Five Months

Matt had been on my back about posting again and I promised to do so as soon as I took Elle's 5 month pictures!  She turned 5 months yesterday...can you believe it?  She is the absolute joy of our life.  She has so much personality and it seems like everyday she is learning to do something different.  She chatters constantly and we are currently working on "Dada" and "Mama".  She's got Dada down, only it comes out a little more like "Yadaya".  Most Mommy's are heart broken that their babies say Dada first but I told Matt whoever she calls in the morning has to go get her out of her crib, I am pretty anxious to get a sleep in.  Actually she is a great sleeper.  She doesn't usually make a peep until around 7 and she is totally content playing in her crib until around 7:30 or 8.  

We have started her on rice cereal which has also been a huge help.  About two weeks ago she started waking up at 5 am  totally ready to party, and while she was content until around 6:45 or 7 I was anxious to get her back to her 8 am sleep-in.  We have been successful!  The cereal is doing the trick.  She has her bottles throughout the day on her normal schedule but before bed we give her a small amount of cereal.  We started it super runny and we have worked up almost to the normal consistency.  Babies have to learn how to swallow, they are born with the instinct to push stuff out of their mouth with their tongues.  The first couple nights she was spitting everything out but seems to be getting the hang of it.  She needs to be comfortable with cereal by her 6 month check-up at which point we will be told to start food.  Crazy!

We are preparing for Halloween right now.  We got a pumpkin, which Matt and Elle will be carving in the next few days (Pictures to follow) and Elle and I have been working on her costume.  She will not be going trick or treating but I wanted to take her to see her Aunts, Cousins and my parents, plus I would be a horrible mother if we didn't have a picture for the baby book.  Here are a few of her options (excluding  our chosen costume...to be posted after Halloween).

A Cheerleader!

An Eskimo

A Moose, no costume needed!

A Froggy!

Tom Cruise, Risky Business Style
(Matt's been told he looks like a young Tom Cruise before)

Finally, Elle recently got a new toy that she LOVES!  I am trying to figure out how to post a video so I won't post about it today.  I'll try to get that video up so you can see the Girl in action!!!

Beautiful Fall Day

Elle and I spent Wednesday morning at the park with her cousins.  One of my favourite things about fall is the cooler weather on a sunny day.  I love getting into a sweater and jeans and heading out for a walk.  The leaves at this time of year are gorgeous so Linds and I couldn't help ourselves.  We posed the kids and took some pictures of them amongst the leaves.  Aren't they adorable?

 

Pops would be SO proud!!!!

After weeks of practicing Elle successfully rolled from her back to her stomach today!!!  Pops was trying to teach her to do so while we were in Florida a month ago, but as hard as she tried she couldn't seem to figure it out.  Everyday we practice and she has been so close but always gets stuck on her side.  She teeters and teeters and then falls back to her back.  But today, while playing in her room, she successfully got to her front.  Once she got to her front though she didn't know what to do with herself.  It was hilarious.  She did it again for her Daddy later on tonight!  We are so proud of our little Elle Belle.  What  strong baby girl.

These pictures aren't from today, they are from a different day of practicing, but so cute either way!  

Four Months...plus a little

 My perfect little baby is 4 months old.  She was officially 4 months on the 26th of September but she didn't go to the doctor for her 4 month check-up until today.  We had it scheduled for last week but in the interest of having a happy baby for birthday weekend I re-scheduled for this week.

As per last time I took her immunizations worse than she did.  I couldn't sleep at all last night and had a horrible stomach ache this morning.  She didn't make a peep for her first needle, in fact she was still smiling at the nurse.  Poor baby had no idea what was coming when she got the second one.  She cried for a few minutes but got over it pretty quickly.  The nurse said she was so impressed with how quickly she was soothed when I picked her up.  She said we must be doing something right...LOL.  She is sleeping soundly now but I will keep a close eye on her.

AT BIRTH:  7 lbs 6 oz, 19.25 inches

2 MONTHS: 9 lbs 15 oz, 22.5 inches

4 MONTHS: 12 lbs 6 oz, 24 inches

They told me that her spitting up was normal, we were concerned she was spitting up too much.  The doctor also told me that from 4 months to 6 months is one of the most fun times as your baby's personality really begins to show.  Below are Elle's 4 month pictures.  Just as the doctor said at 4 months her personality has just exploded.  She is so animated and so funny.  She thinks she is pretty funny too.

Birthday Weekend

Happy Birthday Pops!  

This weekend Pops turned the big FIVE-O!  He is now officially old enough to be a grandpa!  We hope that he had a wonderful Birthday and we love him to bits!

We also celebrated Nana's Birthday.  We had dinner with her tonight to celebrate.  Her birthday is extra special because we (Chelsey and Wendy) share a birthday.  I was born on her birthday, shortly before dinner, allowing all our visitors to share a birthday cake while meeting baby Chelsey. 

This weekend Matt and Elle spoiled me to death for my birthday.  They gave me breakfast in bed on Saturday morning followed by presents.  Elle loved playing with the tissue paper.  She was so funny, pulling the tissue over her face and throwing it around.  She has total bed head but we had so much fun as a family.  Later on Matt and I dropped Elle off at one of our bestest houses to babysit her for the night and we went down to the Toronto Maple Leaf game.  We had a great time together and the Leafs won which made it that much better.

Cottage Life

We spent the weekend in Southampton at the traditional Team Willis Cottage weekend.  This year it was a little later into the year (normally we go in June or August) but we delayed the trip due to all the babies being born.  This year meant the addition of two new members Abby (in April) and Elle (in May).  The weather didn't really cooperate but it was still nice to get away and spend time with the family.  It takes an entire cottage of adults to care for three young kids.  Between the three of them we were all pooped at the end of the day.  These are the days I have looked forward to my entire life and look forward to many more cottage weekends with the family.  It can only get easier!!!!

Girls in their matching jams!

Uncle Matt and Nephew Pub-bub (Caleb's names)

Elle Belle in her warm Laurier fleece.  Go Hawks!

Bath Time!

Haha...Aunt Lindsay left me alone with Baby Abby and Baby Elle for one minute and came back to find them in a basket!  They thought it was fun! 

All the Babies bathed, cleaned and in their pjs.

OshKosh one piece tracksuits are AMAZING.  Look how cute!

At the coffee shop with all the kiddies

Elle Belle dressed for the camp fire

Trying out the Jolly Jumper.  Wasn't too sure what to do.

An Apple a day...

  We spent Saturday at Chudleigh's Apple Orchard, and while Elle is not yet old enough to enjoy this activity, it is one of my favourite things to do in the fall.  The apples are not organic and it is by no means a money saving experience  (you would think picking them from the tree yourself would make them cheaper...think again!).  For me the trip to the farm is more about the experience and tradition of it all.  I have been going to Chudleigh's since I was just a young girl.  Each year they have added something new turning the old apple farm into a family friendly experience.  There is a play ground, pony rides, a petting zoo, swings, hay rides and of course a gift shop.  While we skipped most of the chaos, and the chi-chi families experiencing the great outdoors for the first time, we did manage to pick more apples then we will likely eat.  I love being outside in the crisp fall air, it just puts me in the mood for fall.  

  This was not Matt's first time either.  Matt and I went apple picking twice while living in Virginia.   The first time we went Matt ate an apple off the tree without washing it and had an allergic reaction.  His throat started to close in and I began to panic.  I thought I was going to have to drag him back to the hut.  He said my concern convinced him that I really did love him and we got engaged two months later. :)

Look how young and care free.  Sept. 2007

  This year we got to share this experience with Elle.  This is definitely a tradition that we will continue in the future.  The older she gets the more activities we will enjoy.  I wanted to take her on a pony ride this year but she was asleep when we past them.  Maybe next year Elle Belle!  

  This trip also held sentiment to me as it was almost one year to the day that we found out we were pregnant with Baby Elle and I started this blog.  At the time we were caught off guard having just moved to Canada and feeling unsettled, however if you read the original post (seen here) we were praising God for the little apple seed growing in my stomach.  That little apple seed has grown into our little Elle and we could not imagine our life any different right now.  Life has changed so much in the past year, but God has had a clear hand in leading Matt and I.  He has provided jobs, a home and a healthy baby girl.  We are so happy that our lives are not left to chance or to our own decisions.  Given the choice we probably wouldn't have picked this path, but there is no doubt in my mind that this is the right path and the very best days of our life.  We love our little apple seed and days spent as a family.  We can't wait for many more adventures and what the future holds.