No more updates

There will be no more updates to BligBloggity. Contact me for details.

Aloha!

Been a very busy few weeks and I ran out of time for updates. We are heading to Hawaii for a MUCH needed vacation tomorrow. I promise to have full updates dating back to the last post soon after we get back. Aloha for now!!

Updates coming

Sorry for the silence but updates coming soon...

We go walking

Ella's new trick :)

Ella loves her Bumbo in the garden

Yummy plant

A first

Every St. Patty's day there is a street party by Jim's office and is a fun way to spend the afternoon with a few friends and a few beers. As this is no place to bring a baby, we went back and forth as to whether Ella...and perhaps mama as well....was ready to be babysat. Ella has been pretty good with the bottle lately but mostly only from me so I wasn't sure I could leave her if she wouldn't take the bottle from my mom. After much back and forth, Jim and I decided last minute I could just fatten Ella up and make a run for the door and meet him for an hour or so in the city for a little St. Patty's fun. Babcia Beata and Ella were getting along just great so I fed her and made a run for it. And guess what? It went great! Babcia Beata took wonderful care of Ella, napping, playing, entertaining her. Ella even drank half a bottle right before we got home. Everyone was happy - Ella got to spend time with Babcia, Babcia got to spend time with Ella, and Jim and I got to spend a couple hours together seeing a few friends and having a few beers. Thank you Babcia!

On a Sunday

Rainy days are best spent in your pj's and a few toys by your side.

5 months

Today Ella turned 5 months! We spent the day shopping with Babcia Beata and stopped off for cookies and coffee. Ella scored some super cute outfits...and mama did too! At 5 months, Ella is continuing to give us nothing but pure happiness. She is starting to roll over from belly to back (though I seem to miss it every time!) and no longer sleeps wedged in her sleep positioner as she has discovered how fun it is to move around her crib and have us find her faced the complete opposite of how she went to sleep. She is also starting to get better at sitting up by herself and is just so curious. And of course, this means checking out everything with her tiny hands for texture and putting things in her mouth to see how they taste. Since there are so many great things to discover, Ella has decided there is no time for napping. Who needs sleep anyway?

Ella says...

The Yosemite pics are up...check them out! --->>

Ella was very busy today

After a rare 2 hour nap, Ella and I took a quick trip to our favorite fish market to pick up fresh salmon for our weekly fish dinner...but not before she did a little light reading.

When we got home, Ella practiced standing...on her own ;)

Ella's mood today

Happy weekend!

The amount of joy my daughter brings me is ridiculous.

4.5 months

Yesterday Ella had her 4 month appointment. She weighs 15.5 pounds (which puts her in the 90% tile) and is 26.5 inches long (which pretty much puts her off the charts for her age). She got her next immunization shots which of course was torture for us probably more than her. That crying just tears your heart. Luckily it didn't last super long and Ella felt just fine the rest of the day. She is healthy in all ways and the doc said she is developing right on schedule. During our weekend in Yosemite, Ella found her feet and loves to grab on to them. Then, in Tahoe, she learned how to stick her foot in her mouth! I tried in vain to get good pics but every time I pointed the camera at her, she stopped. Her strength is amazing - she is now able to pull down on her zebra jittery pal to make it jitter all by herself and her hand-eye coordination is getting really good. She is so much fun and I can't get enough of her.

Snow bunny

Apologies for the radio silence but I have been trying to figure out which of the 650 pics we took I should use for this post. President's Day weekend was a most amazing 5 days. We went up to Yosemite to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary, Valentine's Day, Ella turning 4 months, and Benny & Foxie's first time in the snow. The original plan was to spend 3 nights. After what should have been about a 4 hour trip, 9 hours later we arrived at the Tenaya Lodge. Just like for our wedding, it started snowing on Friday and the road conditions made it a long trek but we just saw it as a part of the adventure. Ella was amazing - not a peep out of her, she just went with the flow. The rest of the weekend was like a fairy tale - so so so much snow we had to stay an additional 2 days and took full advantage of the beauty that is Yosemite.

Ella was fascinated with the snow
Benny & Foxie too

On Valentine's day we went on a dreamy sleigh ride

And on Sunday, we went to the Ahwahnee and showed Ella where we got married The more it snowed, the more beautiful it was and the more fun we had

Surreal landscape all around us

Ella stayed warm and snug as we hiked around

Happy family
Believe it or not our car is somewhere under there It was truly a trip of a lifetime and the best part was getting to experience it not only with my wonderful husband but also with Ella and our pups. Ella was her happy self the entire time and not once held us back in doing what we wanted. The pups LOVED the snow and couldn't seem to get enough.

*Watch for our best pics yet coming soon, I just need to narrow down the Yosemite pics a bit more (ONLY 500 are allowed in a Picasa album :) )

Snow bunny Part 2

Just 2 days after we got back from Yosemite, we headed back up to the snow - this time to Lake Tahoe to do some snowboarding. We took turns hanging out with Ella while the other went riding. Luckily we had our friend Steve with us so neither one of us had to ride by ourselves. Ella did not disappoint and was just happy to chill. I got to try out my new snowboard - and while I was a bit wobbly the first day, I felt much more confident on it by the second. You see, my new snowboard has something called Magne-Traction - this crazy wavy edge that is supposed to have better control and edge hold. It took a bit of getting used to but it was sweet. Most likely this will be our only trip this season and it was great that the awesome snow at Kirkwood didn't disappoint. I can't wait until Ella is old enough to snowboard :)

Today

This was during tummy time today after the nap, before the outfit change.

After the outfit change, just chillin

Throwin up gang signs while testing out rolling to the side
And just taken a few minutes ago in her playpen - Ella has managed to turn herself perpendicular to how I layed her down

Ella is a very active little girl and most days bring something new. She is definitely practicing her voice and new sounds are emerging. The goo's and gaa's are now accompanied by brrr's, mmmm's, waa's. We think she's going to be quite the talker. Ella is also now not just swatting at her toys but reaching out and actually grasping them. She also reaches out for the pups, our food or drink, anything you hold. But the best is when she reaches out for you and explores your face with her little hands while looking you in the eyes. It's awesome.

Ella's hobbies

How do 2 weeks pass so fast and no post?? Somehow the days slip by and I don't get around to it. Ella is taking a nap at the moment so I figured perhaps I could FINALLY do a little update.

Ella loves to:

practice standing

practice her balance

watch the fishies

just chill

play with Foxie

play with Benny

read the paper

Since starting this post, Ella has been asleep, woke up from her very short nap, changed from her pajamas to a lounging around outfit, got a diaper change, had tummy time, ate, fell asleep, almost made it upstairs for what I hoped would be a continuation of her nap, woke up again, and is now playing with her toys in her playpen while I eat a bit of leftovers for lunch and try to finish this entry. And so I guess this is how time passes and all of a sudden it's two weeks since the last post.

15 weeks today

15 things I love about my daughter:
1. her fuzzy head
2. her big blue curious eyes
3. her soft soft cheeks
4. her papa's ears
5. her delicious belly
6. the way she stretches out after a nap
7. her button nose
8. her juicy lips
9. her kisses
10. her "la-la" cry when she wants to eat
11. the way she looks at me
12. her tiny hands
13. the way she "talks" and "laughs" sometimes during the middle of her feeding
14. her contagious smiles
15. everything!!

Big dogs

Our new addition, a Wheaten Irish Wolfhound...

Ha! Just kidding. This beautiful beast was one of the awesome dogs we saw at the Golden Gate Kennel Club Dog Show this weekend. We spent the afternoon checking out all the great dogs and the big dogs were our favorites again - Swiss Mountain Dogs, Mastiffs, Giant Schnauzers, English Setters, and our most favorite dog, the Black Russian Terrier. This dog may be in our future...one day.

Irish wolfhounds are the world's tallest breed. These pictures don't show just how big these dogs really are.

This mastiff loved Ella...and she loved him.

Happy

Ella is a happy baby. She is pretty much always smiling and just enjoying whatever it is we are doing with her. Whether a hike, hanging out in the back yard on a sunny January day, or just sitting up, she is so much fun. I can't get over what a little person she is becoming.

3 months

Ella turned 3 months yesterday. I am so lucky to have this sweet sweet girl as my daughter. I am so fortunate to be able to spend my days with her and watch her take in the world around her. I love watching her grow each day.

Papa time

Hanging out with Papa on Saturday morningOne tired party girl
Watching Sunday football together

Ella and I had a nice weekend with her papa. We had a lazy Saturday morning before getting ready for Jim's high school reunion. We all got to dress up which was very fun. Ella was awesome - she did not make one peep the entire time and once again was a big hit. We carried her in our arms the whole time and even with all the noise around her, she managed to take a nap. She was a dream. We have the best baby.

Cutie

I love our little.