Sorry, Marci....

It has been suggested by a certain Someone that should I grow up to be a basketball gal, I should forgo my UConn roots and become a fan of lessor teams. Well, my daddy wanted me to convey the message that:

I am a Husky girl through-and-though!

U Conn Husky, symbol of might to the foe.

Fight, fight Connecticut, it's victr'y, Let's go

Connecticut U Conn Husky, victr'y again for the White and Blue

So go, go, go Connecticut, Connecticut U. Fight!

C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I C-U-T. Connecticut,

Connecticut Husky,

Connecticut Husky, Connecticut C-O-N-N-U. Fight!

Ellie is practising her dribble...

"You want to know what...??"

Here are some random facts about me:

THE NOT-SO-FUN-STUFF

• I have GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) -- but my doctor now has me on some heavy meds that has made me eat and sleep much better. (I loooove my Prevacid!).


• I also have a mild case of torticollis, which means my neck "kinks" to one side due to the cramped quarters in my mommy's body (I know...I am a mess!). I begin physical therapy in a couple of weeks.

THE FUN STUFF

• I love reading books! I love grabbing at the pages, kicking at the pages, and squealing at the pages. Also, one of my favorite toys is a stack of books -- even boring ones like my mom and dad's dictionaries.


• I rock at Tummy Time now. It is actually embarrassing to remember that mom posted this of me awhile back...


• I sit up really well, especially in my fancy BebePod seat (see my picture up top!).


• I crack up when Mom or Dad help me to "walk" around the house. Pretty soon, I hope to be zooming about and trying to make them catch me!


• Listening to music makes me laugh and smile -- especially Bach's violin Sonata and Partitas.


• My new entertainment is to throw items off of my highchair: You know, rattles, teethers, etc.


• Often, my mom or dad will find me in my crib with my legs in the air and grabbing my toes. I especially like to wake up this way.

THE STUFF ONLY ADULTS ARE INTERESTED IN

• Yes, I am "sleeping through the night" -- 10 hours, in fact. (Why do you adults all obsess about this??)


• I weigh about 16 lbs. and am 26.5 inches long -- that is the 90% for weight, and off-the-charts for height. Perhaps Daddy and Auntie Tara will get their wish, and I will be a basketball girl.

I think that is all for now. Thanks for being my fans!

Love,

Ellie-Bean

CGSD

Today was a Crazy Growth-Spurt Day, or CGSD. On a typical CGSD, Ellie wakes up at the crack of dawn demanding food (she sounded the bugal call at 6:00 a.m. this morning), then she is up for 1 - 1.5 hours, then she gets fussy and sleeps for 45 min. - 1 hour, then she demands another full bottle, then she is up, then she fusses and sleeps, and the cycle goes on and on and on... This is quite a deviation from her regular 3.5 - 4 hour schedule. It is exhausting! But fortunately, Jeremy was home today and could help with the Little [growing] Miss, so that errands could be run and household chores semi-completed.

Size 9 month clothes, here we come!

Father-Daughter Conversations

Becoming a (bigger) Big Girl who's getting bigger

Elinore has begun to sample some solid foods, and she is having a blast! After watching us intently any time we were eating or drinking something, she decided it was time for her to become a Big Girl and eat with a spoon (She actually went on a nursing strike to implement her little plan...). Here she is eating her mama-made carrot puree:

Carrot Puree

(Can't wait for her next diaper change...)

Ellie is listening very carefully to instructions on how to eat like a Big Girl...

She not only wants to eat Big Girl food, but she wants to try to use the spoon like a Big Girl -- here she is "helping" Mom out.

"Mmmmm...yummy!"

While we are delighted that she loves eating solids, we are wondering how much bigger Ellie can get. As of her 4 month check-up, Ellie is in the 90th percentile for her weight (16 lbs. 12 oz.), and is positively off the charts for her heighth (26 1/2 in.). Even with her reflux/eating problems, her doctor stated, "She is certainly not wasting away!"

One of "Those Moms"

As I watched Jeremy wrestle the Fisher Price Step N' Play from the car, I realized that I had become one of "those moms." Pre-Ellie, I never understood why parents had so much stuff for their little ones. I mean, come on! Didn't we all play with Tupperware for hours on end when we were kids?? I even vowed never, ever to let an excersaucer step its garish, overstimulating foot in my home. Well...I am now one of "those moms." Here it is in all its glory:

JUSTIFICATION: It keeps her upright after feedings, in order to help with her reflux. (Doc's orders!)

Plus, look at how happy she is in it...!

Happy Baby Picture 1

Happy Baby Picture 2

Beware all of you who do not have kids yet, and don't understand why Elinore has all this stuff: One day, you might find (with shock!) that you have become one of "those moms" too...

"What a week!"

[Sorry for th PG-13 picture...]

More White House Pics II

Here is the Rose Garden sans roses. There is a basket ball court, golf course, tennis court and running track in the background -- can you find them??
The press area outside of the West Wing was once referred to as "Pebble Beach." In response to the press constantly tracking in mud into the White House, pebbles were laid on this press spot in 1998. However, in the summer of 2005 concrete replaced the pebbles, and this area is now coined "Stonehenge."

By the end of the tour, Ellie told us she had had enough!

More White House Pics I

Here are the windows (above) and walkway (below) right outside the Oval Office.

This is the Press Pool in the West Wing. Apparently this room was originally a swimming pool during FDR's term -- thus the term press "pool." Swimming was the only form of exercise that he could manage with his polio.

[Future] Press Secretary Elinore Grace

White House Tour

Yesterday, our friend (who works in the Executive Office Building) gave us a personal tour of the White House. It was really interesting, and we had a great time! Of course, we could only take pictures in select areas. Here are a few:

Seal in the press pool

Front view of the White House

Entrance to the West Wing

Apparently, Ellie found something very captivating overhead...