Spring Storm

Here's a pic of our back yard. This was taken this morning, but the snow still fell for about five more hours (with rain mixed in) so there's a tad more out there now! Right now it's partly sunny and no precipitation. Gotta love Colorado!
Koa is always a little apprehensive about the rain and snow. She usually hangs out under the patio cover for a minute and then once she decides she's ready, she will just take off and do a few lightning quick laps around the backyard and then come flying back inside. I was able to capture her flying leap back toward the house! Silly dog.

Look how deep! It's up to her knees!

Unlike her mother, Ella likes eggs. She likes them so much, she thought she would show you how she eats them.

I didn't get a chance to update everyone on our 1st Easter with Ella. Actually on the Friday before Easter we put Ella to bed and Blake and Peter and I dyed some eggs. This year I got some crazy brand (not PAAS) and was totally disappointed! It said it came with 9 colors but really there were like 2 blues and 2 pinks...actually one of the pinks didn't even dissolve. It just turned into dust at the bottom of the cup....weird. But all in all we had lots of fun. We decided to leave some eggs out on the table to see if the Easter Bunny would come to our house one day early. He must have smelled them because guess what!? He came!! He brought Blake a basket with candy and Pokemon cards and also a big container of bubbles and a bubble wand. He also brought Ella a little pink bunny.

On Easter morning we met up with Tina, Blake, and Kathy and had brunch. And in the afternoon we went to Grandma Ruthe's. Ella seemed to be a little under the weather and she felt really warm. By the time we got her home we could tell she wasn't feeling good. She just wanted to sit in my lap and snuggle with her blanky. Unfortunately I had left my camera at home all day so the only photos I have are of her at the end of the day when she was feeling pretty crummy.

Here's her 11 month picture.

That sock she is holding is really soft. She loves to snuggle with it. So we don't use them as socks anymore. We have one in the car and one that we keep in the house. Ahhhh, the things we do for our kids.


PS-Happy 30th Birthday Heather!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thoughts on Eating

Okay, so my kid eats a lot and her eating habits have been on my mind lately. Not anything serious. Just random thoughts.
For instance, the other day my mom and Ella and I went shopping. Ella is at the age where she doesn't really last that long in a stroller so shortly into our shopping trip she was screaming her head off to get out of the stroller. But this time, holding her didn't seem to calm her. She was just really fussy. We thought maybe it was her teeth. But once we visited the food court and had some lunch she was much better. In fact she fell asleep shortly thereafter and then was fine for the rest of the day!
At one point I realized....oh....maybe she was just hungry! And then I felt like a horrible mother. What mom doesn't know that it's time to eat! I suppose I could blame it on the fact that I work and so I don't really have her all day and so on the weekends it's tough to kind of figure out what her routine is. I think that at the sitter's house she probably eats all throughout the day! When I drop her off she starts pointing toward the kitchen because she knows there's food there and that's what she wants! I could also blame it on the fact that my child never ate baby food. She basically went from rice cereal to table food. And this I think is far harder to gauge as far as amounts that she is getting and really knowing if she is full and when she will be hungry again. And I could also blame it on the fact that I'm a first time mom and Ella totally threw me for a loop when she refused to eat anything out of a jar! (She still refuses to eat anything off a spoon.)
I suppose it's a combination of all of these things. And I suppose that feeding her and making sure she is getting enough of the right nutrients weighs on my mind so heavily because being another person's source for food is serious business! Above changing and bathing and teaching--being responsible for feeding Ella really makes this whole mom thing feel real. Maybe if I had breastfed this sense of responsibility would have hit me sooner.....I don't know. She still of course gets formula and I always feel a bit better after she finishes the bottle because I know for sure she has 6oz. of something in her tummy!
Anyway, I'm getting pretty good at this whole cooking healthier and finding things that Ella can eat all by herself. (God forbid I have to help her!)
The other day she had french toast for breakfast, some pasta (to include cucumbers, olives, and tomatoes) for lunch, and peanut butter on bread and strawberries for dinner. She ususally will snack on those little fruit bars for kids and/or Cheerios. (Better known as Cho's, as cousin Maddie used to call them).
Anyway, at the end of that day when I thought about what she'd eaten I was just really surprised she eats this stuff, and she's been eating it since she was about seven months old! Again....I just assumed that she'd be eating pureed meats and such out of jars!!
So.....that's that. Just felt I needed to get some of these thoughts out of my head!

Sorry, no pics this time. My camera won't turn on! I think it needs a whole new battery, I'm not sure.
Anway, have a good weekend!

Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberries are Ella's favorite! I had fed her some a few months ago and didn't really think much of it. Then, when we were in San Diego, Whitney had some from the farmer's market and we gave her those and she loved them. While she was sick she wasn't eating much, but she would gobble up strawberries. If she sees me cutting them before I feed her dinner she won't eat whatever it is I'm trying to feed her. She'll swing her arm in the direction of the strawberries. So now I have to wait to bring them out of the fridge until she's done with dinner-which usually isn't much anyway. Picky kid.

We took her to the doctor last Friday since her fever had gone away for a day and then came back. The doc thought that she probably had a virus and was on the tail end of it when she got another virus and that sent her temp back up. Over the weekend she was a veritable fountain of mucous. It was quite gross. But last night and today have been good. She seems to be in better spirits and I haven't had to wipe her nose! Yay!! Peter got better some time last week and I am just getting over the runny nose and cough.
So everyone here is on the up and up.
Let's just hope Koa doesn't catch something....hehehe.

Your Eyes Have Not Deceived You...

Yes...this is a new post mere days after my last one. Told you I was getting used to this no sleep thing!

Anyway, it's been a rough week. Since we returned from San Diego, Ella has been sick. She started to get a stuffy nose last week and by this past weekend she was starting to develop a fever. On Sunday night she was coughing so much that she threw up...all over Peter.

So I stayed home with her on Monday and she got a lot of rest. Last night she really started to improve and today she is much better. Still a cough and runny nose, but not nearly as bad as a few days ago.

I must say, having a sick baby takes a lot out of you. It's hard to not be able to help them. They just have to be stuffed up and not breathe! And of course, the whole not sleeping thing is awful. We caved and put her in the bed with us which was probably fine for her and Peter but somehow I ended up sleeping partly on the bed and partly on the nightstand! Ugh! So as of yesterday she was back in the crib.....the cry it out method is just gonna have to work for now so I can get some sleep! I found out last night though that Peter's the softy, not me. When she started to cry he wanted to go rock her and I told him to give her five minutes. He really didn't think it would work but after about three minutes she calmed down and went to sleep. Slept the whole night too! Yay!!!

Who knew the control you lose once you have a child. I kept telling myself....you are the adult here! If you want her in the crib and not in your bed then just do it! hehehe. Easier said than done. She's just so dang cute!

It looks like the cold bug has bitten most of the babies around here...and some of the mommies and daddies. All three of Janet's grandchildren (Jeremiah, Gideon, and Josiah) had it. And now Connor has it. Peter and I both have a cough and when I called Heather today she sounded awful! So.....here's to a swig of DayQuil and 1.25mL of Infant Tylenol...

Anyway, here are a few photos from the last few days.

Since I forgot to take her 10 month picture, I took this the next morning. So she's about 10 months and 8 hrs old here.....close enough, right? Who the heck is that happy at seven in the morning?!! Crazy kid!

Helping with the dishes.

Peter's dad was in town last week. Unfortunately I only got to see him one night at dinner, but on Friday he came over to spend some time with Ella, Blake, and Peter.

I think this was Sunday night when she was pretty sick. Time to read a story and go to bed...

Friends Forever

Ella's First Plane Ride!!

February 26, 2009

Denver to San Diego

It has been a long time since I have posted anything so I wasn't really sure where to start. I figured I would start with the latest news, which you can see is our trip to San Diego. It was a ton of fun. The weather was awesome and it was nice to spend four whole days with Ella and Peter. Ella did pretty well on her first plane ride. She wanted to move around alot so she would kind of get fussy when we wouldn't let go of her. And both times she didn't fall asleep until about 30 minutes before we were landing so she slept through both arrivals.

Lorelei and Ella played really well together. As much as little ones that age "play together". But they were cute. Lorelei actually has the same activity table that Ella has so I think that helped Ella feel a bit more at home. We stayed with Whitney and Jeff for the four days and I really liked how they have baby proofed their house, I was far less anxious about Ella hurting herself than I am when I have her in my living room. We still have a coffee table with sharp corners and the stairs that we haven't gated off yet, so I am constantly at her side. But after seeing Whitney's house, I think it's time to step it up on my baby proofing skills!

Lorelei is just adorable. She's just about the same size as Ella but to me she seemed so little, and light! I think she's few pounds lighter than Ella. I had to remind myself a couple of times to keep my eye open for a little one running around because she is tall enough that a few times I would turn to walk and my knee would hit her just right to send her toppling over!



My pictures are out of order but that's because I'm trying to post all of this stuff fast and get to bed! Anyway, we went to the beach on Saturday. Look at that smile on Ella's face! You know what this tells me? We'll have to visit a beach in Hawaii very soon! She had a blast in the sand and liked contemplating the water hitting her toes. The water was still very cold so we just dangled her toes in it for a second. Peter thought about taking the plunge but decided against it once he waded to about mid-calf!



We went to the zoo on Friday. This pic was actually at the end of the day so she was getting tired. Yep...still a thumb sucker.

Ain't life rough...




The trip was a quick one but I'm so glad we were able to go. It was nice to spend time with Whitney and Jeff....and who knows when they will be back to Denver. Thank you to Southwest Airlines for running that awesome deal...and thank you to Whitney for sending me the link!

The rest of this is just pics from the last few months. I have been remiss in keeping everyone updated but a few months ago Ella started getting up in the middle of the night and so that totally threw off my wonderful sleep schedule. I've had to adjust to the lack of sleep thing so I'm just now getting back into the routine of getting stuff done after she goes to bed.

Christmas Baby!

This was the box that Uncle Patrick's and Aunt Kelly's Christmas present came in. We stuck her in it and she started to close the lids....it was so funny. Maybe she wanted to be mailed down to Texas to visit them!

At the end of December, Peter and I babysat Connor so we were trying to get pictures. As you can tell, Ella is freaking out. But they were so cute!

This is right around the time she was just figuring out how to go up the stairs. Now she's pretty quick! But she is still trying to figure out how to come back down.

Greeting Earthlings...

Blake pushing Ella at the Denver Zoo

7 Months Old


8 Months Old

9 Months Old

9 1/2 Months Old....hehehe.

She acutually turned 10 months old today but I forgot to take a picture. But this pic was like a week and a half ago...

All and all it has been a great few months. Ella is changing right before our eyes. It's crazy. But we are having so much fun. Blake has been doing well in school. He finishes up CSAP testing this week. We will be taking a trip to Texas in June to hang out with him and Kathy and Jim for a week. We are all really looking forward to that. Patrick and Kelly and their two kids and Paul and Lisa will also be there--so the whole family! We can't wait to see everyone.

Hope all is well with everyone. For those of you in other states, we miss you! And for those of you here, we'll see you soon!

Mt. Sherman-Elevation 14,036 ft.

Here it is. The second 14'er we climbed this summer. This was actually about a month after we did Grey's Peak. Heather's husband Andrew works with a group of people who get together every August and do a group climb. This year we tagged along with him. The actual summit is a little bit further back from the farthest peak in the photo above. But from that point it's just a straight shoot to the summit, it doesn't even feel like you get any higher. You'll see from a pic I have posted later.

This climb was quite different than Grey's. For one, it was much easier. Not to say that it didn't take work, but we climbed it in half the time, and it was not nearly as steep an incline as Grey's so it was a gradual rise. As you can see in the pic above, this was an old mining region. Some of the old buildings are still standing, and water still runs out from some of the mines.

Here's Koa, sticking close by. How odd, eh?

Andrew saying, "Can you stop taking pictures of me and keep walking??"

This is a look back down to the valley where we started. Waaay down there.

Koa playing in the snow!

See how rocky it is? These trails were very slippery. Oddly enough, I didn't fall. I fell coming back down Grey's and actually cracked the face of my watch. But we actually took Koa off leash for this hike and I held onto her collar alot going down, so maybe she steadied me.

This is the ridiculous ridge we had to cross nearing the end of the climb. For the most part it wasn't too scary, but some places were really narrow and those loose rocks made me feel like one wrong step and you'd go tumbling down the back side of the mountain! Koa was a pro. When you read about hiking with your dog they say to assume that your dog will walk twice the distance that you walk. Now I know why. She would run up ahead of us, and then come back, and then run up ahead, and then come back! She is in the habit of nudging your legs when she comes back, so that adds to the nerves. Hence why I held her collar alot.

Looong ridge.

So once you cross the ridge and go up a few more feet, you think you have summited! No cigar my friend. See those people way in the distance? That is the summit. When I got up here and saw the people I just started laughing. I'm thinking, "Are you kidding me? Why can't the summit be right here. This is a good summity spot." So I had to take a picture of the specks in the distance because I just thought it was hilarious! Talk about exact science.

This is a photo from the top! This is actually Mt. Sheridan, which at a measley 13,900+ feet does not quite qualify as a Colorado 14'er.

Me, Peter, and Koa-Elevation 14,036 feet!!!!!!

Andrew decided to stay at the summit a little bit longer than Peter and I. Actually, Andrew had summitted and then decided to head back down to meet up with a few of his co-workers who were still climbing and he summitted again! It was pretty chilly at the top so by that time Peter and I decided to head back down. While we waited for Andrew, Peter caught some shut-eye...

...so did Koa.....

And I laid in the back of my Sante Fe and marveled at the gorgeous blue sky.

Colorado- from 14,036 feet or 5,280 feet, you gotta love it.

Thanks Mom and Dad, for taking the time when Jenn and I were younger to teach us how beautiful this place is. I think that's why I appreciate it so much now. I hope I can do the same for Ella and Blake.

For both of these climbs, Dad, I thought of you the whole way.

I can't wait to climb again next summer!

They Had The Right Stuff!!

Last night Me, Elizabeth, Heather, Shannon and Maria went to the New Kids on the Block concert!! While a few of our fellow fab fans were not with us....you were all in our thoughts!
I have to say, I was excited all day about the concert. But was apprehensive too. I kept thinking, "What if this show isn't any good?" and "What if they sing our favorite songs and they're just not how I remember them?"

All for naught! NKOTB is back! As the lights dimmed and the music started, the screen above the stage was flashing N....K...O...T....B, I leaned over to Elizabeth and said...."This isn't happening." She laughed and said, "I know! I feel like I'm ten years old!" It's hard to explain how surreal the whole experience was. As they finally made their way on stage it was crazy.....I couldn't help but think back 16 or 17 years ago when I was on the lawn at Fiddler's Green (no sponsor's name) losing my mind, and my voice, over these same five boys. Men now. And very good looking men at that!

One of my favorite parts was when Donnie was just passing time with the crowd while the guys did a quick change in the back, and he was walking up the stairs just kind of babbling about whatever and the all of a sudden says, "No more games is about positivity...." and the crowd went wild!" It was awesome...I hadn't even thought about them singing that song...but they did and it was awesome!
However, I thought the best song of the night was Step By Step. It was one of their encore songs and it really really took me back. They did the same dance, and Jordan even mimicked playing the fiddle. Again...awesome!

It was also really fun to see these guys now that we are all older. They really were a bunch of goof balls. Joey especially. They just seemed to be having so much fun up there. Except Jon....who was almost painful to watch sometimes.

Not only did the boys from Boston deliver on their oldies, but we all were pretty impressed with their new music. I will be purchasing the album this weekend! And so it begins alllll over again!
I was never really a fan of their first number one hit I'll Be Lovin' You Forever, but last night, as Jordan belted out the ballad, I thought that the title of the song could be no truer than last night--all of those screaming 30+ year old women (and a few of their husbands) still "Lovin" Donnie, Danny, Jonathan, Jordan, and Joe!

Here's to Hangin' Tough for 20 more years!

Okay, on to other news.
Ella can sit up by herself now!

And she also has two teeth on the bottom. I forgot to put that in my last post. She got them a few weeks ago. She's been doing really well. There was few times last weekend where she was pretty upset, but it's always hard to tell whether their gums hurt or whether they are just having a bad day. But she really likes to chew on her baby spoon so I give her that if she seems kind of fussy for no reason. Other than that though, she's a trooper.

She also had her 6 month check up last week. She is 17.8 lbs, and 27 in. long. The doc thought at first that we would need to be moving Ella into the next size car seat because most car seats for infants only hold them until they are 29in. But actually when she read the side of our seat it goes up to 32in!. So I can hold off a bit longer on buying the new seat. We must have had subconcious inklings that our child would be long.

She also had to get 4 shots. Ugh! I hate that. But again, she was a trooper. She cried for all the sticks but was calming down by the time the nurse was putting on the band-aids, and by the time I picked her up, she had found her thumb and was happy again.

Here's some more pics of her.

This is Jenn and Francis' tea leaf plant that they left with me when they moved to Hawaii. I just wanted to post a pic of it for them to see. I thought for sure I would kill it, but I'm pretty proud of myself. It's really doing well! I'm going to put it up on a table in this room so that all of it can get the sunlight that it seems to love.

And these last few picks are of Koa and Venessa's and Bar-El's dog To-Ku(sp?) The name is pronounced "toe-coo". Anyway, this huge mammoth of a dog is still a puppy. If I remember correctly she is about six months old now. She's way bigger than Koa! But they love to play together so that's really nice.

That's it for now. I'll hopefully have some time this weekend to get those pics of our other mountain climb this past summer.