goodbye maternity leave

Today is officially my last day on Maternity Leave. How do I almost have a 3 month old? How does her delivery seem SO long ago? How does it feel like I don't even remember what it was like to be 9 months pregnant and counting down each day before she arrived?

Since I love a good sleeping pic I though I would show you how much she has grown with some of my favorites... Here she is a few days old...

 And now my big girl...(look at those cheeks!)

I can honestly say that my life is filled with more joy each day having Ella around and I am so humbled that God picked me to be her mommy. My maternity leave was absolutely wonderful. I will miss our morning snuggles and naps, our 9am Starbucks runs that went from a crying baby in the drive-thru to one that doesn't stop talking and cooing, our infinite number of Target runs, our lunch dates with Nana, afternoon walks, playdates, and all of the sweet smiles and cuddles. I am so thankful that God has provided a wonderful woman who will be with Ella while I finish out the school year with my 22 other babies. I am grateful to end the year with such a sweet class, but feel very confident about our family's choice for me to stay home in the Fall. 

So, adios Maternity Leave! Come June 1st I will be a stay at home momma and maybe we will get in a 9 am Starbucks run every now and then. 

Here is us cuddling yesterday...we have been soaking up the snuggles...

This is another random picture I just had to share. They look like twins. 

We are so lucky to have Ella and I am looking forward to what God will teach me through this next stage and looking forward to being home with my baby girl full time! 

Look Alikes

Now that Ella is getting a little older and definitely getting more distinct features, everyone in my family thinks that her and Brinley look so much alike. There are moments where I see it and moments where I think Ella just looks like a tiny girl version of James, but here, I think I can definitely see the similarities between Ella and her cousin Brinley...

Here is Ella...

 Here is Brinley...

So, what do you think? Look alikes? 

It will be fun to see how Ella changes and if she continues to resemble Brinley! 

Love a Good Deal!

Yesterday I went to a great consignment sale in Dallas called Romper Runway! I got some GREAT deals and am so excited about my finds!! They are open through the weekend, so click on the link above and go check it out! 

First, I got some BRAND NEW adorable Keens for $3! These remind me of James so much, so I can't wait to see her sport these! 

The most exciting purchase of all was my BOB stroller! I got it for $75 which is an amazing deal for such a great jogging stroller. Our neighborhood is older and has a lot of bumpy sidewalks and roads, so this will also be great for our nightly walks! Yay!!!

I also grabbed some other shoes that were new and all under $5 and an exersaucer! I love a good deal and am so glad we got a few things we needed/wanted for a good price! 

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! Hard to believe it is almost April!

pinterest loves

Now that we have started a more steady routine with baby girl, we have been enjoying some more home cooked meals (instead of Whole Foods soup or a quick dinner). Since Pinterest is a great resource for some yummy recipes that is what I have been using to make our weekly menu. Here are some that we tried that I have really like...

Zucchini Oat Bread

Spinach and Chicken Flautas

Honey Lime Vinaigrette 

The Zucchini Oat bread was a yummy treat for breakfast. I already had cinnamon apple sauce, so I replaced it with regular applesauce in the recipe. Also I made salad with avocado and the yummy honey lime dressing to go with the flautas. James actually put the flautas together while I played with Ella. Later this week we are trying some gyros and homemade tzatziki sauce that I can't wait to try! I am heading back to work next week, so we are enjoying some yummy meals before we spend 7 weeks enjoying some of the easier dinners! 

Hope everyone is having a great week! 

Rolling over...kind of

Yesterday James was doing tummy time with Ella and she rolled over...kind of! We put her on her tummy and helped her prop her arms up and from there she rolled over. She is a pro at getting on her side, but we still have a little while before she can do the whole thing on her own. Either way, we were pretty excited...

Also, here are some sweet pictures from Ella meeting Mrs. Dodson on Friday. She was a trooper and was so good while we chatted, ate lunch, and hung out. She also looked pretty cute too!

Hope everyone has a great Monday! I will be soaking up my last few weeks of maternity leave before it is back to school to finish out the year!

2 months

My sweet girl is 2 months old today! She is growing so much everyday and sometimes it feels like she gets bigger during nap time! We had her doctor's appointment this past Thursday and she did great! She is 12 lbs. 2 oz.!!! AH! She is also in the 90th percentile for height which is crazy, but right now that doesn't necessarily mean she will be tall. She is a great little sleeper, which a blessing and we can take no credit for it. She usually eats about every 3 hours and after her 7:30 feeding she stays awake for a little while then we do bath time around 8:30-8:45ish, read her Jesus Storybook Bible (if you do not have this, it is a great Bible for kids), rock a little and lay her down between 9:30 and 10:00. Our nighttime routine has really helped, even though the times are all a little flexible at this point. Most nights we walk out of her room around 10 and she sleeps until 6 or 7 the last few days. She was waking up at 4:30 or 5 for a feeding, but she has dropped that feeding in the last several days (let's all say a little prayer that lasts!) I love going in to get her in the mornings. She is so sweet and cuddly! It is still kind of weird that she is sleeping through the night...how did the newborn stage go so fast?

This past month she has been cooing and making so many new noises that melt our heart! We think they are all cute, but I guess we are a little bias! She is also smiling a lot which has been so sweet to catch. 

Here are some pictures of our baby girl at 2 months...

 Here is the beginning...she was not crazy about sitting alone...

 People think she looks like me...when she is crying...haha

 My baby girl! 

 So sweet!! 

We are looking forward to seeing how she continues to grow this next month. We are so thankful and humbled that God picked us to be Ella's parents. She has truly brought us so much joy! 

Lately

I know it has been awhile since I have updated, but everything has been non-stop and so wonderful! We have really gotten into a routine with our sweet little addition and are learning so much everyday! I am going to try to update on a more consistent basis for friends and family who live out of town and keep up with her monthly updates. We did not really do her one month update on here, she will be 2 months on Monday and we will hit the ground running with that one. 

Here are some fun pictures from the last week or so...

 Ella and me hanging out on her blankie

 My beautiful girl and those heart melting smiles

 We officially have a thumb sucker...she wants nothing to do with her paci

 Snuggles on a cold and rainy day with the precious quilt Nana got her

We have had lots of snuggles on the couch with all of the cold, rainy weather! Today we fell asleep while Dad watched a movie! 

We are so lucky to have our sweet girl! She is so snuggly (which I am loving) and hope she stays that way! I will be back on Monday with her 2 month update! Hope everyone has a great weekend!