- I started watching 2 little girls on a regular basis. One came over once a week for a few hours, so that her mom could have some time to do some things at home without any "help" from her daughter. This arrangement worked out well for all involved--but they ended up moving across the country. I'm happy for them, since they are close to family and are where they want to be. But, I do miss this little girl and her mom! (I feel weird about writing their names, since this is a public blog and I didn't ask for permission). The other little girl started coming in April, and has been here for 1-3 days a week since! The little girl ("A") is 2 months older than Ella, so they get along wonderfully. This summer, the girls and I have gone to the library for "babytime," gone swimming in our little baby pool, gone to a playgroup, and lots and lots of walks! It's a great arrangement--she's part-time, so I still have days with just Ella, but Ella still gets some peer interaction, so that's great too. And, the money I earn goes straight toward my student loan!
- It's been a busy year of weddings! Ella has now been to 4 weddings and 3 funerals. WOW. 2 of the weddings were ones that I was in, so that has made it especially busy! Ella did so well at all of them--and fell asleep on Wes a couple of times, too. Congratulations to Lisa & Josh, Heidi & Ryan, Megan & Perry, and Janna & Eric!
- Ella loooooves water! Splashing in our baby pool, taking a bath, even washing her hands--she loves it! Recently, she's started saying "weeee!" when playing in water. And sliding down slides, and with anything else that she's having fun with!
- Speaking of saying "weeeee!"... she speaks! She says mama, dada, ball, baby, shoe, kitty, hi, bye, hello, that, wow, yay!, wee!, no (I don't like this one!), and others. :)
- We celebrated Ella's first birthday in June! (above). We had a party with some friends and family, ate cake (she smashed hers and played in it, but didn't eat it!), and opened presents. It was a wonderful, fun, exciting day! I thought that I would be teary or cry that day--but I did really well! The only time I was teary at all was when everyone sang her Happy Birthday! My birthday girl was all smiles and the center of attention, and I couldn't help but think back to that day a year earlier when she was born. She was so tiny and precious--and here she is now, my "big" girl!
- We've made the switch to cloth diapers! I took the plunge a couple of weeks ago, and so far, we're loving it! Our trash has almost completely disappeared! We already recycle, so we were mostly just throwing away diapers. Using cloth diapers is completely different than it used to be. No more pins, leaks, or messes! They're not complicated--and actually, the ones we use are pretty much just like disposables with a velcro-type closure. And the laundry isn't bad either. So far so good! And I must say, she's pretty cute in cloth!
I'm sure that a lot more has happened that I'm forgetting, but I guess those are the main things! We're loving Ella's newfound independence with crawling, and are waiting for her to start walking. We know that she'll do it when she's ready! But, she's still my mama's girl. :) She's adjusting better to being away from me occasionally, especially if she's with Wes!! We're going to start weekly "Ella and Daddy" nights soon, where they can have their special time without me, and I can spend time with a few friends in a bible study/fellowship.
0 comments:
Post a Comment