like the old days!

When Ella was "little" She slept on the couch pretty frequently. She hung out there too. Moving her required also moving an oxygen tank, so it was a good place for her to be. For reasons I need not explain she doesn't really ever sit on the couch anymore. Today she fell asleep on the couch. It was cute. It reminded me of the months we spent there. Especially with her best buddies laying by her!

10 months

I can hardly believe it. At 10 months Ella can wave "hi", or "bye". Is trying to pull herself up but has yet to succeed. Eats EVERYTHING. Still loves the pets. Copies some facial expressions. Likes to have make out sessions, particularly with the baby in the mirror. She is around 15-16 pounds. Fits well in 3-6 month clothing and wears size 1-2 diapers.

I am pretty proud of her hair growing skills too!

Easter Pics

Well, kind of Easter pics I suppose. It was my Moms birthday so we decided to take the kiddos to get their pictures taken together. My niece is 5 1/2 and my nephew is 2 1/2. Ella would have NONE of it. I'm not sure what her issue was, likely a combination of things. I think she was tired, and afraid of me leaving her. So to plop her down between her two cousins and run the other direction didn't work too well! They turned out cute anyway. If you live in Utah Fotofly does an amazing job.

The last one is the best! Classic.

Thoughts on single parenting

Just because I am asked, and I know there are other singles who wonder about adoption... I bring you MY thoughts on being a single parent. Keep in mind thus far I have had a fairly "easy" baby. I have to say in allot of ways I don't think it's as hard as people think.
The things that I long for the most are...
1. Simply another body. I would LOVE to be able to run a quick errand when she is asleep. Or say hey can you hand me this or that just really simple things. It would also be REALLY nice for me to be able to be on-call at night and not take her to a babysitter.
2. A cameraman. Sounds odd, but sometimes she is being so darn cute and I would love to say "get the camera" only I can't leave. Now that she sits independently it isn't quite as hard, but many times I can't leave her unattended, or hold both the camera and her.
3. Someone to "share" her cuteness with. Sure I can call my friends or family and tell them about the cute things she does, but it still isn't quite the same as having someone else there to enjoy her.
Basically that is my list. Not too bad if you ask me! There are also advantages to single parenting.
I make ALL the decisions. Discipline, what is okay for her to do, to eat etc. There is never a debate as to who is going to change her, bathe her, feed her, whatever. It is me. I don't think twice about it. I know it's my "job" and it has never bothered me.
So all in all. If you are single and considering adoption, DO IT! It's not as hard as I would have thought!

Every 6 weeks...

Every 6 weeks I am childless from Friday night until Sunday morning. Usually this is NOT a welcome break as I work 12 hours and am on-call for another 18. This being said, something is different this time. Maybe because my on-call shifts have been slow and very manageable. Maybe because I think it is healthy for Ella to be away from me (she is at my Moms). There is just something about being able to NOT be a Mom for a few hours that I needed. Even though I am at someones beck-and-call no matter what (either the hospital or the kid).
There are things I miss about my "old" life. I miss the ability to run a quick errand. I miss naps. I miss showering when I want. I miss simple outings with my dogs. Doing things that used to take 5 minutes now take 20.
I knew that I would be giving all of those things up when I became a Mom. ALL Moms miss those things. I wouldn't believe them if they said they didn't. Don't worry, I'm in NO way saying she isn't worth it. She brings me so much love and fulfillment and she is more fun than I ever thought possible (especially at this age). She makes me proud with her achievements and makes me smile every day!

PS- I am LUCKY and thankfull to have a wonderful supportive family that is willing to help!

New smile!

I don't know if it was the addition of those 2 little teeth, or something else but Ella has invented a new smile. It is a complete crack up! She wrinkles her nose, closes her eyes, throws her head back and just giggles. She does it all.the.time. It is pretty funny and she knows it!

I have a feeling I am in big trouble very soon. She is becoming a tiny bit mobile. She is very good at getting into everything and is very busy all the time. She also knows how to get off and on your lap when she is being held. I honestly didn't think I'd have to worry about her walking until the fall, but I would be shocked if it is not MUCH MUCH sooner! I love spending time with her. She is such a joy to be around. I honestly don't think I expected her to be so much fun, especially not this young. If I could freeze her at this age forever I would do it in a heartbeat!

Just because