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Jared and Liz were eagerly awaiting Ellie's arrival for 9 months and on
Monday, October 8, 2007, Liz was induced at 39 weeks. The labor
lasted 32 hrs, but for the most part was uncomplicated. Ellie did have
her cord around her neck which caused her heart rate to drop
sporadically the last few hours of labor, but luckily it was loose at the
time of delivery on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 4:52pm.
Ellie did not get to go home until late in the afternoon on Friday,
October 12 because the doctors were concerned with her weight loss,
since she was a tiny baby to begin with. Ellie also ended up getting
jaundice on Thursday, and had to spend 12 hrs under the bili-photo
therapy light to help decrease the bilirubin levels.
At Ellie's check-up on Sunday, October 14, she was back up to her
birth weight and the jaundice was at a safer level. Thus, after a long 5
days in the hospital, we were able to start enjoying our time at home.
Monday, October 8, 2007, Liz was induced at 39 weeks. The labor
lasted 32 hrs, but for the most part was uncomplicated. Ellie did have
her cord around her neck which caused her heart rate to drop
sporadically the last few hours of labor, but luckily it was loose at the
time of delivery on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 4:52pm.
Ellie did not get to go home until late in the afternoon on Friday,
October 12 because the doctors were concerned with her weight loss,
since she was a tiny baby to begin with. Ellie also ended up getting
jaundice on Thursday, and had to spend 12 hrs under the bili-photo
therapy light to help decrease the bilirubin levels.
At Ellie's check-up on Sunday, October 14, she was back up to her
birth weight and the jaundice was at a safer level. Thus, after a long 5
days in the hospital, we were able to start enjoying our time at home.
Jared and Liz had no idea that a month could fly by so fast; however, the lack of sleep probably
contributed to the days blending together. Ellie's first week was spent in the hospital, and the first
night home was terrifying for both of us (but we survived and so did Ellie!). Having Liz's mom
around the first 10 days and Jared's mom for another 10 days after that really helped out. However,
we contribute Ellie's love of cuddling being due to the fact that our mothers spoiled her while they
were here (but that is what grandmother's are for - right!). Ellie was a very alert baby from the
minute she was born and the doctors always commented on how she was "tentatively aware." She
was also surprisingly strong, and had good head control almost immediately and likes to stand on
her two feet if we help hold her up. Ellie is also a very consolable baby, and as long as she is fed,
has a clean diaper, held when she wants to cuddle (which is almost all day), and put down for a
nap when she is tired she is a happy baby. Ellie also surprised us this first month by actually
sleeping for 6-7 hours numerous nights towards the end of month. One scare we had Ellie's third
week home were the San Diego wildfires that started shortly after Grandma Anderson arrived to
help out. The fires were in the cities all around us, so we felt like we were in this little bubble that
could burst at any time as the sky was dark and one big smoke cloud was all around us for over a
week. Thus, we had our car packed for a week with the valuables we could fit, so we would be
prepared to evacuate if we received the call. Luckily the call never came to our neighborhood, but
sadly many homes in San Diego county were lost. Jared and I consider ourselves very lucky and
our love for Ellie continues to grow each day!
Ellie's first night away from dad: October 28, 2008
Ellie's first "real" bath: October 19, 2007
contributed to the days blending together. Ellie's first week was spent in the hospital, and the first
night home was terrifying for both of us (but we survived and so did Ellie!). Having Liz's mom
around the first 10 days and Jared's mom for another 10 days after that really helped out. However,
we contribute Ellie's love of cuddling being due to the fact that our mothers spoiled her while they
were here (but that is what grandmother's are for - right!). Ellie was a very alert baby from the
minute she was born and the doctors always commented on how she was "tentatively aware." She
was also surprisingly strong, and had good head control almost immediately and likes to stand on
her two feet if we help hold her up. Ellie is also a very consolable baby, and as long as she is fed,
has a clean diaper, held when she wants to cuddle (which is almost all day), and put down for a
nap when she is tired she is a happy baby. Ellie also surprised us this first month by actually
sleeping for 6-7 hours numerous nights towards the end of month. One scare we had Ellie's third
week home were the San Diego wildfires that started shortly after Grandma Anderson arrived to
help out. The fires were in the cities all around us, so we felt like we were in this little bubble that
could burst at any time as the sky was dark and one big smoke cloud was all around us for over a
week. Thus, we had our car packed for a week with the valuables we could fit, so we would be
prepared to evacuate if we received the call. Luckily the call never came to our neighborhood, but
sadly many homes in San Diego county were lost. Jared and I consider ourselves very lucky and
our love for Ellie continues to grow each day!
Ellie's first night away from dad: October 28, 2008
Ellie's first "real" bath: October 19, 2007
| Ellie's Online Baby Book Journal |
Month 1
Month 2
To start off Ellie's 2nd month, she embarked on her first road trip. We drove from San Diego, CA to
Sedona, AZ. It is normally a 7hr drive; however, due to feedings, diaper changes, etc. the trip took
about 9 hours. We learned from this trip that Ellie loves the car, and more or less sleeps the whole
time she is riding. By the beginning of month 2, Ellie was only waking mom up once per night to
feed (and sometimes she would surprise mom and sleep through the night). Another highlight for
this month was that around the Thanksgiving holiday, Ellie started to smile. She also tracks us
with her eyes and her head (when she can hold it up). Ellie also started to enjoy bath time, and
does not cry at all anymore. She also loves her Baby Einstein play gym, and "dances" to the music
by kicking her feet and shaking her arms (and we swear it is to the beat of the songs). The big
surprise for us this month was at Ellie's 2 month doctor's appointment when she weighed 10lb.
5oz, and was 23 inches long already. She was also a champ for her immunizations, and only cried
for a second; however, the shots made her very lethargic for about 24hrs. Ellie is really starting to
take on a personality and is becoming more fun to interact with each passing day!
Ellie's first smiles: Week of November 18, 2007
Sedona, AZ. It is normally a 7hr drive; however, due to feedings, diaper changes, etc. the trip took
about 9 hours. We learned from this trip that Ellie loves the car, and more or less sleeps the whole
time she is riding. By the beginning of month 2, Ellie was only waking mom up once per night to
feed (and sometimes she would surprise mom and sleep through the night). Another highlight for
this month was that around the Thanksgiving holiday, Ellie started to smile. She also tracks us
with her eyes and her head (when she can hold it up). Ellie also started to enjoy bath time, and
does not cry at all anymore. She also loves her Baby Einstein play gym, and "dances" to the music
by kicking her feet and shaking her arms (and we swear it is to the beat of the songs). The big
surprise for us this month was at Ellie's 2 month doctor's appointment when she weighed 10lb.
5oz, and was 23 inches long already. She was also a champ for her immunizations, and only cried
for a second; however, the shots made her very lethargic for about 24hrs. Ellie is really starting to
take on a personality and is becoming more fun to interact with each passing day!
Ellie's first smiles: Week of November 18, 2007
Month 3
Most of Ellie's third month was spent far away from sunny California, as we traveled to the chilly
Midwest for three weeks to spend the holiday's with family and friends. While back in the Midwest,
Ellie was Baptised (on Sunday, December 16). She made it through the Baptism and church
without crying! Ellie also had her newborn professional pictures taken in Minnesota. While in the
Midwest, Ellie was also able to meet her first cousin, Taylor Anderson. We are pretty sure the two
bonded for life! Taylor was already asking Ellie to "Come over here and play," not quite realizing
that Ellie couldn't walk yet. It was super cute! Ellie also started to regularly sleep all through the
night while back in the Midwest. Unfortunately, this was at the expense of her grandparents
because both sets had to turn their heat up to 75+ just to keep little "miss" Ellie warm (as she is
always cold and will not sleep good if it is not warm enough). Once we returned to CA, Ellie's time
at home with mom came to an end and she started day care 3 days a week on January 2. As for
other milestones this month, Ellie started to interact with toys by holding them in her hands, fell in
love with a Playskool MP3 player she received for xMas (which helped her learn to fall asleep on
her own without being rocked to bed), and she also gave us her dirtiest diaper yet after 3 days of
holding it in. Finally, Ellie is really starting to fatten up, and we think she weighs around 14lbs now,
which gives us even more skin to kiss and squeeze!
Ellie's first cold/runny nose: December 30, 2007
Ellie's first noticeable giggle: December 29, 2007
Ellie's first plane ride: December 6, 2007
Midwest for three weeks to spend the holiday's with family and friends. While back in the Midwest,
Ellie was Baptised (on Sunday, December 16). She made it through the Baptism and church
without crying! Ellie also had her newborn professional pictures taken in Minnesota. While in the
Midwest, Ellie was also able to meet her first cousin, Taylor Anderson. We are pretty sure the two
bonded for life! Taylor was already asking Ellie to "Come over here and play," not quite realizing
that Ellie couldn't walk yet. It was super cute! Ellie also started to regularly sleep all through the
night while back in the Midwest. Unfortunately, this was at the expense of her grandparents
because both sets had to turn their heat up to 75+ just to keep little "miss" Ellie warm (as she is
always cold and will not sleep good if it is not warm enough). Once we returned to CA, Ellie's time
at home with mom came to an end and she started day care 3 days a week on January 2. As for
other milestones this month, Ellie started to interact with toys by holding them in her hands, fell in
love with a Playskool MP3 player she received for xMas (which helped her learn to fall asleep on
her own without being rocked to bed), and she also gave us her dirtiest diaper yet after 3 days of
holding it in. Finally, Ellie is really starting to fatten up, and we think she weighs around 14lbs now,
which gives us even more skin to kiss and squeeze!
Ellie's first cold/runny nose: December 30, 2007
Ellie's first noticeable giggle: December 29, 2007
Ellie's first plane ride: December 6, 2007
Month 5
Month 4
Ellie's fourth month was pretty uneventful due to Jared and Liz's hectic schedules. With Liz back at
work and completing her MBA, there was not much extra time for Ellie to get out and explore the
world. Therefore, our family was definitely in survival mode in January and early February (one
major down-fall of living so far away from family and friends!). Additionally, we think we jinxed
ourselves when we reported she was already sleeping through the night at 3 months, as the night
before Liz went back to work Ellie stopped sleeping all night. We think it's contributed to the fact
that Ellie sleeps a lot during day care. Nonetheless, she is consistently waking up at least once
per night to feed (luckily her feedings only last 10-15 minutes and she falls right back to sleep for
the rest of the night). A major highlight for Ellie this month was when out of the blue one day she
rolled over when Jared was watching her. He thought maybe it was a fluke, but then she did it
again multiple times the next few days (and Liz was able to witness it!). Ellie also stopped
sleeping in her co-sleeper this month and moved into the nursery. She is still a champ when it
comes to falling asleep at night. All we have to do is swaddle her, put a nuk in her mouth, and lay
her down when she is almost dozing off and she puts herself to sleep. Other than Ellie getting
another minor cold this month, we are thankful that she remains very healthy!
Ellie's first roll-over (tummy to back): January 25, 2008
Ellie's first night in her nursery crib: January 25, 2008
work and completing her MBA, there was not much extra time for Ellie to get out and explore the
world. Therefore, our family was definitely in survival mode in January and early February (one
major down-fall of living so far away from family and friends!). Additionally, we think we jinxed
ourselves when we reported she was already sleeping through the night at 3 months, as the night
before Liz went back to work Ellie stopped sleeping all night. We think it's contributed to the fact
that Ellie sleeps a lot during day care. Nonetheless, she is consistently waking up at least once
per night to feed (luckily her feedings only last 10-15 minutes and she falls right back to sleep for
the rest of the night). A major highlight for Ellie this month was when out of the blue one day she
rolled over when Jared was watching her. He thought maybe it was a fluke, but then she did it
again multiple times the next few days (and Liz was able to witness it!). Ellie also stopped
sleeping in her co-sleeper this month and moved into the nursery. She is still a champ when it
comes to falling asleep at night. All we have to do is swaddle her, put a nuk in her mouth, and lay
her down when she is almost dozing off and she puts herself to sleep. Other than Ellie getting
another minor cold this month, we are thankful that she remains very healthy!
Ellie's first roll-over (tummy to back): January 25, 2008
Ellie's first night in her nursery crib: January 25, 2008
Ellie traveled to AZ for her great-grandma's 80th b-day this month and also had the enjoyment of
having another little one around to play with when Jeremy and Amber Koth visited with their 10
month old daughter, Joey. Ellie also had another wellness visit with her pediatrician and received
another round of shots. Luckily, Ellie faired well with the shots and did not experience the typical
fever/fussiness (we didn't even have to give her any Tylenol). She weighed a whopping 15.5 lbs
and was 24.5 inches! Ellie also received the OK from her doc to start solid foods, such as rice and
cereal. We started by feeding her rice just at night for a few days, and then increased it to morning
and night the days she was not at day care. She is finally starting to take more food in than she
spits out, but it is still a work in progress. The introduction of rice also signified another milestone
for Ellie because after 5 months of nursing she was weaned to formula. An additional milestone
includes Ellie responding to her name when we call it. She is also becoming a more content baby
and will just lay around manipulating her taggies blanket and crinkle toys, and does not want to be
held all the time anymore. She loves playing "Where's Ellie" when we put the taggies blanket over
her face, and is smiling more when provoked. She is adding more laughter to our lives everyday!
Ellie's first solid food (rice): February 22, 2008
Ellie's first day at the beach: February 16, 2008
having another little one around to play with when Jeremy and Amber Koth visited with their 10
month old daughter, Joey. Ellie also had another wellness visit with her pediatrician and received
another round of shots. Luckily, Ellie faired well with the shots and did not experience the typical
fever/fussiness (we didn't even have to give her any Tylenol). She weighed a whopping 15.5 lbs
and was 24.5 inches! Ellie also received the OK from her doc to start solid foods, such as rice and
cereal. We started by feeding her rice just at night for a few days, and then increased it to morning
and night the days she was not at day care. She is finally starting to take more food in than she
spits out, but it is still a work in progress. The introduction of rice also signified another milestone
for Ellie because after 5 months of nursing she was weaned to formula. An additional milestone
includes Ellie responding to her name when we call it. She is also becoming a more content baby
and will just lay around manipulating her taggies blanket and crinkle toys, and does not want to be
held all the time anymore. She loves playing "Where's Ellie" when we put the taggies blanket over
her face, and is smiling more when provoked. She is adding more laughter to our lives everyday!
Ellie's first solid food (rice): February 22, 2008
Ellie's first day at the beach: February 16, 2008
Month 6
There were lots of "firsts" for Ellie this month. The month started off with Liz leaving Ellie for a
whole week because she had to travel for work. Ellie appeared to handle the separation well, but
then again she was in good hands with Grandma Lou (and Jared too)! When Liz returned from her
trip, Ellie "came to life." She started grabbing for everything in sight. If you put a toy in front of her,
she wanted it and would reach for it. Her favorite toy to reach for is a plastic phone rattle. She is
also really curious and aware of her surroundings and into everything within reach. She loves to
grab at her formula cans and water bottles when sitting in her Pod chair before eating (we
sometimes wonder why we spend so much money on toys)! Regarding eating, we introduced
Ellie to oatmeal cereal in addition to rice and she is eating 3-4 Tbsp twice a day now. Ellie also
feels liberated now that she can sit on her own and dislikes being on her back unless its bedtime.
Unfortunately for her, she has learned the hard way that with this new ability also comes the ability
to fall over. Ellie also learned that her feet have purpose and has started to jump when put in her
jumperoo. Ellie also started teething and sucks on everything, but luckily she does not appear to
be in too much pain yet. Ellie is slowly starting to smile and giggle more (and is not such a
serious baby all the time anymore) and finds the dogs quite humorous. She especially loves it
when Synder jumps for her toy when playing fetch. Ellie's sleeping patterns have continued to
improve and she has stopped requiring a feeding at night and sometimes just needs her Nuk put
back in her mouth. However, the last week she has not even required that and has been sleeping
all night from 9pm to around 7am. She must have heard the doctor tell us we could let her cry it out
when she hit six months, and thought she would save us the agony. We are seeing a light at the
end of our sleep deprived tunnel! Ellie now weighs 17.7 lbs.
Ellie's first laugh attack: April 7, 2008 (watching the dogs chase each other)
Ellie's first roll-over (back to tummy): April 5, 2008
Ellie's first teeth appeared: March 22, 2008 (two bottom front teeth)
Ellie learned to sit up on her own: Week of March 17, 2008
Ellie's first night away from mom: March 9, 2008
whole week because she had to travel for work. Ellie appeared to handle the separation well, but
then again she was in good hands with Grandma Lou (and Jared too)! When Liz returned from her
trip, Ellie "came to life." She started grabbing for everything in sight. If you put a toy in front of her,
she wanted it and would reach for it. Her favorite toy to reach for is a plastic phone rattle. She is
also really curious and aware of her surroundings and into everything within reach. She loves to
grab at her formula cans and water bottles when sitting in her Pod chair before eating (we
sometimes wonder why we spend so much money on toys)! Regarding eating, we introduced
Ellie to oatmeal cereal in addition to rice and she is eating 3-4 Tbsp twice a day now. Ellie also
feels liberated now that she can sit on her own and dislikes being on her back unless its bedtime.
Unfortunately for her, she has learned the hard way that with this new ability also comes the ability
to fall over. Ellie also learned that her feet have purpose and has started to jump when put in her
jumperoo. Ellie also started teething and sucks on everything, but luckily she does not appear to
be in too much pain yet. Ellie is slowly starting to smile and giggle more (and is not such a
serious baby all the time anymore) and finds the dogs quite humorous. She especially loves it
when Synder jumps for her toy when playing fetch. Ellie's sleeping patterns have continued to
improve and she has stopped requiring a feeding at night and sometimes just needs her Nuk put
back in her mouth. However, the last week she has not even required that and has been sleeping
all night from 9pm to around 7am. She must have heard the doctor tell us we could let her cry it out
when she hit six months, and thought she would save us the agony. We are seeing a light at the
end of our sleep deprived tunnel! Ellie now weighs 17.7 lbs.
Ellie's first laugh attack: April 7, 2008 (watching the dogs chase each other)
Ellie's first roll-over (back to tummy): April 5, 2008
Ellie's first teeth appeared: March 22, 2008 (two bottom front teeth)
Ellie learned to sit up on her own: Week of March 17, 2008
Ellie's first night away from mom: March 9, 2008
Month 7
The last month for Ellie was a good one even though she didn't have any milestone "firsts". Ellie
continues to work on her agility and now rolls around on the floor from front to back and back to
front to get where she wants to go. She is not crawling yet, but Dr. McLean (Ellie's pediatrician)
thought she would be by the end of this month. She is strong enough to lean forward when she is
sitting and straighten herself. Additionally, she loves jumping in her jumperoo so much that she
will bounce for an hour straight if we let her. She does this funny leg motion when bouncing and
will jump, jump, jump and then all of a sudden flex her legs to stop (we always yell "Superstar"
when she does this and she gives us a big smile back). Ellie is continuing to smile and giggle
more and we have noticed when we pick her up from day care she is super excited and gives us
big smiles and coos while kicking her legs. She continues to remain a soft-spoken baby and is not
all that verbal. We are practicing the "uh-ohs, hello's, and bye-bye's" but she has not quite grasped
these phrases yet, even after Grandma Ulven practiced the "uh-oh" phrase over and over again
when she visited this last month. The dogs are starting to show more interest in Ellie and vice
versa. Ellie loves to "pet" or we should say grab the dogs hair. Luckily the dogs are good sports
about it. One thing we have not mentioned in past updates is that Ellie is fascinated with the TV.
Thus, we try to minimize the amount of time it is on in the background; however, on the weekends
we do allow her to get in a show of Baby Einstein, Tiny Love MagicIQ, or Teletubbies on DVD when
we need to get stuff done around the house. The MagicIQ video has an interactive dog that sings
and there is a song called Bellybutton that Ellie just loves. Ellie had her six month shots a little late
at about 6 1/2 months, but once again she made it through them with flying colors and managed to
avoid a fever again. At her check-up she weighed 18.8lbs and was 26.97 inches long. This put her
in the 90-95% for height and weight, so she has defiantly made up her low birth weight and then
some over the last seven months (we just hope its not because we are feeding her too much - as
she loves solids!). She started eating mixed grain cereal and has just made it through all her
vegetables and started fruit this weekend. Although baby steps, they are all truly cherished.
continues to work on her agility and now rolls around on the floor from front to back and back to
front to get where she wants to go. She is not crawling yet, but Dr. McLean (Ellie's pediatrician)
thought she would be by the end of this month. She is strong enough to lean forward when she is
sitting and straighten herself. Additionally, she loves jumping in her jumperoo so much that she
will bounce for an hour straight if we let her. She does this funny leg motion when bouncing and
will jump, jump, jump and then all of a sudden flex her legs to stop (we always yell "Superstar"
when she does this and she gives us a big smile back). Ellie is continuing to smile and giggle
more and we have noticed when we pick her up from day care she is super excited and gives us
big smiles and coos while kicking her legs. She continues to remain a soft-spoken baby and is not
all that verbal. We are practicing the "uh-ohs, hello's, and bye-bye's" but she has not quite grasped
these phrases yet, even after Grandma Ulven practiced the "uh-oh" phrase over and over again
when she visited this last month. The dogs are starting to show more interest in Ellie and vice
versa. Ellie loves to "pet" or we should say grab the dogs hair. Luckily the dogs are good sports
about it. One thing we have not mentioned in past updates is that Ellie is fascinated with the TV.
Thus, we try to minimize the amount of time it is on in the background; however, on the weekends
we do allow her to get in a show of Baby Einstein, Tiny Love MagicIQ, or Teletubbies on DVD when
we need to get stuff done around the house. The MagicIQ video has an interactive dog that sings
and there is a song called Bellybutton that Ellie just loves. Ellie had her six month shots a little late
at about 6 1/2 months, but once again she made it through them with flying colors and managed to
avoid a fever again. At her check-up she weighed 18.8lbs and was 26.97 inches long. This put her
in the 90-95% for height and weight, so she has defiantly made up her low birth weight and then
some over the last seven months (we just hope its not because we are feeding her too much - as
she loves solids!). She started eating mixed grain cereal and has just made it through all her
vegetables and started fruit this weekend. Although baby steps, they are all truly cherished.
Well, Dr. McLean's prediction about Ellie crawling by the end of May didn't come true. She is
definitely taking "baby steps" to reach this milestone! She started out rolling around everywhere
last month and then about three weeks ago she started trying to push her knees forward, but never
got anywhere. Within the last week she has started to arch her back to get into the crawling
position, but then gives up and does an "army crawl" on her belly to move around (w/o legs - it's
entertaining and amazingly inefficient). We are still holding out for her to crawl one of the days, but
would not be surprise if she was one of those babies that goes straight to walking. Which brings
us to a "first" she did do this month, which is taking actual walking steps when we assist her. She
loves walking around and would do it all day if we let her. While walking she smiles up at us with a
look of accomplishment - very sweet! Ellie has started to show enjoyment by squealing and
although it is fun now we are hoping it does not last forever, as it's impressively awkward when
she does it in public. Since Ellie has been doing so well eating solid foods, we attempted to take
things to the next level and try hard foods, so we bought her some sweet potato star shaped puffs.
To us the size seemed reasonable and quite small, but we quickly realized after Ellie gagged and
threw up after trying the first one (oops) that we may need to ease into things more wisely. We're
all learning here. While eating this month when we were in AZ, Ellie also discovered her tongue
and enjoyed showing it to the world. Perhaps it had a correlation to her getting her 3rd tooth? This
tooth did not come in as easy as the first two and Ellie had a 101 temp for about 24 hrs. Also, to
moms dismay this month, Ellie started rolling onto her stomach at night when sleeping. Liz feels
like Ellie is a newborn again, as she is getting up 5-6 times a night to roll Ellie onto her back (Liz is
finally starting to realize it is a lost cause and getting up less). Finally, Ellie enjoyed her first
swimming pool experience while in AZ with both sets of Grandparents. It was great fun for all. We
estimate Ellie weighs around 20lbs and is about 27.5 inches long now.
Ellie's first "assisted " walking steps: May 31, 2008
Ellie's first hard food (puffs): May 30, 2008
Ellie's first swim: May 26, 2008 (Memorial Day)
definitely taking "baby steps" to reach this milestone! She started out rolling around everywhere
last month and then about three weeks ago she started trying to push her knees forward, but never
got anywhere. Within the last week she has started to arch her back to get into the crawling
position, but then gives up and does an "army crawl" on her belly to move around (w/o legs - it's
entertaining and amazingly inefficient). We are still holding out for her to crawl one of the days, but
would not be surprise if she was one of those babies that goes straight to walking. Which brings
us to a "first" she did do this month, which is taking actual walking steps when we assist her. She
loves walking around and would do it all day if we let her. While walking she smiles up at us with a
look of accomplishment - very sweet! Ellie has started to show enjoyment by squealing and
although it is fun now we are hoping it does not last forever, as it's impressively awkward when
she does it in public. Since Ellie has been doing so well eating solid foods, we attempted to take
things to the next level and try hard foods, so we bought her some sweet potato star shaped puffs.
To us the size seemed reasonable and quite small, but we quickly realized after Ellie gagged and
threw up after trying the first one (oops) that we may need to ease into things more wisely. We're
all learning here. While eating this month when we were in AZ, Ellie also discovered her tongue
and enjoyed showing it to the world. Perhaps it had a correlation to her getting her 3rd tooth? This
tooth did not come in as easy as the first two and Ellie had a 101 temp for about 24 hrs. Also, to
moms dismay this month, Ellie started rolling onto her stomach at night when sleeping. Liz feels
like Ellie is a newborn again, as she is getting up 5-6 times a night to roll Ellie onto her back (Liz is
finally starting to realize it is a lost cause and getting up less). Finally, Ellie enjoyed her first
swimming pool experience while in AZ with both sets of Grandparents. It was great fun for all. We
estimate Ellie weighs around 20lbs and is about 27.5 inches long now.
Ellie's first "assisted " walking steps: May 31, 2008
Ellie's first hard food (puffs): May 30, 2008
Ellie's first swim: May 26, 2008 (Memorial Day)
Month 8
Month 9
Month 10
In the months of June and July Ellie started to progress her crawl and started to slither like a worm,
going up and down on her belly to get places. Thus, her nick name Ellie Bellie suits her very well!
Liz also calls her "peanut butter". This nickname started from Liz calling her peanut and then it
turned into peanut butter. Ellie responds to all the names! Ellie experienced her first ocean boat
ride the weekend of July 4th when we took a quick trip to Catalina Island, CA. She slept most of the
way, but was a great rider! In addition to progressing her crawl, she also figured out how to walk
with assistance using both a walker that the Anderson Grandparents bought her and holding on to
mom and dad's hands. She loves going up and down the hall in our CA house and is starting to
get quite fast. We have learned not to let her use the walker on the wood floors, as we tried that a
couple times and she could not keep up and almost did a face plant (which does happen
occasionally now that she's getting so mobile - lots of ice bags on the head these days!). Ellie
loves getting read to and knows how to turn the page when we say these words. She loves to have
control of the book and decide when pages should be turned - I wonder who she received this trait
from... At Ellie's 9 month appoint with Dr. McLean she weighed 21lbs and was 27.95 inches long.
Ellie moved from CA to AZ: July 26, 2008
Ellie's first boat ride (on the ocean): July 5, 2008
going up and down on her belly to get places. Thus, her nick name Ellie Bellie suits her very well!
Liz also calls her "peanut butter". This nickname started from Liz calling her peanut and then it
turned into peanut butter. Ellie responds to all the names! Ellie experienced her first ocean boat
ride the weekend of July 4th when we took a quick trip to Catalina Island, CA. She slept most of the
way, but was a great rider! In addition to progressing her crawl, she also figured out how to walk
with assistance using both a walker that the Anderson Grandparents bought her and holding on to
mom and dad's hands. She loves going up and down the hall in our CA house and is starting to
get quite fast. We have learned not to let her use the walker on the wood floors, as we tried that a
couple times and she could not keep up and almost did a face plant (which does happen
occasionally now that she's getting so mobile - lots of ice bags on the head these days!). Ellie
loves getting read to and knows how to turn the page when we say these words. She loves to have
control of the book and decide when pages should be turned - I wonder who she received this trait
from... At Ellie's 9 month appoint with Dr. McLean she weighed 21lbs and was 27.95 inches long.
Ellie moved from CA to AZ: July 26, 2008
Ellie's first boat ride (on the ocean): July 5, 2008
Ellie has finally mastered the crawl! We are not sure what day it was, but it happened shortly after
we arrived in AZ. This may have been just a natural progression, or could have been related to
Ellie starting a new daycare where there are multiple kids her age. She has a best friend there
already called Oliver. They play together every day and even have a secret tongue clicking dialect
they use to communicate (or so we think - as they both started doing it on the same day). Ellie
loved her daycare in CA and was always excited to arrive and sad to leave; however, starting the
new daycare in AZ was a little bit of a transition. Ellie cried every day for the whole first month when
she was dropped off. There is one teacher there, Mrs. Hanna who took Ellie the first day and now
every day when Ellie sees her she starts to cry. We are pretty sure she is just associating Mrs.
Hanna with being left for the day; however, Mrs. Hanna jokes and says in a southern accent "I do
not think this child has ever seen a black lady." Another issue we had to deal with from Ellie
starting a new daycare is that she was sick for over 3 weeks with 3 different illnesses. Up to this
point, Ellie had only been sick a total of 3 times since she was born, so it was a rough first month
in AZ for all of us! Ellie has become very verbal over the last month and is constantly brushing up
on her "gibberish." She says "dada", "mama", "hi", "baba", and we even think she has said a
"thank you" a time or two. She does not associate these words with their meaning yet, but she
loves to talk nonetheless. Ellie also walks around the furniture all by herself and loves to go from
a walk to a crawl to get from place to place. She also can clap on command (she did this for the
first time when we were changing her diaper). Now if we say clap, clap she will clap back. She
also gives us five. She also waves when we say hello (this one is a hit or miss, as she does not
always do it). Ellie has also started to try and see what she can get away with and has learned
quickly the meaning of "No". Ellie is getting used to her new AZ home and loves to play in the pool.
She started Infant Swim class this month and is starting to figure out the back float already.
Ellie's first swim class: August 18, 2008
Ellie's fist wave: week of August 17, 2008
Ellie's first clap: August 4, 2008
we arrived in AZ. This may have been just a natural progression, or could have been related to
Ellie starting a new daycare where there are multiple kids her age. She has a best friend there
already called Oliver. They play together every day and even have a secret tongue clicking dialect
they use to communicate (or so we think - as they both started doing it on the same day). Ellie
loved her daycare in CA and was always excited to arrive and sad to leave; however, starting the
new daycare in AZ was a little bit of a transition. Ellie cried every day for the whole first month when
she was dropped off. There is one teacher there, Mrs. Hanna who took Ellie the first day and now
every day when Ellie sees her she starts to cry. We are pretty sure she is just associating Mrs.
Hanna with being left for the day; however, Mrs. Hanna jokes and says in a southern accent "I do
not think this child has ever seen a black lady." Another issue we had to deal with from Ellie
starting a new daycare is that she was sick for over 3 weeks with 3 different illnesses. Up to this
point, Ellie had only been sick a total of 3 times since she was born, so it was a rough first month
in AZ for all of us! Ellie has become very verbal over the last month and is constantly brushing up
on her "gibberish." She says "dada", "mama", "hi", "baba", and we even think she has said a
"thank you" a time or two. She does not associate these words with their meaning yet, but she
loves to talk nonetheless. Ellie also walks around the furniture all by herself and loves to go from
a walk to a crawl to get from place to place. She also can clap on command (she did this for the
first time when we were changing her diaper). Now if we say clap, clap she will clap back. She
also gives us five. She also waves when we say hello (this one is a hit or miss, as she does not
always do it). Ellie has also started to try and see what she can get away with and has learned
quickly the meaning of "No". Ellie is getting used to her new AZ home and loves to play in the pool.
She started Infant Swim class this month and is starting to figure out the back float already.
Ellie's first swim class: August 18, 2008
Ellie's fist wave: week of August 17, 2008
Ellie's first clap: August 4, 2008
