Ella's First Christmas!

This Christmas we spent 4 nights in Atlanta. Half the time was spent with my parents and the other half was spent with Vinny's mom and stepdad. Our time went by quick and all the grandparents LOVED having Ella around. It is funny how once kids happen...THEY become the center of attention :)

We noticed really fast that traveling with a baby has its downfalls and can become quite stressful. We were glad to get back home when all the festivities were over. It took a few days to get Ella back on schedule!

Here are some pictures from our first Christmas with our little Ellabelle.

I Need a Break!

I have been back to work for almost 3 weeks and I feel I already need a break. I CANNOT WAIT for my two weeks off for Christmas. I am so excited for Ella's first Christmas...even though she is too little to remember any of it! :) We have so much planned and I am sure that it will fly by. We are leaving for Atlanta next week and will spend half of it with my parents and the other half with Vinny's mom and stepdad. This will be our first time traveling with Ella, so I am trying to prepare myself to "go with the flow." I know there will be TONS to pack and I am sure I will forget something. But, hey, that's what Walmart is for, right? I hope Ella stays on her schedule for the most part and sleeps well too. At least she will be with lots of people who won't mind holding her!! Vinny and I have already decided that next year we aren't going anywhere for the holidays. We will stay here and begin our Christmas traditions together in Birmingham. YOU HEAR THAT GRANDPARENTS!!! Haha! People will have to come to us :) Here is a sweet picture of Ella in one of her Christmas outfits. She is smiling and laughing so much these days!

Two Months Old

On December 6th, Ella turned 2 months old. She is growing fast and lots of new things happened this past month. Here are some highlights!

~ You talk to yourself and "coo" a lot.
~ You enjoy watching TV and sometimes it can distract you from eating.
~ Your eyes are changing from dark blue to a lighter blue.
~ You like to grab and pull on mommy's hair.
~ Your eyelashes are getting longer and darker.
~ You like to stick your tongue out.
~ You enjoy hanging out in your swing.
~ Your hair is getting longer and towards the end of the month will lay flat instead of sticking straight up :)
~ You are beginning to wear bows in your hair.
~ You LOVE bath time!
~ You do NOT like to be hot...you hate layered clothing. You are definitely your daddy's daughter.
~ You began smiling at 6-7 weeks.
~ Daddy can make you smile A LOT more than mommy. You love having your head rubbed.
~ You started sleeping through the might consistently at 7 weeks!!! Yippee!

At your 6 week check-up you had your first round of shots. You cried only when the needle poked you, but stopped right when Mommy picked you up.

At 6 Weeks:
Weight: 10.5 pounds (60th percentile)
Length: 22" (60th percentile)
Head Circumference: 14 1/2" (25th percentile)

I am thankful for...

Here are some things I am thankful for:

1. A safe and easy delivery of Ella.
2. A wonderful (and fairly easy) baby girl.
3. A patient and loving husband.
4. A great family.
5. A wonderful job that I love waking up and going to everyday. I work with the best colleagues and am blessed with a great group of students.
6. God's amazing grace and forgiveness.
7. God's provision over my family.
8. My church...I LOVE it!
9. My friends...I LOVE them!
10. A roof over my head.
11. A new car (well, new to me!)
12. Starbucks...mmm mmm good. Although Vinny says it is very overpriced!

There are so many things Vinny and I are thankful for. We do not take life for granted or the things God has blessed us with. There have been times in our marriage where we would have NEVER thought we would be where we are today spiritually, physically, mentally, or relationally. God has walked through some dark valleys with us. He has never left us and has always been right there to comfort and protect us.

We sang this song at church this morning. It has been a long time since we sang this song...I think the last time was over 4 years ago when we lived in Hilton Head.

What to say, Lord? It's
You who gave me life and I
Can't explain just how
Much You mean to me now
That You have saved me, Lord
I give all that I am to You
That everyday I could
Be a light that shines Your name

Everyday, Lord, I'll
Learn to stand upon Your word
And I pray that I
That I might come to know You more
That You would guide me in every single step I take, that
Everyday I can
Be Your light unto the world

Everyday, it's You I live for
Everyday, I'll follow after You
Everyday, I'll walk with You, my Lord

This Thankgiving Vinny's dad and stepmom came to spend the holiday with us. We had some much fun with them and Ella enjoyed all the special attention. Thanks for watching her so we could have a date to the movies!! Here are a few pictures from their visit and of Ella's first Thanksgiving.

Fun at ONE MONTH!

Ella turned one month old on November 6th, so I am a little late in posting this. Oh well, better late than never! I want to post interesting and fun facts about her for each month, so here are some fun things to read about her first month "happenings."

- You follow voices with your eyes and focus on peoples’ faces.
- You can move your head from side to side.
- You can hold your head steady when held upright (for a little while).
- People always remark about how strong your head, arms, and legs are.
- You sometimes sleep with your arms stretched above your head.
- You love to have your hands up close to your face…sometimes you suck on them, especially when you are hungry.
- We love watching you smile when you are dreaming.
- You make jerky arm and leg movements that make us laugh.
- You love tummy time on mommy and daddy’s chest.
- You fart A LOT and you aren’t very discreet about it!
- Your umbilical cord fell off on October 24th…you were 18 days old.
- At your two week check-up you weighed 7.14 pounds and were 20 ½ inches long.
- By the end of the month you were eating 3-4 ounces per feeding, which was every 2-3 hours.
- By the end of the month you only wake mommy up one time a night for a feeding!

Halloween...a week late...

It has been awhile since we posted anything. Here are some pictures from Ella's first Halloween. We went over to the Benzes house. They were all dressed up, but I failed to get pictures of everyone! Zoe (10 years old) was dressed like Alice from Twilight, Addie (5 years old) was dressed like a ghost, Rachel (the mom) was dressed like she was back in the 80's, and Dave (the dad) had a shirt that read Dr. Acula...so I guess he was a vampire??? Vinny and I didn't dress up, but little Ella kind of did. She wore a onsie that said "I Love My Mummy." I couldn't find a costume that would fit her. Everything I found was still WAY TOO BIG. She is still wearing newborn size... Next year will be more fun! Ella will be just over a year old and then there will be PLENTY of little costumes to choose from. By then she will hopefully be walking!!

A close up of the outfit.

It looks like she is throwing gang signs in this picture!!

Family Picture!

Gas maybe??

I think that's gas.