Packing and Napping

We are leaving for Holland tomorrow evening and could not be more excited. It was a busy week and Erik and I both had off nights where we felt a little sick (stomach bug? bad leftovers? who knows...) so packing has been left for this weekend. Right now Ellis and the kitties are asleep on the bed, so I am taking a break to update. We hope to make this trip to Holland at least once a year while we are living in NY, so this is a good test run to see what we really need to pack for Ellis and ourselves.

Last Wednesday, Ellis had her 6 month pediatrician visit. She’s now 20.10lbs and 28". Thankfully, still small enough for her carseat and the bassinet on the plane. Right before we met with the Doctor, Ellis did the biggest, most liquid poop I have ever seen. Thank god we brought an extra outfit and we were at the Dr. to ask “is this normal?” and yes, it is.

Speaking of poop (and do not read ahead if this is too much information), Ellis has officially entered the realm of stinky number twos. After a few weeks of tasting solids, her not-terribly-smelly breast milk poop have been replaced with some smell-it-from-across-the-room yellow tar. Oh well...part of growing up I guess.

A New York home for footbal (soccer)

Sorry for the non Ellis post, but I just had to write about this.
Last Saturday was a historic day for soccer fans in America. After decades of playing in a stadium not suited for soccer (Giants Stadium), the local team in New York finally opened their own stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Even though I still do not like the name, I have to thank the Redbull organization for making this stadium happen in a way nobody thought was possible in America. A stadium dedicated just to soccer!
It really is a beautiful stadium. It's small compared to other sport stadiums in America (25,000 seats) but because of that it feels really intimate and friendly. I was so impressed with this stadium I can barely remember the game.

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We celebrated Ellis’s half birthday this weekend with her first swing at the playground! We didn’t push too hard, just enough for her to feel the wind in her hair (or hairs really). The spring weather these past few days has been amazing and we were even able to enjoy our first outdoor brunch of the season.

Ellis has been chatting and giggling up a storm. Her laugh is incredibly infectious and Erik and I will do anything to keep it going, including lots of goofy dancing, tickling, and faces so silly they are almost painful to make!

Can’t wait to see what wonderful memories, adventures and even challenges the next six months will bring.

Spring Awakening

While the new year technically begins January 1st, I never really feel renewed and over the previous year until Spring comes around. Those first warm days of sunshine are simply magical. Everyone sheds their heavy winter coats and puts on a smile. After much snow and rain, the sun is finally out and the plants on our deck could not be happier. The tulips Christa planted shortly after Ellis was born are coming up quickly. How nice that she will get to see, touch, smell and enjoy these beautiful tulips now that she’s a little older. Of course, she will probably want to squish them in her little hands or stuff them into her mouth, but since that’s how she enjoys and explores the world these days, it’s fine with us. Remind me to look up “poisonous flowers” later...

We’ve both been busy working, figuring out our weekly routine and trying not to over do it on the weekends. Ellis has been doing great. She likes to sit up all the time now and is quite the wiggle worm when she’s on her belly. She’s a long way from crawling but we love to see how each new arm twist, knee bend and butt raise get her that much closer to figuring it out. Bottle feeding is no longer a problem at the daycare (hooray!) Even though I am still going to feed her twice during the day, it’s nice to know she can take a little snack now and then if I don’t make it there within the hour. Napping is another story. Ellis has had quite a few days where she only naps a total of 40 minutes the entire day, and those naps are usually while we are commuting or while she is nursing. Fingers crossed that this is just a phase and she’ll get into a more consistent nap routine in the next few months. I wish I could take a nap in the middle of the day for two hours! Actually, I’d rather trade that two hour nap for two extra hours each day.

Ellis the intern

The daycare had a professional development day last Friday, so I took the opportunity to have a slightly unprofessional day by bringing Ellis into the office. It was so much fun to have her there. She loved sitting at her desk and visiting with all of my very nice colleagues. I even impressed myself by simultaneously breastfeeding, eating my lunch and sending an email! We also met up with Sara in the afternoon for a quick errand and a delicious cookie.

Nick was in town last week to work on the design of the exciting new Purl Soho. It was great to see him for dinner one last time before he becomes a proud papa in just a matter of weeks!

Stuck

When I picked Ellis up from daycare this evening she was in the other classroom (which happens to have one of those adorable feeding tables with the cut out chairs). It was so sweet to see Ellis and her friend “reading” the cloth book together. After taking a quick photo, I tried to pick her up, but couldn’t quite manage to get her out. The teacher stepped in, leaped up on table and pulled Ellis up...taking the chair with her! That’s our big baby for you.

We don’t need to visit the pediatrician this month, but I did the very unofficial weigh-in at home and think that Ellis is now over 20 pounds.

Last Friday we had a somewhat unexpected snowfall and the daycare had another snow day. Erik and I took turns going into the office, keeping Ellis at home. Here are a few pictures and a video from that afternoon.