Little Miss Personality!

Here she is! Little Miss Personality who constantly lights up our lives! Isn't that smile just the greatest? I could stare at her all day long... She really gets more fun by the day and we are loving each new stage... Below are some pics we took right before bathtime. As you can see, our little one is also becoming quite independent. She's trying to sit up by herself and takes advantage of every opportunity to try out that leg strength! I have a feeling she'll by running circles around us before she's one year old. Not sure I'm quite ready for that! Please notice her incredibly cute chunky monkey thighs! :)

One more new development in Ellie-land. Her newest favorite pasttime is to lay on her back with her legs straight in the air! She can lay like this for quite some time. It looks uncomfortable to me, but it's her new thing! Sometimes I go in to get her after her nap or first thing in the morning and there she lays, legs straight up in the air!

And last but not least, we couldn't resist adding yet another sleeping picture. She just looks so precious when she is asleep! And please note her "future heartbreaker" onesie. Watch out boys. Ellie's Dad is going to be a tough one! :)

So much to be THANKFUL for!

The last few days have been fast and furious! We've celebrated THANKSGIVING for the first time with our little girl, celebrated Joel's 32nd birthday, went to the Omaha Zoo with Grandma and Grandpa McCulley and Joel and I got to go on an extended date with the Grandparents watched Ellie! It was a fun and refreshing few days for sure...

When life gets so busy, it's good to stop and reflect on all we have to be thankful for... Thank you Lord for your goodness to us.

The epitome of cuteness!

Cute as a bug!

One of our students bought Ellie this cute little sweat suit and I have been so excited for her to finally get big enough to wear it! Doesn't she look adorable? The pants are still a little too long, but we decided to still put it on today! Here are a few pics of our little lady... As happy as she can be! The picture above of her and Joel was from right after the KSU Men's basketball game tonight. She had fallen asleep at the game and was just waking up when we walked in the door. I thought this was a sweet shot. :)

4 months old!

Well, she went and did it! Ellie turned 4 months old on Friday. I can't believe how quickly our little girl is growing up...

We had her 4-month check up today and all went well. She was a champ through her shots. Barely even cried this time. What a little trooper! :)

Here are her 4-month stats - this is more for me to refer back to in future months! Not sure if any of you care quite so much! ha!

Height: 25 1/2 inches (89 percentile)

Weight: 14 lbs. 8 1/4 oz (57th percentile)

Head: (60th percentile)

She's long and lean and a movin' machine! She just can't be still anymore. Long gone are the days of our stationary little baby. You have to keep your eye on her or she'll scoot or roll!

Here are some pics from her 4-month birthday (in the purple) and then of our doctor's visit today...

Ellie's New Tricks...

First of all...let me say "Happy Anniversary" to my sweet husband! Yesterday (Nov. 10th) we celebrated 7 years of marriage! I can't believe how quickly the years have gone... It's been quite an adventure so far. One I wouldn't trade for the world!

The newest part of our adventure together has been our little Ellie Hope. Believe it or not, she will already be 4 months old on Friday!!! Well, over the last couple of weeks, Ellie has added quite a few new tricks to her repertoire! Here are just a few...

• She is now able to remove her pacifier from her mouth and when she is lucky, she can put it back in. It's hilarious to watch her as she tries to figure this out! She often gets it back in backwards and sucks on the handle. :)


• When in her swing, she throws herself off to the side so she can look up at herself in the mirror.


• She is rolling over like a pro! It started out a few weeks ago from her belly to her back. But now she is proficiently rolling over from her back to her tummy, too. Goodbye to the days of laying her somewhere and feeling safe that she'd stay there. Now we have to keep our eye on her at all times!


• She is also trying SO HARD to sit up! She has become quite independent and doesn't really like to be snuggled as much anymore. Whenever we try to hold her on our laps or lay her on our chest, she is always raising her head or trying so hard to sit up on her own. Not long and she'll be there!


• Ellie has now graduated to her "big girl stroller" now that she has good neck control! While the weather was warm, we enjoyed several long walks!


• She has found her feet! And she just loves to pull her foot up to her face... so cute!

These are just a few of her latest... I'm including a few pictures from the last few days that demonstrate some of these new abilities. The one in the crib is from the end of her nap today... The little stinker refuses to stay on her back while asleep!

Enjoy!

My first Halloween!

Hi Everyone! It's my first Halloween!!! I am so excited cause Mommy bought me this cute costume and I was a hit at our weekly meeting last night! Lots of people wanted to cuddle with me in my peapod costume. I have to admit, the peas were scratchy and kept getting in my face. There were times I wasn't too sure about the hat either cause it kept going in my eyes. But it was fun to dress up. The night absolutely tuckered me out! I fell asleep half way through the meeting and then slept until 10am this morning!

Here I am in my new jumparoo! I absolutely LOVE it! I got it as a gift a while back but my little legs haven't been long enough to reach the ground until now. They still don't quite reach the ground, but Daddy puts a pillow under me so I can start jumping. I have been getting so fiesty, that they thought it was time to pull it out for me to use and it's my new favorite toy. I jumped so much the other day that I fell right asleep in it!

Finally, above is a picture of me with my Daddy. Isn't he handsome? Mommy tells me everyday how lucky I am to have such a good Daddy. He loves spending time with me and we are definitely best buddies!

Thanks for checking in on me.

Ellie Hope