Lately...

Elliotte has been able to snack on Green beans, Avocados, Carrots, and Cereal.  Her least favorite was the avocado I think it was because of the consistency, it was hard to get it really mushy. Her favorite, carrots and cereal.   Her bottom gums are very swollen and there are signs of two pearly whites! Her sweet little gummy smile is soon to be replaced with teeth. It is hard to believe my kiddo is getting teeth! She is getting ready to start crawling too.  The other day I caught her on all fours just hanging out stationary.  But on all fours nonetheless!  She is sleeping in her own room now.  A few days ago Josh and I gave her the boot and it was very bittersweet.  She is sleeping more soundly and so are her parents, but just another reminder that she is growing up.  I love that she is more interactive but also a little sad that it is happening so fast.  She is such a good baby, very content and very smiley.  She is so fun to watch and she seems to always be on the go.  If there is a noise she will turn to it, if something is within reach she will grab it and than sample it with her tongue.  I grow more and more in love with that little 19 lb ball of baby each day.  Tonight we are going to church to for Easter and I am so thrilled to be celebrating with my little girl Christ's resurrection for the first time.  She has so much fun in the nursery and today she even got her first piece of mail from the church!  It was cute, it was basically just asking her to bring a flower to put on the cross on stage.  I told her we needed to get on that and that it was her responsibility to pick out the flower.  I have a feeling she might not follow through.  Husband and I are so excited to see her grow and experience Easter egg hunts and resurrection eggs! There is so much hope for our little one that I can't help but be thankful for what Christ did and the promise we have of eternal life together.  I love you Elliotte and happy Easter my sweet baby girl.

Jr. Theologian.

Since Ell has been going to the nursery on Sunday's  our church gave her a complimentary childrens bible!  Josh has been putting his seminary degree to work by reading to her the stories of the bible! She kept trying to eat her bible (She was hungry for the word) as well as tear the pages out (Probably to pass out to other babies) We have a baby theologian on our hands.  Who knows how many babies Ell has already led to Christ ;)!

Cereal Killer.

Yum in my Tum

Give me that cereal

Mission Accomplished, Operation baby cereal was a success!  So far Elliotte loves cereal!  I had a feeling she would she is a grade A eater.  This morning I tried to give her an avocado and she didn't like it all that well.  I am thinking the texture might be a little to thick for her yet.  For now we shall stick to the baby cereal.  In other news Ell is now able to sit without assistance with her hands in front of her!  I can't believe how big she is already! Elliotte wants to apologize for the last video of her actually eating the cereal.  Her dad is not the best at video taping she says.

Double Footing it!

Lately Elliotte has developed a taste for flesh.  She loves to chomp on her foot but never before have I seen this remarkable feet (pun)!
In case you needed proof,

Daily Decisions.

Elliotte is taking a nap right now so I thought I would blog.  It is hard to believe that my little pumpkin is almost 6 months old!  The closer she gets to her half birthday the more I wrestle with the idea that maybe she is ready for her own room.  Right now she is sleeping in her crib in our bedroom and as nervous as it makes me to not have her in there, I think it might be time.  For instance, her sleeping would improve (and mine).  Right now husband and I both pick her up when she starts to fuss (mainly because we are trying to sleep and get tired of hearing her squeals)
It is so bizarre to me to think of her almost being 6 months already.

Another adventure we are going to start soon is the joy of solids.  I have the cereal in my kitchen but keep putting it off.  I guess maybe its because I don't want to think about her getting bigger?  One of my good friends brought up a point that made me think long and hard about it too.  Once you start solids there is no going back.  From here on out Ell will eat for the rest of her life solids.  Kinda weird to think about.
Elliotte has also been more and more rolly pollyish.  Last night she was screaming and carrying on and I kept thinking oh I will just let her cry it out.  Well after a loooonnng time of "Crying it out" I got up and checked on her.  Yeah pretty sure she was wedged between the width of the crib and kept banging her head against the bumper because she was stuck.   Hmmmm, maybe I shouldn't put her in her own room... Oh the decisions.  It's stressful sometimes having to make the calls of every single detail of another person's life.  I thought I would like that (control freak) but am starting to see how scary it truly is.
Be on the look out for a cereal video soon, I have a feeling our time is drawing ever so close!

Hi everybody!

I love my jumperoo!  Thanks Gpa and Gma Keller!

Lousy Lessons...

My good friend came over to my house the other day and as always we had a splendid time talking about life, careers, and direction on where the Lord is taking us.  We sat outside on our back patio and sipped water from our cups discussing Life Lessons we had come to learn in the past year.  She asked me what are the two biggest things being a mom has taught me about myself.  To my surprise I could list four right off the bat.

Here is the list:

1.) I am extremely selfish.  Nothing like having a baby will nail this home.  Instead of being able to do what I want I now cannot.  And not just with time either.  I am down right consumed with my wants.  For instance Ell was getting fussy on the floor and instead of going over there to pick her up I let her wallow in her "Misery" for another 5-10minutes so I could finish season 2 of the Cosby show.  Really?  Really.  Here I am actively choosing the Huxtables over my own baby daughter.  Whats more important?  These months go by so fast why am I even fighting this fight?  I should be soaking it up, enjoying every moment, breathing her in and holding her close.
2.) I am lazy.  (To the point of not even elaborating on specific examples:)

3.) I want to control.  A five month old cannot be controlled.  This is hard for me.  I want to make her do what I want her to do.  I want her to sleep when I want to sleep, I want her to be content to play in her jumperoo while I read a book or take a bath.  I want her to be healthy, and safe.  All things I have no say in 
4.) I am competitive (which i knew that all along anyway)  I want my baby to be the best baby she can be.  I want her to excel at rolling over, I want her to excel at smiling at the drop of a hat, I want her to not be fussy but adorable at all times.  I do not want my daughter to have that pressure on her not now, not ever.

 In conclusion I am a sinful mom who needs God's grace everyday.

Sorry Ell in advance for all the times I will mess up.
XOXO

The past few weeks...A tribute to Great Grandmas!

Its been cold here in the Big D so we have had to bust out the winter clothes again.  I was pleasantly surprised that Ell was finally able to wear (thanks to her hefty build :) the beautiful crochet jacket that Great Grandma Keller made!  Thanks to grandma Keller for sending us three sweater jackets.  Its neat because Josh's sisters wore them when they were little too!  It is a fun little heirloom that I am excited about passing along!   In this first picture of Ell you can see the pink blanket behind Elliotte with green, yellow, and blue ducks.  Great Grandma Heffel quilted this beautiful blanket and even stitched her name into the corner of it!  So neat to have handmade gifts from loved ones, it really adds a special zest to the item!

It was cold in Dallas so she is extra bundled.

Great Grandma Keller sent us this sweater.

Ralph from the Simpson's. This pic cracks me up.

A prefect figure!

CAUGHT IN THE ACT!!!

Finally captured her in her rolling escapades!