Sittin' pretty

...with a little help from the Bumbo chair! Each month, I have been comparing Joshua and Ellie's pictures. Joshua was sitting in this little chair in his 4 month picture, so it inspired me to see how Ellie would fare.

We almost didn't bring the Bumbo back from Lebanon because Joshua never really used it. He kind of always sagged to the side or spit up from the pressure on his tummy. It seems like Ellie likes it pretty well! Ironically, Joshua enjoys the Bumbo these days as well. When he sees it in Ellie's room, he either sits in it, or he picks it up and marches it back to his room, where he thinks it belongs.

Now we shall add "sitting time" next to "tummy time" in her daily activities. (Note: It is much more difficult to find time for her tummy. She needs to be rested and fed, but not too recently fed; then we have to make sure her rowdy brother isn't to nearby!)

King of the outdoors

David found Joshua this great little play-thing for the backyard. (Again, I find myself searching for words... it's not like I forgot English while we were in Lebanon!) Joshua loves it because he loves to be outside and because he can go up the steps to the slide by himself. As you can see from the picture, he also enjoys the steering wheel. Frankly, I wonder why there is a steering wheel on a slide. A plastic car or boat, yes. But then again, I guess the person who made it knew better than I do!

Happy... to you!

It isn't her birthday, and it isn't her birthmonth, so I don't know what the appropriate phrase would be... oh! Happy 4 months to Ellie! (Two days ago... but we took this picture today. Notice her respective Snoopy and Tweety Band-Aids from those nasty immunizations!)

Ellie has a belly button

Joshua has been learning body parts for awhile now. We often quiz him and ask him to show us his nose, Mommy's eyes, Daddy's toes, etc. When asked about his belly button, he will point to his stomach or lift up his shirt. What inevitably follows is going from person to person in the room as he wants to make sure that EVERYONE has a belly button!

Summer fun... in a house!!

Summer weather is here, and we are getting settled into our home. David began the task of watering our yellow yard this week. I am not exaggerating; there wasn't a single patch of green in the back yard. After dinner one evening, David took Joshua outside to turn on the sprinkler. I just had this feeling that Joshua was not going to be very dry when he came back in the house! Sure enough, he traipsed through the house a while later dripping and grinning!

Easy Adjusting

We recently moved into our more permanent (for now) house.:-) The nearly-4-month moving process is finished! (Well, we only have 4 dinner plates and one pot, but close enough!) Every time Joshua sees all of the suitcases and trunks, he gets a little temperamental. I am sure he thinks we are leaving again, but we keep trying to reassure him that we are here to stay for awhile! Anyway, our new house has some features that I am trying to remember how to use: a garbage disposal and a dishwasher! I have not had either since before we were married. For the first few days we were in this house, I couldn't figure out when I would need to use a dishwasher. Finally, David reminded me that I don't have to wash the dishes every time we eat; that is why we have a dishwasher! Huh... I have now run it 2 times.:-) As for the garbage disposal, it took a couple of days for me to come to grips with the fact that I don't have to scrape food into the trash any more. Amazing! I think I could get used to this!

Good morning to you!

I love mornings with our kids. It helps that I am a morning person, and it also helps that our kids never wake up before 7 these days. In fact, they usually both sleep until 7:30 or even 8! In the morning, I go and get Ellie as soon as I hear her. She usually starts her day by talking or hiccuping. Such sweet sounds! I peek over the side of the crib and start to talk to her. She perks up and looks around a little. I am greeted with a smile. I continue talking to her and patting her, but I realize this window is short-lived. If I wait too long to pick her up, she realizes it has been soooo long since dinner, and she is HUNGRY!:-) So off we go to eat. At some point during her breakfast, I hear David and Joshua in the back of the house. Joshua is happily telling David all of the things he has been pondering while he waited to get out of his bed. Joshua comes thumping into the living room to greet everyone. His first two requests are usually for milk and music. He loves to dance to music, and he asks for it throughout the day. Ellie's eyes get wide as Joshua gets more and more active. And our day begins!

New in the life of Ellie

Well, we have tried and tried to capture Ellie's sweet little smile, but I just don't think she is as much of a ham as her brother! This is as close as we get. Ellie is approaching 4 months old this week, and things are really starting to happen for her. I still can't believe how much happens so quickly in these first years of their lives! Ellie has been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now, and I am one thankful Mommy! She loves to be held under her arms and bounced up and down... gently, of course! It is the one thing that makes her LAUGH!:-) That's right, she laughs now! And Ellie regularly gives Joshua a big grin when she sees him. It is preciouse to see that there is already a bond there!

Jammies are for eating, too!

Oh, the things that show me Ellie is developing... For example, her newest thing is grabbing and putting cloth in her mouth. Ellie went from closed fists all the time to kind of grasping at the air. Next, she was able to hold on to a small link toy I placed in her hand, Now, as she grasps at the air, she gets a blanket or her clothes and flaps them around with her little arm that seems to still have a mind of its own. Tonight, Ellie's fingers went up to her mouth, which is her way of letting us know she is ready to sleep. The difference was that tonight, she put her pajamas in her mouth, too!:-)