoping Mommy and Daddy heard me through the “Ella Monitor” 🙂 I don’t think I will get to really celebrate New Years Eve for some time as I am to young to really enjoy it but I am hoping that when I get older Mommy and Daddy will let me stay up with them so I can have fun too!
So my first 8 months of life have been wonderful and as 2011 begins I only expect for good things, including a brother or sister!!!
