Ellie: 10 Months

At 10 months Ellie:

• Is eating more finger foods.  She likes ritz crackers, graham crackers with peanut butter, puffs, pancakes and has tried some fish, tortellini, berries and sweet potatoes.  She drinks water out of her sippy cup.
• Is still a tiny little thing.  At her 9 month appointment she was 14 lbs 12 oz (4%).  but I feel like she is hitting a growth spurt.  She looks bigger to me lately!
• Loves to join in when everyone is laughing.  She just starts cracking up.  It's adorable.
• Loves to cruise around the coffee table.  She does laps.
• Is crawling on hands and knees now.  She's like a little wind up doll!
• Had her 4th eye exam under anesthesia. We had to be there extra early and she was much more aware of everything this time.  She fought the eye drops but overall handled it like a champ again.  Her eyes looked great and no laser treatment was needed!
• Babbles a lot.  Mostly Dada.
• Points to everyone and everything
• Is understanding a lot of what we say.  She knows her name and each of her siblings names and Mommy and Daddy.
• Shakes her head no and nods her body yes.  She definitely understands the word no!
• Can wave and say Hi.  Says Uh oh
• Likes to tease people by playing shy.  She will turn her head to the side and just smile. 
• Has 3 teeth!  She has one on the bottom and her top two just came in.
• Loves to say good morning to her stuffies every day when I get her up.  She points to each one and I pick it up and hand to her and she gives it a kiss!
• Likes to play with magnets on the fridge.
• Loves bath time.
• Is sleeping pretty good.  She is usually up once or twice a night but goes back down quickly and sleeps about 12 hours overall.  She takes two naps a day.
• Loves her siblings.  They adore her and love to take care of her and play with her.
• Is a Mama's girl and can be a little clingy to me sometimes. Especially if she is tired or not feeling good.
• Does not like it when I take a shower.  I tried to put some toys in the bathroom so she could play while I took a quick shower and as soon as I stepped into the shower she freaked out and cried the entire time I was in there! 
• Is just the best, sweetest little baby.  I can't believe she is almost a year old.  It's making me so sad that she is growing up so quickly.  I wish I could freeze time for just a bit.

Mimic

Mama

You might say Ellie is just babbling sounds but I know she is talking about me 😊

Ninja moves

Peyton and Charlie are always trying out their ninja moves on each other and it cracks me up (as long as no one gets hurt which inevitably happens!).  It reminds me of when Brandon used to practice WWE moves on me when we were kids!  I love the friendship that these two have and hope it continues to grow!

Firsts

Lately Ellie has had a lot of firsts and while I love seeing her hit milestones or do things for the first time, I felt myself also feeling really sad.  All of her firsts are our lasts and it's hitting me really hard that she is our last baby and we will not get to experience these things again.  Since we found out I was pregnant with Ellie, we've known that she would be our last child and I always felt at peace with that.  It's not that I want another child, I just don't want Ellie to grow up so fast!  I'm trying to savor these baby months as much as I can!

Ellie's first Cardinals game!  It was a gorgeous day!

Ellie army crawling.  I was not ready for this first at all!

Ellie's first time in the swing

Ellie: 6 Months

At 6 months Ellie:

• Is rolling everywhere!  She rolls both ways and can pretty much get anywhere she wants to including under the furniture!
• Pivots on her belly
• Is starting to get up on her knees.  I don't think it will be too long before she's crawling!
• Can sit unassisted for a short time.
• Likes hanging out in her jumperoo
• Is teething.  No teeth yet but she is constantly chewing on her finger
• Always has her little finger pointing
• Is grabbing everything she can get her hands on.  She loves to grab my nose, glasses and hat!
• Started solids.  She has tried apples, bananas, avocado and butternut squash.  She has done really well!
• Is starting to show her personality more and more.  She can be pretty quiet at times but she is really starting to talk a lot and squeal!
• Loves her siblings!  She just laughs and smiles at them!
• Is a tiny little thing.  She weighed in at 13 lbs 1/2 oz (4%) and 27in (88%).  I think her length might not be quite accurate although she is long and skinny!
• Had her 3rd eye exam under anesthesia and continues to amaze me at well she handles being poked and prodded.  She didn't even flinch when they put in the IV this time.
•  Had her first sleepover at my sister's house while Jason and I went to a wedding in Memphis.  I was worried about leaving her but she did really well!
• Is sleeping great.  She sleeps 11-12 hours at night with one wake up around 5am. She takes 3 naps a day.
• Continues to be a huge blessing to our family.  She completes us and rounds us out and brings so much joy and happiness to us all!

Nora: Three

At three Nora:

• Started preschool at St. John.  She goes two mornings a week and she was so ready!  She walked in on the first day like it was no big deal! She loves it!
• Loves to sing and dance.  Much like her big sister she is always singing and dancing around the house.  She's got some moves!
• Takes a ballet/tap class and loves it.  She could end up being a really good dancer!
• Is a great big sister to Ellie.  She adores Ellie and is a big helper and loves to play with her and hug and kiss on her.
• Wants to keep up with her older siblings.  She will not be left out and wants to do everything they are.  
• Is so funny.  She just cracks me up everyday.  She is so silly and happy and cute and fun.  Her facial expressions are hilarious and even when I'm trying to be stern with her I end up laughing.
• Is quite the chatterbox.  She talks non-stop about anything and everything.
• Is only napping once or twice a week.  I'm not ready to give up that time though so she still goes up to her room for quiet time everyday.
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Ellie: 4 Months

At 4 months Ellie:

• Has rolled from tummy to back two times
• Scoots all over the place on her back!  She arches her back and pushes off with her feet.  She can get pretty far like this!
• Is babbling up a storm!  She is getting loud and squealy!
• Belly laughs!  It's the best sound!
• Is very ticklish
• Has really started to take notice of her siblings and enjoys the attention they give her.  They love getting smiles and laughs out of her!
• Weighed in at 11lbs 11.5oz (6%) and 24.5 in (49%) 
• Is drooling like crazy
• Loves to grab her feet
• Is sleeping great!  She sleeps about from about 10-6, wakes up to eat and then goes back to sleep til 9 or 10!
• Gives big wet open mouth kisses!
• Grabs her toys and puts them in her mouth
• Has the most kissable cheeks
• Had her second eye exam under anesthesia and did great
• Is such a happy, go with the flow baby.  Jason and I debated a lot on whether or not to have a fourth child and I'm so grateful we decided to "see what happened".  She completes our family!

Ellie: 3 Months

At 3 months Ellie

• Is so happy!  She is so smiley and giggles all the time.
• Is very ticklish especially on the bottom of her feet, her booty, and her chest.
• Has started grabbing toys and putting them in her mouth
• Kicks her feet like crazy when she gets excited
• Gets very chatty in the evenings after the other kids are in bed.  It's like she can finally have some peace and quiet to tell me all about her day!
• Is sleeping about 8 hours straight at night.  She wakes up between 5-6, eats and then goes back to sleep for 2-3 more hours!
• Has the most kissable cheeks!
• Was a Rockstar on her first vacation!  We went to Michigan with my sister's family and she was so good.  She barely made a peep the whole 6+ hour car ride, slept great while we were there and was just generally so easy and good!  She had lots of playmates and got lots of snuggles with Auntie!
• Loves when Jason "flys" her around
• Loves to "stand"
• Found her feet
• Is always sticking her tongue out
• Still enjoys playing on the playmat and batting at/grabbing her toys and talking to them.
• Is getting so big!  I swear she hit a bit growth spurt in Michigan.  It's like we brought home a different baby!
• Is growing too fast for this mama!  Being our last baby, I really wish she would slow down a bit and stay this little for a while!

She loves this little baby we got for her in Michigan!

We always get giggles when we play "clap, clap"

Ellie: 2 Months

At 2 months Ellie:

• Weighed in at 9lbs 4 oz (6%) 22.75 in (50%)
• Loves to play on the play mat. She bats at the toys and has started grabbing them! She seems to really like buddy cow and smiles and talks to him!
• Smiles and coos and giggles! She like to play “clap, clap” and it gets her laughing!
• Is sleeping about 7 hours most nights, waking around 4-4:30 and then back down til 6:30-7
• Has fuzzy hair that is growing in quickly! It’s dark but there is a lot of blonde underneath so I’m curious to see what it’s like as she gets older.
• Smiles at her reflection in the mirror
• Gets excited when her siblings play with her
• Sucks on her fist a lot
• Kicks her legs constantly 
• Is a very calm baby. She had adapted to being in our crazy family and being on the go a lot!
• Is proving to be a very tough little girl. She is truly a gift from God and I know she was given to us for a reason. She has already taught me so much and I have a feeling she will continue to do so. 

Farm Party

We left Innsbrook Sunday afternoon and went to the Smith Family Farm Party.  This was the fourth year we have gone to this party and it gets better and better each time!  We are lucky to have friends who open up their farm and property to us and others and make it a magical place to spend the day!  The Smiths have done an amazing job with the property and it s a wonderland for the kids with swings, slides, a zip line, creek and bounce house (brought in for the party)! 

Memorial Day Weekend 2017

We spent part of the weekend out at Innsbrook.  We spent time at the pool and the beach and just hanging out at the cabin.  Unfortunately, we got rained on at the annual picnic but we still enjoyed spending time with my parents and Brandon and Mary and Aiden at the cabin.  The kids love going out there and even went fishing for the first time with my dad and Jason.  Peyton caught two fish!  It was a great weekend!

It was a little chilly!  Poor girl was shivering!

Can't beat this view

Pure joy!

Practicing his Baywatch run

After the storm on Saturday there was a gorgeous sunset

Lazy Sunday

Helping Grandpa blow off the deck