Down Time

It’s been so crazy around here that we haven’t really had much down time. I will say, though, that when we do…it’s soooo good.

Here’s Ella playing on one of our 20+ drums in the house. Her daddy's teaching her well.

Carmella had her six-month doctor’s appointment yesterday and our doctor said that we can start giving her up to two ounces of water a day. This is Ella attempting to use the sippy cup.

At that appointment we got to see how she is doing growth wise. Well, it should be no shocker to you…but she is off the charts in length (over 95%). She weighs 17 pounds 2 ¾ ounces and is in the 75% range for weight. So a tall skinny girl…who would have thought?

It ended up being 83 degrees today so we took advantage of Arbor day and headed to the Morton Arboretum (free on Arbor day). The grounds are beautiful and the flowers scattered about add the perfect pop of color. I got a few shots of Ella playing in the rocks and flowers. She was more interested in a little twig than the pretty flowers in the first photo.

This was the very first day that Ella has ever worn shorts. Her little legs are so cute.

6 Months...Oh my!

Ella is 6 months old today! I thought I would post a few pictures of our little one for you to enjoy. I have too much going on this week to write about all that is happening. But many of you have been "pestering" me (lovingly asking) to get more photos up so here you are...hopefully this will calm down the masses until I have more time to give a proper update. Love you all.


[Carmella absolutely loves swinging.]


[Trying out her new playpen.]


[First taste of veggies. We started with sweet potatoes. She wasn't so sure at first, but one week later she seems to have the hang of it.]


[Mark and I got to escape for a night and go to a ball. We had a lovely time.]

Easter, Easter Almost Here!

We had the great privilege of having my mom come out to visit for a few days this week. Sadly, we had to say goodbye this morning. It was wonderful to have an extra pair of hands/arms to help around the house and give me a much needed break.

Grandma S. got plenty of Carmella holding, cuddling, hugging and rocking time. She also helped me get a little spring cleaning and yard work done. All things I really couldn’t have managed to do so quickly or even at all if she didn’t help. Also, Mark and I went to the Good Friday service at church sans infant--what a difference. So again, I say it loud—THANK YOU MOM! We miss you already.

Here are a few snapshots from the week…




Our last day with Grandma. Right after Grandma left, Ella got to meet the Easter Bunny. She came home and played with her new Easter bucket--minus the candy and small toys. You can see how she is sitting up on her own in one of these photos.

Sleep Patterns a-changing

All of a sudden our little Carmella decided she wants to be a tummy sleeper.

About four days ago Carmella started flipping herself over when placed in her crib for the night. At first it scared both Ella and me--now it mainly scares me. She still startles herself when she rolls over, but now at least she doesn’t scream all of the time. The screams were mainly because she didn’t realize that she could turn her head to the side and relax. Instead she held her little arms out in front of her, supporting her body, and kept her head up until mommy or daddy came in to rescue her.

Sometimes she gets herself so worked up that there is no calming her back to a state of relaxation needed for sleep. Those are the moments I dread and love at the same time. Until she got the hang of tummy sleeping, the only way to get her to nap was to take her into my bedroom with me and let her sleep in my arms. She still gets worked up but I know that she will never learn how to sleep on her own if I cuddle with her all of the time. So getting her accustomed to a new way of sleeping is absolutely essential.

The issue now is that she not only rolls, but moves around. Too many times I leave her smack in the center of her little bed only to come back less than five minutes later to find her curled up in one of the corners. This frightens me. If anyone has any suggestions of how to keep her from corner sleeping—please do chime in. She is still too little to get herself out of a “tight spot” (little O Brother, Where Art Thou reference).

One Year Anniversary

This week marks our one year anniversary in Chicago. One year ago Mark and I packed up our car, put both kayaks on the roof rack and drove for three days from Boston to PA to a stopover in Ohio and then here. It’s hard to believe that I was 12 weeks pregnant then. I was so nervous to meet my new doctor and get my 12 week ultrasound at a new hospital. I was overwhelmed with thoughts of leaving Boston and our beautiful skyline view condo to sleep in our new (empty) home for the first time.

I remember it like it was yesterday… It was such a strange feeling driving down our new street and looking for the house that we would live in. Pulling into the driveway was surreal. Opening the garage door then the door to the house (which set off an alarm—to this day the alarm says “garage door open”). Little did we know what blessings the Lord had in store for us once we stepped into the hallway of our new house.

So much has happened in one year. We settled in nicely, met wonderful people, had a little girl, and dealt with life’s blows one by one as they came…and they sure did come. (Maybe some of you remember my earlier “house woes” blogs.) I can’t say that living so far away from our families has been easy, but it has allowed Mark and me to bond like never before. I am grateful for that.

Hats off to one year!