Another Update

So, I finally get Ella back in the land of well people and now I've lost Keith! Last night after dinner he started throwing up and is just now able to keep anything down. He was feeling really bad last night and this morning, but says that he is starting to feel more like himself. Whatever this virus is, the rotavirus or whatever, it is really yucky! We're trying to keep him quarantined so that I don't get it or Ella doesn't get it again.

Today I finished up the biblestudy that I've been doing the past few weeks. It's called "Discerning God's Voice" by Priscilla Shirer. I'm mentioning it because it has been a life changing study for me and if any of you ever have the chance to participate in it, I highly recommend it!

On to photography; I experimented unsuccessfully this afternoon with intentional lens flare. I didn't capture what I was looking for, but I thought the pictures of Ella were cute! :-)

Update

Good Evening! I just wanted to give an update on Ella...she only had one #2 diaper today and it wasn't nearly as bad as they have been the past few days. She ate all of her breakfast, lunch, and dinner so I think her appetite is back. So I think it's safe to say she's definitely on the mend. Thank you all for your prayers and concern! :-)

She is getting so close to walking! Here she is pushing her little car. She's going back and forth from the recliner to the coffee table...if she would just get a little bit more courage she would be walking for sure. I've been working with her for a long time now to get her to clap her hands and she finally did it today. It's so exciting when they reach a milestone that you've been practicing with them for so long. Also, she started saying "dada" about a month ago, but didn't associate it with anything. Today when Keith got home she reached for him and said "DADA!" I think Keith's heart just melted. :-) I got to experience her calling me Mama (so sweet!) a few months ago so I'm very happy for him that Ella is finally calling him by name.

I've been keeping my laptop in the living room so I can get work and scrapbooking done whenever I have a free minute. Ella has gotten into the habit of trying to get my mouse, card reader, basically anything she can get her hands on. It drives me nutso but I know it's my own fault for putting it in such a tempting place.

Finally, I wanted to share a couple of pictures of the "other" members of our family. Our dogs, Abby and Charlie, used to be our babies and were spoiled rotten. Needless to say, they don't receive quite as much attention as they used to. Anyways, when it's cold they like to huddle together in front of our space heater to stay warm. Little love bugs. :-)

My Own Little Corner

I realized that almost a week has gone by since I've posted. I used to be so good about updating Ella's website and our blog, but I just let it get away from me these days. Ella has had a rough weekend...I'm convinced that she has the rotavirus. It started with throwing up on Friday night and has continued through today with lots of diarrhea (sorry if tmi). She goes to see the Dr. tomorrow for him to check on her ear infection so he's going to check her for the diarrhea too. She acts like she feels pretty good; no signs of dehydration. But I'm just a little worried about her because it's been going on for so long. Please pray for her that it will stop and she'll get back to normal. I know her little tushy has to be sore! Plus, I think she's lost weight and she's so tiny anyways. A sick baby is just pitiful. :-(

Anyways, here are some pictures of Ella in her own little corner of the world (Don't worry, I know those pants definitely don't go with the top, but she ended up in them after a little accident). We put all of her toys and goodies in one corner of our living room and she hangs out there playing with her stuff. She's so good at entertaining herself and having fun. Such a sweet little thing. :-)

I looove to read!

Here are some pictures of Ella on Sunday. If you look closely she's "reading" her book upside down! :-) Look at her little feet in the first picture...just want to eat them up!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Our Funny Valentine:

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's day! We definitely did...Ella and I started out the day at church for Thursday morning biblestudy. She spent the morning in the nursery (not willingly as usual :-)) being strolled around by Ms. Gloria which sounds pretty nice to me! After lunch we headed out to Wetumpka to take some 3 month pictures of our friend Eliot. Boy has he grown! Can you believe the difference since the last time I posted pictures of him?! What a sweetie he is too! He even had a little Valentine for Ella. :-) This evening Keith and I enjoyed a nice dinner (just the two of us) after Ella went to sleep. A perfect day with my two favorite people.

Little Eliot:

Funny Eater

Ella is so darn picky with her food. She's not a big eater anyways, and she's gotten to be really funny about what she'll eat. Certain things need to be room temp. to be consumed, certain things need to be warmed up, etc. And, she will make some really funny faces to let you know if she doesn't like or want something. Here's a taste (no pun intended!) of one of her mealtimes.

Tarheel Baby!

We took Ella out on Saturday to the basketball courts in her Tarheel (mommy's alma mater) baby onesie to get her pumped up for the big game on Sunday (against Duke). She was very disappointed in the result of the game!! She looked pretty cute in her Carolina gear though. :-)

9 month check-up

Ella did so well today at her doctor's appointment. No shots, but she had to get her finger pricked and she didn't even flinch. What a tough little cookie! She must get that from her daddy. :-) Anyways, that child has an ear infection...can you believe it? Not one word of complaint from her about it! Dr. Trumbull said it's from being sick consecutively. He said it's not bothering her or we would know it for sure. So on to antibiotics for her. Keith and I are going to have to figure out what to do about the nursery because we've got to keep her from continuously getting sick.

She weighed in at 17 lbs. even which is the 20th percentile and was 28.75 inches which is the 90th percentile. That girl is her father's daughter for sure! The Dr. said she looks terrific and to keep up the good work. He was very impressed with her new sleeping habits and I was very proud to tell him about them. :-) So anyways, we'll be back in 2 weeks to check on her ears and then back in 3 months for her 1 year visit. Hard to believe she'll be 1 year in less than 3 months!!!!

9 Months today

I know this picture is pitiful, but I seriously could not get anything better. Ella is just so busy she won't stay still! She is wearing her new big girl pjs. She feels very grown-up...haha. So anyways, she is 9 months today. We celebrated by going to the park and the museum with Saddlar. Lots of fun!:-) We go to the doctor next week so we'll find out percentiles etc. then.

Here's a couple more pictures from yesterday that I got a chance to work on.

9 month pics

We took Ella to the park today to take her 9 month pictures. It was 75 degrees outside and thankfully the rain held off so I was able to put her in short sleeves and bare feet. Gotta love the South! :-) Here's a couple of my favorites...I'm still editing them so I may have a couple more to post later. I hope everyone is having a great week!