Project Life: Week 17

This week was busy, busy, busy, busy...so get comfy...there are lots of pictures coming! :)

Sunday, April 22

Today we had a catch up day, which included coloring, cooking, reading, laundry, planting, and a trip to Wal-mart. Dad's birthday was on Tuesday, so I had Elaina color a picture to include in his birthday card (which is still sitting unsent in our island drawer...sorry, Daddy...it's on its way, promise!). Meanwhile, Josh and Ellie gave me some great Daddy-Daughter pics.

Love the nose scrunch :)

Monday, April 23

Our "normal" Monday took an interesting turn with a simple call to Elaina's pediatrician. Otherwise healthy and acting normal, she was having tummy trouble, so when I called to ask what we could do to help her *ahem* move things along, the doctor wanted to see her. So, in we went. He prescribed a medicine we mixed with her juice, which we gave her right away. "Drink your Special Juice, Elaina? Isn't it good? Drink it up!" The Special Juice did the trick, and soon, the tummy trouble was all taken care of and she was hopping and dancing around, clearly feeling much, much better.

Tuesday, April 24

Today was Dad's birthday, so we Skyped with him and Mom after supper. Elaina was. so. excited. to see Pampah and Gramma. She danced, she sang, she insisted on having her own chair. It was a delightful conversation :)

Wednesday, April 25

Today Rita had to take her mom to a doctor appointment (which confirmed remission: HURRAY and PRAISE GOD!), so I got to spend a good part of the day with my girls. It was such a good time. I attempted to teach Elaina to pudding paint; it may not have appealed to her artistic side, but her tastebuds enjoyed the experience. For dinner, I gave Elysia some chunks of overripe avocado. She made an absolute mess and loved every second of it. By the time she was done, all that was missing was some lime and salt to make her a complete guacamole baby :)

Deeee-lish

Avocado baby :)

Thursday, April 26

Today was Ellie's 9-month check up, so we went to Peoria, again. Despite waking up in a somewhat cranky mood at the office, the appointment showed her to be in perfect health, developing perfectly. We are so thankful. That evening, it was finally nice enough to take the girls to the park, but not before having some silly time at home, which included Elaina modeling our camera bag.

Friday, April 27

Today was a long day. Ellie woke up four (count them, four) times, which she hasn't done for several months, Elaina woke up twice, and to top it off, Mom was sick and had to spend the night in the hospital, which meant worry, worry, worry. Oy. Then after work, we went out to dinner with Josh's family, which was nice, but another trip. And after all the running, when the girls finally went to bed...we exhaled with some hot tea...Josh, from the Christmas mug, and I from the Charlie Brown Halloween mug. Stylish, no?

.

Saturday, April 28

To make up for the busy week, God blessed us with one of the best weekends we have had in a long time. We had no obligations. The weather was cold and rainy, so we couldn't do yard work. The girls were, in a word, fantastic. Today included a trip to the grocery store, where Josh and I tried the sushi. (Such a far-cry from the grocery store of my hometown, which has, I think, all of 7 aisles...). We came home, relaxed for a bit, ran into town for a couple errands, and then came home again. Josh put on a pot of coffee and we introduced Elaina to the wonder that is play-doh. She played contentedly while I made corn chowder for dinner, and then she and Josh resumed play after we were done eating. It was such a joy to watch her, to watch them, to listen to Ellie's squeals as she practiced crawling. What a wonderful, wonderful day.

Josh tests the sushi

Corn chowder

A happy customer

Elaina sniffs the play-doh...smells the same after all these years!

Spaghetti and meatballs

In a true act of selfless love for his daughter, Josh created play-doh renditions of Dora and Boots

Elysia - 9 months

Sweet Ellie,

You are 9 months (and a couple weeks!) old now, and your doctor appointment this week confirmed what we already know to be true: you are practically perfect in every way. (Have I mentioned this before?) In addition to being practically perfect, you are growing perfectly as well: 17 lbs 12 oz and 27.5 inches, right on track for where you should be. You are already taking up more room in my arms, and sometimes it is hard to remember the teeny newborn I held not so long ago. The good news is, sweet baby, that the room in my heart has grown with you, and I love you more every single day.

This month had a few firsts of note. 

You started sitting up on your own (a skill that has of late been accompanied by clapping, especially if Elaina or a musical toy is nearby).

You wore piggytails for the first time, to much acclaim (Daddy said they sort of looked like sheepdog ears, but in his defense, he didn't grow up with sisters, so his experience with piggytails and their inherent cuteness is a bit lacking):

 Elaina got her big girl bed, so we worked towards having you sleep in a crib and not the pack-n-play in our closet. You finally have a room of your very own :) Speaking of Elaina, your mutual adoration continues to grow. Lately you have taken to having conversations which consist mostly of her screeching at you and you screeching in response. It's loud, but it's wonderful.

You have discovered the wonderful feel that is grass between your fingers and toes, as well as the joy that comes with pulling on the grass (and occasionally taste-testing it...)

You celebrated your first Easter, and you did remarkably well at church that Sunday. I was actually able to hear part of the message in the sanctuary and not in the hall! My prayer is that as you grow, you understand why we celebrate Easter, what a gift it is. The world will throw all sorts of things at you, sweet baby girl, but if you hold on to Jesus, you'll never have to stand on your own.

enjoying the sun in your Easter dress

You have captured our hearts, Ellie, and we are so thankful for you.

You and your sister are our little pieces of Heaven, and you have taught me so much in such a little time. I can't wait to see what adventures every day with you brings.

With love,

Mommy

Anatomy of an Onery Exchange

"Oh, Ellie! Happy 9 months! How happy I am to share this moment with you!"

"Oh, this is your penguin? He's just adorable! I would just love to get a closer look..."

"Take him? Of course not! I just want to give him a kiss. Surely you don't mind, do you?"

"GOT IT!"

Project Life: Week 16

Sunday, April 15
Ellie turned 9 months old today!

sweet baby

on the go!

 Monday, April 16
Elaina found my Sunday skirt and decided it was the perfect compliment to her blue shirt. (And here I sigh and realize exactly how much she is like her mother, who was scolded who-knows-how-many-times for trying to wear *cringe* pink pants and red socks...)

Tuesday, April 17
Spent the evening outside. Josh planted and the girls and I explored the wonders of nature (re: clover patches in our yard).

Wednesday, April 18
 Another evening outside, full of activity:

Ellie practiced clapping

Josh planted our Charlie Brown redbud tree

Elaina combined two of her loves: reading and swinging

Thursday, April 19
Our living room furniture arrived. I did a happy dance when I got home, 'cause I love it!

New layout

Winston tries out the new couch

Friday, April 20
Played upstairs tonight, and the girls practiced the fine art of sharing :)

Saturday, April 21
One thing Josh and I have learned since becoming parents is that timing really is everything. We had a busy day, which included a shopping trip to look for a dress to wear to a friend's wedding. This was an outstanding failure for a few notable reasons:
1) The return of the maxi dress which, let's face it, was not made for those of us whose drivers license lies revolve around inches and not pounds (especially when it isn't even plausible to say 5ft.) (For the record, my license says I am 4'11. So what if it's a half inch or so off. I round up, people.)
2) The Peoria Old Navy had all of about 4 dresses, none of which were the one I had seen online, and the petite section at Bergners (see #1) would have only worked if I were, say, my grandma's age  (Is it really too much to ask for a nice sundress that doesn't have "retirement party" written all over it?)
3) The majority of my shopping for the past three years has been at Motherhood Maternity.
and last but not least...
4) Shopping with a toddler, a baby, and a very understanding husband just isn't conducive to the leisurely process of finding "just the right dress".
All of this is to say, sometimes things don't get done when we want to. For me, it was shopping. For my dear sweet husband, it was planting. Because after our unsuccessful shopping trip, we returned home to find the remainder of our garden/berry order sitting on the doorstep. It would have been nice to get it done then, but Josh is an involved dad who loves his girls and spends as much time with them as he can, often to the neglect of other chores. So tonight, after putting Elaina to bed, he went outside and worked until even a flashlight couldn't offer enough help. I am so thankful for what this says about him.

Digging in the dark