We're pregnant with Baby Number 2! Ella is very proud she will be a Big Sister. She still doesn't understand the whole process, of course, but she will randomly tell me, "Baby Mommy's tummy!"
Yesterday we had our first prenatal visit and were given an ultrasound to check everything out and be sure our dates were correct. So, here are a couple of pictures of our sweet little bean. Gestational Age: 9 weeks, 2 days Weight Gain: 2 lbs Blood Pressure: 100/63 Fetal Heart Rate: 158 BPM
According to our dates, our little one is due around September 29th. He/she was measuring a few days bigger than that by ultrasound (Sept 25), but they are keeping the other as our "official" due date. Everything checked out perfectly and it was wonderful to see this little being wiggling around and to hear her/his heartbeat.
I've had a rough beginning to this pregnancy, but I'm hoping things will be looking up here in the next couple of weeks. It is especially frustrating to realize I've totally gained weight already even though I feel like I can hardly keep food down... I guess that comes with the territory, though. :)
Lately, Ella has been pointing out "big bus"es when we walk and drive around town. We've thus had many conversations about the difference between school buses, garbage trucks, dump trucks, semis and back hoes. The interesting thing is that most of the big trucks she sees are yellow, so I know it is still a bit confusing to her growing little mind.
This morning, Ms. Judy, the neighbor we often walk with in the mornings, brought Ella a little yellow school bus. She was tickled! The "big bus" has been driving around our house like crazy! I guess Eleanor is ready for hotwheels... maybe I'll get some, put them up high, and use them as potty rewards... hmmm.
Eleanor is going through an interesting creative spurt right now, including naming her baby dolls. The amazing thing to me is that a couple of them have names that I didn't even know she's ever heard! Here they are, from left to right:
Yesterday, as we got ready for my Bible Study, Eleanor decided she needed to dress up in her Valentine's outfit. So, all day, she wore this "petty wed dress" with "tights!" and "petty shoes." She was beautiful. Thanks, "Grampa" for the fun dress - she told almost everyone who complimented her on the dress that it came from you!
Seth and I love to watch Olympics. So, that's what we've been doing lately. :) Eleanor has started to get into it, too. This lovely video shows her imitating the Mogul competition. She calls the moguls "bump bump fas!" and has a great time "bump bump"ing along with them and then cheering at the end of the hill.
Eleanor and I decided to make up a batch of Valentine's Cupcakes to celebrate our Valentine finally getting home from snowy Philadelphia. Here's a visual of our adventure. Eleanor is a great helper!
With Seth gone all week, bed time has been difficult. We've finally come up with an evening phone session that seems to put Ella at ease enough to sleep. Here's a sweet little part of their conversation.
Lately we've laughed a lot at little things Eleanor has started to say... of course, without a notebook on hand all the time, I forget them. But, I finally sat down and worked on remembering a few of the distinctly "Eleanor" comments we get often. This is a very fun, but very exhausting stage of toddler-hood. Ella is full of energy, loves to climb in, on and around anything and everything she can, loves to run "fas!", likes to jump and loves to get "dizzy." She gets in trouble often and has started a time-out routine. She knows this routine well now and will often turn herself in when she's been naughty... hilarious and so hard to keep a straight face! She'll tell me, "Mommy, Ella naugh-ny chair" in a very serious voice. If I then ask her the offense she'll either show me or tell me. I'm grateful for her truthfulness and hope to continue to foster her sense of truth and justice. :)
Here are a few conversations I want to remember, along with a few pronunciations I also would like to recall. She learns so much, so quickly these days that I'm sure the cute not-quite-but-almost-right words will disappear soon.
Yesterday at snack time: "Mommy?" "Yes?" "Hide apple. Sleeve." "Oh?" Then, I really look at her... she's got an apple slice shoved up to her elbow inside her shirt. "Sure enough, You hid an apple in your shirt." "Yes. Happy."
Eleanor Tippin: "Oh-nor Tippeh"
When asked to say, "Eleanor Christine": "Oh-nor Kissty sit down!" I guess I've said that a time or two. :)
spoon: "bood"
Most of Eleanor's ms end up with b sounds... come: "cub" tummy: "tubby" jammies: "jabbies"
home!: "home-a"
couch: "carch"
Ella loves books and her most special books have names: "Jesus" - Jesus Loves Me "Bible" - The Baby Bible "Cake" - The Gingerbread Baby "Sick" - Bear Feels Sick "Hippo-bird" - one of the Animal Baby magazines with a Hippo and a Bird on the cover "Bee-bo" - The Belly Button Book "Apple" - Apples, Apples "Frog" - The Tiny Tadpole "Bee-bee Am-alls" - Baby Animals "Ni-Ni Harold" - Harold and the Purple Crayon
Eleanor's favorite game right now is changing her many baby's diapers. Over and over, 100 times a day, I hear: "Poopy diaper. Change. Eew! Eew! Stinky poop." Or, "Mommy, new diaper! Bee-bee poopy!"
Her 2nd favorite game is "DRESS UP!" Especially, dress up in "fairy boots." Those happen to be a set of silver boots from a knight in shining armor outfit paired with a green Tinkerbell dress and fairy wings. Stunning!
Several times lately at lunch Ella and I have had this conversation: "What kind of cheese would you like, yellow or white?" "Lellow. No, gween." "Green cheese?" "Yep. Gween cheese." "Honey, we don't eat green cheese. Would you like yellow or white?" "Lellow." "Okay."
Eleanor is a hard one to get pictures of when she's sleeping. I guess she doesn't sleep really deeply all the time - especially at nap time. But, yesterday she was OUT. So, I took advantage, and took some pictures.
Daddy is gone to Philadelphia this week and Ella is missing him. She found his vest in the living room yesterday and decided she really needed to wear it. I thought it would be impossible, but she's just barely tall enough to make it "work." And, yes, I neglected to wipe her face after the strawberry smoothie and before the vest/picture experience...We miss you, Daddy!
Eleanor is very into her babies these days. We are always interested to see her "girly" side come out so strongly... She just loves babies, shoes and dresses. Of course, there is nothing wrong with those things, we were just trying not to force them upon her if that wasn't her personality. It turns out, it is inherently Eleanor!
Things around our house are pretty boring these days. We're all doing well and are working hard to stay "normal" while Seth works a lot and studies a lot. Ella is of course her normal, fiery self.
A week or so ago, I finally got my hair cut (I think it was over a year and a half since I'd last had one!). So here's the new 'do:
