5 1/2 months

So this month I somehow forgot her monthly post...oops! I am working on a baby book for her first year and each month we write her a letter and take pictures, then I save them, so at the end of the first year I can compile them into a book to give her. I love taking these pictures and can't wait to see the whole book come together!

Here are her 5 month pics (and a few extras that are super cute!)

 She is one happy girl!

 Oh how these pictures have changed! She was over it real fast and ready to roll around.

 This is from a couple days before she turned 5 months. She looks like such a big girl!!

 Sill girl always moving those arms and legs. 

Love her so much!

This month has been so fun! Ella is rolling all over the place and pushing up on her arms all the time. If you try to sit her up she leans all the way forward and then will push her arms straight for a few seconds. She is always smiling and giggling and such a content baby. We have started teething big time and there is drool EVERYWHERE! Ella also loves her solids! She has tried tons of different foods and so far has loved it all! She really likes avocados and her oatmeal with apples. 

I am loving being home to see all of these milestones and so grateful to be here to watch her grow! 

Father's Day Cards

(source)

I am sure with pinterest and facebook everyone is getting their hands on some great (and free) Father's Day crafts and ideas. This year Ella and I are very excited to celebrate James' first Father's Day. I wanted to pass along this deal in case you have not seen it. If you order your card today from treat.com, it will be here by Saturday. Enter FREETREAT at checkout and it is completely FREE! Such a fun keepsake for Dad! 

Also, they have lots of cute ones to pick from!

Happy Tuesday!

Ella's Baby Dedication

Last Sunday we had Ella's baby dedication and it was such a wonderful celebration of this sweet blessing God has given us. The focus of the dedication time was spent with family and our community group. Our hope for Ella is that one day she will come to know the Lord and until then we are blessed with the opportunity to teach her about Jesus and raise her in a way that constantly points to her Creator. We know that we will make good and bad choices as parents, which is why is was so wonderful to have family and our community group there to partner with us as we raise Ella....it takes a village and we are grateful to have one! 

James led such a sweet dedication for Ella and had each person read a "gift" that they hope to pass along to Ella. Watermark provided us with an outline to lead the dedication and we tweaked a few things in terms of wording and the certain scripture that we chose. It was truly such a sweet time for our family. 

Here are some pics from the ceremony...

 James welcoming everyone 

 Family pic with our baby girl

 Beautiful cake with her initials on the center of the cross

Our sweet family and community group celebrating Ella's dedication

Psalm 127:3-5

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them, they will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! 

instaLOVE

Here is a little bit of our summer days via instagram...

1. Ella being cute with her lovey

2. Rainy day snuggles

3. Jaxon got his summer cut

4. This is the face I get when I take her foot out of her mouth....

Happy Summer!

A New Normal

I am so thankful that a new normal is setting in. We were incredibly blessed with a wonderful woman who watched Ella while I finished working and I am so grateful for a great school that I was able to be part of for 3 years. With all of that being said, I am so grateful to be in my dream job and get used to this new normal. I know that every job has its ups and downs, and I know that being a stay at home mom will come with some very difficult and very rewarding days, but I could not be more excited to buckle up for this journey. 

Yesterday, Ella and I went to "Baby Bounce" at the Bookmarks store in Northpark with some wonderful friends and their little ones. It was really fun to bounce around with Ella and play with all of the fun music toys. It had it fair share of cheesiness, but we just embraced it! 

Her personality is developing more and more everyday and I am looking forward to being here to see her continue to grow. 

Here are some fun pics from recently...

 She loves to play airplane! 

 Anytime I turn the iphone camera around where she can see herself she usually giggles..it is pretty funny!

 In her swimsuit and ready to go swimming!

Sweet giggles!

So, other stay at home mommas...what are some of your favorite things to fill your days?

4 months

This past Saturday Ella turned 4 months old! She has developed SO much personality this past month and is always smiling and giggling. She had her 4 month shots and did great! She was a little fussy that night, but seemed to get back on track with her normal schedule quickly. She currently weight 13 lbs. 10 oz and is in the 50th percentile for weight. She is also in the 75th percentile for height....growing like crazy!! She is eating 4 times a day (and takes a small 5th feeding every now and then). She sleeps from 7:30-7:30 and loves her naps. (James and I are sure one day Baby #2 will never sleep as payback for such a great sleeper!)

After her 4 month appointment, we started her on solids. Our pediatrician recommends starting at 4 months and I know some people prefer to wait until 6 months, but we felt very comfortable starting with where she is developmentally and she has LOVED it! I am so excited to break open my BEABA food maker and try some fun stuff for her! For right now, we are starting out simple with basic pureed veggies. 

Ella has also started rolling this month. She rolled from her tummy to her back about 3 weeks ago and rolled from back to tummy a week ago (right before she turned 4 months). She is one strong girl! She is sleeping on her tummy now and pretty much always wants to be on her tummy when she plays. She still LOVES bath time and I can't wait to get her in the pool soon and see how she likes it!

 This is one of my favorites. We just finished taking her pictures and I went to pick her up and James captured this. I just love her so much! It is hard to believe that she is already 4 months old! I am loving each new stage and excited to see how she grows this month! 

I will post this weekend about my first Mother's Day. I am so blessed to be a momma to Ella! James went above and beyond to make me feel loved and appreciated for Mother's Day!! 

a trip to the zoo

We took Ella with us to the Zoo yesterday with my second grade class and she did such a great job! She took a couple of naps and loved all of the things she could stare at! It was so fun to have her with us for the day and helped the week go by really fast! 

Here is our baby girl with her fan, so she can stay nice and cool on a hot day!

When she got home daddy did some tummy time with her! She is getting so strong and I can't believe how long she holds her head up. 

The Zoo was really fun, but definitely something I think we will wait to do again until she is a little older. The kids in my group did so great with Ella and loved pushing the stroller. It was really sweet. 

Here are some other pics from recently....This one melts my heart!

 Ella and her buddy, Jaxon ready to go! 

Hope everyone has a great Thursday...exactly 4 weeks until I am staying home with my baby girl!