Lunch at Grandma's & Buying Our Christmas Tree

Yesterday was a fairly uneventful day. Grandma had invited us over for lunch so in the morning I did my Precepts and Bible Study work after breakfast while I waited for Ellie to wake up. We worked on her smiling and tummy time before I hopped in the shower and we readied for lunch.
Grandma surprised us when she called Wednesday afternoon and set up our lunch date since she had spent the last two days at Paoli Hospital with Grandpa and was recovering from pneumonia. Grandpa had been diagnosed with pneumonia so he remained in the basement for the majority of the time since he didn't want to get the kids sick. He emerged to eat lunch and say hi, though.

Cousins

Kelly, Clark, and Mimi joined us for lunch and Grandma made delicious sandwiches, jello salad, pasta salad, apple sauce, and (of course) cookies. Clark loves eating at Grandma's and lets the world know. Ellie spent some time hanging out on the floor while we ate but was soon swooped up by Grandma. We hung around until around 2:00 before heading home.
Running a few errands I went home as soon as possible since I thought it best for Ellie to have some time in her crib after our busy Wednesday. She portrayed her gratitude by taking a nice long nap and allowing me to research some Christmas presents and finish her cousin's gift. Jon came home at 5:15 and we ate dinner before heading to Small Group.
I had been conversing with Cindy Speicher about a Mary Kay order so I decided to send it through after we came home from Bible Study at 10:00. Cindy lives in a very small town in Ohio and Mary Kay kept saying that they couldn't send the package to her house because it wasn't a confirmed address. What? So I finally figured it out after over an hour of struggling and had to send it as though I was ordering it (no free samples or pretty presentation). The shipping is also more expensive, which doesn't make sense to me, so I ate the extra $3.50 since I felt responsible for not figuring it out. Anyway, $28 towards the $200 has been contributed! We can still keep this business alive!

Jon and I had discussed the possibility of him taking a half day of work today (Friday) if he was able to complete the project he was working on by lunch time. We planned to get our Christmas tree and do a bit of Christmas shopping. Since we didn't know if he would be able to leave early I decided to continue on my day and wait to hear from him while I did other things. I went over to AmyBeth Hanna's house for a playdate (Kelly & Clark were there, too!). She was the person who gave birth to her son on the side of the road. We arrived late and left only an hour later because I wanted to run to the Flower and Craft Warehouse since they were having a 30% off sale and I needed a few gifts. Mimi met us there but we hardly saw each other since we both needed to hurry and head to our next event.
Jon called when he was on his way home at 12:15 and I told him I would be home in an hour. When I walked in the door he had grilled cheese and tomato soup on the stove all ready to eat. I was so thankful because I was hungry! He had also borrowed his Dad's truck so we drove up the street to a place 3 miles away to pick out a tree. We decided not to cut down our own tree since we didn't really feel like lugging baby when she won't even remember the event. Plus I took forever to pick out our tree last year because there were so many to choose from! Brittany and Peter had purchased their tree at the place we went to this year and it was only $25. He has a small sampling of trees (today there were probably 9) so I didn't have too many to be picky about. The man was older and he would go from tree to tree and turn them around for me. One of the trees had a bare spot at the bottom and he said he would give it to us for $20. He said you wouldn't even notice it if the tree was going into a corner. Well we like our tree right in front of the bay window and the bare spot would allow us to push the tree closer to the window because of the wall in the way so we took the cheap tree. I will admit it is a bit ragged looking (it almost looks like it was run over by a mini-van, but not quite).

Jon was talking to the man at the tree stand,
hence his open mouth.

When we brought it home we set it up in the tree stand and I put the lights on while Jon returned his Dad's truck. Ellie sat in her car seat and watched. If that stinker has something to watch she is content anywhere.

Our tree. I can see from this picture where I need
to fix the lights. Tomorrow or Sunday we'll decorate.

I love Christmas shopping. Jon, not so much. He allowed me to dictate where we went so we stopped at T.J. Maxx and picked  up a few items before going to Boscov's where we found a couple gifts for me (yay!). After a disappointing run to the LOFT Peter and Brittany texted to say they were close to Jo-Ann's. Once again Brittany and I had planned a craft night but we both needed supplies for our Christmas gifts we were hoping to make. Peter and Jon waited patiently as we slowly gathered our things and checked out. Peter had a gift card from his birthday to Applebees so we went there for dinner. Following dinner we came back to our house for crafts and FIFA. Ellie spent some time on her father's lap while they played and she watched the game intently. She was such a good girl all evening but she has to be tired since, once again, she didn't get to nap in her own crib at all today. Hopefully she sleeps well tonight!

Ellie kept kicking the controller and messing up
Jon's game.

Ellieisms:
She is starting to pop out of some of her 0-3 month clothes!
Jon was surprised how many people feel the need to talk to us since we have a baby. People in public feel much more comfortable approaching you when you have a baby. I won't complain because it's always fun to hear how cute people think your baby is....ha
Ellie had an explosion diaper. Fortunately Jon was home so he graciously rinsed out her pants.

Snow Days

When we went to bed Monday evening we knew there would be a chance of snow on Tuesday morning. The forecast has become more of a possibility than a prediction in my opinion so I was surprised when I woke up and saw an inch of snow with more coming. Ellie slept in until after 9:00 so I stayed in bed late, too. Before my design engineer left for work he told me that he had started a fire in the basement for us. I love our wood fireplace so after I fed Ellie and snagged breakfast we took down my Bible Study homework and Ellie's pacifier and camped out in front of the flames. Ellie enjoyed watching the fire while I struggled to identify my colored pencils in the low light. A small pile of wood is stored in our unfinished part so I took from that supply to keep the fire going.
After lunch I tried to determine if I wanted to drive. After texting Dad I decided to postpone my easy to move lesson that was scheduled for 3:30 to Wednesday and brave the weather for my 4:30 lesson. It probably snowed close to 3 inches, making the prediction of 1-3 inches fairly accurate. I had lined up Mimi to watch Ellie since Grandma and Grandpa were just coming home from Paoli so I fed Ellie before putting her up in the crib. She was fussing a bit so I gave mom the noise machine and said that I hoped she'd fall asleep soon. I went to grab my things and walked out the door. Before I was sitting in my car Mom popped her head out the door to say that Ellie was already asleep. She's a good girl!
Following my piano lesson Ellie and I went home and I put that little girl to sleep in her crib before Jon arrived home. In the mid-afternoon Jon asked if I wanted him to bring home a pizza for dinner so he came in the door with a large pizza: half supreme and half buffalo chicken. After dinner we asked Peter and Brittany over for FIFA and sewing.
Brittany brought her crocheting (she is making a blanket for a Christmas present) and I worked on another doll quilt for Ellie's cousin. Jon proved victorious in FIFA and Peter went home with a new desire to win next time. Although our evening ended by 10:30 I decided to go to bed after Ellie woke up and ate so that I could optimize my sleep time.
Today proved to be a busy day. Waking up at 8:00 I hopped in the shower after Jon while baby was snoozing. I had planned a crockpot dinner so I threw an onion, chicken, salsa verde, and various seasonings into the pot before getting ready for Bible Study. Jon hadn't seen his little peanut of a daughter all day yesterday so he asked to wake her up before leaving for work. He went into her room and started talking to her and she opened one eye, saw him talking to her, closed it with furrowed brow and turned her head to the wall. She's already acting like a teenager!
Jon waited until I was finished preparing dinner before leaving for work and I quickly got ready for study and fed Ellie. We miraculously left the house by 9:05 and arrived at study on time. About 15 minutes into our time I took Ellie into the nursery telling the girls that they should come get me if she gets fussy and that she should be tired. Following study I nursed her before heading out the door.
Our home desperately needed a few staple grocery items so I went and picked up a cart load of groceries at Walmart. The Lord was merciful and Ellie remained content in her car seat the entire shopping trip. Previously I had planned to pick up something for lunch before heading to my 1:30 meeting but we zipped through shopping faster than I anticipated so we had enough time to head home beforehand. The car had been on empty since I left for Bible Study and Ellie fell asleep on our way out of Walmart so I stopped to fuel up before dropping the groceries at home. Since little stinker was sleeping I left her in the car and heated up my last slice of pizza from dinner for lunch. I checked on her and she was starting to open her eyes so I took my lunch and drove to Elverson. Parking at Grandma and Grandpa's house I ate my lunch while baby slept. I surprised myself when I arrived to the meeting 10 minutes early.
Determining the details for the Women's Christmas Social took the entire time between 1:30 and my 3:00 lesson. I excused myself at 2:55 and headed over to Brooke Stoltzfus' house to teach her flute. Ellie watched us the first half of the lesson until Aunt Carol came and took her for the second. Ellie was tired because she once again fell asleep while I was driving home so I once again left her in the car while I packed up half of my dinner for Kelly and Josh and headed to Morgantown.
My lesson where I usually have Ellie with me (where she has been noisy the past few weeks) was moved to a later time today so I asked Kelly to watch Ellie. Since I was making a meal that makes enough to feed a tribe I offered half to her and Josh. I nursed Ellie and told Kelly the last minute preparations for the dinner before running home to teach Kaitlyn piano lessons.
Jon agreed to pick up Ellie on his way home from work so following my piano lesson I had a few minutes to myself. I read Haley & Emily's blog in the first free five minutes before preparing the fresh vegetables for dinner. Jon and Ellie arrived and I put dinner on the table. Ellie obviously wanted her own dinner so I fed her and laid her down before eating. After the dishes were cleaned up Ellie and I left for Bible Study at Brittany's house. It became apparent that she was feeling the effect of being away all day so I took her upstairs after several minutes and tried to put her to sleep. Throughout the first 30 minutes of the study I had to run up and pop her pacifier back into her mouth but she finally fell asleep. We headed home around 10:00 but she was not happy when I woke her up. She cried whenever I wasn't swinging the carseat back and forth and wailed almost the entire trip home, stopping only briefly every few minutes to give her pacifier a few sucks. When I got her out of the carseat at home her eyes were all red and her face was blotchy! She might be like her cousin, Calla! After eating as though she was famished she fell asleep easily and is in a quiet slumber. I am starting to feel the effects of our day, too, and am ready for my bed.

I decided to paste the recipe for our dinner. It's a very easy and tasty meal. Jon and I prefer tomatoes, peppers (I like yellow ones best), sour cream, cilantro, and lime juice with it. So I make rice and we wrap it up burrito style with the chicken shredded. The most important additives are the cilantro and lime juice. This recipe, especially if you eat it shredded and with rice, makes a lot of food. We usually eat it for several days if we have to eat it all.

Green Tomatillo Chicken

6 boneless chicken breasts


1 medium onion sliced


2 cloves garlic, minced


1 tsp cumin


1 tsp oregano


1 tsp salt


1 tsp pepper


1 Tbs lime juice


1 jar tomatillo salsa (a green salsa - I just use what I've found at Walmart)


1 1/2 low fat or fat free sour cream ( you can also sub in plain fat free yogurt)

Place chicken in crock (frozen or thawed, doesn’t matter).
Mix all other ingredients, except sour cream, and pour over chicken.
Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours. Remove chicken and add sour cream into sauce. Stir well.
You can either pour sauce over whole chicken pieces or shred it and serve over brown rice. Sometimes I add a can of beans (whatever kind you like, rinsed to get rid of some of the sodium) to amp up the fiber.

Ellieisms: 

Her cry has escalated from loud to LOUD.

I'm sorry I didn't take any pictures today. Here are two from yesterday: 

Watching the flames

Checking out the snow

Lunch at Fenton's

Following our busy weekend I did not even hear Jon's alarm go off for his morning run in French Creek. I also did not notice him come home and shower and I hardly recall him saying goodbye as he headed to work. My day began when Ellie woke up around 8:30. Days without expectations always seem to be enjoyable and today was no different. 

Kelly sent me a text before 10:00 saying that Grandpa wasn't feeling well so lunch with him and Grandma was off for today but that we could eat at the Fenton's. Ellie spent the morning eating and sleeping while I browsed some Cyber-Monday deals and caught up on the blogs I follow. Around 11:30 we packed Jon's lunch and headed to Morgantown. We stopped by Iron Mountains to give Jon his lunch since we wouldn't be home - he finished up the Thanksgiving leftovers.

The menu included tuna salad sandwiches, chips, a couscous salad, and apples. Kelly emailed us the couscous salad a while back and it was delicious! Mimi joined us and brought her computer, which was giving her trouble. After working on it for over 20 minutes Kelly decided it was a lost cause and showed Mimi her computer to use instead. Ellie took a nice nap on Kelly's bed while we browsed the internet and shopped around for a tree skirt. 

I had a piano lesson scheduled for 3:00 at my house with Abby Hoke but Ellie was still sleeping soundly at 2:30 so I called and asked if I could push the lesson to 3:30 at Hoke's. They obliged so I headed out at 3:15 with baby in tow. I went home afterwards and picked up the nursery since Brenda Haak was bringing her granddaughter at 4:45 for her lesson and Brenda watches Ellie. Ellie was tired and fell asleep nursing but woke up when they arrived and poor Brenda once again had a cranky baby. She said she'll try to come later next week so that hopefully Ellie is asleep when she comes. 

Leftovers are my favorite dinner option on days that I teach so we heated up the leftover chili. We packed up and headed out to Lowe's to look at tile and a chair rail for the basement bathroom. I'm really having trouble picking out the tile so Jon asked me to go over tomorrow and make my decision so he can move on with the project. Any advice? 

Jon purchased the chair rail and went home to paint while us girls went to the women's craft night at church. Ellie hadn't slept for more than 30 minutes straight since her nap at Kelly's so I didn't take a craft since I knew she'd be a handful. I took care of Ellie and talked with the women for two hours before heading home. Jon had a fire going in the basement so I did some precepts homework before we sat down and watched the latest episode of The Amazing Race. 

Napping at Aunt Kelly's house

Jon pushing Ellie at Lowe's

Jon is pretending to be Ellie crying on the monitor right now. I'm not fooled.

Sunday Snowflakes

After I finished writing the blog last night I finished folding the laundry while Jon worked on our pile of receipts. I went into the kitchen at 11:15 to find Jon heating up some turkey and macaroni and cheese leftovers. He said he wanted to eat something since he was going to be up late anyway working on receipts. His goal was to finish them last night. I got all ready for bed then had pity on the poor man and went down to help. Reading off the receipts to Jon while he put the data in the computer expedited the process exponentially. Together we got caught up in about an hour. By the time we were in bed trying to fall asleep it was 1:15. Ellie then woke up at 2:00, 4:30, and 7:45. I thought for sure I'd be nodding off during the sermon.
Our small group was once again signed up to staff the gathering room so Jon agreed to arrive at 8:15 to set up the coffee and whatnot. Having woken up late I noticed that Jon was already up, showered, and eating by the time Ellie was finished her feeding. He came over to say goodbye and I threw out the idea of him taking Ellie with him and he said yes! I quickly changed baby girl (she wore the white outfit from the Brust cousins today, thanks!) and off they went. I was able to get ready all alone! Somehow I was still 15 minutes late to church.
My Sunday School class was just having a breakfast social so I split my time between there and the gathering room so that Jon could go to his Sunday School class. Lori Frisco held Ellie for almost half of the service so I was baby free a lot. I took baby down to the nursery between services with her bottle and told them that she should be hungry and tired (whoops...not the best combination). Eric Stratton led worship and Jere Scott Bradshaw preached. It was a good service.
After the service I picked up Ellie and they said she drank her entire bottle (6 oz) in two feedings and stayed awake the entire time. I wasn't surprised when she fell asleep in the sanctuary when she was being held by Jess Steiner and then didn't flinch when she transfered her back to me. While we were hanging out in the sanctuary post service it was snowing outside! Ellie's first snow. Although they were sizable flakes it didn't amount to anything since it stopped by our arrival home.
Thanksgiving leftovers made for a delicious lunch. Jon prepared our plates while I put Ellie down for her nap. Our small group had a Downton Abbey marathon planned so I prepared chili and cornbread while squeezing a nap in before our departure at 3:30. We spent the next five hours watching Downton Abbey and eating with our small group. Ellie was a gem and ate, slept, or watched the fire throughout the evening.

Ellieisms:

I frequently receive comments from friends and family about how much Ellie looks like me.
Ellie's legs and arms are almost getting as fat as her belly.

I didn't take any pictures today but Donna sent a few from yesterday.

The cousins

Ellie had enough

Elvis Tio Omar

Posing after the dress-up competition

Jon and I competing

Ellie's Second First Thanksgiving (Mountz Thanksgiving)

I really enjoy the few Saturday mornings we have where Jon doesn't have any commitments in the morning. We slept in a bit before waking up and making bacon, waffles, and coffee for breakfast. Ellie hung out in her highchair while we ate looking at her stuffed animals that we keep on her tray. She can now move her head from right to left to look at different sides.
Jon wanted to go to Lowe's and finalize our tile choices for the basement bathroom but I had to thwart his plans since I needed to make chili for the Mountz family Thanksgiving. Instead he spent a few hours working on recording our receipts. Originally it was my job to file our receipts and record them by category on the spreadsheet but I really dropped the ball the few months before Ellie's arrival. Since she has been born I have probably spent only a couple hours trying to catch up without success. I think Jon has realized that I may never catch up without his assistance.
Ellie took a nap around 9:30 so I made the chili and cleaned up the breakfast dishes. I was about to hop in the shower when Ellie woke up so I decided to give her a bath instead. Her cradle cap is not gone but I'm working on it. After her bath I cut Jon's hair before finally hopping in the shower. Donna had warned us that she wanted to take some family pictures so I made sure to do my hair and makeup before heading over. We were almost 20 minutes late but weren't the last ones there - for once.
Donna had a pentatholon of games planned for us all. Before dinner we did wheelbarrow races - the spouses were on teams and we had to make a loop from the family room through the kitchen back into the family room. Whoever made it in the fastest time received 15 points, second 10, and third 5. Everyone could have two tries. Jon and I had the fastest time (wahoo). I put Ellie down for a nap while everyone else was competing and she fell asleep with the help of a sound machine.
We always have a slew of appetizers and today was no different - I was hardly hungry for dinner. Jess likes to make appetizers using Thanksgiving leftovers (stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce) so I chowed down on those pretending I was just eating Thanksgiving food (ha). The main course was chili, brats, macaroni and cheese, and olympic salad. After dinner the pentatholon continued.
The next game was a version of Scategories. We changed up teams and I was on a team with Jess. We had 6 letters (THANKS) and 5 categories. Jess and I won so we each received 15 points. Next the boys competed in a push-up contest while the girls jumped rope. Jon got second place (Omar won) and Jess won the jump-roping. You could give three tries but I was too tired after my first 50 that I decided I would just blame my out-of-shape body on Ellie and call it a day. Plus Ellie woke up and I had to feed her.
After the physical exertion we brought out the desserts and relaxed for a while. We had two more games but it was almost 5:00 so we cut it down to one last competition. There were 5 suitcases packed with 2 costumes each. You worked as a couple and one ran and grabbed a suitcase from the front of the house and we opened it up and put on the outfit (top, bottom, hat, and accessory). Jon and I had the fastest time of 48 seconds and I actually won the entire competition and Jon came in second (Omar was third). Our prize was a bag of Jolly Ranchers which I know must have been leftover from Halloween because she had a huge bowl left after trick-or-treating was over. Jon is pretty pleased, though.
We headed home around 6:00 and Jon brought the Christmas decorations down from the attic. Omar came and played FIFA with Jon while I packed up the fall decor and pulled out the Christmas. All we need is the tree and some fresh greens and I'll be set! While I was decorating I decided to do the laundry since I had skipped laundry this week due to Thanksgiving.

Ellieisms:
I don't know if she smiled at all while at the Mountz home! She was just watching everyone with her furrowed brow.
Omar was hanging out with Ellie in the family room and I was in the kitchen talking with the girls. After a while I walked into the family room talking and Ellie burst out crying. It was the weirdest thing!  I suppose when I came in she realized she was famished.

Great-Grandma Mountz & Ellie

Ellie's First Thanksgiving

Wednesday was Thanksgiving Eve so I did not have typical Bible Studies to attend. Twin Valley had a half day so my piano student came after school at 11:30. During the morning I thought it would be fun to go to the Rockvale Outlets to see if some ornaments I liked at Pottery Barn were on sale at all as well as a pillow. Kelly wasn't up for going since she had been planning on going out on Black Friday so I texted Brittany to see if they had a half day at Berks Christian School and if she'd want to join me. Yes, they did have a half day and yes, she did want to join me. After my piano student I ate lunch while trying to hold Ellie off. She was very tired but I didn't want to lay her down in her crib since I would just wake her up when I transfered her so I put her in the carseat and carried her around whenever she became fussy. It apparently worked because she fell asleep and we were all ready to go when Brittany arrived around 12:45. The Noritake outlet store is going out of business (for those who didn't know) and Brittany's everyday dishes are Noritake. So we stopped by there and picked up a few pieces for her set before hitting up Pottery Barn. The ornaments I liked were sold out as were the Christmas pillows so I left empty handed but Brittany found some gifts for Christmas. We also looked at some clothing and shoe stores before heading home. We were home by 5:00 and I cooked a slice of Ellios for Jon and I. We just needed a little something to hold us over during the Thanksgiving Eve service since Brittany and Peter invited us over for dinner afterwards.
For the Thanksgiving Eve service I was playing in the orchestra and Jon was serving communion. I had to arrive at 5:45 to practice so Jon took care of Ellie in the back of the church. Ellie was just getting fussy by the time practice ended so I took her and fed her before dropping her off at nursery. I told them that she was just fed and should be tired and that she had a bottle in her bag just in case. I laid her down and left. The service went well: Tyler Estes led it and it was about...being thankful. After the service when I picked up Ellie they told me she had just fallen asleep and that she drank her whole bottle. She's going to be such a chub.
Jon and I stopped by home to change and pick up some stuff before heading to Birdsboro. Brittany had made a delicious ham and cauliflower soup and Jon and I both really enjoyed it. You can find the recipe here. I didn't think I liked cauliflower but really I just don't like it raw. Go figure. Jon and I stayed for a few hours and weren't home until around midnight.
Thanksgiving morning started slowly for me. Jon was up and working on the basement by the time Ellie decided it was time to wake up around 9:00. I put together the vegetables for 20 people as well as took a shower and did the dishes before it was time to head over to Mom-mom's. Dinner was set for 1:00 so we arrived right at 1:00 with the vegetables hot. We didn't eat until almost 30 minutes later but it worked out. It was an average sized group but there were definitely fewer people in attendance than last year. A few people commented on how we were representing our entire clan.

Ellie seems to know she's wearing a silly shirt.

Mom-mom's

Why would you want salad?

After dinner Jon went and played soccer with some of the gang while Ellie took a nap on Mom-mom's bed. We also Skyped Chicago for a bit and it seemed like they were having an enjoyable Thanksgiving. A lot of games were being played and Jon and I jumped in to the Battle of the Sexes which was a continually growing group of people. The boys won.
We headed down to Doug and Donna's around 6:30. Ellie had fallen asleep in Jon's arms while we were playing the game so I loaded the car so she could sleep as long as possible. She always wake up when she's transfered! When we arrived at Doug and Donna's she was tired. I changed her diaper, fed her, and put her to sleep. They were looking at old slides and I had to run upstairs a few times to pop her pacifier back in but she ended up going to sleep. Donna's sister's family stopped in and picked up Grandpop so we hung around to see them. We left around 9:00 and headed home.

Pooped.

Today Jon woke up early to play ice hockey with the Stoltzfus family. He was the only representative from our family! As I walked around with Ellie in the Bjorn I was asked why I didn't play. Umm...
The white team won but it was actually a close game. Everyone agreed that it was the least disputed score and probably the most evenly matched teams in recent history. No one was seriously injured but I'm sure several people will be sore tomorrow morning from their falls.

Excited to go watch Daddy play hockey

Watching

There goes Jon! (In the blue & gold)

Ellie takes sports very seriously.

Jon and I headed home for lunch and I made the last of our sausage with eggs, peppers, and toast. Right as lunch was ready to eat Doug and Omar came over to drop off a load of wood so Jon went out to help them unload. I ate and ran out since I was set to watch Clark while Kelly went to the outlets. Clark was asleep when we arrived so Ellie and I hung out before I put her to sleep. Clark woke up two hours later and played until Ellie woke up close to 3:00. Kelly came home shortly after Ellie woke up and we hung out a bit before we headed home. Jon came home in time for me to heat up leftovers before he went out for a meeting. I was finally able to put Ellie to sleep (it was a struggle that lasted close to an hour. I don't last long I usually put her in, pat her bottom until I don't think she'll go to sleep, then take her out. Wait a few minutes, try it again). I did the dishes and some Bible Study homework before Jon came home. Then I prepared some snacks and drinks and we watched a movie by the fire. Jon's in bed and I'm so ready to sleep.
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Our basement bathroom so far.

I tried to take a picture of Ellie and some of her gifts from my friend Rachel.
Let's just say I'm not going to send this one...

Playdates and Thumbs

A few days ago I emailed Charlotte Grosso and Kelsey Frisco and asked if they wanted to come over with their babies for a playdate. I also invited Charlotte's toddler Cameron but she dropped him off at her Mom's on her way over just down the road. We had established that they could show up between 9:00 and 9:30 so when Jon woke me up before he ate breakfast I started my preparations. I made baked oatmeal, Pillsbury cinnabons, had yogurt and fruit and hot tea.
Charlotte arrived with baby Hannah first. Hannah is 7 weeks old. Kelsey and William arrived shortly after. William was born on August 30th so is in between Ellie and Hannah in age. We ate breakfast and took some pictures until Charlotte had to head to her Mom's to take care of Cameron and run an errand. Kelsey stayed a bit longer but it was back to just me and Ellie before lunch.
Jon came home and ate some of the breakfast leftovers for lunch. In the afternoon Ellie and I cleaned up before heading out to mail Corinne's Christmas package (keep a lookout for it, Corinne, in about a month!). We headed over to Stoltzfus' house to teach Brooke her flute lesson. Aunt Carol and the youngest Green girl took care of Ellie during the lesson. She was fussy again this afternoon and gassy. After the lesson was over we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's house. They have agreed to watch Ellie when I teach Carson Kane. However, he cancelled today so I asked if they'd watch her while I ran to Walmart for some last minute items for this week. Of course they agreed so I left her there for about an hour.
When I was at the Lorah's meat market I bought some apple sausage so when I was picking up Ellie I asked Grandma how she would prepare it and what she'd eat it with. She said she normally made fried potatoes but those take a long time. I had grabbed some perogies so when I got home I sautéed those along with onions and peppers in butter and cooked the sausage for dinner. After dinner Ellie hung out by the fire for a while before finally falling asleep. Jon primed our wainscoting before joining me on our new couches by the fireplace.

Ellieisms:
Ellie has started sucking her fists a lot lately. Grandpa said that after I left she found her finger and thumb and was noisily sucking on them. I may have a thumb-sucker on my hands!

7 weeks, 12 weeks, & 14 weeks (give or take)

Ellie, Hannah, & William.

Clueless that they're future BFFs

Serious about tummy-time. Not a fan.

Trying to find something to suck on.

Spanish Is Funny (to Ellie)

Jon once again woke up early and went running before coming home for breakfast. He asked if I wanted to join him. Sorry, but no! He ate and was off to work by the time Ellie woke me up at 8:30. After Ellie went back down I worked on my grocery list and ate breakfast. She woke up a lot earlier than I anticipated so I fed her and tried to put her back to sleep...unsuccessfully. I had received a text from Kelly saying that we were invited to Grandma's for lunch and we ended up pulling in right before noon. Everything takes longer than I expect.
Ellie was exhausted by the time we arrived at Grandpa and Grandma's house so I put her to sleep on their bed. We all enjoyed a wonderful lunch of vegetable soup and tacos - Mom, Kelly, Clark, Grandma, Grandpa, Dad, and me. The little stinker slept through the whole lunch and then some. I ended up moving my car so that everyone else could leave and waited for Ellie to wake up. When she did I fed her and headed home - it was already past 2:30!
I had planned to go to the grocery store but my Bjorn was in my car which was at the shop to be inspected. Ellie had just taken a long nap but I didn't really feel up to risking it plus I had plenty of work to do at home to keep me busy.
When we arrived home I brought Ellie inside and started preparing dinner. We were having grilled pork chops and I had forgotten to marinade them (the recipe called for 8 hours or overnight...oops). When I was finished Ellie was asleep in her carseat - something that never happens when we're not driving. So I took advantage of the situation and cleaned up the kitchen before camping out on the computer. I had brought home an old tupperware container of Grandma's that Grandpa thought was at least 50 years old. It has a cracked lid but she frequently uses it (it's a 9x9x3 container). Well I had looked online to see if I could replace it for her for Christmas and I saw that Tupperware has a lifetime guarantee. So I called them up and Carlos hooked me up with not only a free lid but a whole new set. He couldn't believe it was 50 years old and he didn't want to risk the new lid not fitting properly with the old bottom. All I had to pay was shipping. I think Grandma is getting her money's worth out of that investment 50 years ago.
Jon called in the mid-afternoon and I told him that I wasn't going to the grocery store and asked if I could go in the evening while he stayed with Ellie. He then proceeded to volunteer to go for me after work. Say what? Yes please! So I sent him the grocery list in order from back to front with a few specifics for hard to find items (egg noodles - on the very bottom shelf in the pasta section)
Ellie woke up and I fed her then put her to sleep in her crib. Well, she wouldn't have it. So I let her stay awake and watch me pick up her bedroom then the family room. I was hoping she would fall asleep before my 5:00 piano lesson but I was not so lucky. Brenda and Brooke showed up and I handed Ellie to Brenda warning her that she was tired. Poor Brenda! Ellie fussed almost the entire lesson, on and off. At one point I went and warmed up a bottle I had in the fridge to see if that would help. When the lesson was over I apologized, hoping that Brenda wasn't regretting her decision to volunteer to watch Ellie!
I texted Jon that my lesson was over and he called to say he was heading to Elverson to pick up my car from the shop. Then he went to Walmart where he called me a few times for list clarification (what size Greek Yogurt do you want?) and assistance (where in the world do they hide the french onions? Even the employees couldn't tell him that). He arrived home close to 7:00 and I had already fired up the grill so he grilled the pork chops while I cooked the egg noodles and prepared the salad. I have never eaten grilled pork chops before tonight but they were so good! I would recommend them.
After dinner Ellie went to sleep and Jon and I watched last night's episode of the Amazing Race. Jon's now in bed after his long day and I finished the dishes, vacuumed the first floor, washed the kitchen floor, and started the dishwasher. It's amazing how quickly I can clean the house when baby is sleeping.
Ellieisms:
This evening Jon was talking to Ellie trying to get her to respond. As soon as he switched to Spanish she started really talking and smiling.

I only took one picture today and it is so bad it's not even worth posting. Sorry.

Chuckles

Sunday mornings are either a whirlwind or a breeze. Jon woke me up when he was starting breakfast and told me to shower before Ellie woke up. When I was finished he had pancakes, coffee, and sausage all ready to eat. Halfway through breakfast Ellie graced us with her presence and was a very happy girl. While I finished getting ready Jon spent some time chatting with her and caused her to chuckle. She was a very cheerful baby.

Happy girl

The cheerful baby became hungry right as it was time to leave for church. Instead of arriving at church on time (ok, 2 minutes late) I took the time to feed her. It definitely wasn't worth hearing her cry the entire way when I knew she was hungry. We got to church 15 minutes late and I dropped her off at nursery. Mrs. Montgomery and Mrs. Trevino were in there and I told them that she was tired and to please save her bottle for second service. If she seemed hungry, just beep me and I'll come. No offense to the women's Sunday school class but I'd much rather be called out of there than the sermon.
I popped by head into her class between services and she was still sleeping. Then, when I went to pick her up after church she was fast asleep in Nelah DiAddezio's arms. It's a lot easier to leave her in the nursery since I seem to know all the workers! I was accidentally sent the December nursery schedule (I looked it over three times looking for my name and it wasn't there) and I couldn't figure out why I wouldn't put her in nursery since everyone seemed more than capable. She's just so chatty now so she really disrupts Sunday School and church.
After church Jon and I came home and ate our leftover lasagna (thank you again, Brusts). Jon had called Omar to see if he would want to hang out but he was off studying so it was a laid back day at home with just the three of us. Jon started a fire in the basement so I pulled out my sewing supplies and made Kelsey's doll quilt for her Christmas present. Come to think of it, Katelyn, do you think Haley would want a hooter-hider or a doll quilt for Christmas or is she too young to play with either of them? I could always do it next year if you think she'd actually want them then.
Ellie took an almost 3 hour nap. When she woke up I brought her to the basement with us and she hung out by the fire. Jon spent some time talking to her in Spanish and she was really talking back. When she was tired of talking he pulled out her crib toy "TV" and accidentally clonked her in the head (it fell forward). She really cried! He ran up and grabbed her pacifier while I held her and she soon calmed down with her paci.

Resting by the fire

Watching the flames 

Watching her "TV" 

Jon then held her on the couch for a while but she must have thought she was supposed to go to sleep because she became discontent. Jon then just sat her next to him and they hung out for a good 10 minutes like that until it was time to go to evening church.

Hanging out like a big kid (They have the same expression) 

Chubbs

We arrived 10 minutes early so that I could lay her down to sleep in the crib. Holly was in nursery so I told her about Ellie's bottle and left. After prayer she had just finished eating and had been burped so I brought her up to the sanctuary where she fell asleep in Mimi's arms. Pops came over for his turn to hold her before we headed home.

Mimi 

Pops

We ate some frozen pizza for dinner then hung out in the basement for a while longer. Ellie watched the fire while I finished Kelsey's quilt and Jon watched some soccer highlights. Jon is now falling asleep on the couch so I better get him to bed. It's nice and toasty down here so I see why he's falling asleep.

 This morning Jon said that he found out that Chuck Kimball is looking into renting an apartment right across the street from our house. He might be our new neighbor! We'll keep you posted. Perhaps he'll be Ellie's first non-family babysitter...

Thanks, Brusts, for Dinner!

Jon took the day off from work on Friday since he has 3 vacation days left this year. He started the day with a run at French Creek with Mark D and then came home for breakfast. I made him some scrambled eggs and sausage but then I turned around and crawled back into bed. My cold was reaching it's peak and I was wiped out. Jon then left to go do some electrical work at one of Uncle Keith's rentals. He had set this up earlier in the month and he told me it's to pay off all of my shopping from yesterday. Oops.
In the morning Ellie and I just laid low. She slept a lot and I would feed her and go back to bed when she was sleeping. If I wasn't sleeping I was catching up with the world on the internet. When Jon came home for lunch all I had to show for my day was a shower and an emptied dishwasher. He headed back out after eating quickly to finish up the electrical job then head over to the church to help with the roofing project. During the rest of the afternoon I kept Ellie alive, took a picture of our old couch and posted it on Craigslist in the "free" section, then set up with Dad that I would run to Elverson to deposit a check for Corinne. I told him I'd be in town anywhere between 3:00 and 4:00. Well little Ellie did not want to go to sleep and ended up remaining awake from 1:30 until 4:15. During that time I tried putting her to sleep, fed her frequently, and wrapped Corinne's Christmas present. Around 3:45 I rolled Ellie onto her back to put on her coat and her diaper had leaked all up her stomach to her chest. It was pretty intense. So I pealed off her clothes and gave her a quick sponge bath before putting on clean clothes. At 4:15 I decided to just go and hope she falls asleep in the car. When I arrived at Mom and Dad's she was still awake but I fed her and laid her on the couch and she was out. Their loveseat will do that to you.
Since Ellie had just fallen asleep I hung out at Mom and Dad's house until about 5:30 before heading home. Jon was home and cleaning up. Omar came over at 6:15 and we all piled into our car and went to Peter and Brittany's house.
Brittany invited us along with Paul and Sarah Rus for dinner and crafts or games. We all ordered Chinese and shared our dinners so that we could all try new dishes (we realized that all of us always ordered our favorite dishes and never branched out). After dinner the boys went upstairs and had a FIFA tournament while us girls stayed in their living room and did crafts by the fire. Sarah taught us how to make headbands and we made a few for Ellie. I also made her a pacifier clip since I left her first one at Culbert's on Thursday night and I thought I may as well have two.
Ellie was such a stinker before she fell asleep. After her 20 minute nap I thought she'd fall back to sleep when we got home but she refused. When we arrived at Peter and Brittany's I tried putting her down and worked at it for a long time. She finally relented before dinner and slept briefly, waking up while we were eating. She was fussy and discontent so I asked Jon to grab the Bjorn from the car and I wore her in there. After dinner she fell asleep and I kept her in the Bjorn until she had been sleeping for quite some time then I transfered her to Brittany's cradle. I felt bad because this is the second occasion that Brittany had us over for dinner when Ellie has been noisy and unhappy. I suppose I find it odd since she's pretty good for Bible Study there.
We came home around midnight and Omar helped Jon put the couch out in the yard. Someone had already emailed me saying they wanted it so I told them where we lived and that we would put it out but not right by the road in hopes that it would still be there when they arrived. I covered it with some old sheets to help keep it dry and we went to bed.
Today, Saturday, was another busy day for Jon. He woke up at 6:00 for a breakfast meeting before heading over to church to work on the roof. Yesterday they stripped off the old roof and today they started putting it back on. They are doing the North and South end sections of the Education wing. Meanwhile Ellie and I woke up and started our day slowly. At 10:00 we were supposed to meet at Mom's house to go to a house sale in Summerfield but the people were trying to fit my couch into their car in our driveway. I was too embarrassed to show my face so I sat inside and waited for them to leave. They had a chevy HHR and actually left after trying to fit it into their car for almost 20 minutes. I checked my email and they girl had written saying that they were going to go grab some rope but that her grandma really wanted it. Ha! So I made my escape and hoped they were successful when they came back.
Kelly met up with us at the Estate Sale in Summerfield. We arrived only 30 minutes after the sale began but almost everything was sold, it seemed. I had told Paul and Sarah Rus about the event so they were there when we arrived. Kelly purchased a gift for someone and I purchased a set of 6 glasses and 2 white serving plates. Mom left empty handed. We had all been wanting various pieces of furniture or art but most of the furniture was sold and their art was different. They were smokers, though, so we probably wouldn't have wanted to purchase their furniture realistically speaking anyway.
Mom and I headed up to the farmer's market where she purchased some coffee and Ellie became cranky. I had packed a bottle in her diaper bag so mom fed it to her on our way home and she drank like she was famished. I then nursed her some more when we got to Mom and Dad's. She's going to be such a chunk.
While we were in Elverson anyway Ellie and I stopped by the church to say hi to Jon then headed off to Walmart. I now needed milk, bread, and eggs so there was no way around grocery shopping. As I drove through Elverson I decided to go to a farmer's market in Reading Jon had told me about near the Fairground mall.
The Lorah family at our church recently started selling meat at the Reading Fairground Farmer's Market and Jon found out at church last week. I headed out there and found their stand and purchased some pork chops, bacon, sausage, and ground beef. The steak was very tempting but I thought I should wait until after the holidays. I also grabbed some vegetables from a nearby stand then scouted out a lunch option. This market is inside, just so you can imagine. There are numerous meat stands and vegetable stands as well as bakers, candy, ice cream, and full-fledged meals. It was fun! I told Jon he will have to come with me sometime.
Ellie and I ate at a little shop called "A Corner of Mexico" or something. I got a burrito and I have no idea if it tasted authentic because I never ate a burrito in Mexico. The man was very Mexican and they had the two salsas so I liked it.
On our way home I stopped by Turkey Hill to fuel up and picked up milk, eggs, and bread. Ellie was still awake so I thought it would be best to go home and give her the opportunity to sleep in her crib.
Ellie once again did not want to sleep this afternoon so I spent a bit of time trying to put her to sleep. She would fall asleep in my arms but when I would transfer her to the crib she would cry and not settle. I finally decided to just let her sleep on my chest while I nap with her. A good excuse to sleep, I'd say.
Jon came home at 5:30 and threw the lasagna in the oven from Carly. When Carly visited after Ellie's birth she made us a lasagna and put it in Mom's freezer. I frequently forgot to bring it home so I finally remembered this week and defrosted it last night. It was great - thanks!
Jon was exhausted from his two days on the roof so we sat around after dinner and then watched the most recent episode of The Amazing Race (go Abba and James!). I folded the laundry and now Jon is asleep. I think I'll go ahead and hit the sack, too.

Ellie hanging out with her zebra.

Crafting

She was tired from Peter and Brittany's.

"Mom, I don't want to sleep."

"Get me outta here!"

Below are two videos of Ellie talking

No Milk

Since I did not go to the grocery store yesterday Jon and I were still out of milk. So we had eggs for breakfast and actually finished up the bread. Oh boy. Jon headed off to work and Ellie and I headed to Morgantown to meet up with Kelly and Mom to head to Lancaster Rockvale Outlets. Yes, Kelly and I had just been there but Mom had wanted to go along. We stopped in at Pottery Barn where I purchased too much for our home (Jon might be receiving some odd Christmas presents). We also hit up some children's stores including Hartstrings in addition to Lenox and Noritake. I cannot believe that the Noritake outlet is going out of business! It's sad.

We ate lunch at Chickfila and didn't get back to Morgantown until close to 3:00. Ellie hadn't slept very well while we were shopping so I went home and put her down for a good nap. While she slept I paid some bills, researched dishes online, organized her clothes, and put away my purchases. She was waking up while Jon and I were eating dinner but I popped her pacifier back in and she continued sleeping. I ended up having to wake her up to feed her and take her to Small Group at 6:00.

Small group was very enjoyable. Ellie fell asleep on the way there and slept for the first twenty minutes or so. When she woke up I fed her a bottle I had brought and tried to put her to sleep. Well she didn't want to miss out on the evening so she stayed awake until we left at 9:30. She was so ready to sleep when we got home. Hopefully she'll sleep a long time!

I apologize for the short post - Jon wanted me to keep it brief because he's trying to sleep next to me. I suppose I could have left the room....oh well. 

Driving. Notice Clark's hand: he
kept it like that the entire trip.

Ellie turned sideways during her nap

Hanging with Daddy.

Sorry it's sideways. I finally framed Caleb's painting!

A Walk in the Cold

Yesterday I used the last of the milk for our tomato soup at lunch so I told Jon that I would make eggs for breakfast. Jon went running at French Creek with Mark DiAddezio so he woke me up before hopping in the shower. I slowly drug myself out of bed and made us eggs and toast. It worked out to have motive for waking up since I also had Precepts at 9:15. Before I got in the shower I looked at my schedule and saw that I was signed up to go into Iron Mountains at 10:45 for a car seat fitting. I ended up being a bit late out the door but arrived before study began. Ellie was not being very cooperative and actually was noisy during Mimi's prayer. I ended up feeding her then taking her once she began talking again to the nursery and put her down for a nap. I asked the girls if it would be ok to leave her there and they said yes. I told them they could either hold her when she woke up or just come and get me. There was only an hour left for study so technically she could have slept the entire time if it wasn't too loud and if they popped her pacifier in when she fussed. But when I went to pick her up she was awake and looking a bit tired. Oh well! No big deal.
Clark was in nursery and scooted on over to say goodbye. Actually he wanted to check the safety of the car seat before he goes in. That boy loves an empty car seat!
We headed over to Iron Mountains and actually surprised Jon since I had forgotten to tell him about our appointment. Ellie was a bit on edge but she just fussed here and there but held it together. Jon took her to show her his cubicle but she was not impressed. I tried to explain that the broken pack'n'plays were actually projects he was working on but Ellie just thought it was trash.
Ellie and I went home and I put the very tired girl down for a nap before eating some lunch. After lunch I washed Jon's running clothes since he wants them for Friday. I also cleaned up the kitchen and living room and prepared for my 3:00 piano lesson.
Kaitlyn came right at 3:00. I prepared a bottle since Ellie was still sleeping but I secretly was hoping she would remain sleeping. I set up the sound machine and closed her door a bit but to no avail: Ellie woke up about halfway through the lesson. I went and got her from her crib then fed her the bottle while we continued the lesson. Ellie proceeded to fill her diaper and wanted to look around. Eventually I was able to set her on her back on the floor where she could see us still. She wasn't terrible but I felt bad for the McCoachs. I think next week I'll try to pawn her off on somebody...just to give Kaitlyn a break.
After they left I taped together a package for Caleb and changed into some workout clothes. Jon called and asked if he could host prayer group and I said yes. I then dropped the package off at the post office and took Ellie over to High Point. I had wanted to go to Elverson to walk but it was getting late so I decided to stay closer to home. Plus, I didn't know how long Ellie would last since she'd been awake for a while. We ended up walking for about 20 minutes around the camp - I went over 1.3 miles. Although it was a balmy 43 degrees I definitely felt the cold! I need thicker pants.
I had pulled some chili out of the freezer for dinner so it was already warming up in the crockpot when Jon came home from work. He spent some time hanging out with Ellie while I cleaned up the kitchen. We finally moved the table back into the center of the room after having it pushed against the wall for the party. Sad, I know.
Ellie went to bed after sitting in the high chair for the first 10 minutes of dinner. She was looking very dazed and her eyes were getting ready so I laid her down and she went right to sleep. At 6:45 I packed her up and we headed to Brittany's house. Ellie is a very good sport when it comes to me waking her up. She lasted for a bit during study then I fed her and put her to sleep in Brittany's cradle upstairs. Their staircase is open enough that I can hear if she is crying (I had figured that out during the week of prayer). It was nice to have a study where I could focus on the group. Ellie slept until I woke her up to head home after 10:00. Jon held her briefly before I fed her again and now she's in bed sleeping for the night.

Ellieisms:
Ellie likes to see what is going on. When we were on our walk I tried to close the stroller canopy so that her face wouldn't get any wind but she would cry whenever she couldn't see out of the stroller. Instead I put the blanket up to her cheeks so she could still see.
Ellie is a drooling mess! I like to have a burp cloth on hand for her drool more so than for her spit up.

All bundled up 

Sleeping