Christmas Day 2008

We hosted our first Christmas this year with J's family on his mom's side. Everything seemed to go very well and Ella behaved like a very good girl. All of the family was very generous and she was lucky to receive some very special gifts. Pictures of her with the gifts will be posted shortly. Until then, here is a picture we took at the end of the day of Ella and Papa.



Thanks so much for a great day.

Baby #2 update

Greta will be here shortly, and after seeing how great Ella played with her cousins on X-mas eve, we know that she is ready for a playmate!!! She also received a baby doll and baby stroller for X-mas and she loves to push her all around the house.

Here is an update on the baby for week 27. This is the last week of my second trimester. As of Tuesday December 30th, I will be in my third and final trimester and just entering my 7th month of pregnancy. According to babycenter.com Greta is 2 pounds and 14 1/2 inches when her legs are extended (perhaps the reason for rib pressure already).

Volleyball already ?

I was cleaning up two nights ago in order to prepare for hosting our first Christmas Dinner, and Ella found a volleyball. She insisted on carrying it around with her for the rest of the evening and kept saying "bolleyball" over and over. I guess it is time for her to start learning some basic skills :)

Oh...and she is still a lefty, so Meena will probably have to start setting lessons for her also.

New crib

J has been switched to work nights this week, so he was able to get a few things done during the day that otherwise prove difficult with Ella around. Today he was able to put together the crib for the new baby. The crib that Ella used was recalled, so we received a voucher for a new crib and just transitioned her to a toddler bed at that time. She is doing great with the toddler bed, but we weren't sure how she would react to the crib being in her room. I told her that it was baby's crib and she later when we talked to Papa on the phone, she told him that the crib was for "baby".

Here is a picture of the new crib (which is already storing clean clothes and diapers):

Counting....Ella's favorite past time

It's not just that Ella loves to count everything that she sees, it's also that she just will randomly count and yell out numbers. Today Meena came over and Ella was showing her how she can count in both English and Spanish. I guess the love for Dora is really paying off :)

99 Days to Go??!!

I was finally able to add a link to the blog to show the status of this pregnancy and how soon we will be able to finally meet our new little addition. Baby Girl #2 is going to be here in approximately 99 days and I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going. There has been a lot of talk about baby names and a new crib is in the house (though not yet assembled). I have been feeling pretty good lately. My belly seems to be getting bigger and bigger and the kicks are a lot more apparent. Just last week I started to be able to feel the kicks from the outside, not just from the inside.

Ella was able to spend some of the weekend with just Papa getting in some quality time, while I headed up North to visit Laura and the Dornfeld family. It was so nice to see Lori and Matt's new baby Emily. She was cute as can be and Ellie was so proud to announce her baby sister to us. Congratulations!!

French braid

Papa picked Ella up from school today to find her hair in a french braid. I'm not sure which one of her teachers had the patience to do it (either Miss Carmen or Miss Kristin), but I think it looks so cute. It's hard to believe how long her hair has gotten, but I still don't think that we are ready for a hair cut just yet.

Nail polish and Moosh

On Saturday during "nap" time, we heard Ella quietly playing in her room for about 1/2 hour before she fell asleep. When we went to wake her, she had 5 brand new diapers and about ten toys in bed with her. Ever since that nap, she has not been able to do anything without taking her moose with her. Opa bought her this moose when he went to Sweden last year, and she lovingly calls him "Moosh". Here she is before bed time watching an episode of Dora with Moosh.

I have been wanting to paint Ella's nails lately, but wasn't sure if she would quite understand how to let it dry without touching anything. We started with just her one thumb fingernail as a test. She is always looking at that nail now and calling it "pretty" and wanting me to blow on it some more as if it isn't dry enough. Who knows if we will ever get the rest painted, but at least it's a start.

Carina's first birthday party

Our entire family had a great time tonight at Carina's first birthday party. There was a carasol there and a play area perfect for a 2 year old! Ella enjoyed the thought of riding on the carasol horse that went up and down, but as soon as the ride started she got scared. We ended up sitting on the bench of the ride instead and she still enjoyed herself.

Here is Carina enjoying her birthday cupcake: