Ella's Very First Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was so nice to spend time with the family and just relax. Ella had a good time as well. She wasn't into opening presents. She mainly just wanted to play with the bows that were attached to the presents. I had to open all of hers for her. She is already a very spoiled little girl! I guess it helps being the only grand daughter on the Monroe side of the family. We think that she may have taken her first step last night, although we're not quite sure it would be justified as an actual step. It's going to be hard to keep an eye on that little girl once she learns how to get around on her feet.

Ella and Her Friend Kelsi

Ella's friend Kelsi came over last night for a little gift exchange. Kelsi's dad grew up on the same street as Charley. She was born two days before Ella just two doors down from us at the hospital. It is so weird to see the girls all grown up and just weeks away from turning one. It doesn't seem like it's been a year since I was just about ready to pop with Ella in my tummy. Ella had fun playing with Kelsi. She was even sharing her toys with her. It was interesting to see a baby Ella's age walking around. I don't think it will be too long before she is walking because she is starting to stand without holding onto anything.

It's Been a While

I just finished another semester at school. It's nice to be able to just come home after work and do my "mom" chores instead of studying. I'm able to do more around the house when I'm not in school, although it is still always a mess!! Why is that? I've also been working on my scrap booking and getting Ella's photos together. She is starting to teeth again. She doesn't sleep through the night when she is teething. Last night we had a little slumber party on the couch. She seems to be just fine as long as momma sleeps with her thank goodness! She has also become a very picky eater recently. Her new menu consists of blueberries, black beans, avocado, egg yolks, and a few other items. Charley and I have today off, so we are going to have a nice family day together (I hope!). I can't believe Christmas is a week away!!

We Locked Her Up!!!

Charley made a gate so that Ella can't get into the kitchen anymore. It's so nice to just have her in the living room with all of her toys. The dog food and water are the first things that she gets into when she's in the kitchen. We've even caught her with dog food in her mouth! Seems like she enjoys putting everything in her mouth. We are going to get our Christmas tree tomorrow afternoon. I'm excited for Ella's very first Christmas. Then her 1st birthday is only a couple weeks after that! Yikes!

Our First Thanksgiving with Ella

We had an awesome first Thanksgiving as a family. We went down to my Aunt Deb and Uncle John's house in the Bay Area. The dinner was absolutely fabulous. Ella behaved her self and made sure she entertained the whole family. Julia and I went shopping at the outlets at midnight on Thanksgiving. There were a lot more people than I expected and quite long lines to wait in. We didn't even get to bed until 3 am. Today we woke up and went to the mall. Poor Charley had to wait around for us girls to shop for hours. I finally got some new clothes. I even got pants that actually fit me!!! I was amazed to find out that I've gone down 3 sizes from pre-pregnancy size. That's pretty impressive, huh? Anyway, we had an awesome trip. I couldn't have asked for a better first Thanksgiving with my family.

We had a really busy weekend!! We had a birthday party yesterday, then we went to Sage's house to visit, out to dinner, and then back home. Today we had an awesome run in the gorgeous sunshine. Ella was all bundled and cozy. She got a nice long nap in her jogger. She hasn't done anything new and exciting lately. She has been practicing standing up, so maybe her first steps aren't too far behind. We'll see...

Playing with Ella

Ella loves to crawl around and play with anything and everything she can get her hands on. We have to keep a very close eye on that girl!! It's kind of nice because she is becoming much more independent and is able to entertain herself. We just found out today that she has to have tubes put in her ears within the next few weeks. It's not going to be easy to watch her go through that, but I know it will make her feel much better.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

We ended up dressing Ella up just a little bit. We got the idea to paint whiskers on her face and get her some ears and a tail. I thought it was the perfect outfit for her first Halloween. We went over to Charley's sister's house for a little Peper family get-together. All of the older kids went trick-or-treating and we took Ella home to put her to bed. She was exhausted from playing all day long.

Happy Monday

Well, it was a hard weekend to get through without mom and dad around. They went to Pismo Beach to see Mema and won't be back until this weekend. Ella and I had to run alone yesterday. It was really hard having to push Ella in her jogger. We got a good workout anyway. Ella started trying to snap when we snap for her. It is so cute to watch.

If You Would Like to See Pictures From the Race...

http://www.finishshots.com/raceinfo1.php?raceid=511

Go here and put in my # 397 (in the "bib number" box) and then my dad's number 350. You can see some pics.

We Did It!!!!

Today was the day of the Rewoods Marathon. Dad and I finished the half marathon (13) miles in 2 1/2 hours. It was beautiful running through the Avenue of the Giants. The air was really chilly when we got there, but the fog burned off and the sun eventually came out. It was an awesome run to say the least. Now I'm just very worn out. I'm ready for bed. : )

Also, I forgot to report Ella's stats from her 9 month check-up. She weighed 19 pounds 8 ounces and was 28 inches long. She is in the 60th percentile for both weight and height.

Yesterday she clapped for the first time!! Now we say, "yay Ella", and she claps for us. So cute!