When Daddy's In Charge

The weather was beautiful this weekend. Ella sat at the screen door for almost a full hour, carrying on a conversation with our yucky cat. It rubbed on the screen and she would babble and laugh at it. We also taught her a new trick. If you ask her where Daddy is, she points at him and smiles! We tried it a few times and she gets it every time.

Brent has had to be the primary care giver this weekend. I have been confined to my recliner for personal reasons and this is what happened to my house. I make sure everything is neat and tidy before I go to bed each night. Brent also cleaned up after Ella fell asleep but this HUGE MESS occupied my living room for the most of the day!!! This little 11 month old girl did this all by herself!

She is so naughty! She gets into all sorts of things she's not supposed to!!

The Mobile Menace

I think Ella finally grew tired of me complaining about how she couldn't crawl. I have stated before that she is all or nothing and sure enough..... Friday morning she woke up and decided to crawl. She went from not be able to do it at all, not even trying to be on her hands and knees to crawling. She also decided that day to go from her belly to a sitting position. So now she is everywhere, in everything and the happiest she has been in a while!! She was frustrated with her lack of options. She has just enough, few little hairs to pull of a very small pony tail too. Her hair is so blond and her eyes are so blue... and her skin is so dark!! It doesn't really match but it makes her pretty. At least I think so. : )

Updates!!!!!

First we are all happy and healthy I have just not had anything great to blog about!
Bad news: We are moving for the 5th time since we have been married. (5 times in 4 years)
Good news: WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!! Actually we haven't closed escrow and won't for awhile so it is only a %90 thing but it looks good. It has 1664 square feet, 4 bedrooms and a big back yard. It is also in a great neighborhood. We look out our back porch to Hardy's pretty green fields. I love fields!! I grew up with one as a back yard and it will just feel like home to look at green grass and/or cows again. I think it will put me in the Logandale 3rd (maybe 2nd) ward. I know Bishop Barlow is the bishop. It is super cute! We are very excited. We have been looking in Vegas because face it, there is not much that is inexpensive out here. But we found this cute thing in the paper and JUMPED on it.
Ella is getting SO big. She STILL can't crawl but it is only a matter of time. She tries so hard. She pulls herself up like crazy and is cruising all over. She likes to hold onto our hands and walk around the whole house. I give her a month before she figures it out on her own. She is getting the sweetest little personality to go along with her craziness. I caught her standing in her crib the other day and she grinned her huge toothless grin and laughed at me! It was an evil laugh, like she was saying, "HAHAHA!! You can't stop me now!!" I love her so much.

10 Months Already!!

Ella is ten months old already!! I remember when she was a screaming newborn, not yet diagnosed wih GER, thinking this day would never come. But it has and she is so wonderful (and crazy). My husband has carried my camera away like a little raccoon so I can't post a picture. But these are some of the things she can and can not do.
Can do:
1. Stand (forever) holding on to someone (usually me) or something (usually me)
2. Pull to a standing position from sitting
3. Object if you take her toys
4. Says Mama and Dada (but doesn't connect who mama and dada is)
5. Exchanges back and forth gestures
6. Clap hands
7. Kind of waves. It's hit and miss
8. Pick up tiny objects with tips of thumb and finger
9. Cruises (this is not a mastered talent)
10. Babbles away in her own language that I refer to as Ellanese
11. Responds to a few one step commands. Stop, Give & Up (when we put her dinner tray on)

Can Not Do:
1. Get to sitting positon from stomach.
2. Crawl ( she does kind of drag herself though)
3. Understand No. ( I have suspicions that she does but blatantly ignores me)

She is doing good!! (Maybe pictures later)

The Hippo Pool

I bought Ella a pool since it is getting so hot. She was a little reluctant to get in at first so I had to climb in with her. This little pool was so cute with its big hippo nose. Plus it gives her some shade so she doesn't FRY.

Everyone accuses me of taking her outside all the time because her skin is so dark. But her skin is just dark. Her belly is the same color as her face! I swear!

4 Years

Brent and I have been married four years today. I would like to tell the cyber world how much he means to me. I am not perfect and neither is Brent, but the best part is, we don't pretend to be. I love Brent beyond description. There are no words to adequately describe my feelings for him. He is giving and caring and honest. He works very hard and I am so proud of him. He is brave. He is patient and long suffering. I am, what I like to refer to as, a little intense. He never looses his temper or says anything he might regret. He is a wonderful father. I know Brent would give everything and do anything for me and his daughter. I know he loves me. He is a special, wonderful man and I am grateful he is my husband forever.

The Runt of the Litter

Ella had her 9 month check up today... a few weeks late. She weighed 16 1/2 pounds and was 26 1/2 inches long. 10%tile for both weight and height. She took a dip in her percentile but the doctor said she was healthy, just little. She is petite too. Every time I go to the mall or somewhere that people don't know us, everyone thinks she is only 5 or 6 months old. Plus she still has no teeth!! I'm okay with that because toothless grins are so much cuter.
Things Ella loves:
1. Food! Her favorite is Pears and Pineapple mixed. She says "MMMM!!" the whole time.
2. Grandma Alderete. She loved on her all day at church on Sunday. I wish I had my camera it was so cute.
3. Blocks. She likes to wreck the building that Uncle Jordan and Daddy build.
4. Naps. She went from NEVER sleeping to one week of hell while I forced her to sleep in her crib, and wake up less at night. Now she has done SOOO good.
5. Walks. She loves to watch the cars go buy.
6. My mom's old cat Icky. She can watch her forever and just laughs and laughs.
7. She likes to go for rides in the car.
8. Bath time.
9. The swing.

Things she HATES:
1. People older than 55. I think the bouffant hair scares her...it scares me!
2. Potatoes.
3. African Americans. I don't know why.
She is doing good! She can't crawl yet but she "inch worms" her way around. Hopefully one day she'll just figure it out!! She is extremely cute and we love her!! She makes us smile all day long.