Mountz Easter

Thursday evening at our small group Nelah told me that her babysitter for Friday morning had to cancel last minute. Since I did not have anything planned other than the Good Friday service I asked if I could watch her kids for her. Mark had a meeting with a potential client who had invited him and Nelah out for lunch. Jon had off from work so it felt like a Saturday but with more purpose since we had friends coming over.
Jon graciously spent part of his morning cutting the wood for the verse card holders I was responsible for making for the women's retreat. All I had to do was give the thumbs up after viewing the sample pieces. He made 115 of them.
Ellie woke up at 8:15 so while Jon worked outside with his table saw we were hanging out inside until I conjured up the desire to pull some weeds. The DiAddezio kids were coming at 10:45 so I went out at 9:45 with Ellie decked out in her snowsuit (thanks, Clark, for lending her your bigger sized one). Ellie seemed to really enjoy being outside. Deciding to finally take down the last of my Christmas decorations (the silver balls in the front tree) I left Ellie in the stroller to watch. She remained cheerful the entire time we were outside and didn't mind if I went out of her line of vision. Since she was content I weeded until Joseph and Nina arrived.

On Sunday I am in charge of bringing dessert for fifteen people to the Stoltzfus Easter dinner. We had three hours until the Good Friday service so I enlisted Joseph and Nina to help me make the cookies. It was fun to have their help but I had to be careful because every time I turned around Nina would stick her hands into the mixture to taste it. To avoid further eating of the goods I started letting the kids taste each ingredient before I mixed it in (well, anything that would taste good). So they both tried coconut, brown sugar, and caramel balls. Then we tried the finished batter before forming it into balls to bake. 

The main event we had was our Kinect. I needed to shower and get ready for the service so I set them up with boxing and they played for at least twenty minutes before Nina decided she had enough. When Joseph called for assistance I came down and Nina was sitting on the couch with all the purple jellybeans from the bowl down there in her hands. Oops. There goes their appetite! 

We ate lunch outside on the picnic table since it was such a nice day! Don't picture Texas weather, though. We definitely had our winter coats on. After lunch they played a bit more before cleaning up and packing into the car.
During the service Jon served communion and I sang in an octet and played the flute for a hymn. Kelly played a solo and Mom played the piano, so our family was well represented. Mark and Nelah picked up the kids after the Good Friday service and we gave them back their car seats in the church parking lot. We went straight to Doug and Donna's for the Mountz Family Easter dinner.

Nana, Pop-pop, Grandpop, Grandma, Peter, Brittany, Ben, Jess, Omar, Omar's friend Twan, and our family were all together today. Ellie was hungry and tired by the time church was over so I fed her and put her to bed in the crib at Nana's. We ate dinner at 5:30 with ham as the main dish. Ellie woke up halfway through dinner and sat in the highchair, providing lots of entertainment. Nana had given Ellie an Easter basket with two adorable outfits and jars of baby food. I opened a green bean jar and fed her some to keep her occupied. Ellie represented babies well with being on her best behavior and smiling and laughing at all the appropriate times.

Green beans are yummy

We tied her in with tea towels since there are no straps

Teething maybe?

After dinner we came home and Peter, Brittany, Omar, and Omar's college friend Twan (no idea if that's spelled correctly, he's from Vietnam) came over and the boys played FIFA. Ellie hung out with us until she became cranky and I put her to bed.

Ellieisms:
When Ellie doesn't want to go to sleep she becomes very angry and cries a distinct cry. When she cries in such a manner I know it's useless and I keep her awake.

Catch up - Wednesday & Thursday

Wednesday morning I went to the gym and the childcare was packed due to schools being on spring break. The situation was great in Ellie's opinion because the childcare worker said she started grumbling after kids started leaving. She definitely enjoys watching action.
We went home after the class and Ellie took her nap. Since Jon and I have been busy when he is off of work recently we decided to meet up for lunch at AJ's. Sitting in the highchair like a big girl, Ellie took in the commotion of people coming and going. We were right by the window so she also could watch the cars go by.

gnawing on a crust

I considered going out and shopping but Ellie had taken a pathetic morning nap so I hoped she'd do better in the afternoon if we remained home. Contrary to my desires, she took a measly hour long nap. I spent some time in the afternoon working on her quilt without much progress. I had five piano lessons but one cancelled due to the mom being sick.
Jon came home in time for us to eat dinner before Dr. Kane arrived at six for his lesson. Then we parted ways at 6:30; Jon going to prayer group and I running Ellie to Mimi's before heading to Bible Study. Jon picked Ellie up from Mimi's after prayer and we met back at home. Basically Wednesday was uneventful.

Thursday morning I considered heading out shopping for something to wear for me and Jon on Easter. Instead I tried to be responsible and get things off my to do list done. I put Ellie on the floor in the living room to see if she'd have any inclination to crawl. She did belly-surf around a bit in order to grab toys next to her or behind her - not in front.
Then we started the list. We stopped by the church to make copies for the Good Friday service and check up on the women's retreat projects. Walmart was our next goal in order to gather everything for our weekend.
Jon had forgotten his lunch so we dropped it off at work on our way home. Ellie went right down for a nap while I emptied the groceries. I cleaned up the kitchen, sewed another square of the quilt, fed Ellie some of her food, and gave her a bath. We were hosting small group so I made some pound cake and sliced strawberries for dessert.
Jon had a late day at work so he walked in the door at 6:00, ate, and we caught up before our small group arrived at 6:30. Ellie went down for a third nap at 5:30 and must have confused it for night time because I had to wake her up at 7:00. It all worked out nicely, though, because I had to go to church for a Good Friday rehearsal. Sarah, from our small group, just entered her second trimester in her pregnancy so she and Paul (her husband) were put in charge of watching Ellie while Jon and I left.
I came back and Sarah held on to Ellie until she was cranky and I put her down to bed. Our small group stayed around until almost 10:00 then Jon and I watched the most recent episode of the Amazing Race.

We took more bunny pictures

Check out those fat rolls!

Onion Snow

Apparently when it snows after onions are planted and starting to sprout they call it an onion snow. That happened on Monday, or so I was told. Forecasters predicted 6-10 inches and although it snowed almost all day we only received about three or four. Since it was snowing in the morning I decided to skip the gym due to the roads not being treated. Instead I put dinner in the crockpot and cleaned up the house a bit.
As a result of the snow two of my lessons canceled while the other two still came. The roads were getting better as the afternoon progressed so our company was still able to come over at 5:30.
We had the Grossos over. They have a three year old son, Cameron, and six month old, Hannah. Dinner was pork roast, egg noodles, salad, and rolls. When we sat down to eat Cameron noticed the brownies on the counter before we even started eating. Good eye, Cam. After having brownies and ice cream for dessert we hung out in the living room and helped foster Ellie and Hannah's friendship.

friends

Cam wanted in on the pictures.

I suppose Ellie was excited from our company because she had a terrible night of sleep. She probably woke up five times and I did not have any self-control because I nursed her each time. Ellie thanked me by sleeping three hours at the very end and woke up at nine. Originally I had considered going to the gym but I felt too tired to make the effort. Instead I pretended today was Saturday.
After our busy weekend I thought a day "off" would be nice. Instead of doing laundry or housework I worked on my quilt for Ellie and just hung out with Ellie. We worked on her rolling over and crawling skills. She also ate some peas and applesauce.

Ellie doesn't really get the whole crawling concept

When I lay her on her back on a blanket this happens.

I had to go teach a piano lesson in Elverson and Ellie was due for a nap. I went to Mom's house early to put her down for a nap. She went to sleep and I did some Bible Study work before heading to teach. When I came back Dad was playing with Ellie on the floor.
Jon came home from work shortly after we arrived home. We ate leftovers and Jon left for two evening meetings he had. Ellie went down later than usual but it was fun to hang out a bit more. She has been a coughing and making some noises so I hope she sleeps better than last night!

Ellieisms:
Ellie's new favorite toy is her rubber ducks for the tub.

Family devotions

Let's pray.

March Madness

By the time March rolls around Jon and I are both ready for spring to come. Our technique for passing the time is trying to stay busy: it helps make the weeks fly by.
Friday morning Kelly messaged about going to the outlets. After being out shopping all day Thursday we had to pass since I really wanted Ellie to have some good nap times. Plus, it was cold! I put Ellie down for a nap at 8:45 and she fought me on it so I decided I should go to the gym. On our way into Elverson I called Mimi and asked if I could put Ellie down for a nap at her house while I go to my class. It worked out really well (At least for me)! Although Ellie laid down quietly she hollered until Mimi came and fed her a bottle. She then ended up sleeping over two hours! I don't know what Mimi put in that bottle but I need some.
Since I only stay at the gym for my hour and fifteen minute class Mimi told me to run whatever errands I could while Ellie slept. I made a deposit at the bank and did my grocery shopping at Walmart and Ellie was still sleeping. When she woke up we slowly gathered our things before heading out.
Ellie was well rested from her nap so we decided to stop by to say hello to Great-Grandma Mountz. Nana (Donna) was out for lunch with friends so we sat and chatted with Grandma for about an hour.
At one point Grandma had Ellie laughing at her:

We came home and Ellie went down for her afternoon nap. I wish I could say that I was super productive during her nap but I really do not know what I did at this point. She woke up and we hung out and ate some snacks for dinner. Jon took a new coworker (Dan Sack) out for dinner to celebrate his new job. He took him out to our favorite taco spot and Omar went along.
The boys came back around 7:00 and Jon, Ellie and I went to a reception at church to see Kyle Frey. He just graduated from boot camp so Mrs. Frey hosted an open house so everyone can see him while he is home this week. True to Mrs. Frey's standards the food was delicious! I was happy I had only snacked at home. We stayed for an hour until Ellie started fussing due to her passed bed time. When we came home Jon worked on the computer and I finished folding some laundry while watching TV.

Saturday morning Jon was up early to help at the church work day. Ellie and I stayed home and napped, changed sheets, and moseyed around. Grandma invited us over for lunch to say hi to her friend Jane who is staying with them for a few days. Kelly, Clark, and Mimi were also there. It was so nice to see Grandpa and Grandma after they were away in Chicago last week!

Ellie and her great grandparents

Clark saw me taking pictures and wanted in on the fun

Grandpa carried Ellie out to the car

I added this one because of Clark hugging Grandpa.
He does this periodically while he's at their house.

When Jon came back from work day he brought over a load of wood from his Dad's and we enjoyed the mild, sunny weather and stacked it in our shed. Jon was having some guys over for dinner and to play games while I went to a play in the evening so I made pulled pork sandwiches and brownies in the afternoon for Jon's guests.
At 5:00 Brittany came and picked me up and we picked up Dorothy in Elverson and went out for dinner. Amy, a girl in our Wednesday evening Bible Study, was in a play in Lionville. While we went to the play Jon hosted Peter, Ben, and Jere Scott for dinner and FIFA. They also watched something on TV. Ellie was on her best behavior and apparently kept her fussing to a minimum while the men were over. The play did not begin until 8:00 so it made for a late night. Jon and Ellie were both sleeping when I came home at 11:00.

Sunday Ellie served as our alarm clock starting the day at 7:00. The timing worked well because we made it to church on time. Between services I went into Ellie's classroom and put her down for a nap. She slept the entire second service which was wonderful. Stopping by home I threw together a salad and we headed out for our Sunday School's potluck. Ellie was on her best behavior and the host's Mom (Mrs. Larson) asked to take care of Ellie while I ate. Of course I said yes and then did not have to touch Ellie until she was tired and it was time to go home.
Jon and Doug had set up to go look at a tree to cut down on Mark D's property at 4:00. We were driving back from the lunch at 3:15 so we decided just to go to Pop-pop and Nana's. I put Ellie down for a nap in Nana's crib and she slept until I had to wake her up to leave for choir at 5:00. While she slept Jon and Pop-pop checked out the tree and Nana and I hung out with Great Grandma.
At choir Ellie was in good spirits and sang the entire time. At one point the ladies were focusing on a hard part and Jon walked to the front to take Ellie out because she was being "loud" (singing along) and all the ladies protested. So she was allowed to stay.
After prayer meeting we went to Pop-pop and Nana's to watch the fourth episode of The Bible. Pop-pop picked up Arby's sandwiches and we ate the leftover salad from lunch. We did leave before the episode was over because Jon was watching a March Madness game and I was sitting picking apart the biblical contradictions. We decided sleep would be more profitable.

Ellieisms:
Ellie has a cough and she sounds so sad when she is sleeping and has a coughing fit. Poor little boo.
Although you may not believe me, Ellie's hair has grown. I know because now I can JUST clip her barrettes on her head on the wisps. They stay in for a few minutes if she doesn't move.

Exhibit A

Staying Home & Going Out Wedding Dress Shopping

Wednesday morning we generally attend Precepts but Ellie had woken up a lot throughout the night and was still looking pretty bad at breakfast. After thirty minutes of being awake her eyes were puffy and her nose was running so I decided to remain home. We cuddled and she slept in attempt to help her feel better. Basically we hung around all day and I spent some time researching for the retreat and our shopping day to be done today (Thursday).
In the afternoon I taught piano lessons and Ellie behaved fairly well. Since she spent most of the morning sleeping she was wide awake during the lesson times. Jon came home at 5:30 and we had spaghetti for dinner before Dr. Kane came for his piano lesson. Afterwards I put Ellie to sleep and went to Bible Study while Jon stayed home.
While I was enjoying my time with the ladies at Brittany's, Jon was home trying to calm Ellie down. Apparently she did not sleep very long and woke up very sad. Giving her some medicine Jon tried to help Ellie fall asleep by reading a story to her, swaddling her, and finally leaving her in the crib to cry since nothing else seemed to work. Finally Jon brought her down to the basement where he was working and swaddled her, laying her down so she could see him working on the computer. He said that Ellie just stared at him for close to thirty minutes before falling asleep.
I came home at 9:30 and we brought her to her crib before heading to bed at 10:30. I was very out of sorts when she woke up wailing at 11:30. She was very upset and mad for the next hour: she was inconsolable. Finally she stopped crying and calmed down. She nursed and hung out in my lap before I put her back in the crib and she fell right to sleep. Maybe Ellie just wanted to cuddle some more. When she was wailing I couldn't believe how big Ellie was getting. Then I remembered The Baby Whisperer's comments on how she would always be called when the baby reached sixteen pounds because that's when they were getting to heavy to hold all the time. So true.
Thursday morning we decided to go wedding dress shopping for Corinne. After doing my research online I picked two shops in Delaware because they carried specific dresses Corinne is interested in. Ellie fell asleep just as we were pulling into the first store's parking lot at 10:00 so Kelly and Clark hung out in the car so she could get a cat-nap.
When I made the appointments I did so under the name Corinne Stoltzfus. After spending fifteen minutes in the shop Mom came out and told her our story (I'm the same size, Corinne is in Uganda, we need to order a dress soon because of the wedding) and said the wedding was set for January and possibly will be pushed up to October. For whatever reason wedding dress shops freak out when you give them a date sooner than 6 months away so we played it safe and gave them late dates.
Generally they say you only have one opportunity to pick out your wedding dress. I was able to experience the fun parts of trying on the dresses and giving my opinion without the pressure of actually having to choose the dress. Lucky me! The first shop had a lot of Allure dresses so I tried on eight or nine and we took pictures and sent them to Corinne. Kelly, Clark, and Ellie joined us and gave some input. After we jotted down some information we headed to the next shop.
The worker could not believe we were on time (?) and then proceeded to make us wait for about fifteen minutes before pulling some dresses. We explained the story and we tried on four or five, taking pictures. She was Greek and very loud and emotional. We did not spend as much time at the store but the prices were great and the dresses pretty! We'll see what Corinne picks and if we need to go try more on.
On our way home we stopped by Applebees for lunch. We went to Mom's house and I complied the document with our findings that Corinne approved and Ellie and I came home. The entire time we were out Ellie slept probably thirty minutes and twenty minutes, both naps in the car. She was very ready for a nap when we came home so I put her down and put dinner in the oven. Jon worked a bit late and came home at 6:00. We ate dinner and then Ellie woke up.
Jon did the dishes while I pulled out a piece of furniture (end table) and a few baby extras I had sitting around to give to Uncle Keith. He has a new very young, expecting couple living in one of his apartments who could use some furniture and baby stuff. I gave them my extra boppy and a bouncer that Nelah had sitting around. When it was time for bed Jon read a Bible story to Ellie.

Before bed Jon and I watched the latest Amazing Race episode (does anybody else watch this?) and now he's in bed. It's 9:15 and I'm thinking I want to sleep, too. I'll most likely be back up in an hour or so with Ellie if her nightly pattern continues.
Update: after Kelly's text informing me of The Children's Place sale, I have now spent an hour shopping. Fortunately I cut half of the stuff I wanted to purchase out of my shopping cart.

Ellieisms:
Ellie has recently started sticking her tongue out again. Like stinking it really far out.
Clark and Ellie were the easiest kids to take shopping.

Picture to show you how big she's getting

Tongue tricks 

Ellie's First Casting Call

Last week I read an advertisement for children age six months through three years to go to Iron Mountains for a possibility to be selected for a modeling gig. The modeling is really just having the child sit in a car seat and look happy so I thought I might as well take Ellie in for a shot. Plus, if she's chosen, she earns $200 for a couple hours of work.
The weather started out rainy and gloomy. I thought this would keep people home but when Ellie and I arrived at 10:30 (the event began at 10:00) we were number twenty. As we waited close to forty-five minutes the numbers doubled. Fortunately Ellie did not melt down since our wait caused us to pass her nap time. I really do not think she will be chosen but it was a fun experience. AmyBeth and Kelsey had come with their kids so I sat with them and we chatted while we waited. Ellie and I stopped by Jon's office to see his latest invention (project) before heading out.
AmyBeth invited Ellie and I to join her and a couple other moms for lunch at Cafe 110. I decided to see how Ellie was doing since she seemed to be feeling under the weather. Apparently the Motrin was helping because she held it together while we ate lunch. I only stayed until I had eaten and paid because I did not want to push my luck. When we came home she had been awake for close to four hours and went right to sleep.
Her nap lasted less than an hour so we hung out and cuddled. I had piano lessons to teach in Elverson at 3:30 and Mom offered to babysit. We went over to her house a bit early to spend some time with Mimi and then I left and came back two hours later. Ellie was sleeping so Mom and I talked wedding and then she invited Jon and me over for dinner. I will never refuse a dinner invitation!

Watching a video of Aunt Rin

Dinner at Mom and Dad's was a wonderful treat especially because I did not know what we were having for dinner (I was leaning towards grilled cheese and tomato soup) and Jon had a meeting at church at 7:00. Poor Ellie woke up from her nap with red eyes and a runny nose. She played with the toys and sat in the high chair while we ate but was definitely tired an hour later when we headed home.
I put her down and she fell asleep at 7:45. Since then (it is now 10:00) she has woken up three times crying. Poor girl. I go in and just hold her, which doesn't cause her to stop crying but I can let myself think it helps. She's not much of a cuddler so when she becomes cuddly I know that she is about to fall asleep so I put her back in the crib. I put a couple blankets under the one end of her mattress so it is elevated in hopes that it will help her breathe better. She is really congested.

Ellieisms:
A sick baby is a sad baby.

Dadada

Sunday morning Pops was leading worship so I had to be at church at 8:00. Ellie was still sleeping after being awake for an hour from 2:45-3:45 so Jon remained home to let her sleep an hour longer. Somehow I made it to church on time and Jon got Ellie and himself to church before 9:00. Dad introduced two new songs to the church that they learned in Uganda. Mom actually had a brief introduction to "He Knows My Name" and she had numerous people in tears, including Kelly and me. She really should have warned us of what she was going to say so we could prepare. I am a really ugly crier.
Between services I fed Ellie and put her down for a nap. Jon forgot to ask if she actually fell asleep (I left her when she was still awake but settled) but she was a happy girl when usually she is cranky after church. Jon was tired from Ellie's hour long late night episode so he took a nap right after lunch. Ellie sat in her high chair for over an hour gnawing on a pizza crust and some apple slices. I tried feeding her the sweet potatoes and bananas but they lost their appeal with the new treats.

Teething on a Twizzler.
Those crusts were almost gone after her hour long chomp-fest

Ellie took an hour nap during which I also slept. Jon had started a fire in the basement before lunch so after Ellie woke up we hung out in the warm family room. With choir rehearsal at 5:00 our afternoons feel even shorter. Following prayer meeting we went to Doug and Donna's house to watch The Bible. I brought along some chili and made some cornbread for us all to eat before the show began. We packed up and were out the door right as it was ending so we could get to sleep as soon as possible.

Kisses from Daddy

Jon's mornings start very early on Monday because they begin their run at 6:00. Ellie decided she wanted to see Jon before he left because she woke up when he was waking up. I nursed her and put her back to sleep because I was not ready for waking up. Note this was her second time waking up - she has digressed I bit.
After breakfast I realized that Ellie woke up late enough that I could make it to the gym without her having a meltdown during my workout. It felt good to be back in my class after two weeks away. If Ellie is supposed to be sleeping during the first thirty minutes of the class I do not go since I don't think it's fair to Ellie or the childcare workers. Really I should go and just workout by myself after her nap but that hasn't happened yet.
We came home and ate lunch before cleaning up for my piano students. The Fabers came and Ellie slept through the first lesson. She then sat happily in the leaf by my feet during the second lesson. She took another nap since she was getting cranky but it didn't last long. Then the next two hours proved to be a sad time for her. Her nose has started to run so either she's getting sick or is teething because she was unhappy unless I was holding her. I thought she might want a nap but after three tries in the crib I gave up.
When Jon came home from work Ellie was getting very tired but I was holding her off. It was snowing but we had to go to the Estes' for dinner. Fortunately the roads were not too bad and we just took our times and didn't have any trouble. Ellie fell asleep on the ride and seemed refreshed for dinner. Katie made a delicious dinner and we really enjoyed our time out. Although Ellie was not on her best behavior she was decent. Wyeth is just two months and ten days older than Ellie so his army crawl and enthusiastic jumps in the johnny jumpup are a glimpse into our future!
We stayed out until 9:30 before heading home. Ellie randomly woke up (I had put her to bed in the packnplay upstairs) so we took the opportunity to leave. It was a lot of fun to be invited over to a new house! We had never been there before.

Ready for some lunch

Check out that big head.

Ellieisms:
Ellie has begun to say "dadadada." Jon acts like she's talking to him.

Snow Right Before Spring

Friday morning I had arranged to go with Dorothy Bradshaw to the Reading Market since she had never been before. Our meeting time was set for 10:00 so I couldn't make it to my class at the gym. While my friends were here I wore a pair of boots that has one of the heels almost worn completely off. I suppose that the heel disfigurement caused me to walk funny because my foot has been sore for several days. Today (Saturday) it finally feels back to normal so I will hopefully return to my normal gym schedule.
I picked up fruit, vegetables, and meat at the various stands and we were home in under two hours. Ellie went down for a nap while I ate lunch and responded to some emails. When she woke up we went over to Mrs. Saint's house and I worked on my quilt. Mrs. Saint graciously instructed me while holding on to Ellie. Charlie, Ginner's dog, was hanging around and Ellie was entertained by her presence and even grabbed for her when she was nearby.
We went home before Ellie was due for her next nap. While she slept Jon came home and we decided to go pick up a piece of furniture I found on Craigslist and eat dinner at our favorite taco joint. The furniture will hold my craft supplies, cards, and whatnot. It's tall and skinny and will probably end up either in the laundry room or Ellie's closet (the side she doesn't use).
The taco joint was the busiest I have ever seen. Three other tables were occupied. We once again ordered the 10 tacos for $10 and had three leftover even with splitting the set. Afterwards we came home and watched the most recent episode of The Amazing Race. Ellie was wonderful the entire time we were gone.
Saturday was a busy day. Ellie did not sleep very well and was awake for a good hour from 3:30-4:30. I finally fed her and she went to sleep after a few more whimpers. The early morning meal held her off long enough that I was late for our first task. Jon left at 7:30 to meet up with our small group to help move Dave Culbert's parents. When Ellie woke up at 8:45 we went over to the new home and I helped paint the trim in the great room while Ellie hung out with the Culbert kids. Jon and the men brought a load of things over and Jon took Ellie home for her nap. I hung around and painted for another hour and a half.
While we were helping them move it began to snow. It was heavy enough that it laid on the grass but fortunately not on the roads. I drove home around lunch time and Ellie was sleeping. At 1:30 I went to Mom and Dad's for worship practice and Jon dropped Ellie off when she woke up since he had to go to Elverson to switch vehicles with Doug. Mom agreed to hold on to Ellie while I ran to Walmart for a few things and dropped off a book at Grandma and Grandpa's house. When I came back to Mom and Dad's everyone was watching Ben's basketball game so I watched it while Ellie nursed.
Upon arriving home I realized that I needed to kick it into high gear. The Halls were coming over at 5:00 for dinner and I was making dinner for Peter and Brittany (Peter just had knee surgery yesterday). I prepared Peter and Brittany's meal first then started on dessert. I made a pound cake and cut up strawberries. Jon helped out by cleaning the bathroom, vacuuming, and taking dinner to Peter and Brittany. I jumped in the shower when he left and about five minutes later he was saying he was home. Peter and Brittany live ten minutes away so I was very confused. When Jon was loading the car with the meal he turned to the house to grab his phone and Doug and Donna pulled in the driveway. They had seen Jon and decided to say hello on their way to check in on Peter. Jon gave them the meal and his task was done. It was such a blessing because he would have been arriving home right at 5:00 when we were expecting our guests.
After cleaning up I put dinner together (Mom's oven roasted chicken recipe) and the guests arrived. While the dinner cooked I prepared the salad and cut the bread. The Halls were very gracious and said they usually eat dinner at 8:00 or so after Hunter's in bed. We ate at 6:15.
Ellie was a gem while they were here. She woke up at 6:00, sat in her high chair while we ate dinner, chowed down on some pears and sweet potatoes, then kicked around on the floor while we chatted in the basement after dessert. Hunter and Ellie were both getting tired at the same time so they left right as Ellie was falling apart. I fed her and put her right to sleep. Jon helped with the dishes so everything is all cleaned up and put away - a wonderful feeling.

Ellieisms:
Jon said that Ellie seemed very active today. She has become stable in her high chair and also has more control of her arms.
After I fed Ellie her pears and sweet potatoes she was becoming impatient in her seat so I gave her an apple slice. Whenever she dropped it she would complain until we gave it back to her. She knew exactly what she wanted!

Sorry, no pictures. I forgot my camera today and my cell phone memory is full.

A Bad Napper

This morning I thought I would be having a busy day. But it was not to be. Bible study was canceled since Coleen is out of town and a group of ladies were getting together to quilt, so I thought. I called up Mrs. Leamer, who was organizing the event, and she informed me that not enough people were able to do it (no one else, really) so we were going to postpone. It worked out well because Ellie turned out to be a bit cranky and clingy. She was only happy either nursing or being held. Oh well.
Since we didn't have the quilting-bee Ellie and I went out to Reading and picked up my flute from the repair shop. One of my students gave me a gift card to Barnes and Noble for Christmas and I had finally decided how to use it so we stopped by there and browsed a bit. I picked up a book for the Brust cousins (I'm hoping to send it out with Grandma and Grandpa) and a journal for Ellie. I always like how people can look back in journals they kept for their children about things they've said or done and I want to try to do that for Ellie. Perhaps it'll be a big flop (I will probably misplace the journal by the time she can talk) but it's worth a try.
In the afternoon Ellie slept some and I cleaned the kitchen and put the bedding and air mattress away in the basement. I also vacuumed and taught two piano lessons. Ellie was well behaved during the first but getting cranky and loud during the second. She has only been taken hour long naps so I need to read the chapter on nap time and try to solve this problem.
Jon came home and we ate dinner and I went to Bible Study. Jon hosted prayer group and Ellie slept soundly through it all.

Enjoying the sunshine

Today Ellie was awake at 6:15 and ready to start the day. I was not ready so Jon changed her diaper and brought her into our room. When she became bored I took her and my pillow out into the living room and we hung out on the floor. Jon took a shower, ate breakfast, and left for work.
AmyBeth invited some friends and their kids over for a play date at 10:00 so we headed over there after Ellie's first nap. Since Clark was sick and something happened to Holly we ended up being the only ones in attendance. I felt a bit bad considering Ellie can't even play yet but it was nice to have a chance to catch up.
On our way home we stopped by Iron Mountains and Jon came out and said hi to Ellie and told me about his day. Apparently the project he is working on was very well received by the boss so Jon was encouraged. Also, the invitation to Cologne, Germany, was official so at least Jon will be going! Anybody want to watch a 13 month old baby for a week so I can join him baby free? :)
Our afternoon was fairly laid back. We started the laundry, ironed Jon's shirts, and researched furniture on Craigslist. I'm looking for a few pieces. First, I would like a workplace for the laundry room to house my sewing machine, fabric, and whatnot. Second, a wooden piece for near the piano for my piano books and flute. Third, a floor lamp for Ellie's room. We'll see if I have any luck. Ellie once again only slept an hour at most for each nap.
Jon came home and we drove to Elverson. We dropped Jon off at the spaghetti dinner at church and Ellie and I went to Mimi's. I put Ellie to sleep before heading to small group. All the men went to the spaghetti dinner while the women hung out then prayed for the husbands. The men joined us at 8:15 (the event only lasted two hours) and we spent an hour and a half together before picking Ellie up from Mimi's. She slept the entire time, fortunately. When I put her in the car seat she wakes up and smiles, coos, and talks the whole drive home. Ellie did not want to go to sleep once we got home even after a small bottle. She's finally sleeping now.

Ellieisms:
Ellie has become squirmy. When she's sitting on my lap she likes to move all around.

pigging out on a banana

Recovering From Our Weekend

Monday morning Ellie graciously slept in until 8:45. Well, she woke up at 7:00 and ate but then went back to sleep for another almost two hours. It was a wonderful feeling! Due to her late wake-up time and our busy weekend, I decided to forego the gym and hang out at home instead. Grandma was disappointed until I told her that we would still drop in to say hello. She asked us over for lunch along with Kelly, Clark, and Mimi.
Over the course of the morning Ellie and I lounged around. I'm really not sure what we did - it was one of those kinds of mornings. Ellie did, however, roll over from her back to her belly.

She always manages to scoot sideways

We left the house at 10:30 so I could run some errands including stopping by the post office and running to the bank.
Arriving first at Grandma's Kelly and Clark came soon after us. Clark runs around the place like he owns it: closing all the doors and playing with the remote controls. Ellie was due for a nap so she went down before Mimi arrived and we ate lunch.
Grandma made chicken noodle soup, grilled cheese, and shoe fly pie. The pie was only an hour out of the oven when we ate it and it was delicious! She also had applesauce, cookies, and peanut butter eggs.
In the afternoon Ellie took a nice nap and I taught my piano lessons. It was a beautiful day (high of 55) so Jon took Ellie for a stroll around the yard while I prepared dinner. After dinner I had a meeting at Mom's house for the women's retreat and Jon put Ellie to bed.

Enjoying the warm weather

Telling Dad about our day

On Tuesday we had a lot of rain. It poured all morning and into the afternoon. Ellie was teething, I believe, since she was just unhappy. She would be fussy unless I was holding her. She took a brief morning nap and I gave her Motrin in the afternoon since I don't think the Tylenol was cutting it. She ended up taking a two hour nap before we had to head to Elverson for my piano lessons.
Grandma watched Ellie while I taught and she said she behaved very well. She drank a big bottle and was finishing it up when I came back. Jon was home when we came home so I heated up the chili from last night for dinner. Ellie ate peas and pears and went to bed after dinner. Jon scoured the tiles in the basement then I gave him a haircut.
Barcelona played A.C. Milan earlier this afternoon and it was being replayed at 8:00. Barcelona is Jon's favorite team so he called Peter up and they met at Doug and Donna's to watch the game. Apparently it was well worth the time because Barcelona won 4-0 and they had to win by at least three in order to move on in the tournament.

Ellie just woke up and I nursed her. I feel as though if she's not feeling well the least I can do is make sure her belly is full! Hopefully she sleeps through the rest of the night, though. 

I didn't take any pictures today but here are a few from Sunday:

Picking flowers 

Nana came when Poppop dropped off a load
of firewood.

NYC, Ellie Hangs with the Fentons, & the Girls Go Home

When my friends told me they were coming to visit me I asked what they would want to do while they were in town. One mentioned that she would love to see New York City. Another had never been there so I really wanted to make this happen.
Instead of waking up early and rushing to make it into the city we decided to take it slow and enjoy our morning. Originally deciding to leave at 9:00 we finally left shortly after 10:00. Kelly offered to keep Ellie and with the forecast calling for snow and cold rain I took advantage of a warm, safe place for Ellie to stay. I left her with some bottles and a fresh change of clothes and thanked Kelly profusely.  Although I wanted to bring Ellie with us I knew I made the right decision.
Our late departure put us in the city after lunch time. It was snowing and had accumulated to about four inches in New York. Due to some complications with my GPS I accidentally drove right into downtown Manhattan. Oops. Since parking is expensive in the city and I did not want to get caught in traffic leaving the city on a Friday night I dropped the girls off near the 9/11 Memorial and I found my way to the appropriate Ferry station on Staten Island in St. George, NJ. My detour took me over the Brooklyn Bridge and through some shady areas of town so I was thankful for my GPS and the daylight!
While we were in NYC we stopped by the 9/11 Memorial, St. Paul's Chapel, St. Patrick's Cathedral, The American Girl Place, Tiffany's, Central Park, Times Square, and a few other places. We rode the subway and the ferry so I feel as though all in all we had a well-rounded NYC experience.
Jon picked up Ellie from Kelly's house after work. He then took her over to his parent's house and brought pizza. Doug and Donna had gone to Florida to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary (which is this June) and had arrived home just the night before at 2:00AM (Jon picked them up from the airport). Jon and Ellie did not stay long since she was tired and needed to go to bed. They were both in bed when the four of us arrived back in town from our trip.
Saturday morning we slept in. Well, the girls slept in. Apparently Ellie missed the memo about the long day and late night since she woke up around 7:00. Jon left shortly after she woke up to get a load of wood from his Dad's with Omar then the two of them fixed our stone wall, pick up some items from Lowe's, and set up our new mail box. While Ellie and I waited for the girls we hung out and then I gave her a bath.
When all the girls were awake we took showers and had breakfast. I made eggs, sausage, and toast. Lauren Shaffer called from Austria and we Skyped while we ate. It was so nice to talk to her! We missed having her around. Since we slept in and spent so long on breakfast it was almost lunch by the time we were ready for the day. Elizabeth Dyer and Rachel had to fly out around 4:00 so we left for the airport around 1:00 and stopped at Panera for lunch.
Emaye and I took advantage of being out and about and stopped by the Philadelphia Premium Outlets on our way home. Although neither of us bought anything we took a loop around the stores and stopped in several places. Jon, Omar, and Peter were playing FIFA when we came home. The two of us heated up leftovers from Thursday evening and watched "Raising Helen" before heading to bed. Ellie went to sleep after dinner and slept through the night.
Sunday morning it was hard to wake up due to daylight savings. Emaye had stuck around through Sunday since she wanted to attend church with us. I was disappointed when we arrived (almost fifteen minutes late...oops) and Uncle Steve was not preaching. The guest pastor was very good but it's not the same. Dad will be our Sunday School teacher but he was also absent so she heard Mike Culbert. What a bummer.
Ellie did not sleep at all during church but fell asleep on our drive home. Jon put her to bed while I prepared the chicken for grilling. While he grilled I put together a salad and we ate grilled chicken salads for lunch. Jon left to play soccer with some people from church while Ellie and I took Emaye to the airport. I cannot believe that my friends came up to visit! I really enjoyed the time spent with them and hope they had fun, too.
On our way home Ellie started crying about halfway home. I stopped in a school parking lot and changed her diaper (boo) and fed her. We then drove straight to church and were only three minutes late for choir. Ellie once again didn't sleep at all during church and Mom-mom said it was because it was too exciting: there were five young boys ages 18 months through 3 with her.
Following prayer meeting we went over to Doug and Donna's and watched the second episode of The Bible. They provided Arby's sandwiches for dinner and we were also joined by Peter and Brittany. Ellie fell right to sleep in the crib and had no trouble going back to sleep once we came home. She definitely does not mind sleeping at night.

Ellieisms:
I finally saw Ellie roll over! When I laid her in the pack'n'play at church she rolled over. She was not ready for sleep.
Ellie does not enjoy driving. I think she must get bored.
After seeing Emily's stats I weighed Ellie and she came in at 15 lbs 2 oz (with her diaper on). Emily is a chunk beating Ellie by a few ounces!

Can you see her little teeth? 

Eating peas fed by Rachel

The stink eye

Emaye gave her the bunny ears and basket

Emaye & Ellie

The girls.
Ellie, Me, Rachel, Elizabeth, and Emaye

College Friends Visit

Wednesday was my last day before my friends from college come into town. Ellie and I had Precepts in the morning and I left home early since Ellie had woken up at 6:00 and would need her nap at 8:00. I didn't arrive at church until almost 8:45 and she was cranky. Entering a new environment doesn't really set the stage for falling asleep immediately. After trying for twenty minutes to get her to sleep, I left her in the pack'n'play and told the child care worker some brief directions. She fell asleep eventually which was a relief.

We went straight home following the study since Twin Valley had a half day of school and one of my students were possibly going to come early for her piano lesson. Apparently they decided against it, which was just fine, so I took the time to clean up and finish some laundry. I prepared dinner before my afternoon lessons came and took it over to Doug and Donna's at 5:15. Doug and Donna are still in Disney World so we told Omar we would bring dinner over to eat with him and Grandma while they were away. Ellie helped entertain Grandma and Jon met us there after work. I had a piano lesson to teach at 6:00 so we ate pretty quickly and Jon arranged for Omar to come over and hang out while he was watching Ellie during my Bible study. 

Usually Jon hosts prayer group so Ellie can stay home to sleep. Since Ellie has gotten onto a fairly consistent bedtime of somewhere between six and seven it works out. However this time Jon neglected to sign up to host so someone else was hosting but he agreed to stay home anyway. Then, to boot, my Bible Study was cancelled last minute. Jon finished up the grout before Omar came over and I ran out to T.J. Maxx and Bed, Bath, & Beyond to purchase towels, bedding, and a shower curtain for the new bathroom and for the air mattress. It was liberating to be out of the house without a baby or a time restriction.
Thursday morning the big day arrived: Elizabeth, Elizabeth, and Rachel came to town. Rachel and Elizabeth Maye (Emaye) flew into Philadelphia around 10:45. My goal was to be at the airport to pick them up when they came out of the baggage claim but I took too long to finish cleaning and preparing the mashed potatoes for the girls that I was pulling out of Geigertown when Rachel texted and said that she landed early. Oh boy! Fortunately 10:15 is a wonderful time to drive to Philadelphia because it was smooth sailing.
Rachel and Emaye sat in the back with Ellie to see what she was like when we headed into King of Prussia for lunch. We ate at the food court and hung around until it was time to head back to the airport to pick up Elizabeth Dyer. They all came from different cities: Elizabeth Dyer came from Houston, Rachel came from Chattanooga, and Emaye came from Charlotte. Last year they all met up in Houston and this year they decided to come to see us! It was so exciting. Elizabeth and Emaye were my suite mates and all four of us were education majors together.
I had put together a pamphlet of sorts with possible stops for their trip up here. Emaye said she wanted to see the Amish country and they were all feeling up to going that afternoon. We went to Intercourse and stopped by the Kitchen Kettle and other local shops. Driving home we went some back roads and passed by some one room school houses.
I had asked Kelly if I could borrow her air mattress and the Fentons were eating at Mimi and Pops' house so we stopped by. The girls came in and met everyone and said hi to those they already knew. Jon arrived home before us and put the mashed potatoes in the oven and fired up the grill. I put together a salad and cooked green beans and we had those along with pork chops and mashed potatoes.
We had arrived home late so dinner wasn't over until around 8:00. In the evening we set up the "bedroom" in the basement. It was great to catch up with everyone!

Ellieisms:
The girls got to experience the wrath of Ellie when we were driving home from the airport. She was crying very loud for a good twenty minutes before settling down and falling asleep.

The other day I left Ellie on the map and she somehow ended up like this.

Action shot of lunch at Grandma's from Monday 

Ellie sitting in the high chair

Shopping 

Finally someone new taking pictures of Ellie!

Loving Amish land

Caleb is Home

Monday morning Ellie woke up at 7:00 which was great except that means her nap time is right while I'm supposed to be at the gym. I headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's early enough to put her down for a nap. However she was not wanting to go to sleep with me so Grandma said she'd take over. Well Grandma has a no-cry policy so when I finished working out Ellie was hanging out in Grandma's lap living it up.
I put Ellie down for a nap and ran to Walmart while she slept. It is amazing how picking the wrong checkout line can add so much time to a shopping trip. He took almost as long to check out my groceries as it took me to walk around and pick them out. Goodness.
Kelly, Clark, Mom, Dad, Caleb and I all joined Grandma and Grandpa for lunch. Grandma made sandwiches to order and had pasta salad, apple sauce, funny cake, cookies, and peanut butter eggs for us. Delicious! Clark had eaten before I came back from the grocery store so Ellie sat in the high chair for the first time and had pears, peas, and carrots. Having Caleb join us for lunch was great. His first year is almost over!
After lunch I came home and taught piano lessons while Ellie slept. Jon came home for dinner and then he finished the tiles before heading off to watch a soccer game played by two CEFC teams. Ellie went to sleep at 6:00 (I thought I had put her down for a nap) so I new that I would have an early start. Therefore I did not wait for Jon to come home and went to bed around 10:00.
Ellie woke up twelve hours after going to bed right around 6:00 this morning. Katelyn - she does sleep the entire time (I didn't know how to respond to your comment question). Jon came out of the room around 6:30 and hung out with us since he had not spent much time with Ellie yesterday or over the weekend since he was working on the bathroom and sick. We had breakfast and Jon went to work.
I was supposed to go work on my quilt at Mrs. Saint's house but Ellie was acting all out of sorts after waking up from her first nap. About an hour later I put her back down and she slept another hour. Then we went off to take my flute to the repair shop.
Although my flute does not have a specific problem with it, it has not been "inspected" by a professional since high school. I had wanted to get it looked at for weeks so I finally got it done today. Since I was in the Reading area I stopped by T.J. Maxx to try to find a shower curtain and other supplies for the new bathroom. We weren't very successful so we went over to Target. By this point Ellie was just cranky so I decided to head home instead.
I picked up a few items from home and went to Elverson. Ellie had slept on the way home from Reading so she was cheerful during Brooke's flute lesson. Grandma was unsure when I was coming (sometimes I drop Ellie off for a nap before Brooke's lesson) and was excited to see Ellie at 4:15. You know you have a person who loves your baby watching her when she thanks you for dropping her off!
Mom invited our family over for dinner so we could spend some time with Caleb before he leaves for Covenant. Ellie went down for a nap while we ate. Caleb couldn't hang out long because he had a coffee date with Mr. McGuire and Dad left shortly thereafter for a Borough Council meeting. Jon went home and started grouting and Ellie and I followed about 45 minutes later.
Since being home I've spent time preparing for my friends' trip. They come in Thursday morning so I have a packed day tomorrow cleaning and whatnot!

Ellieisms:
Ellie will smile with her tongue sticking out when she's just hanging out.
Ellie once again rolled over in secret. Caleb told me she was crying in her crib at Mom's house so I went in and she was laying on her back looking up at me. When I rolled her back over she stayed on her stomach like she was glued down.

I'm sorry, no pictures. I'm feeling the early wake-up time and need to head to bed.

The Estes Wedding & Ellie Rolls Over in Secret

Saturday morning Jon woke up at 4:30 to take Doug and Donna to the airport. Shortly thereafter Ellie woke up but went back to sleep after gabbing for a bit. She woke up for the morning at 7:15 meaning she slept almost thirteen hours. It was a wonderful feeling.
At 9:15 I put Ellie down for a nap and left to go running with Nelah and Sarah from my small group. We ran for two miles and then Sarah invited us in for some quiche and fruit smoothies. It was a lot of fun and I ended up staying out for three hours. Poor Jon was trying to tile the bathroom floor but put that aside to watch Ellie until I came home.
After lunch Ellie took a nice nap while I vacuumed and cleaned the floors. Jon needed some help laying the shower floor tiles then we got ready for the Estes wedding. Dan, Amanda, and their kids were hanging out with Grandma Mountz while Omar went to the wedding and they agreed to watch Ellie for us. During the ceremony she hung out with them. I went over after the ceremony and picked her up and took her to sleep at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They were going out to dinner with Janelle and consequently couldn't watch her the entire wedding. It really worked out, though, to put her down to sleep.
Jon and I left the wedding in time to pick up Ellie before 10:00. We just missed them sending the bride and groom off but we thought any later would be asking a bit much of Grandma and Grandpa on a Saturday night.
Since Ellie had just cut a tooth a few days before and was acting a bit sad, I fed her a bottle with Tylenol in it when we arrived home. Plus I was hoping she would get a good nights sleep in.
At six o'clock Sunday morning I heard Ellie stirring. I let her go for a bit until she sounded irritated. When I walked into her bedroom she was on her back! She had rolled over when nobody was watching. What a stinker!
With our early wake up time it was easy to arrive to church on time. We actually left home at 8:15 so that I could put Ellie down for a nap before the service began. Apparently Ellie slept for 45 minutes, drank her bottle, then hung out with the other kids. Jon and I went to first service worship and to a Sunday School class led by Dad on parenting during second service.
Jon was not feeling very good last night during the wedding or this morning before church. I told him to stay home and get some sleep but he did not want to miss church. When we arrived home after church I put Ellie to bed while Jon prepared lunch (heating up leftover soup). Apparently that was enough to push him over the edge because he took about two bites then went to bed for the rest of the afternoon. Ellie took some short naps then hung out with me in the living room. We left at 5:15 to go to church early to once again put her down for a nap before church. On both occasions I didn't want to put her down at home just to wake her up twenty minutes later.
Mom and Dad lead evening prayer and gave a report on their trip to Uganda. Jon remained home in bed since he was not feeling better after his nap. Ellie took a lap around the room following the presentation to say hi to people not generally at church such as Grandpa and Grandma and Deb Slye. It was a great presentation and made me really miss Corinne! Three or four people approached me and said that Corinne looked like a combination of me and Katelyn and someone thought it was me at the beginning of the video. Apparently Corinne and I also sound similar.
After church Ellie and I went over to Doug and Donna's house to watch The Bible on the History Channel. Peter and Brittany ordered pizza and we watched it along with Omar and Grandma. Ellie fell asleep five minutes before the show began so I watched it while starting to cut out fabric for my quilt. I really enjoyed it! Now I am home and Ellie and Jon are sleeping and I want to head that way myself.

Ellieisms:
When Ellie is tired she is very rude and looks away from whoever is trying to make her smile. She also cries in a very forced-sounding way.
Ellie is well liked in nursery. One volunteer thanked me for letting her spend time with Ellie this morning. Um, come over anytime.

Since I sent around all the pictures from Tyler and Brittany's wedding I'm going to skip posting them tonight. Plus I'm feeling lazy and everyone here is sleeping. Bed is calling my name...

Growing Up & Cutting a Tooth

Thursday morning Jon had a dentist appointment before work so Ellie and I had the house to ourselves. I was meeting up with Mrs. Saint to go fabric shopping at 9:00 so I had to hurry up after Ellie woke up later than I anticipated. Kelly graciously offered to watch Ellie so Mrs. Saint and I met in Morgantown.
During the three hours Ellie hung out at Fenton's she behaved like a textbook baby. Kelly said she drank her entire bottle (over six ounces!), burped, then went to sleep without complaint. At noon when I picked her up at noon and headed over to AJ's for a lunch date with Jon.
Ellie reached her two hour mark when we were at lunch so we hurried home to put her to bed. She is very predictable and becomes very cranky right on schedule. Following her nap we went to the Reading Market to purchase meat and produce.
The market is about thirty minutes away and due to my slow moving Ellie was very sad on our drive home. She finally fell asleep three miles from home although she woke up as I was emptying the car. After a bit of a struggle she went to sleep in her crib while I finished emptying the groceries and regrouped.
Kelly apparently was not sick of watching Ellie after having her all morning and agreed to have her during small group. Jon came home from work and we ate before leaving for Morgantown. Our group rotates homes and tonight we met in the development down the road from Fenton's so it was very convenient. Plus I know Ellie is in good hands. When we came back to pick her up I went upstairs and transfered her into her car seat. Ellie never stays asleep but instead as Kelly was giving her report on her behavior Ellie was watching Kelly and just smiling so big. She loves Aunt Kelly.

Friday mornings I usually go to the gym for my Body Pump class. This morning Ellie woke up at 7:00 which means that she would be ready for a nap right at 9:00, when I should be leaving for my class. Since the gym does not have a location for sleeping I decided to skip the gym today and let Ellie nap. Plus, I am meeting up with some small group girls to run tomorrow morning. That seemed pretty legitimate.
Instead I did laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and changed sheets. Ellie even spent some time "working" and tested out a new swing (which they call a "motion napper").

The kitchen was in desperate need for a good scrub down so I did that during Ellie's nap. After Ellie's first nap we went to Walmart since I had forgotten to buy chicken at the market yesterday. Oops. I was making a meal for a friend who started a part time job which has been more like full time lately and has been a bit overwhelmed by it all. I picked up a stromboli for Jon and I at the Market yesterday so I only had to make a meal for her family. We saw Kelly and Clark walking into Walmart which was fun and rarely occurs.
We made it home in time for Ellie to go down for her second nap and then I ate lunch. Since she has been fairly consistent in sleeping about an hour and a half I decided to go over to the post office to send a couple things before they close at 1:00. Yes, our post office closes at 1:00. It's lame. And it took almost thirty minutes to send two packages and one letter (granted one package was heading to Uganda). Next time I'm going to a different post office. It's just conveniently close to our house.
When Ellie woke up from her nap I changed her diaper on the floor and thought I saw a tooth. Now this has happened to me before so I was looking really close and then decided to just feel and lo and behold, Ellie cut her first tooth. It's her bottom right center tooth and it's sharp. I tried to take a picture but Ellie was getting it.

Her finger is right on the new tooth

Ellie went down for her third nap at 3:15 and woke up about 45 minutes later. During her nap I finished the meal and we drove to Morgantown together to drop it off. Then we came home and hung out until Jon came home. We ate the stromboli and Ellie ate peas and pears. I was trying very hard to keep Ellie awake but finally put her down at 6:30 because she was so cranky. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be an early morning for us both.
After Ellie went down for a nap I did the dishes, folded the laundry, then Jon and I watched the first two episodes of the Amazing Race. Anybody else watching this season?

Ellieisms:
Ellie's face becomes super red when she's booing.
Ellie steals both spoons when I feed her. Every time I bring a new one to her mouth she drops whatever is in her hands and grabs it.
Jon saw a picture of Ellie tonight (the last one of her on this post) and thought it looked like he did as a baby. That's the first time he's said that so I thought I'd post some pictures of Ellie and us as babies. What do you think?

Jon at 6 months

Our high chair pictures