Christmas

Giving her new baby doll a pacifier.

Posing in front of Granny and Grandpa's Christmas tree.

Excitement about Charlie the Counting Chick from Grandpa

It was a White Christmas in Denver ~ We had a great trip visiting with all the Franklins, especially meeting Great-Grandmama and Uncle Steve and Aunt Sarah from Paris! More photos on Picasa.

Miss Personality

Just a few photos from before Christmas to show off our wild child. She was especially wound up on this afternoon so I couldn't resist taking some pics.

Breakin' it down to some John Lithgow tunes

Waving to the camera

SOOOOOOOO big, with enthusiasm. Even with a yell.

Me and my Great-Grandmama

In Denver I got to meet my Great-Grandmama Margaret! We had a wonderful visit.

I especially LOVED her pearl necklace!

Thank you Granny for making the trip to Denver!!! We love your company and listening to your fascinating stories. This was a trip to remember.

Busy little thing

Okay...no one report me to CPS for having soft things in her crib, or within her reach while in her crib. When I left Ella to take her afternon nap today, she had just her pacis, pink blanket, grey and white dog, and panda finger puppet in her crib with her. I covered her with her blanket and walked out. I heard her talking to herself for longer than usual, so after she quieted down, I peeked in to check on her. Panda (her FAVORITE thing) got tossed to the floor, and the pink elephant and white bear had joined in the party. Doesn't she look precious all snuggled up to the bear with her butt in the air?

On the charts and surviving the strike

Ella had her 9 month checkup on Wednesday. She is officially on the charts! 29.25 inches long (95th percentile) and 21 pounds 2 ounces (80th percentile). Perfectly healthy otherwise. She had to have a urine sample taken...I won't go into details, but I left feeling relieved I didn't have to do what she did at every prenatal visit!

In other news, we have (hopefully) survived our first nursing strike. She refused to nurse Saturday morning until just before bed today. It was uncomfortable for me physically and emotionally- I'm sure it was worse for her. Yesterday she didn't seem to care, but today she obviously wanted milk, and couldn't overcome whatever it was that was holding her back. We tried to accomodate her with two bottles and three different nipples, two different sippy cups (with and without the valve), a regular cup and finally a syringe. I think she maybe got in 2 ounces after all that. A few hours later when she went to bed, she reluctantly nursed for a few minutes. So, keep your fingers crossed we stay on this path!

Recent activities

Ella's last photo from Phoenix. She loved to pull Papa's soccer books out of the closet. Studying up already!

Back in Florida. Her "carwash" tunnel. Endless entertainment, especially if we hide at the opposite end, and peek through and say "Boo!"

Ella has a new obcession with all things soft. Here she is exploring the nose of her polar bear. When she lays it on the floor, she presses her face into it and smiles.

Worse than Hailey. Really. Begging, whining, crying, anything for food! Once she gets a bite, she bounces, and grunts and acts generally ecstatic...until she swallows, and it all begins over again.

Missing her cousins

Another Trip to the Zoo

Petting the stingrays

With Grams at the giraffes

Hi Giraffes!

I love the zoo!!!

Finally!

I am SO happy I got to spend time with Aria! I was beginning to doubt my crazy 'aunt' existed...

And I had fun playing with Annie again, too!

Thanksgiving

Look Mom, when you stop feeding me to take my picture, I can grab a handful of mashed potatoes from the bowl

In her party dress at Karl K's wedding

Dancing

Ella has always loved music. Now, whenever she hears a beat, she starts to bob her head and sometimes waves her arms. It doesn't matter what she's doing...once the beat starts, she starts to move. So cute!

Ella in November

I have been busy taking pictures of Ella using our film camera, and have very few recent photos to post. These are from Tuesday. We were listening to music and playing. She moves quickly these days so catching her for a photo is becoming more difficult. Yesterday she learned "So Big" which is adorable and will have to be posted soon. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Ella visits the Zoo

At the orangutans...there was a baby born a month before Ella, seen sitting on the rocks in the background

Boa constrictor

Galapagos tortoise

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Tired out after such an exciting morning

Happy Halloween!

We had a great time in Tucson for Halloween! Ella was the cutest witch we've ever seen.

With Dad at the party

With the big kids. Zoe is the vampire (scary, no?) and Maggie is the Cat in the Hat.

Trying to get a good photo of Ella in her costume. But we were having camera issues...this is the best we got.

Proof

On the move!!!

Ella crawled for the first time today. She's been creeping for a few weeks now, but today was the big day. Hooray for Ella!!!

Weekend in Tucson

This weekend was Zoe's 8th Birthday Party at the bowling alley. We all went down to Tucson to help celebrate. It was a busy weekend, but Ella was a trooper. Saturday started at 5:30 am for the race (see below), then Sarah's swim meet, then birthday party...whew! It was a great time!

With my cousins

Maggie is the most eager helper I've ever come across

Grandma and Papa with their granddaughters

At Sabino Canyon for M and Z's Desert Dash, a 2.5 mile race with their school! Zoe defended her first place finish from 1st grade and Maggie finished the race with Sarah. They both did an excellent job!