Happy Black Friday

Not only is it the busiest shopping day of the year, but it was also Dad's birthday. Ella got all dressed up for the occasion. Mom and Ella went shopping for a card for Dad - we had been looking for weeks but nothing seemed to fit. We kept finding cards that talked about Dads on the couch, or Dads mowing the lawn, finally we found a card about a Dad having fun - perfect. Ella and Mom went home and got it all colored with a big crayon. Then it was off for dinner with Dad after his busy day at work. Little did we know we would be joined by Ella's future husband. Connor.



Mom and Kelly, a very nice lady at Dad's work, were pregnant at the same time. We stop by Dad's work all the time, never having once had the babies awake at the same time. After some introductions and babbling, we were off to dinner.

They talked...



Ella tried sharing her peas...



It was a great way to end a Friday and a nice way to celebrate Dad's birthday. With some good company, a good cheeseburger, and a wonderful baby or two.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Ella's first Thanksgiving (out of the womb) and there was lots of fun and food to be had. We headed down to Rhode Island to visit Ella's family. We stopped first at Great Aunt Bette and Great Grandma Reed's house. Ella and Great Grandma played with paper, one of Ella's favorite toys...



She got suprised by a present to open by Aunt Bette... (which for Ella's first time at unwrapping a present - she did an amazing job - she is in good shape for her birthday and Christmas!)



Then it was off to Nana's house for dinner. Mom made Ella's plate with turkey, corn, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, and green beans. Mom was a little worried that she took too much but Ella proved her wrong...



She washed it all down by showing everyone her sippy cup skills... (with only a few throws of the sippy cup on the floor).



Then it was time to help Dad open some birthday gifts. Ella was fascinated by all of the ribbons and bows.



And to play with cousin Grace.



She even showed Grace how much she loves to push every button she can find.



For Ella's first Thanksgiving it was a lot of fun, a lot of family, and some yummy food. Thank you to all who shared it with us.

Simply Amazing

Ella has easily mastered her domain, she plays a lot at home and loves to explore when we are out. These days she loves to pull herself up to stand on just about anything...



Although there is something to be said about exploring her diaper bag...




Or in the bathroom. Ella can unravel an entire roll of toilet paper in seconds flat.


She is also quick through a tunnel without any fear...



And of course there is always exploring in the kitchen. This week Ella had her first taste of pasta and sauce. She definitely has some good Italian genes.



Really and truly - there is always something new for Ella to see and do, and it always brings a smile and a little amazement to her parents. It's hard to believe our baby has grown up so fast.

A baby of many talents...

It has been a long time since the last post and much has happened with little Ella. She is now sitting, swiveling, standing, and is near walking.

She is getting bigger and more talkative every day. Grandpa C. sent up one of Mommy's baby sweaters, and Ella just squeezed into it...


It could have something to do with Ella's love of food. She eats just about everything and is rarely treated with sweets, but when she does it is a lot of fun, and a bit of a mess. Here is Ella with a little brownie face and showing off her two new teeth...



She has also learned to clap, which is her Mom's new favorite thing! She claps in the grocery store, when people pass by, when anyone says yeah, anything.



Then after or before clapping, she always enjoys pointing. She points sometimes to things she wants and other times as a small baby gang sign, a little wave if you will to give people a little shout out.



No matter, what she does, it is always a lot of fun.

Happy Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day for most is an extra day off from work. For Mommy and Ella it will be a time to remember those who fought for our country and our liberties. Our little Ella is named after one of Mommy's favorite people - her Grandpa Elmer John Rokita, a very proud WW2 Marine. On Veteran's Day Mom would call Gramp and thank him for fighting in WW2 - having to leave to go to China when Mom's Mom was a tiny newborn. Although Grandpa passed away a few years ago now - he is very much with us.



Mom has many pictures of family and friends all around our house. This week Ella pulled one picture of Mommy and Gramp off the window sill and kept pointing to a very tall man. After some repitition Ella was able to point to Mommy or Gramp when Mom asked. This was so exciting that Mom called Gram to let her know. We both thought the same thing- even though he isn't here, he will always be a big part of Ella's life. Gramp is much more than Ella's namesake, he is an example of hard work, strength, careful thought, and committed love. (Plus he always was a great eater, and threw in bit of stubborn will for good measure).



Remember your heroes today. Reach out to whoever is important to you. Hug your babies.

Ella's First Birthday...

It's right around the corner. In about five short weeks our little baby will turn one year old. But yesterday was another first - Ella's first birthday invitation. It was time to celebrate Ella's friend Lilli's 1st Birthday!



There were balloons...



And hats...



And toys...



We're ready for December!!

Turkeypalooza

Each year about two weeks before Thanksgiving we invite some old friends over to the house for a big thanksgiving feast. We do the birds (24 lbs. this year) and everyone brings side dishes and wine. It was Ella's first - she goblled up turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, corns, and anything else that was put in front of her. Grandpa and Grandma sent up Mommy's peter rabbit dish and Ella was able to use that too. She asked for seconds when she wanted them and used her sippy like a pro. Our favorite part though was her dinner conversation. At the end of the meal she let everyone know what she thought of the food and the company. There were nothing but smiles all the way around the table. It was a lot of fun! (and a first of many!)

Miss Personality

We have been working to safety proof- or Ellasize our house. We have always thought that Ella should be able to explore, so Dad worked hard to reorgnize the kitchen and now Ella has her own cabinet. She loves it.



Then last week sometime Ella was having a hard time staying in her big girl bathtub. For a girl always on the go - bathtime felt more like a game of trying to keep Ella in the tub. She would stand, then sit, then roll over, then stand, sit, etc., etc. So with some sage advice from the ladies at Mommy's work - we downsized and it was perfect.



Ella is a little kid with a lot of personality!

O-Ba-Ma

As you know Ella is a babbling baby. We had tried tirelessly to help her learn to say Obama without success. She has the ba and the ma down, even them together but there was no O. But we still did our part on Election Day to show little Ella what democracy is all about.

We woke up really (really) early and were out of the house by 7:15pm to vote. Ella even dressed up for the occasion. Here is the before:


Ella voted with her dad. Here they are shortly after (no cameras allowed in the polling place), clearly satisfied with their choice:


And here is the curious baby enjoying breakfast with her parents even later:


Now that we know the results and the transition of power is taking shape we are happy that Ella was able to experience this day in history at least a little. Hopefully the next four (or eight!) years will help to shape Ella's life in a really positive way. Her parents are pretty hopeful we will be heading in the right direction. Ella may think so too. She has been praciting a few more words - the other day she said help, but on that day Dad was convinced she said hope.

Ella says...

Put down your cheerios and GO VOTE!!


Ella J. approves this message. Supported by Babies for Barack.

Holiday Season!?

It is nearing the Holidays, believe it or not. We were walking around the mall and came across some Santa hats and Christmas trees... I think Ella will be one of those who believes. (Plus anything that can be as tall as she is can't be all bad.)

Yeah!

Ella makes it no secret that she is a happy little girl, but in case you weren't convinced she has a new way to show you. If you raise your arms up high and say Yeah!! She does too... it is easily the best moment of my entire day.