Ellie Meets Tommy Tubs

We had a big Saturday night! Rusty, Ellie, and I all went to Montgomery to see Chad (Rusty's brother) and his Lee Scott Academy girls' basketball team play in the state championship game. The girls beat Taylor Road Academy and are 2009 State Champs!!!! Congrats to Chad and his girls! Also...Tubs was at the game since his boys go to Lee Scott, so as he was walking out I proceeded to tap him on the shoulder to see if he minded taking a quick pic with Ellie. He was very nice about it and let us get a quick shot. As he was handing her back to me he said, "She's a little chunk isn't she?!" I just smiled and agreed. I just like to think she is just "heavy" not exactly "chunky!" I think I'm still in denial about him not being our coach any more. He's just such an awesome guy and always so gracious. I hated to be that annoying person to bother him while he was trying to have a night out with his family, but I knew I would regret not asking him for a picture so I'm glad I did!Tubs telling Ellie she can't have his glasses and to look at the camera!

Lee Scott Academy 2009 State Champs!!
Ellie's cousin Madison getting some playing time!

Ellie with her cousin Mallory.

Ellie was happy during the game as long as she got to sit in MeMe's lap and eat her Cheerios!
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On Friday, we had a visitor all the way from Texas! Our dear friend Katie moved to Dallas last April just a few weeks before I had Ellie. I miss her SO much, and we were so excited to get a short visit in. She met Ellie for the first time back in July so this was her 2nd time getting to see her. Ellie took right to Katie and had a great time playing! Thank you so much for coming to see us Katie, and we hope to see you again soon!!

Look at that smile.

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This is a New One..............

I walked into Ellie's room this morning to get her up from her nap and found her like this...

Yep! She somehow figured out how to take her shirt off before or after her nap! I was so caught off guard, all I could do was laugh. Every day is a new adventure with this rascal!
The shirt was still in the crib with her!

Another new one...she loves to rub her fingers all through her hair after every bite of food...

Makes for a fabulous hair day...

In all the 7 years that I have lived in Birmingham I have to admit I have never visited the Vulcan. So, Rusty, Ellie, She She, Josh, and I all went to walk around and give Ellie a change in scenery while riding in her car. We had fun even though it was freezing, and the wind was kicking up there!

We love weekends around here, and we hope everyone has a great week! I can't believe it's almost March which means this baby is growing up and will be 1 before we know it!

Fun Valentine's Weekend

We had another busy week around here. Ellie has been getting into everything as usual. The other day while I was washing dishes at the sink she proceeded to climb up into the dishwasher, and I was able to catch her in action for a pic!Ellie has also been practicing her walking around here with her new push toy...

On Friday night Jimmy, Kelly & Mallory came over for dinner. The girls had a great time together as usual and even took a bath together! They LOVED it! Ellie kept cracking up because I think she was so excited to have a playmate in the tub with her. Everything was great until Ellie had a little accident in the bathtub. I won't go into any details, but I think you catch my drift. When you gotta go you gotta go!

Next to Ellie, Mallory looks like she's been sunbathing! Poor Ellie has no hope with her fair-complected Mommy & Daddy!

Lollie & Poppy came up on Saturday morning for a short visit. Ellie was so excited to see them, and we all spent Valentine's Day together. Rusty cooked us another gourmet meal, and we had a little vino along with it!

Lollie & Ellie with her Valentine's balloon.

Poppy & Ellie

Ellie looking at her Valentine's treats from us.


Lollie also surprised Ellie with a new outfit she smocked for her! It is SO cute and is Lollie's first thing that she has "picture smocked." We are so proud of you Lollie, and we love it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ellie's enjoying her 1st one!

Fun but Busy Weekend

We had a great weekend. Ellie got to go to her first birthday party on Saturday and had a great time. However it was also a very busy Saturday! I got up at 5:30 am and headed to our church to wait in line and try to get Ellie registered for Mother's Day Out starting in the fall. Yes, I said 5:30 am to register for Sept! When I pulled into the parking lot around 6 am I surprisingly noticed there were already several cars in the parking lot! When I went up to the door and got my number to wait in line she politely handed me lucky #14. I was like are you kidding me? I get here at 6 am to be #14 in line! Anyway, everything worked out just fine, and I was able to get Ellie into her class. I was thrilled! I then headed to Lauren Baugh's baby shower at 10:30 and then we had Caroline's 3rd birthday party at 4. Caroline lives across the street from us, and she and her sister, Anna Spencer, have become good little buddies of Ellie's. They are always so sweet to Ellie and play so well with her. I was excited to see how Ellie would do at the party, and she did great. She loves watching older kids and just taking it all in. We got a few pics from the party. It was a Tea Party theme...so cute.Ellie & Anna Spencer

Caroline blowing her bday candle out.

The girls having their tea party!
Ellie & Daddy at the party
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We spent last weekend with the Brien's at Chateau Elan. Sam and Rusty both turned 30 in January so Mandy and I surprised them with a trip to Chateau Elan. They played a little golf on Sat and then were treated to hot stone massages and a nice dinner. We always have a blast with the Brien's and can't wait to see them again soon!

9 Month Stats and Other Updates...

I feel like we have so many updates! First off, Ellie went for her 9-month checkup on Monday, and she's still growing like a weed! She weighed in at 22 lbs 14 oz and measured 29 1/4 inches. That would be 94th percentile for weight and 93rd for length. I was talking to Lollie, and she reminded me that I was never even on the chart throughout my entire childhood so at least Ellie is on the chart! Seriously, I never made it for weight or heighth so I guess her Daddy's genes are kicking in at least a little. Everything else went great. She only had to get 2 shots including her 2nd dose of the flu vaccine which was a piece of cake compared to the 5 she got at her 6-month appt. So she was only a little puny on Monday afternoon. She actually sat still for a good 10 minutes in her chair watching Noggin. Did I mention how much she loves this chair?! She crawls up in it w/ her blanky and pap and looks up at us like, "do you see me?" Thanks Lollie and Poppy! And also, thanks Daddy for letting us add back the premium channels...we were missing some Noggin around here! Look how engaged she is! Is this bad at such a young age? Sometimes it's the only way I can keep my sanity!

*Rebecca Lamb Beckham...recognize that blanket?? It's Ellie's new obsession!! We thank you for this awesome gift which helps with our "quiet time" right before naps and bedtime!
I wanted you to be able to see the entire picture!
*Please disregard my disastrous living room! And yes, it pretty much stays this way 24/7.

As for her eating...she is doing great! We have introduced so many new things, and we have yet to discover anything this child won't eat. Literally, not one thing! I can't even think of any "favorites" that she has because she LOVES all food! I mean really, everything! She has even learned to do the "more" sign all by herself. I started using "all done" when she was about 4 months old and "more" when she was about 8 months old. Well, about 3 weeks ago she started signing all by herself out of the blue. It's the cutest thing I have ever seen! I was able to capture her in the moment...this is not clapping...it's Ellie's version of "more!"

"More please..."

She usually gets real intense and serious when it comes to food.

"Ok, I've had it! More, now!" "Enough of these stupid pictures!" I just love it!


THANK YOU AVENT!!
So, when I introduced the sippy cup back when Ellie was about 6 months old, she thought it was the coolest thing ever! Now that it's actually time to start transitioning, not so much! I have been really worried lately about her lack of interest. I suddenly had a revelation a few days ago. I remembered that all Avent products are compatible with each other. SO, I took the top from her Avent sippy cup and put it on her bottle and Wa La, it worked like magic!! She had a little "wa wa" in it, and we are going to try her formula like this too! I'm feeling much more optimistic now!

Maybe it's a bit early, but I just couldn't help myself. Aunt She She, Ellie, and I went out for a little shopping this past Saturday, and I got talked into buying Ellie a 3-pack of bows. I LOVE bows in little girls' hair, but I am really weird about letting her wear them too early. I have resorted to letting her wear them around the house because I think it's hilarious!

Some of you may already know this, but my sister keeps Ellie for me every day at our house along with her little friend Mallory, who is just 3 weeks older than Ellie. This arrangement has just worked out wonderfully, and the girls have so much fun together every day. They each have a playmate and look forward to seeing each other. They like to get into trouble together! Going in Ellie's room and taking EVERYthing out of her baskets is such a blast!

Best buds. (Look at that bow)! We won't wear this out in public just yet!

Lastly, we always have bath time right before bed....

Silly girl playing in the bathtub!

And we now have an addition to our bedtime routine. I admit when it comes to taking care of Ellie's teeth I have been a little bit of a slacker. A couple of weeks ago I decided we would add the teeth cleaning to our nightly routine. Well, every time I would try to clean them with a washcloth, the little stinker would bite my fingers! My friend Kelly told me about a little rubber thingy that you put over your finger that has little bristles, and I found one that comes with toothpaste. It works great! Of course all Ellie wants to do is eat the toothpaste!

1st time to brush our teeth!

"Mommy, I got it. I can so do this by myself!"