January Catch-Up

Are we really more than halfway through January already? Somehow between putting away Christmas decorations, buying a new car, selling the Jeep and the revolving door of illness in this house (Ellie's first, although mild, ear infection, runny nose and my head cold that hung around for almost two weeks), this month has almost passed us by! Brian has been on R&R since last week and it has been wonderful to have a good chunk of time off with him and not be going anywhere. We got just about everything done on our almost never-ending to-do list just in time for Brian to go back to work tomorrow!

Having Brian home gave me the chance to get a few projects done around the house. My friend Sara just had her second baby (another boy!) so I sewed a hooter hider for her based off of the one my best friend made me when Ellie was born. I love the fabric she chose!

I also finished the curtains I had been working on for Ellie's room, which happens to be on the south side of the house and always gets a lot of sun. It hasn't affected her ability to nap so far, but I really wanted to soften the little bit of bright light that still comes through the blinds, so I really wanted to get these done before Brian went back to work. I'm just the embodiment of domesticity. :)

Last weekend, Ellie had a visit from Maggie (her NICP nurse), who was very pleased with her overall development -- she's right on track! Ellie weighed just over 16 pounds at this visit, so Maggie suggested we add a few more full-fat, high-calorie foods like ice cream and milkshakes to Ellie's diet. Really? Ice cream and milkshakes? What kid wouldn't love those foods? :) We're not planning to go too overboard with full-fat foods, but putting just a little more weight on her tiny frame wouldn't be such a bad thing.

We went out for gelato at Frost a few days later. Ellie was a big fan of their vanilla flavor.

We also went to Zinburger for dinner last week although not on the same day as Frost -- that would have been a bit ridiculous. I wouldn't be surprised if we got some dubious stares while Ellie shoveled grilled cheese and sweet potato fries in her mouth while slurping down a milkshake. I may be seeing things, but she looks like she's putting on a little weight already. Don't worry, she gets plenty of vegetables and fruit at home.

Since our Tucson winters are so mild, we have been trying to get outside as much as possible to take advantage of the weather. We've made a few trips to the park and even though Ellie isn't running around yet, she always has fun on the swings -- Daddy taught her to give high fives!

She still enjoys practicing her yoga.

In other news, Ellie has started cruising around the furniture downstairs in the last two weeks, and in a few brave attempts has tried to move between two of our dining room chairs. She does not, however, desire any assistance from either Brian or me and will promptly pull her legs up to sit down if we try to help her walk. Her speech is coming along very well, and most recently she has started saying dog (sounds like "da") whenever she hears one barking. We don't own a dog, but her frequency of using "da" is a very good indication of how many dogs there are in the neighborhood, and how often those dogs are barking.Ultimately, all that playing, cruising and talking leaves our peanut all tuckered out.