Ellison- 11 Months

11 months!  Ellie is such a silly, happy girl!  She is happy about everything!  She is such a joy to be around with her constant smiles and playful demeanor.

both Whitney and Ellie love to look through this radom collection of small toys I keep in a basket under the coffee table.  If you don't have one for your kids, do it!

Ellie likes to play with Whitney, Whitney- not so much.  Whitney is trying to get the ball back.

I wish the picture had turned out clearer, because this it totally my silly girl!

 Milestones-  not a whole lot this month.  She is continuing to perfect her walking and balance.  She has mastered standing up unassisted.  Her vocabulary has really taken off.  Combining words and animal sounds she is at last count at about 25 words.  They are in her baby version for a majority of words.  The funniest words she says are Sponge Bob, Dora, boo, boobies, and ta da.  She loves books and will point at pictures and ask "that".    The other day she came into my room, looked at me and said "boo!"  She is SOOO silly!  She knows a few body parts like eyes and tummy.  She would probably know a lot more of anything if I took more time to teach, but she's not even one so there's plenty of time to learn :)

Eating-  still an eating machine!  Still has a bottle, about four a day averaging 4 oz a time.  I recently read that babies are down to about 12 oz forumla/bm by 9-12 months.  This may be our last container of formula, we'll see how ambitious I am to take away that morning bottle.  She's not crazy about milk so far but will drink it if she's thirsty.  She likes orange juice but not apple juice.  She will eat about anything as long as it is not slimey in texture.  She can drink through a straw and likes those yogurt smoothies.

Sleep-  doing pretty good!  She is back to averaging 10 hrs before waking.  Goes to bed between 8-9 and will wake around 6/6:30 and may or may not go back to bed.  Now, she still DOES have quite a few nights where she will wake about 3:30/4, if I give her a bottle she will sleep the rest of the night.  She is down to one nap which last 1-2.5 hrs.  She is ready for an early bedtime if she only sleeps an hour.  Her nap time is around noon.  I'm not strict with sleep, i follow her cues and accomodate based on last sleep/waking.  She just got ANOTHER cold, so we'll see what happens with that in the sleep department.

Stats- guesstimating about 20lbs.  Size 3 shoe, size 3 diaper.  12-18mo clothes, 12 mo carter's jammies.   She has 6 teeth, four on top and two on bottom

she loves playing with this doll house.  This is one thing will somewhat play with together.  Ellie so loves to play with Whitney but Whitney is in that possessive stage and doesn't want Ellie to touch anything she is playing with.  Ellie learns so much just from watching Whitney.  I try to encourage play as much as I can, I hope it is a stage that will be outgrown soon.

total paci baby!  She HAS to have one to sleep.  i keep about 4 in her crib so she can always find one at night.  She is sucking on one less during the day.  i'm just now actively trying to keep them less available as she is awake, unless we are at the store or library, then they keep other things out of her mouth!

Still not crazy about bathtime.  She prefers to stand in the tub which drives me nuts because I have to hang over the tub to hold on to her.  The more I try to get her to sit the more she just wants to be done with bath.  She does finally lay still for diaper changes and getting pj's on.  She does patty cake with her feet when I change her diaper. 

She loves to poke people and say "boop!" and back up and giggle and do it again and again.  She likes to help with laundry putting wet clothes into the dryer that I hand her.  She knows the word laundry so I can't say it unless I'm actually ready to do it.  She likes to wear necklases and anything else she can put around her neck, always has.  She laughs when she farts or burps. 

It may seem like Ellie is all rainbows and sunshine but she does have a her moments of tantrums to get what she wants.  For the most part she does really well when she's over tired, but when she's really reached her limit, watch out!  She is also possessive of me.  She gets jealous when I hold or sit with Whitney.  She tries to push Whitney away or if she thinks Whitney is coming for me she will come sit in my lap or try to get me to hold her first.

Can't believe my next post will be for ONE year!  but thank goodness.  This was the fastest and slowest year ever.    I love the toddler stage so much better and am so looking forward to it.  There's a reason parents continue to love each growing stage, it's so you're not stuck in babyhood!

It's Friday

Is anyone else feeling like a loser with everyone pinning, blogging and facebooking their acheivements, or is it just me?  Ok, I don't really feel like a loser because I know that right now in my life I don't have a lot of time at home to accomplish these things.  Either that or I don't know how to multi task and have too much guilt for not playing with my kids for x amount of time.  Okay, it's a combination of needing to take care of my 2 1/2 year old who doesn't nap and my almost 11 month old who is down to one nap and not organizing my time properly when they are awake.   I literally have about zero me time (at home, I do get out alone bc of the babysitter, hallelujah!) until 10pm and who wants to do anything then? 

 Ellie is in that, " I HAVE to know what you're doing and I will cry and pull on your leg and fall over backwards because I have my head tilted back too far trying to look up at you " stage.  If we're just hanging out around the house she is fine.  The second I try to cook, unload the dishwasher, brush my teeth or use the bathroom she is all up in my business.  One thing I CAN do is take a shower.  She will finally leave me alone to do that.  She used to cry and try to climb into the tub.  I can see into the future and know that someday soon I will be productive and creative and my children will continue to grow with indepence.  Whitney is mostly there.

I am a little jealous of all the cute things everyone is doing.  Take my SIL.  I'm too lazy to create a link so you can check out her blog, The Vandewater Voyage under my blog list and check out Abby Maddy Inspired  too.  That lady can multi task in a crafty way!  Any way, my SIL has posted some food ideas that are easy and yummy and I have been trying them.  It's easier for me to steal her ideas than to scour Pinterest myself!  Works for me!

I'm hoping once we get to Omaha I can get Whitney into a preschool of some sort and Ellie will allow me to do things without holding her.  Maybe then I can buy one of those sewing machine things and cook with more than 3-5 ingredients.  For now I will dabble and be happy that my kids are well and my house is moderately clean.  Clean enough that you won't be grossed out if you unexpectedly dropped in.  And if anyone wants to do so feel free, we are ready for company every day.  Desperate for company!

I got it on camera!  Whitney can twist her tounge sideways and does it out of habit all the time.  She doesn't even know she does it.  In fact, if I ask her to show me she can't do it.

This is Ellie's purple ear because she won't let me do anything!!  I was trying to put some pants on and she made a mad dash for me because hold your horses if I try to do anything.  She tripped up and slammed her head into our bed rail.  Speaking of hold your horses, I said that to Whitney the other day and she goes, "huh?  you can't hold horses!"  Kids are so literal!

this is my brushetta I made last night.  See, I was inspired by my SIL!  Easy and yummy!
I used a can of petite diced tomatoes and it worked well.  Way faster than dicing your own.  And we had tubed basil and that was good too!  plus olive oil, balsamic vinergarette, salt, pepper, onion and shredded parmesan.  And just eat with tortilla chips or triscuts, don't worry about toasting fancy bread!

(More Than) Five Minute Friday

Friday the 13th, but who really believes in those shenanigans?  The only thing bad about this day is that it is the last day of One Life to Live.  Sad day for me.  It is my one hour mental break during nap time.  Maybe I will be more productive after it is off the air.

After the holidays and Wade leaving for his ILE course, we are working things out as just us three girls.  So far so good.  It certainly helped having my mom here this last week.  We kept busy and did some mean shopping!  Might have to take the girls back to the mall this afternoon!  GAP sales!!  It might not make any sense, but I almost do better with them alone.  I know that I have to and can't let me guard down.  I feel like a stronger, better parent these last 10 days.  But it's early, we'll wait until April when this course is near the end and I'm trying to organize a move!  I'm looking forward at everything we have planned these next couple months and am optimistic these next three months will quickly.  It's nice that we are around family, I have made some great friends, we have activities to keep us busy and a baby sitter to call on.

Who else is loving this weather?!?!  Below are some pictures of the week, playing at a park in January!!   

Just a Few Pictures

I cut into a kiwi the other day and saw this!

One of Whitney's new favorites... Sponge Bob.  She got a few SB things for Christmas as well as Barbie/Princess/Tinkerbell items.  Sigh.... my little girl is growing up :)

Ellie likes Whitney's underwear.  (these are clean btw)  she holds them up to her and bends down and tries to put them on.  I put them on her and she wore them the rest of the evening and she was happy.

PINK!!!!

She just had to go outside in her life jacket.  She wanted to go to the beach and I had to explain to her it was too cold, go outside and see for yourself!