Sleep-Mapping

After the third night or so of Ellie waking up every few hours after midnight and having a very pathetic nap schedule during the day I decided to open up my Baby Whisperer book (thanks, Katelyn!) and see what I could be doing to make sleep more predictable and profitable. The author said that I should first document her eating and sleep habits for four days to see what her schedule holds. So yesterday and today I did just that.
Ellie must have known that I was going to be ready and watching her for clues of being tired or hungry because she kept me guessing all day Tuesday. In the morning she napped about 30 minutes and did the same over lunch time and again at 2:00. At 3:15 I packed her up and went to teach Brooke Stoltzfus. Ellie did great for the first 25 minutes, sitting quietly in her car seat. When she started making some noises Aunt Carol took her out of her seat and into the kitchen. And, just like last time, Ellie started wailing within a minute. Oh goodness! I felt so bad for Aunt Carol. Brooke and I finished up our piano lesson and went to Grandma and Grandpa's house.
Grandma and Grandpa were waiting for us when we arrived. I nursed Ellie a bit but left a bottle since she was due for a nap and always calms down with a bottle. While I was gone Grandma said that Ellie drank the entire 4 oz and fell asleep but was woken up by their clock chiming. I walked in right before 5:15 and Grandpa was standing on a chair in the living room getting ready to stop the chiming when it started so that she wouldn't wake up again. It was so sweet.
Jon had to work late again so I went home and made dinner and it was ready right as he was coming home. I put Ellie down to sleep around 7:15 (after struggling for a while) and did the dishes while Jon worked on missions committee stuff. He started a fire and we hunkered down and watched two episodes of Downton Abbey Season 2 since we want to finish it (again) before watching season 3. I'm looking forward to starting the next season!

Hanging with Daddy after dinner

After my interrupted nights of sleep it was nice to get to bed before 11:00. Jon said he had trouble sleeping so he sat in Ellie's room and read just in case she'd wake up so he could pop her pacifier back in. It was a very nice move!
Ellie only woke up once last night, at 2:45. I felt like a new woman. Today was day two for tracking Ellie's eating and sleeping schedule. Kelly, Clark, Ellie and I went for a walk at 11:00 in Summerfield. We went 1.75 miles which was a nice, relaxing walk. Kelly invited us over for lunch and we happily obliged. She made grilled cheese and tomato soup: our staple! When we were almost finished eating Clark started asking for my spoon (with sounds and gestures) so I gave him a spoonful of soup. Lo and behold, he likes tomato soup! Not grilled cheese, though. He ate a few spoonfuls until Kelly brought out some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and he was diverted. Ellie and I didn't stay long because she was getting tired and Clark was going to go down for a nap. Thanks, Kelly, for lunch!

Clark showing Ellie his new toy

Ellie admires her cousin

Hanging out on the steps like cool kids do.

Ellie trying to be cool

Ellie took a short nap when we got home but soon after seemed tired. So I fed her and soon put her to sleep but this time I turned on a sound machine. I had a piano student coming from 3:00-3:30 and if Ellie would follow her 30 minute sleep pattern she would wake up only five minutes into the lesson. I prayed that she'd stay sleeping and hoped the sound machine would work. That baby slept until 5:00 - 2 1/2 hours! Much better, little girl.
After dinner Jon stayed home with Ellie while I ran snacks to the church for the Elders. When I came home they were sitting on the couch reading the Jesus Story Bible. Then, Jon hosted the men's prayer group and I went to the women's Bible study. Ellie was cranky by 7:45 so I took her upstairs (At Brittany's house) and put her to sleep. She woke up 45 minutes later but I held her off until we headed home. Then I fed her and she's in bed. Hopefully she'll sleep as well as last night!

Ellieisms:
When Jon plays with Ellie on the floor she likes to stand up. She keeps her body really stiff and straight even when he's trying to get her to sit.
Ellie chews on her fingers a lot now.

Devos

Exercising in her track suit.

Helping make dinner

Tummy time!

Caleb heads back to Covenant

I sat at my computer and almost didn't write a post since today seemed so insignificant. I will not hold it against you if you decide not to read any further.

This morning it was once again difficult to peel my body out of bed. Jon made our iced coffees and toast with jelly for me. Stumbling into the kitchen at 8:00 I arrived just in time to say thank you and goodbye to Jon as he headed out the door with his sandwich in hand. I couldn't help but cheer up when I saw the mass amount of jelly Jon put on my toast. He made me two slices and put enough jelly for probably seven. He made the smooth raspberry jelly look like junky strawberry preserves. He probably wonders why I never put enough jelly on his toast when I do happen to make some for him.
Baby was waking up crying so I kept popping her pacifier in and turning on her sound machine to help lull her back to sleep. She always seems happiest to be awake when she wakes up and just looks around. When she's crying she frequently doesn't seem to want to be awake. Jon is the same way. I kept her sleeping about twenty minutes longer with this method before getting her up and changing her for the day.
We had a mission for the morning: find a CVS and see if we can find any good deals like Katelyn. Okay, so the mission was initially spurred by my need to find an AC Adapter for Caleb's second part of his Christmas present in Reading so I thought I might as well stop by CVS on my way. CVS did not disappoint, although we were not nearly as successful as Katelyn. I would have to put the items in Ellie's crib to make it look impressive (in contrast to Katelyn's shot on her bed here). Items scored include a few future birthday presents, gift labels, a pillow, and a black doll for Africa. Ironically the doll is dressed for winter with boots, a scarf, and a snow hat.
Caleb told me that he was leaving Elverson between 11:00 and 12:00 so I needed to hurry up. Stopping by Target I showed them the device that needed the adapter and they looked at me quizzically. The worker half-heartedly looked around and then said I should probably just contact the company brand for a replacement part. This advice actually proved useful when I researched online and the cheapest price was indeed on the brand's website. Thank you Target employee.
I perused the isles in Target until I found the Christmas section. Everything was 90% off and there were too many bodies for the small area. Plus, the shelves were almost empty. Therefore I took my baby and cart elsewhere and browsed the new seasonal decorations that had just been revealed. Noting the time I headed towards the door and focused my attention on arriving in Elverson by 11:00.
Somehow I arrived at Mom's house right at 11:00. Kelly, Clark, Mom, Caleb, and Brie were hanging out in the kitchen while Mom made some fresh chocolate chip cookies for Caleb. About twenty minutes after I arrived Caleb and Brie headed downstairs for some alone time and the rest of us hung out until lunch. Mom offered to make some sandwiches and we couldn't refuse (Thanks, Mom!). Dad came home and read to Clark a bit before we all sat down for lunch and waited for Caleb. He finally came up to say goodbye to Kelly and Clark when Clark was ready for his nap. The girl who was driving with Caleb, Kara, arrived shortly and Ellie and I said goodbye so I could put that cranky baby to sleep.

Clark gave me a bad look after I took this picture

Ellie listened in

Hopefully we'll be seeing this guy in March!

Apparently our brief drive home reinvigorated Ellie because she hung out with me as I cleaned up her bedroom. I even dressed her up and walked to the post office to try to tire her out for her nap. She finally fell asleep after we played and relaxed.

Our polar bear

I really want to decorate the walls in her room so I took the first step by putting hangers on the items that needed them. I always decide to work on hanging the items when she's sleeping so I don't get far. Mom needs to come over sometime and help me hang them up. She's good at that kind of stuff.
I also cleaned up the kitchen and living room and vacuumed before my piano student came at 5:00. Brenda watched Ellie during the lesson which consisted of popping her pacifier in while she fell asleep and hitting the sound machine when it ran out to cover up the sound of the piano (Brenda came up with the second part. I'm sure it helped). After they left I packed up baby, the leftover cheeseburger soup I made on Saturday, and rolls and headed to Elverson. Doug and Donna had a wedding to attend this evening and asked if we could eat our dinner with Grandma Mountz. Jon needed to work late so he met us at Doug and Donna's. Grandma Mountz was thrilled to have Ellie there. Ellie was in high spirits and would smile and flail her arms at Grandma. I put Ellie on a bouncer seat in front of Grandma's chair while I set the table and heated up dinner. I then moved the bouncer seat near Grandma's dinner seat and she was very distracted while she ate. She kept telling me to look at Ellie when she would do something cute. Grandma also would do something and Ellie seemed to imitate her. Oh, and Ellie loved smiling at Grandma and she wasn't even wearing her glasses! Jon headed back to work after dinner and Ellie and I spent a bit more time with Grandma until she (Ellie, not Grandma) became tired. It was sweet how taken Grandma was by Ellie and made me realize that I should really stop over there during the day.
Ellie once again fought sleep so I took her out of her crib and she spent time on the activity mat, in the swing, and laying on her back in her crib while I read my book. Finally she nursed and fell asleep after 8:15. Jon came home shortly after 9:00 and is now responding to emails in the basement. I am going to curl up in bed and continue my book.

Ellieisms:
Ellie was very aware of her surroundings at Doug and Donna's. I had her sitting on my lap talking to Grandma and she kept turning her head and arching her back to try to see the entire room, including what was behind her.
 Ellie can almost sit up by herself when she's sitting on my lap.

Ellie Survives 20 Weeks of Life

I forgot to mention yesterday that Ellie is now twenty weeks old! I remember when I was 20 weeks pregnant and we had our second ultrasound. Our peanut is growing up!

Today we did not have any reason to arrive at church early so our morning was more relaxed than the average Sunday morning. Ellie woke up around 7:15 so I bathed her and got ready for church. Jon made breakfast, as usual, and dressed Ellie while I finished my hair and makeup. Somehow we still arrived 10 minutes late. Someday we will be on time.
I told the nursery workers to call me if Ellie seemed hungry during the first service so that they could use her bottle during second service and I wouldn't have to miss any of the sermon. About fifteen minutes before Sunday School ended I was called and fed Ellie and tried to put her to sleep. She was asleep when I left but when I picked her up after the sermon they said that she hadn't slept much. Oh well. Such is a Sunday.
After church we had signed up to get our picture taken for the new photo directory. Our picture might look a bit crazy because I didn't really think ahead and Jon was wearing plaid, I was wearing leopard print, and Ellie was wearing her Christmas dress from Mom. Hopefully they won't wait another 10 years for the next photo directory update.
Mom invited us and the Fenton's over for lunch to spend some time with Caleb before he heads back to Covenant. She made a spread of rice, green beans, cranberry chicken, salad, and rolls. Brie was also there and we asked them both about this upcoming semester along with other things. I'll miss having Caleb around after he leaves tomorrow!
When we came home I tried to put Ellie down for a nap since she hadn't really slept all morning. Well she definitely fought me but I prevailed. At 5:30 we ate a snack and headed off to prayer meeting. Clark was the only other kid in the nursery when I dropped Ellie off and he walked right up to her and she smiled at him. They'll be good pals, I think.
Once again Ellie didn't last the entire service so I was called out before the end and fed her. I tell the nursery workers when I drop her off that if she seems angry when she's fussing that she's probably hungry and to just call me. When I arrived tonight she definitely wasn't hungry but just tired. I really do not mind being called out because I would rather miss some of the service than have a sad, crying baby. After church we came home and ate dinner and are now watching another episode of Horatio Hornblower while Jon keeps the fire burning. Cozy.

Ellieisms:
Ellie now brings toys to her mouth!

I didn't take any pictures today so I thought I'd add some pictures from her first week of life.

First picture!

First family picture

Hanging with her doll on the leaf

Most of the cousins 

Learning to like a paci

Just last week (for comparison with the paci)

Snoozing

4 shots, 3 days, 2 bad nights of sleep

Thursday morning Ellie had her 4 month old check-up with Dr. Lavin. Since Christmas occurred right around when she turned 4 months and exactly 2 months after her last appointment, we were delayed and she is already 4 1/2 months old. She received four shots since they could not combine any due to some sort of shortage on the combination shots. Fortunately they had two nurses come in and administer two at a time to keep the drama to a minimum. When Ellie receives shots her head gets really red and then she cries very loud. As soon as I pick her up, though, she calms down. While at the doctor she was weighed and measured. When I was undressing her and putting on a fresh diaper for the weigh-in she peed on the table. Oops. Here are her stats:

Weight: 13 lb 4 oz
Height: 24"
Head Circumference: 16 1/2"

She falls right in the 15% for weight and height, down from the 50%. The doctor didn't seem worried since she was right on par with both weight and height. It did make me wonder if during the last appointments I was hearing 50% when really they were saying 15%...they sound very similar. Perhaps I'll never know. Dr. Lavin says everything seems to be doing well and asked if I had any questions. Nope. I have my mom and sisters to answer any questions I may have. We'll be back to see her the first week in April.
On Wednesday I was supposed to take Ellie to Grandma's house during my piano lesson, but the lesson was cancelled. So I told Grandma we would stop by after the doctor's appointment to say hi. We arrived around 10:45 and I found out Grandma thought we were coming for lunch. Now I will never turn down lunch but I did feel guilty for seemingly inviting myself over. Kelly and Clark joined us soon after our arrival so we all hung around. Clark showed Ellie his tricks along with the importance of playing. Clark loves handing Ellie things but seems nervous or perhaps uninterested when I hold her up to him. I laid her on her stomach near where he was playing and he didn't seem to mind. Ellie will be good practice for Clark as he prepares to be a big brother.

Look here, little grasshopper

Bundled up for the cold walk to the post office

In the afternoon Ellie and I cleaned up the house, picked up the mail, and made dinner. Jere Scott Bradshaw, our new pastor at church, is home alone since he traveled home earlier than his wife from their Christmas trip down south. She will be gone until the 8th so we invited Jere Scott over for dinner. I served Chicken in an Apple Cream Sauce with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and salad. Thank you, Katelyn, for the recipe. I really like it! I didn't really have time to make a dessert so I took the brownies I made over the weekend and we ate them with ice cream. I would never have served the brownies alone because they were boarder-line too old to eat. The ice cream helped make them softer. I was a bit embarrassed but decided to not think about it. Jere Scott didn't seem to mind.
Jere Scott hung around and looked at the old basement pictures with Jon while I struggled to put Ellie down. She must have been struggling after getting her shots because she was out of sorts. I even left during dinner to try to put her to sleep unsuccessfully because she was so cranky. Since Ellie is not generally difficult I didn't really know what to do. Do I keep the cranky baby in the room and we talk over her fussing or do I try to put her to sleep even though she is fighting against it? I apologized and told him she was sad because of her shots and Jere Scott didn't seem to mind. It worked out that his wife wasn't there because the boys could just talk about whatever boys talk about when I wasn't around. Our company left at 9:15 so we did the dishes and hung out by the fire before bed.
Thursday night was a long night because Ellie decided to wake up every two hours starting at midnight. I tried her pacifier but not for long since she had just gotten her shots. I always think that she must be growing when she wakes through the night. On Friday morning I was pooped so I slept in past Jon leaving for work and woke up with Ellie at 9:15. It is wonderful to not have anywhere to go!
Kelly texted before 10:00 asking if I wanted to go to Flower Warehouse. I agreed and headed over to her place and we carpooled to the store. She picked up some Christmas decor and I snagged a picture for the bathroom along with a few Christmas things. I spent under $5 which should make Jon proud. Kelly then invited us over for lunch along with Mom, Dad, and Caleb. Dad couldn't make it but the six of us (including the kids) enjoyed grilled cheese and tomato soup along with M&Ms for dessert. That is one of my favorite lunches and it always hits the spot. It was nice to spend some time with Caleb since I feel as I have hardly seen him over break!

A happy shopper

We went home and I showered (scary, I know - I went out in public without a shower) and prepared for Jon and my date night. Kelly had graciously agreed to take baby while Jon and I used his gift from Dan to see Les Miserables. I told Kelly that if she watches Ellie I will bring dinner. I had made extra mashed potatoes for Thursday night's dinner so I gave her those along with broccoli and, you guessed it, chicken in an apple cream sauce. I really like that recipe but you have to buy a whole lot more apple juice and whipping cream than you use in the recipe so I just defrosted extra chicken and used up more of the ingredients. We dropped Ellie off and headed over to the theater to watch the movie.
Since we didn't have time for dinner before the movie I packed some snacks. Apparently you aren't supposed to bring food into the theater but they never check you bags so it makes it easy. I brought crackers, cheese, bologna, garlic stuffed olives, two cokes, gummy bears, and a chocolate bar. It all fit in my purse. Granted there wasn't much cheese, bologna, or olives but it was enough to be a small meal for the two of us. Oh, and if you want to smuggle food, I recommend going to a movie after it has been out for a while because no one was sitting near us so we didn't feel rude. I don't know how the snack bar stays in business, though, because I have never used it.
After the movie (which we really enjoyed) we decided to go through the Chickfila drive-thru. We arrived at 10:06 and they closed at 10:00 so we went across the street to Wendy's. Definitely not as exciting or satisfying.
We arrived at Fenton's shortly before 11:00 and Kelly said that baby had behaved well. Good, no spankings needed. It is so nice to have someone I trust to watch baby so I can relax when we go out.
Today was a relaxing Saturday. I had one goal: take down the Christmas decorations. I slowly woke up because Ellie once again had a rough night from midnight until morning. I really should go to bed earlier because she sleeps well from 8:00-12:00, it's just after 12:00 she wakes up frequently - at least every two hours, it seems. Maybe it will stop.
For breakfast I made eggs and toast. I put Jon's into a little breakfast sandwich with cheese and hot sauce. I've realized that eggs are a very budget-friendly breakfast compared to cereal. Cereal is not cheap and doesn't last long (in case you care to know). I never really liked eggs very much but if you put enough jelly on your toast you barely notice the eggs.
In the morning I hung out with Ellie and read my book. Jon worked on fixing the joint in the basement where it changes from the carpet in the main room to the tile in the bathroom. He also did some refinancing work. After lunch Jon brought down the Christmas decoration box and I stripped the tree and walked around the house in search of Christmas-themed decor. It always takes longer to un-decorate than I anticipate and then throw baby into the equation. She wasn't a very happy camper in the afternoon but Jon put her in the bjorn and she fell asleep. We had her facing out so she could see what he was doing so she looked really funny sleeping with her limbs hanging out. Jon was asking me questions about life insurance and it was hard to take him seriously with her little drooly face.

Learning the financial side of homeowning

Dad's conversations is not that interesting

conked out

Jon called Peter to see if they wanted to come over for dinner and to play some games and Peter said they were going over to their parents' house but that we should come. I told Jon we should ask Doug and Donna first but that it sounded like fun. Jon called his mom and we were invited over for dinner and games. Donna made pork, potatoes, and Sauerkraut and I brought along the cheeseburger soup I had made. Afterwards we played a round of Ticket to Ride then talked about heating bills and oil prices and general homeowner stuff. Ellie slept upstairs in the crib while we played and talked. When it was time to go Jon brought Ellie down and she was mad! I changed her into her PJs and she was just yelling-crying. It wasn't true crying because there weren't really tears and she sounded mad. We finally got out the door and took the angry baby with us.

Ellieisms:
Ellie has noticeably started using her hands and arms more. She can hold her pacifier (although it's easily dropped) and this morning at breakfast Jon was holding her and she was moving his plate all around.


Some answers to Carly's questions on last post:
I really like Downton Abbey but I would recommend starting from the beginning. You can usually get it from the library or wait since we own the first season. You could try it out, though. If you have amazon prime or Netflix they are available on those.
The snow hasn't melted completely but it's basically gone.

A New Year

Whenever the cousins head out it always feels empty in Elverson. We do love when they come to town because it gives us something to do every day. On Monday Jon had off from work so he spent the day in the bathroom - the basement bathroom, that is. He worked on the plumbing for the sink and toilet since we were hosting a small group event on New Year's Day. Once again things always take longer than we anticipate and he didn't have all the parts to complete the project. Jon worked on what he could while I cleaned up the house a bit and ran out for some groceries. I put Ellie down for a nap before I left but she didn't last long. Jon stopped working to keep her content. She has been a bit needy since she has been sick but it hasn't been too bad since she's such a good baby on the whole.
The grocery store was a mad house in the afternoon. Apparently it was busier than Christmas Eve - I should have thought ahead and avoided the rush. I think it was so busy because New Year's Eve was on a Monday and nobody went shopping over the weekend. Well, at least I didn't. It took twice as long as I thought and I couldn't find a few of the items. Our Walmart is terrible with keeping the shelves stocked!
After Ellie and I spent a lot of time hanging out (I've been reading a book series Ginner Saint lent me) and Jon finished what he could in the basement, we packed up and headed to Ben and Jess's house for a New Year's Eve get together. All of the brothers and their spouses were in attendance and it was enjoyable to spend time together. Ellie was the only kid there since Donna had Amanda's three for the evening. We ate food (Jess made meatball sandwiches, baked macaroni and cheese, and several appetizers, Amanda brought some desserts, and Brittany brought a salad. Somehow I got out of bringing anything!), played games, and waiting for the new year. We actually ended up leaving around 11:00 because baby had woken up and Jon thought we might as well head home instead of putting her back to sleep after eating to just wake her up to go home less than an hour later. Although we may be a bit lame for leaving before midnight, it was nice to be home and about ready to crawl in bed when the new year came about.
I have enjoyed the extended weekend and sleeping in! On Tuesday morning it was close to 9:00 by the time we were up and finishing breakfast. Jon ran off to Lowe's to pick up a part to finish up the sink in the basement while I cleaned up for our company. Our small group trickled in shortly after 11:00 bringing snacks and we spent the next six hours hanging out in the basement watching season 2 of Downton Abbey. We actually only got through the first five episodes, but that's a start! We watched a few episodes of the first season together and thought it would be fun to try to get the second season viewed before the third seasons starts on Sunday evening.
Mom called during the Downton Abbey marathon so I called her back after everyone left. She was making a new recipe of pork and sauerkraut and wanted to join her and dad. I was more than happy to say yes since I hadn't even thought about dinner plans all day. I cleaned up after the party and ehaded to Elverson. Clark arrived shortly afterwards since Kelly and Josh were going out to a movie for a date night. We hung out and saw Caleb, Gabe, and Brie before heading home to bed.
On Wednesday I thought it best that Ellie and I stay home since she was still stuffed up and a bit out of sorts. I used the extra down time to read my book from Ginner and relax. It was a great way to start the new year! Ellie was a good girl and took a nice morning nap but didn't really sleep well in the afternoon. She would sleep about thirty minutes and wake up. Perhaps her stuffy nose was waking her up, I'm unsure. She did realize that the aspirator was in her bedroom because she started fussing when we'd walk into her bedroom. I now only clean out her nose in the living room so that she doesn't learn to hate the bedroom! I've been running the humidifier during the night to see if that will help her little nose. We've been calling her miss piggy since she's been snorting and wheezing.
Jon came home from work and hosted prayer group at our house. The guys hung around afterwards and then Jon worked on our budget. As we laid in bed at midnight Jon was asking me how much we should spend on each other for birthdays and Christmas. Goodness, I don't know!
Today Ellie had her 4 month check up. I'll tell you about it next post along with some pictures.

Major Catch-up

On the Wednesday after Christmas Jon went back to work and I spent time in Elverson with the whole gang. Linda Smith has invited the Stoltzfus girls over for brunch around Christmas for the past few years and today was the big day. She always makes quite a spread and this year we had crab quiche, another egg casserole dish, dried fruit, hot tea, cream cheese bread, and salad. I dropped Ellie off at Donna's house since the brunch is for the adult women. It started snowing while we were at Linda's house and snowed a couple inches as the day progressed.
I picked up the baby around 1:00 and stayed to catch up with Donna on how their Christmas day ended up being. Then Ellie and I went over to Pops and Mimi's house. Due to the snow I did not want to go home since Mom was hosting a Christmas get together for the DeWalt side of the family for dinner so I would have to come back anyway. Ellie and I passed the time playing Guess Who with Calla and Kelsey (Kelsey was on my team and would pick either Sarah or Megan each time she could choose the person), reading Meet Kit to Calla, made a salad for dinner, and putting Ellie down for naps. Nap time is the most relaxing two hour span at the house since the number of children awake is cut in half. During that time we cleaned up the house for the company. Katelyn and David were leaving early on Thursday morning so she also spent some time packing. Jon came straight from work and soon so did the DeWalts, Grandma and Grandpa, Mark and Katie and Wyeth Estes, and the Fentons. We ate lasagna, salad, and bread for dinner and caught up with those whom we didn't see on Christmas day. Jon was starting to feel sick so we headed home around 8:30 so he could get some sleep.

The seven grandkids

the girls wearing their matching shirts

On Thursday the Canche's left early in the morning. We were sad to see them leave! Next time we see them Emily and Ellie will quite possibly be mobile! (Well, hopefully). Carly and Jonathan decided to go out for lunch and shopping so Mimi and I hung out with the kids. They put Jay to bed before they left and Ellie shortly thereafter went to sleep so for the main part it was just Mimi, me, Calla, and Kelsey. We did craft, made soft pretzels, and played games. We had a lot of fun! Jay woke up and about five minutes later Jonathan and Carly returned.

Ready to help in the kitchen!

Learning the art of baking from Mimi

Making soft pretzels! I didn't even ask Kelsey to pose.

Jay helping Ellie keep her paci in

In the afternoon we played some more games and read some stories before heading over to Aunt Esther's for pizza. Justin and Lauren were in town so Aunt Esther invited us all over for dinner to catch up. Jon once again met up with us at Mim's and Calla and Kelsey drove over with us to the Prosser's. Jon was feeling a bit worse so we headed home shortly after eating so he could get some rest.
Jon was not feeling any better on Friday so he took a vacation day from work to try to recuperate. We slept in until after 8:00 and moseyed around until close to noon. Jon decided to spend some time getting stuff done around the house so he installed our new chandelier in the kitchen.

The new chandelier!

I made tomato tortellini soup for lunch then he laid down while I went to Pops and Mimi's house to spend time with the Brusts. I don't recall exactly what we did but I think it involved Guess Who and finishing up Meet Kit. I headed home at 4:30 to make dinner and try to get Jon healthy! While I was away Jon grouted the basement and said he was feeling up to playing games at our house. I invited Peter and Brittany over as well as Carly and Jonathan.
Peter and Brittany arrived around 7:00 and brought chips and dip and a new game called "Ticket to Ride." Peter taught us how to play and it took about an hour - I really enjoyed it. It's a board game and takes a bit of strategy but is simpler than Settlers of Catan. Carly and Jonathan arrived shortly before the game ended and the guys played FIFA while the girls went upstairs and just talked. Carly also had the opportunity to look at my wedding photo album. Carly and Jonathan left around 10:30 and Brittany and Peter left around 11:15. Staying up late is not very conducive to getting healthy because Jon and I ended up sleeping in on Saturday morning until 8:30.
On Saturday Jon made us a delicious breakfast of eggs, hash browns, and toast. That's the way to start a day! Then he sealed the grout and started the trim work in the basement bathroom. I asked Mom, Carly, and the kids over for lunch and they helped me eat some leftovers including the tomato soup. Calla and Kelsey both took a turn holding Ellie and we did some puzzles and took a tour of the basement. When they arrived Kelsey walked in and laid her baby down on the snack mat I gave her for Christmas and told me that her baby was doing tummy time. "I know what tummy time is. My baby is doing it." she told me. What a cutie.

Sleepy eyes.

 It started snowing before they arrived and by the time they left there were a few inches on the ground. Kelly and Josh weren't deterred, though, from bringing some stuff over for Jon and I. Josh had an air compressor that he didn't feel as though he used enough so he has it here for Jon to use and Kelly is letting Ellie borrow her Exersaucer. I showed Kelly the bathroom progress and our new chandelier while they were here. We are so grateful for their generosity!

Our house in the snow

After dinner Jon was tired out from the work on the house so I headed over to Elverson to spend time with the Brusts and say goodbye before they headed out. Kelsey hung out with Ellie - that girl likes babies! I read Calla a story before Pops came home and took over. It was a story about a sister and brother and mother and I used Kelsey and Jay's names (I didn't know how many children would be in the story before I began) and Calla asked why I used Kelsey's name - Calla is older. Well, I said. Calla was at school. That seemed like an acceptable answer.

Cousins in the jammies

Kelsey hanging with Ellie

Sunday morning came very quickly as I needed to be there at 8:00. Things did not go very well in the morning since Jon was sick enough that he stayed in bed and slept in even past first service. Ellie and I arrived at 8:30 for worship practice and she sat very content in her seat until I took her to the nursery before 9:00. Jon didn't have a voice when he joined me for the service second hour so we sat towards the front and then went straight home. The Stoltzfus Christmas get together was at Mommom's house at 1:00 so I put Ellie down for a nap and left her home with Jon while I went to eat soup with the extended family. Ellie apparently didn't sleep for very long but I had left a bottle with Jon so he fed her and put her back to sleep. I came home 2 hours later and the three of us laid low for the afternoon and evening. The evening service was cancelled at church due to the holidays so Jon and I watched an episode of Horatio Hornblower, which was given to him by Doug and Donna for Christmas. It definitely brought back memories of watching them growing up. I remember we rented them for a road trip once and watched them in the van. Such a small TV for such drama.

Ellieisms:
Ellie has definitely been getting better at using her hands. The other day she took her pacifier and was holding it in one hand for a while as I carried her around. I don't think it was on purpose but I was still impressed.
Although Ellie has not rolled over yet I have tried to have more tummy-time/rolling over opportunities outside of her crib. She hasn't caught on yet.

playing with her new Christmas toys

Can you believe she's over 4 months old?

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

The Mountz family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve each year and this year we celebrated from 11:00 until 4:00. I started the morning by running to the grocery store for some last minute items before making the mashed potatoes for dinner. Jon was busy working on the basement bathroom, finishing up tiling the floor. Having finally picked out a tile that appears to be wood. Jon sent it up in a staggered pattern that appears random at first but organized (not messy). I really like how it turned out. Since he was trying to finish tiling and I was running late due to the slow grocery store run we ended up being almost 40 minutes late to the family gathering. A personal worst.
Following the scheduled events at Thanksgiving, Donna felt as though a more relaxed, unstructured gathering was to be held. We basically ate, opened gifts, and just enjoyed each others company. The meal was a deep-fried turkey, mashed potatoes, spinach, salad, and three types of pies for dessert. The Mountz family exchanges names for Christmas and I had Jess and Jon had Ben. Dan had Jon's name and gave him a home brew, beef jerky, and two tickets for a movie at a Carmike. Amanda had my name and gave me a Christmas dish, Christmas dish towel, hand soap, and two colors of nail polish. Ellie received a toy from Dan and Amanda's family, a pack of adorable onesies from Peter and Brittany, and a play nativity from Doug and Donna.
Jon and I brought our dress clothes to the event so we could go straight to church for rehearsal. Our church had two services, the first starting at 5:00. Rehearsal was at 4:15 and the two services ran until 8:15. It snowed during the first service into the second causing trouble for driving but by the time the second service was over it was cleared enough for Jon and I to drive home safely.
Peter and Brittany joined us at our house for some snacks and to watch a movie after the service. I pulled out one of Jon's Christmas gifts that I had neglected to wrap (stuffed olives) along with cheese and crackers, and chocolate covered pretzels. We hung out in the basement and started watching a movie before Peter and Brittany headed home around 10:30. Jon and I went to bed after I put together the breakfast casserole for Christmas morning.

Christmas morning started around 8:00 when Jon asked me if I was ready to start Christmas. He took the egg casserole out of the oven and preheated the oven while I crawled out of bed. We read the Christmas story together from Luke before opening our stockings. Jon put the breakfast in the oven before the stockings but they didn't take long enough so we decided to go ahead and open our gifts. Ellie was still sleeping which worked out well since we didn't get her any gifts this year (sorry Ellie). Jon surprised me with a camera (yay!) and Jon's big gift was a Lionel Messi Barcelona soccer jersey. Breakfast was just about ready after gifts so I set the table and read the Christmas email from Corinne aloud. I kept breakfast simple this year by just making an egg casserole. We didn't even eat on my fine china! Goodness, I'm slacking.
After breakfast Kelly called while I was working on caramelizing the pecans for the salad and said that Corinne would be skyping the family at Mom and Dad's around 11:15 and Kelly and Josh would reveal the gender of their baby at that time. It was already close to 10:45 so Jon hopped in the shower while I cleaned up the dishes and got dressed. It was so nice to spend time talking with Corinne! We really missed having you here, Corinne, but are thankful that you are able to serve at GSF. Kelly and Josh revealed the gender of their baby using cupcakes - one cupcake had a red M&M inside for a girl or a blue M&M for a boy. Jonathan got the cupcake with the M&M in it and I thought he was just pulling our leg. We are so excited for the baby to come in May!
After talking with Corinne some more Ellie was starting to get fussy and I knew I needed to put her to sleep so we headed home. I didn't want her to fall asleep at Mom and Dad's and then I wake her up to go shower and finish the salad. When we were home Jon took a nap while I made the salad, read some Christmas cards, and showered for the day. Ellie napped a bit and we headed back to Elverson at 2:45. Kelly and Josh arrived around 3:15 and we opened gifts from Mom and Dad and each other until dinner time at 5:30. Ellie once again slept through the entire gift time which was nice! There was enough chaos with the other six children being awake and active. I was reminded why we didn't get any gifts for Ellie when she was given a doll, stuffed animal, clothes, play mat, hat, and more. My big gifts from Mom were a chandelier for our kitchen and a beautiful cross-stitching for the wall.
Grandma and Grandpa came over around 4:30 and helped occupy the children while we finished up gifts before dinner. Mom made a delicious spread of ham, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes (one with a pecan and brown sugar topping and the other with marshmallows for David), broccoli, rolls, and much more. I ate so much I felt sick. Kelly brought a chocolate trifle for dessert while Grandma supplied a pumpkin roll and mom had cookies. We had tea and desserts and hung around until it was time to put Ellie down for bed and Jon was also ready to sleep. He fought a cold all this holiday season - I tried my best to stay away from his germs. Something seemed to be going around the family, though, because quite a few kids had runny noses and coughs!

Ellie watching her Dad open a gift
(she was awake for a part of gift opening, apparently)

Making Ellie laugh

Skyping Corinne!

Crowded around

Hanging out with Jay before the gifts

Posing with the gifts

Pushing a pink stroller becomes manly when a football and tractor are in it, right?

Brust family

Calla posing with her new apron.
Check out Caleb in the background.

Sisters

Opening gifts is tiring!

Twinsies!

The two oldest with the two youngest

Tummy-time