The Davis Family

Christmas

2010-02-27T06:44:00.000-08:00

Ella really got into Christmas this year, more so than I thought she would. It is now February and she still asks to watch Rudolph, which she calls Hermey (you know the misfit elf). We had 2 big Christmas celebrations. Grammie & Pop (Brad's parents) were here first. Then, Mim Mim & Pep Pep (my parents), my sister Carly, and her boyfriend Kory came to visit. We had a wonderful time celebrating the birth of our Savior with our families. Here are some pictures from the festivities:

Worst Blogger Ever!

2010-02-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's me! I started this blog with the intention of actually updating it regularly. But, as you can see, that hasn't happened. I can't really say that I enjoy blogging all that much, but I have made a resolution to start doing it again. I'm not going to backtrack too much and attempt to cover all the things I missed, that would take days. I will probably hit the highlights, and then move forward. Wish me luck:)

Whitney's First Birthday

2009-09-17T17:51:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, we went to Indiana to celebrate Ella's cousin Whitney's first birthday. As you may have read in previous posts, Whitney was born prematurely last August. We were all very excited to celebrate her first birthday! This was actually our first time meeting her, so we were extra excited! Here are some pictures from the festivities:

Whitney is about to dive into her cake!

Ben, Whitney, and Jill

Ella and her Auntie Jill

We love our sweet little niece!

Trip to Pensacola

2009-09-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

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We recently went to Pensacola to visit Ella's Mim Mim and Pep Pep, and to celebrate Auntie Carly's birthday. We had a great time while we were there! We went to the beach, of course, and ate at Brad's favorite restaurant in Pensacola...Peg Leg Pete's. (Brad would probably drive all the way to Pensacola just to eat there:)
While at my parents' house, we attempted to play badminton...which is always very entertaining, given that we are all pretty bad at it. Ella even got in on a game or two. But she really enjoyed blowing bubbles and running in the sprinkler. Here are some pictures of our fun trip.

Ella chasing the birds at the beach

My sister (Carly), my dad, and me

We were finally able to get some family pictures!

Ella is a great badminton teammate!

Ella blowing bubbles

Having fun with Auntie Carly

Having fun with Uncle Kory

There's really no explanation for this

Playing at the Creek with Hannah

2009-07-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

My sister, Brad, and I took Ella to play with her friend Hannah at Edwin Warner Park on the 4th of July. The girls had so much fun splashing in the water, and playing with rocks and sticks. Unfortunately, the fun ended rather abruptly when we saw a snake! It was swimming around in the water right by Hannah's foot! Thank goodness Brad spotted it. We didn't stick around to get a picture of the snake, but we did get some cute pictures of the girls playing.

Destin

2009-06-25T19:18:00.001-07:00

We recently took a much needed vacation to Destin. We were so anxious to have some time at the beach, but were even more anxious to see how Ella would react now that she is a bit older. Fortunately, she LOVED it more than we could have imagined!! That girl played in the sand and water all day long! She would float around in her turtle float for a while, then point to the beach to indicate that she was ready for some time in the sand. After playing in the sand for a while, she would start dragging her float to the water to let us know that she was ready to cool off. It took her no time at all to become accustomed to life at the beach.
Brad and I are seriously still in awe of how well behaved our precious girl was. She acted like a perfect angel during both the drive there and the drive home. While we were at the beach, she quickly adapted to being in a different environment and having a different schedule. She is such a good girl. Brad and I still don't know how we ended up with her! :) We are so incredibly blessed!

Gracie Louise

2009-06-02T11:12:00.001-07:00

Our family recently lost one of its most beloved members, sweet little Gracie Louise. Gracie went to Heaven on May 31. She was with our family for over 9 years, and was an absolute joy to be around. Although she was timid around new people, she was super loving once she got to know you. She was often times more like a puppy than a cat, in that she loved to play and snuggle all the time. We have so many wonderful memories of our little sweetie. She will be greatly missed.

Ella Playing in the Waterhose with Dada

2009-06-02T11:04:00.001-07:00

Way Behind...

2009-06-02T11:01:00.001-07:00

It has been way too long since we last updated the blog. Instead of rambling about everything that has happened in the past few months, I thought I would just post pictures. I will, however, say that we moved into our new home on April 1st. We absolutely LOVE having a house of our own!

Happy Spring!

2009-03-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

It is finally springtime, and we have really been enjoying the wonderful weather! I took Ella to the park almost everyday last week. Many of our friends had the same idea, so Ella had several playmates at the park. It is always so cute watching her interact with other kids. One of my friends took some pictures of Ella playing with her ball, her grocery cart, and her friend Hannah:

Moving Along...

2009-02-22T13:31:00.000-08:00

As I said in a previous post, Brad, Ella, and I are building our first house. We are so sick of the apartment life, and ready for some space! Fortunately, our house is moving right along according to schedule (or so our builder tells us). According to our builder, we should be able to close and move in at the end of March or beginning of April. Here are a few pictures that we took today. We are so ready to make this house our home!

Ella is ONE!

2009-02-20T12:16:00.000-08:00

On February 11, 2009, our precious baby girl turned one year old! Understandably, I have mixed feelings about this. Part of me wants to hold on to her as an infant as long as possible. But the other part knows that as Ella gets older, the connection and bond that she has with Brad and me will only grow stronger. Now that she is starting to explore the world around her and communicate more, she has actually become more fun to be with. It is amazing how much babies can do by the time they are one. Seriously, I never realized the number of milestones that occur in a child's first year of life until Ella came along.

Ella took her first step one week before her first birthday! Brad and I were both there to witness it, which is amazing! We were all playing on the floor, and Ella attempted to walk to Brad and me. We have never been so proud! Today she officially walked (i.e., she took 4 consecutive steps). In addition to walking, she also talks constantly! We can't understand most of what she says, but I just love hearing her little voice. It is definitely my favorite sound in the world. I can just see so much emotion in what she is saying...I love it!

To celebrate Ella's birthday, Brad and I planned 2 celebrations. We planned a party for her on the Saturday following her birthday (Valentine's Day). To celebrate her actual birthday, which was on a Wednesday, Brad and I took Ella to Chuck E. Cheese. I must also mention that our wonderful friends here threw a little surprise party for Ella at the playdate prior to her birthday. They had a yummy chocolate cake for her, and everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her. We just have the sweetest friends here...we are so blessed!!

Brad, Ella, and I had a blast at Chuck E. Cheese!! There were several little rides there that were appropriate for her age, so we literally let her ride them over and over until she was exhausted. Brad and I also played a few games ourselves, which Ella seemed to enjoy watching :) One of the greatest things about having a kid is that you get to be a kid all over again too! Here are a few pictures from the Chuck E. Cheese experience:

We had Ella's Wonder Pets themed birthday party in Columbus, MS at Grammie & Pop's (Brad's parents) house. We are so thankful to them for agreeing to host Ella's party there. We just don't have enough room here to accommodate everyone. My parents, my sister, our friend Jeremy (Worm) and his girlfriend Lindsey joined us for the celebration. We had a cookout for lunch, and then after Ella's afternoon nap we had her official party. We all had such fun! Ella absolutely LOVED her birthday cake! I spent hours making it from scratch (including the buttercream icing), so it thrilled me that she enjoyed it so much. I have decided that in the future I will probably not make her cakes from scratch, but will probably still decorate them myself. It is already quite obvious that Ella is going to enjoy sweets as much as her Mama does :). Ella got tons of great gifts for her birthday. Thank you to everyone!! Here are some pictures from her party:

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it has been over a month since I posted anything. Needless to say, we have been extremely busy with the Christmas holidays. We had my parents, my sister, and Brad's parents all stay with us over the holidays (at separate times). We literally had guests at our apartment for 7 nights! We enjoyed seeing everyone, but we were completely worn out. Ella has been teething, and consequently not sleeping very well. While our guests were here, Ella had to sleep in our room, which only made matters worse. Now that she is back in her own room, things are much better.
We had a wonderful first Christmas with Ella. She absolutely LOVED all of her gifts, and thoroughly enjoyed opening them. She still hasn't played with everything yet!
I can't believe how fast Ella is growing and how much she is learning. She will be one year old next month!!! She seems to have gotten really tall lately. All of her pants are too short, but too loose around her waste.
Ella is eating pretty much everything that we eat now, which is fun. She isn't picky at all (unlike her father), so now I have someone to share food with!
Ella can now point at things that she wants; wave; make "piggy" sounds; identify Mama, Dada, doggy, and kitty by pointing; stand momentarily without support; walk with support; say Dada & kitty (still no Mama); clap her hands on command; attempt to do the motions for "Wheels on the Bus" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider"; and indicate that she wants more food. I know that I am leaving tons of stuff out, but she learns so much so quickly!
Below, I am posting lots of pictures from Christmas and New Year's Eve. Ella and I attended a cookie swap playdate hosted by our friends Ashley & Marigny, and a pajama playdate hosted by our friends Carolyn & Bailey prior to Christmas. The first few pictures are from the playdates. The last picture is from the New Year's Eve party that Brad, Ella, and I attended at our friends the McDonalds' home. It was such fun! We celebrated the New Year on Spanish time, which made midnight 6:00 here. That way, we could all bring our babies and celebrate the New Year with them...so clever!

Thanksgiving

2008-12-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I have posted anything. Things have been busy for us. Ella is growing so fast and learning so many new things...I can hardly keep up with her! She can say "Hey" and wave, she laughs all the time, and claps her hands when you tell her too. She actually understands a lot of what we say; we just have a hard time understanding her sometimes:)
We recently celebrated her very first Thanksgiving at Brad's parents' home in Mississippi. We had a wonderful time! It was so entertaining watching Ella sample the delicious Thanksgiving feast. Of course, Ella loved everything she ate! Fortunately, she takes after her mother in this department. I have seriously never given her anything that she didn't like!

After lunch, and a nap for Ella, we took a long walk to the park. We had the best time swinging with Ella. One of the greatest things about having a child is that you get to act like a kid all over again!
This Thanksgiving we were thankful for so many things. But, most of all, we thank the Lord for our precious Ella!

Bright Eyes

2008-11-11T19:55:00.000-08:00

So since Ella was a few weeks old Blair and I have been calling her "bright eyes" because she has...bright eyes :) Well, this past Sunday at church our pastor read a verse from Proverbs that as soon as I heard it I had an idea to do a series of designs based off of the verse. "Bright eyes gladden the heart..." Proverbs 15:30

8 Month Pictures

2008-11-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of Ella during her 8 month of life. I can't believe that in a few days she will be 9 months old!! TIME FLIES!

This was the first time that Brad and I walked in and found Ella sitting up in her crib. She was having the best time playing with her mobile. Yes, we know the mobile does not match her new bedding, but we just couldn't get rid of it. She has loved this mobile since day 1.

Ella just loves Cheerios!

The best birthday gift I could receive...a kiss from my baby girl!

Halloween Playgroup

2008-10-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

Ella and I co-hosted a Halloween playgroup with my friend Lindsey and her son Nico. It was so much fun! Lindsey did an awesome job setting up the Fall display for us to take pictures in front of. My little cow enjoyed playing with all of her friends!

Ella was totally in character...she's eating grass!

Ella and her friend Owen were trying to figure out why they were dressed like this.

A visit from family...

2008-10-30T06:39:00.001-07:00

Last week, my mom, my grandmother (Mamaw Doby), and my mom's sister (Aunt Sheryl) came to visit. I'm pretty sure they all came to see Ella :), but Brad and I enjoyed our visit with them as well!

We happened to be having a Mom's Night Out at Lime restaurant while my mom was in town, so I brought her along. It was lots of fun!

What's New...

2008-10-29T10:43:00.001-07:00

Sorry that I haven't posted anything in a while. So, here's what is new with us: Ella can pull herself up, clap her hands, kind of say "Mama" (sounds more like "Maba"), eat finger foods, and wave at us. Seriously, she does something new everyday! Something else worth mentioning, in addition to all of Ella's achievements, is that we are building a house (woohoo)! We are super-excited!!! We will definitely keep everyone posted as things progress.

On Tuesday, I took Ella to a Halloween playdate. It was a blast!! All of the kids dressed up in their costumes...so cute. I will be posting pictures later. Brad and I are making our families wait until Halloween to see pictures of Ella in her costume. They don't even know what she is dressing up as :) For now, here are some random cute pictures of Ella. Enjoy!

We had to take the bumper out of Ella's crib for safety reasons. One night I went in her room just to check on her, and noticed that she was sucking her thumb through the railing of her crib. Of course, I had to take a picture:)

The Latest...

2008-10-15T15:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry that I haven't updated the blog in a while. Now that Ella is crawling, I have little time to do anything more than chase after her! When she is napping, I usually attempt to get some housework done, but I can tell you that it is piling up. Needless to say, blogging is low on the list of priorities.

Ella continues to get faster and faster with her crawling. Brad and I literally have to keep our eyes glued on her to keep her from getting into anything she shouldn't. The other day, I noticed that she was crawling full-speed toward our dog (Olive), who was lying on her dog bed that Mim Mim (Grandma Sheila) made for her. Olive is scared of Ella (and everything else for that matter), so she jumped off her bed and ran to the other side of the room. Ella just crawled right onto Olive's bed, rolled over, and started flailing her arms and legs and laughing. Normally, I wouldn't just let my child lie on the dog's bed, for obvious reasons; but, I had to get a picture just this once.

Here are some pictures of Ella and Olive interacting. You can see the fear in Olive's eyes as Ella approaches her. Brad and I were in the background telling Olive "it's ok," so that she wouldn't run away. Wouldn't you think we would be saying that to Ella instead? I have also included a picture of our cat (Lily) hanging out in Ella's crawling tunnel. This is what our household is like.

Park Play Date

2008-10-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Ella swinging and playing with her friends Hannah and Marigny at the park. We mommies love the play dates just as much as the babies do!
Oh, and as you can see, Ella is quite the serious little swinger. She's so funny...anytime that she is in a new situation, she gets really serious. She must get that from her daddy ;)

Ella Patrol

2008-10-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

Ella officially started crawling this past Thursday (October 2). Prior to this, she was using rolling as her primary means of transportation. She would occasionally get on her hands and knees and rock back and forth, but then decide to just roll where she wanted to go.
So, on Thursday she was sitting on the kitchen floor while I was preparing her lunch. I glanced down at her, and there she was crawling full speed ahead right to me! I suppose that she realized that crawling would be a more efficient way to get places than rolling.
Now she is a crawlin' machine! I will see her spot something that interests her, and then she just takes off. Although I am incredibly proud of her, I am also a little nervous about this new found mobility. I feel like I am constantly redirecting her. I'm sure it will get better, but for now I am on "Ella Patrol."

Beach Vacation

2008-09-30T13:49:00.000-07:00

This past week, we were FINALLY able to go on a vacation! This was our first beach trip with Ella. We had so much fun! Ella LOVED playing in the sand, but wasn't a big fan of the Gulf water. It was a little cold for her. She had much more fun splashing in the kid pool at the hotel. We have like a million pictures from our trip, but here are just a few. Enjoy!

Mom's Night Out

2008-09-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I went to a much needed Mom's Night Out at Firefly Grille. We had an AWESOME time! I have such a wonderful group of friends here!
Unfortunately, Ella wasn't feeling well that night, so Brad didn't have quite as much fun as I did. It turns out that he was getting sick too. So, now they both have really bad colds, and Ella has a horrible ear infection. I sure am glad that I had a chance to "reboot" before I had a sick baby and a sick husband to care for!

Ella's First Apple

2008-09-17T18:27:00.001-07:00

Ella has been eating solid food for about a month now, and applesauce is one of her favorite things. I figured since she loves applesauce so much, that it might be fun for her to "gnaw on" an apple slice for a while. It was perfect timing too. I had her in the kitchen in her exersaucer while I was getting dinner started. The apple slice kept her occupied while I was able to get everything in the oven and clean the kitchen!! I'm thinking that this may be a daily thing now. The only problem was that when she dropped it she got very upset and screamed. She rarely does that, so I know that she must have really been enjoying her apple:)

Zoo Playdate

2008-09-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today Ella and I met our weekly playgroup friends at the zoo. We already had our official playgroup yesterday, but we all decided that since the weather has been so nice, it would be fun to go to the zoo. Ella and I had so much fun! It's always so great to see all of our mommy and baby friends. We are so blessed to be a part of this amazing group!

More 6 Month Pictures :)

2008-09-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

Ella's Tunnel

2008-09-15T15:11:00.000-07:00

Brad and I are all about getting toys for Ella that can change into new toys as she grows. She has a tummy time mat that turns into a tunnel for crawlers. Ella isn't really crawling yet (she gets around very well by rolling), but we thought it might be fun for her to play in the tunnel. At first, she didn't really understand what she was supposed to do with it. So, I crawled into it to show her. (Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of that). Ella thought it was hilarious and she immediately wanted to try it for herself.

Another Day at the Zoo

2008-09-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

Brad thought it would be a fun idea for us to go to the zoo on Saturday. We didn't realize that it was $5 admission day (it is normally $13 per person). Needless to say, the zoo was packed! It was nice to save a few bucks, but it was a little too crowded for us. It was also REALLY hot on Saturday. We kind of breezed by most of the animals this time. Ella and I are planning to go again with some friends on Wednesday. Hopefully, it will be a little cooler and less crowded.

Whitney News

2008-09-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

We are absolutely THRILLED for Brad's sister (Jill) today! She was able to hold precious little Whitney for the first time! From what we hear, Whitney is doing well. She is battling a couple of infections, but is clearly a fighter. Please continue to pray for Whitney, Jill, and Ben.

Storytime

2008-09-10T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today Ella and I went to the downtown Nashville library for the storytime puppet show. This was our second time to go, but last time we got there a little late and had to sit in the back. Today, I made sure that we got there early, and we were able to sit in the very front! I can't describe how adorable Ella was as she watched the puppets...she was mesmerized. She absolutely LOVED it!!!
I have to admit that it's actually quite impressive. It's kind of like a live children's TV show.
After storytime, Ella and I picked out several books for her. I'm thinking we may start going to the storytime once a week.

DADA!!

2008-09-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official...Ella now says "DADA!" She has been saying it for a few days now, but she never actually said it to Brad. This morning when Brad came to tell Ella goodbye as he was leaving for work, she looked at him and said "DADA!" Needless to say, that made his day! Now, I am just waiting for her to say "MAMA."

Ella's First Barrette

2008-09-09T11:06:00.001-07:00

Ella's hair has gotten a little out of control lately, so I decided to get some little barrettes for her. Plus, I really wanted to do something "girly" with her :)
Brad claims that he doesn't like barrettes in her hair, but I think that he secretly does. How could he not? Just look at her!

Thank You Brad/Daddy!

2008-09-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to let everyone know that Brad designed the look of our blog to match Ella's nursery theme. Ella and I think he did a FANTASTIC job!!!

Q-T BOO-T

2008-09-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

So I (daddy) was going to wake up Ellz last night so that Blair could feed her before we went to bed. When I went in her room I saw she was sleeping with her booty totally pointed up in the air. I had to quickly run and get the camera (and Blair) and we couldn't stop laughing about it...baby Ellz is just too funny :)

Ella and Penguin Eddie

2008-09-06T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today was "New Toy Day" for Ella. Brad and I took Ella to Target and picked out several new 6months+ toys (with her help of course). One of the cutest toys that we got for her is the wobbly penguin, which Brad has named "Penguin Eddie." We just think Ella looks like a little doll sitting next to her penguin pal Penguin Eddie.

Cute 6 Month Pictures

2008-09-04T09:34:00.001-07:00

Mommy Friends

2008-09-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

I am a member of Stroller Strides, which has been a fun way to drop some baby weight. It has also been a great way for me to meet other moms here in Nashville. I have met some AMAZING moms and babies! In addition to our workouts, we also get together for "Mom's Nights Out" and playgroups. I feel so blessed to have made such great friends here!

Prison Break Party

2008-09-02T17:11:00.001-07:00

Ok, so our absolute favorite show these days is Prison Break. It is seriously the best show EVER!!! Brad and I literally are at the edge of our seats during every episode. The new season started this week, so Brad and I thought it would be fun to have a "Prison Break Party."
Unfortunately, we don't know anyone here who watches it; so Brad, Ella, and I had a party by ourselves. As a side note...if we were still in B'ham, we would have totally had a party with the Chapmans, Etheredges, and Wileys.
Anyway, Brad and I made a pitiful attempt to dress up as Lincoln & Sophia. We initially wanted to be Michael & Sara, but weren't able to even remotely pull that off. We also got Ella in on the act, and dressed her in her Johnny Cash onesie with prison stripes on it that her "Uncle Worm" gave to her. It was fun!!!!

Big Girl Bath

2008-08-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

Now that Ella can sit up so well, we have been letting her take a bath in her "Ducky Tub." She absolutely LOVES it! She splashes, squeals, and plays with her rubber ducky.

Ella can sit up!!

2008-08-28T17:34:00.000-07:00

It seemed like Ella learned to sit up overnight! One day she couldn't sit up without help, then the next she was a pro! I took her to a playgroup the day after she turned 6 months old, and that is when she sat up by herself for the first time. I suppose that she was trying to impress the other babies with her advanced skills. I know one thing for sure, she certainly impressed her Mommy & Daddy!

Welcome Baby "Whit Whit"

2008-08-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

Ella has a cousin!! This week, Brad's sister Jill & her husband Ben welcomed their first child - 1 lb. 7 oz., 12 inch long Whitney Claire Whitaker. We didn't expect Whitney to get here until December, but God had other plans. We are very excited that she is here, and Ella can't wait to show her the ropes!

Time for "Real" Food...

2008-08-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

We waited until Ella turned 6 months old to let her try rice cereal (the traditional first "solid"). Although it doesn't appear so in this picture, it was worth the wait. She has LOVED everything that she has tried so far.

Ella's First Trip to the Zoo

2008-08-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

Ella's first trip to the zoo was a few days before she turned 6 monts old. That weekend, Pop, Grammie, Auntie Jill, and Uncle Ben were visiting, so they joined us for a morning at the Nashville Zoo. While they were here, we also celebrated Ella's "Half Birthday." Grammie and Pop brought an adorable cake and party stuff. Ella got 2 adorable outfits as gifts for her "Half Birthday."

Cute 5 Month Pictures

2008-08-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ella's Furry Friends Part 2

2008-08-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is our precious cat (Lily) in Ella's crib. I had to take a picture of her before I tossed her out.

Cute 4 Month Pictures

2008-08-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

As you can see in the pictures, Ella just keeps getting more and more expressive.

Trip to Grammie & Pop's

2008-08-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our first overnight trip with Ella was to Columbus, MS to visit Brad's parents (Grammie & Pop). My mom and sister (Mamaw & Auntie Carly) joined us for a "Pool Party" and cookout - it was so much fun!!

Jumpster Time!

2008-08-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

This was definitely one of our wisest purchases. Ella absolutely loves jumping!

Cute 3 Month Pictures

2008-08-24T20:27:00.000-07:00

Here are more ADORABLE pictures of Ella that I just couldn't resist adding.

Ella's First Picnic

2008-08-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

We took Ella to Edwin Warner Park for her first picnic. Unfortunately, it was a spur of the moment idea, so we didn't have any picnic food at home to take. So, I got Taco Bell, Brad had Wendy's, and Ella had milk. Despite the lack of tradition in our picnic, we had a blast. Ella loved lying on the sheet and looking up at the trees.

Cute 2 Month Pictures

2008-08-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some ADORABLE pictures of Ella that I just couldn't resist adding. We literally have hundreds of pictures of Ella (maybe even thousands). These are some that we took during her first two months. Enjoy :)!

Ella's First Trip to the Park

2008-08-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

Ella's first park trip was to Edwin Warner Park in Nashville. Brad and I took turns carrying her in the Baby Bjorn. It was so much fun! Ella absolutely LOVES being outside. Yes, Brad does have a mohawk in these pictures. You can't tell from these pictures, but Ella has a mohawk too!

Birmingham Days

2008-08-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

So, as I mentioned previously, we moved to Nashville, TN 5 weeks after Ella was born. Since Ella was actually born in Birmingham, AL, I thought it would only be fair if I included some pictures of her first weeks of life there. We miss our friends in Birmingham very much, but are so glad to be in Nashville, and have made some amazing friends here as well.

Ella's Furry Friends

2008-08-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

I cannot neglect to mention that Brad and I have 4 other babies in addition to Ella. Of course, these babies are all furry and four-legged. We have Lily the Cat, Olive the Dog, Irma the Girl Bunny, and Max the Boy Bunny. Ella is quite amused by them all, and they are all super-sweet to her.

Naptime with Daddy

2008-08-24T18:33:00.001-07:00

Ella loved taking a nap on her Daddy everyday when he got home from work, until her nap schedule changed.

Ella's First Trip to the Pediatrician

2008-08-24T18:31:00.000-07:00

Ella's Admirers

2008-08-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ella had many visits from family and friends while in the hospital and during the weeks following her birth. All anyone could talk about was how beautiful and content she was. It is the proudest feeling in the world when someone compliments your child :) I have included some pictures of Ella with some of her adoring family.

Going Home...

2008-08-24T18:17:00.000-07:00

It was snowing on the day we brought Ella home from the hospital, which is special because it rarely, if ever, snows in Birmingham. It was such a surreal feeling for us to walk in our apartment with this new little person that we were now in charge of loving and caring for. We just looked at one another like "what do we do now?" It didn't take long for us to get in a routine, which we quickly discovered changes slightly everyday.

When we got settled in at home, we decided to put Ella in her crib to see what she would do. Right away, she noticed her mobile, which she still LOVES. Every time we turn it on, she smiles at it.

Ella is Born - February 11, 2008

2008-08-23T20:17:00.001-07:00

Ella was born on February 11, 2008 at 1:39p.m. She weighed 7lbs 13oz, and was 20.5 inches long. She came out with a head full of black hair.
I was actually scheduled to have labor induced on February 11, but ended up going into labor naturally the day before. Ella must have known that we were planning to have her on the 11th, so she decided to come on her own. I started having painful contractions on the afternoon of February 10, but I thought that since I was already planning to go to the hospital the next morning that I would just wait it out.
Well, anyone that has ever had a baby knows that contractions just keep getting more painful. So, I woke Brad up at around 1:00a.m. and told him it was time :)
By 3:00a.m. on February 11, we were at the hospital. I am not ashamed to admit that as soon as I was offered painkillers, I gladly accepted them.
Brad and I both agree that the birth of our child was the most amazing experience EVER! As strange as it sounds, we both actually had fun during the whole labor and delivery process. It wasn't until later that evening when my epidural wore off, that I realized that I was no longer having fun. This was seriously the most pain I have ever endured, but it was TOTALLY worth it!!!

Our Little Family

2008-08-23T20:11:00.001-07:00

Ok, so I have been planning to create a blog since before Ella was even born. Now that she is almost 6 months old, I am FINALLY doing it - YAY!!!This has been an incredibly crazy year for our family. Obviously, the addition of our precious little Ella (a.k.a Baby Ellz) was the highlight of the year, well really, our lifetime! But, we also moved to Nashville, TN only 5 weeks after Ella was born. (Don't even ask how we managed that.)
Brad accepted a job offer as a Graphic Designer at CMT (Country Music Television). Anyone that knows us, knows that we HATE country music, but this job was just too good to pass up. Plus, moving to Nashville was something that we wanted to do eventually. It just happened a little sooner than anticipated.
We absolutely LOVE it here in Nashville! I have not gone back to "real" work yet, but I work very hard taking care of Ella and our 4 furry babies. I love being able to stay home with Ella and just focus on being a mother and wife.
So now that I have finally started a blog, I suppose that I will do a few brief re-caps of the last 6 months, and hope to finally get this thing up-to-date. I hope that all of our friends and family thoroughly enjoy this :)