Well the title says it all, Ellie is almost crawling! There is a lot going on in this video as we were at Grandma Zoe’s and both girls were pretty busy playing, but Ellie is nearly on the move. As you will see, she is getting up on her knees, rocking and making the motions and getting a bit of movement. Not too long now and she will be crawling! Yay!
Month: January 2011
Jen’s Baby’s Shower!
Friends are such an important part of life and celebrating with them makes life even better then it already is! Today I spent the afternoon celebrating with my dear friend Jen. Celebrating what you might ask? A baby shower! But I have to mention this isnt just any baby shower, its a baby shower for two! Jen is expecting twins, a boy and a girl!
The shower was fantastic and of course Jen looked great and very much pregnant. Who wouldn’t with two little ones? She has been told to take it easy and stay off of her feet, so she was treated like a queen all day! The day was picture perfect for January. Warm but not too warm, probably about 75 degrees with a nice cool and light breeze. It was perfectly planned!
I meant to take a ton of pictures today, but I got wrapped up in talking with friends and just enjoying my time, the food and all of the tasty treats that were provided for us. Jen received a lot of great things for the babies, much of which was needed and of course some adorable outfits. It was a great baby shower and you can tell that Jen, Rod and their new little ones will be surrounded by a lot of love. Cant wait until those precious little bundles of joy arrive!
Summer In January?
Well its January, and in true California fashion… it feels like its Summer! The last week has brought 80 degree weather and of course the Santa Ana winds from time to time. I had to do a bit of digging to find some outfits that were cool enough for Abby to wear. Luckily many of the baby clothes I had for Abby at 6 months of age were summer type clothes, so Ellie has plenty to wear.
There is nothing like wearing shorts and dresses, eating Popsicles because its actually warm and watching hockey while roasting away at home. Gotta love Southern California and its January heat waves!
Happy 6 Months Ellie!
During our trip to Montana, on New Years day in fact, Ellie turned 6 months old! She is already half way to one year! Once again I will say it…. time flies! She is growing so much and so quickly. Is there any way to stop time?
Today Ellie went in for her 6 month check up and once again passed with flying colors. Susie said she looked great and was quite impressed with her strength. It looks as though Ellie is pretty much healed and past her bout with Pertussis. She will still have a cough from time to time, but that will go away and pretty much has at this point. She has grown a lot in the last 2 months and I definitely can tell every time I pick her up or try to dress her and have to retire yet another outfit.
Ellie’s 6 Month Stats
Weight: 17 Pounds 15 Ounces
Length: 27 Inches
Weight: 17 Pounds 15 Ounces
Length: 27 Inches
Along with growing, Ellie is learning a lot developmentally. She is reaching and grabbing anything in sight. Ellie babbles and talks a lot and she does it with a great amount of volume. She says “BA BA BA” and “DA DA DA” a lot. When she is very hungry she will say BA BA, which gives me the thought that she does understand the meaning. I contribute her elevated volume to very well developed lungs and to her big sister, who insists on screaming at the top of her lungs at just about anything.
Ellie is rolling around like crazy and right now is trying very hard to get up on her knees to crawl. Give it a month and she will be crawling all over the place! Lord help me when she does start! I have been thinking about how much I wished Ellie was more mobile and entertained on her own more, and now that its quickly approaching I might be rethinking that.
Every day this little girl makes me smile and the bond that she and Abby seem to have puts a smile on my face and the occasional tears of happiness in my eyes. I know that they will fight like cats and dogs as they get older, but I also know that they will share something that only two sisters can share, just like Jillian and I do. I can see the love they have for one another and Abby is such a great big sister. I feel so very blessed. Happy 6 month birthday Ellie!
Christmas In Montana Part Five
It had to happen, leaving that is. Our hotel room was emptied, the girls were packed up and now it was time to hit the road. First we had to stop at my parents house to pack up and give Abby some of the time we promised for her to play in the snow.
Abby has played in the snow before, but at that time the snow was melting away and could only be found in smaller patches. This time she was surrounded by that lovely white stuff. Abby was loving every minute she had in the snow and of course looked adorable all snuggled up in her snow gear. At first she touched it slowly but then began to dig in. Because it had been so cold, the snow was grainy and very difficult to pick up. I tried to help her make a snowball but to no avail. It was so cold that it would not stick together. It didn’t matter though, she was enjoying it. That us, until, she realized mommy and daddy had gone inside the house and left her out with Auntie Jillian and Grandpa.
During the trip Abby had become a bit needy of us, especially Shaun so when she discovered that we were no longer by her side, she was not a happy camper. I know that I shouldn’t giggle but the look on her face was priceless. Am I a bad mom for wanting to laugh and then take a picture of our little girls upset? I know, I am mean, but just look at that face! You have to get a picture for posterity. Trust me, one day I will use this along with many other pictures to embarrass her the first time she brings a boy home (which will be at age 40, just kidding).
After play time in the snow, packing the car and saying our goodbyes we were on the road again. I was definitely sad when we left, but I had to tell myself that we would see them soon. Our trip that day was a short one. Our stop that night would be in Pocatello, Idaho which would allow us some time to see Grandma Pat (Great Grandma Pat to the girls).
We stopped at her place for a few hours, visiting and catching up with her. She invited us for dinner, making sloppy joes for us. Abby loved them! After dinner we sat and talked, watching the girls play on the floor. Grandma Pat then offered Abby some ice cream, which we all know she couldn’t resist. Abby was even more thrilled to see that she got to eat it out of her very own cone! It was messy but Abby did well and I know enjoyed every minute of it.
After some pictures, snuggles and laughs it was time to go. We headed to the hotel for some much needed rest. In the morning we headed out on the road again, our destination… Las Vegas. We thought it would be nice to spend our last night of our vacation in a lovely room in a fun city. That night we stayed at the Lion’s House as Abby called it (the Signature at the MGM Grand). We had some very yummy room service which was worth every penny, watched some TV and Abby had the best bath ever. Our room had a huge jacuzzi tub and where there are jets, there are huge amounts of bubbles. Abby had a blast being surrounded by bubbles and on several occasions I thought I almost lost her in them.
Our stay in Vegas was the perfect ending to a perfect trip. My heart was still a little heavy but I had a lot of wonderful memories to look back on. Shaun could not have given me a better Christmas gift. I can honestly say that I am one very lucky person and blessed to have the family and husband that I do.
Christmas In Montana Part Four
Happy New Year Everyone!
Well the New Year began yesterday, but I still had to say it! For the New Year my Aunt Diane, Uncle Barry and Grandma Prueter (Great Grandma Prueter to the girls) came over from Anaconda to enjoy a family tradition, Eggs Benedict. Eggs Benedict on New Years Day has been a tradition for as long as I can remember. Its been a few years since I have had the chance to be a part of this tradition, so I enjoyed it immensely and probably had more then I should have.
The rest of our day was spent visiting with family and enjoying each others company. I was so excited that we were there and my Grandma Prueter had the chance to meet her second great grandchild. Something I hope my Grandma Taylor will get the chance to do as well before she is in college. 🙂 At this point I knew our time in Montana was ticking away quickly, but I was trying very hard not to think about it. Instead my plan was to suck up every moment I possibly could.
Grandma Prueter, Aunt Diane and Uncle Barry had to leave in the early afternoon to ensure they would be home in good weather conditions. Abby was happy to spend time upstairs with her Auntie Jillian, watching movies and napping on the big air mattress Auntie had put up. Abby loves the air mattress. When Jillian came out to California with my parents to help me out just after Ellie’s birth, she stayed in our office on an air mattress. Abby loved playing on that mattress so Jillian, being the cool Aunt that she is, put their mattress up for Abby to play and nap on. At this point I am thinking that packing the toys that I did was a complete waste of time and space. Between the air mattress and Grandma’s holiday place mats, Abby was happy and content.
Today was our last full day in Bozeman. Even though I tried not to think about it, I did. Leaving my parents and sister is always a hard thing to do and sometimes putting it out of my head just isn’t possible. I did, however, enjoy the time we did have. After spending some time over at the house we all decided to take a drive. I wanted to enjoy one last treat before heading home; a cinnamon roll from Wheat Montana. The best ever! We decided to take a longer drive to get their, following my parents. We took frontage roads, driving along the Gallatin River. We stopped at one point to that the frigid weather had created an ice jam where the river had become frozen over. It was pretty impressive to see, especially since the water had backed up and flooded quite a bit only to freeze over on its own. The other nice thing about stopping to see this jam was the sunset. It was spectacular that night. Very appropriate for our last night in Montana.
After our lovely drive, we finally came to Wheat Montana where we enjoyed a very yummy snack. I was good though and shared the cinnamon roll with my mom. Abby was completely taken by all of the honey containers being sold in their gift shop. They were the typical homey containers shaped like bears. She was very sad that mommy and daddy wouldn’t buy one, even though we already have one at home.
After our stop, we hit the road and headed back to my parents house. After what was a lovely dinner and a movie we packed up and headed to the hotel. We will head back in the morning to get all of our items that we left at the house and say goodbye before hitting the road. Abby will also have the chance to play in the snow like she has wanted to do since we arrived. Tomorrow should be a great deal warmer and much more conducive for playing in the snow.
Christmas In Montana Part Three
After what was an extremely restful night of sleep, we woke up to frigid temperatures but very blue skies. It was one of those mornings that was just a tad deceiving. The clear blue sky and sun shining down made it look like it was warm, but when we stepped out of the hotel room… it was far from it. The temperature in Gardiner that morning was around -3 degrees and we knew that climbing into the park it wouldn’t be any warmer.
After packing up the car and having a lovely breakfast, we decided to take one last drive through the park before heading back to my parents house. I was sad to go but very excited to see the girls again. The morning was perfect and as we made the turn back towards the gate a large group of cow bison and their yearlings started to make their way from a small field outside of the gate through the historical arch. I think the only thing that defines Yellowstone more then this, is a bison standing in front of Old Faithful as it erupts. Needless to say, it was picture perfect.
On the drive up to Mammoth it was apparent that it had snowed again the night before. The roads were snow packed but it didn’t seem as icy as it had been the day before. Mammoth looked gorgeous in the morning sun. The steam from the thermal areas could be seen from Gardiner. After stopping a brief moment for some pictures we continued on back out to Lamar Valley in search of wolves and to enjoy Yellowstone in Winter.
The drive to Lamar was quiet in regards to animals, mostly bison off in the distance and people stopped along the roadsides waiting for the wolves to appear. Aside from the crazy drivers rushing to and from Cook City, the roads were deserted which allowed us to stop and casually take pictures. Sometimes this meant stopping in the middle of the road, which generally is frowned upon during the peak season in the park.
As we turned off at the junction and headed out to Lamar we noticed a large group of people stopped at the Slough Creek campground entrance. Now, generally you see people stopped like this all of the time and they have spotting scopes set up but nothing is going on. This time people were intently watching something off in the distance along one of the many open areas of the mountain sides. One of the men offered us a look through the spotting scope he had set up. We could see a pack of about six to seven wolves playing and casually eying a small heard of bull elk. While it didnt look like it the pack was on the hunt and playing it cool, trying to lull the bull elk into a sense of false comfort. Because someone was so kind to let us watch through his scope we had to step away and move on.
We drove out to Lamar but once again did not see anything aside from your usual bison, elk and deer. We turned around at our usual spot and headed back to Mammoth. On the way back we were greeted with a large bull bison once again using the road to travel to his next location. This guy let us pass by slowly without a care in the world. As we passed by the Slough Creek area again, people still had their eyes trained on the mountainside. We did not stop but we could see things from where we were. It looked as though the wolf pack was now chasing and attempting to disrupt the bull elk. From what we could tell, the elk were able to seek refuge amoungst the lodge pole pine. I have seen a lot is Yellowstone and been only a few 100 yards from my favorite animal in the world, so the next thing I would love to see is a wolf pack take down their intended prey. I know to many that sounds odd and maybe a little demented to some, but the pack mentality and the ability to watch several wolves who are only about 180 pounds each take down a bison or bull elk who are 3 times their weight or more, fascinates me. I felt like we were close to seeing that, but unfortunately that was not the case.
Our drive back to Mammoth was once again a quiet one but I enjoyed it immensely. The sun was shining and even though the high for the day was -11 degrees, it was a gorgeous day. One last stop in Mammoth near the terraces had me intrigued by an elk cow who was busy eating. It was so cold that you could see her breath everytime she exhaled. The sun behind her lit everything up… the perfect photo opportunity.
After that last moment it was time to leave. Shaun and I hit the road and headed back to Bozeman. I hated to leave but I know I will be back to Yellowstone soon. Now we had the chance to get back to my parents house and see the girls who I missed dearly. It was also New Years Eve, so I wanted to be home in time to enjoy the evening and ring in the New Year with family as well.
When we got back to the house, Abby and Ellie were very happy to see us. That feeling was extremely mutual. Nothing beats seeing that little face of Abby’s light up as we walk through the door and then of course our hearts melt as she screams “Mommy! Daddy!”. Ellie was also very happy; bouncing around in Grandpa Taylor’s arms when she saw us. It melts my heart to know that she recognizes us.
To celebrate the New Year, we had our usual Chinese Food and then hung around talking, playing games and watching movies that Abby picked out. Surprisingly, the girls stayed up long enough to ring in the New Year. It wasn’t pretty though. The picture to prove it is posted below.
Despite the near meltdown that occurred when mommy asked for a family picture, the night was great. Yet another wonderful memory for the books. Happy New Year everyone! Here is to a great 2011!
The Wharton Adventures 