Ella {17 Months}

So maybe it has been entirely too long since I last posted anything. If I'm going to write and remember anything about Ella's 17th month, I better get on it. Month 18 will be here before I know it!

Here goes...

Since I last posted about 16 Months, Ella has learned some fun things. She's really developing her personality and even getting a little sassy! At the very beginning of the month, she was saying "yeah!" to everything. Every question she was asked, that was her answer. And she really seems to understand what's a question rather than a statement - it's fun. But about two weeks later, she learned "no!". So that was a fun week. Rather than "yeah!", everything was "no!". And I mean everything! So she obviously wasn't understanding the meaning behind her saying yes and no, but she realized that it made us laugh so she kept it up with the empahatic yeahs and nos.

In true toddler fashion, she has been throwing fits when she doesn't get her way. Not all the time, but it's definitely not something she was doing a short time ago. Perhaps the Terrible Twos are starting already?? Yikes. When she wants something to eat, for example, we give her a few options. But if she doesn't like any of those options, she might throw a fit. She knows what she wants, and if she can't have it right then -- watch out!

Ella has always loved helping in the kitchen, and that hasn't changed. She wants to be right there helping, no matter what it is. If I'm using something sharp or hot, she obviously has to stay back. And she's not a fan of that. Occasionally she'll scream about that, too. Ahhh, the life of a toddler. It's so rough.

Just in the last few days (ok, so in the last few days before 17 Months), Ella has shown some interest in "the potty". We got her an Elmo seat that sits on top of the regular toilet seat, and she has sat on it occasionally. She obviously doesn't understand what going potty is, but at least she's not afraid of sitting on it. I've heard from a few different toddler moms that they wished they had paid more attention when their toddler was first showing signs of interest in potty training. That their toddler was interested about 18 months but they ignored it, then at 3 they're not potty trained an no longer have interest. Yes, I do understand that it's really early and she won't be potty trained any time soon, but if she's showing interest then I'll roll with it. I clearly have no idea what I'm doing in the realm of potty training, but I really don't want her in diapers until she's 3!

Ella's food preferences haven't changed much. She really hasn't tried many new things (hello winter and no seasonal produce), although she did try blackberries. She loves them nearly as much as blueberries, and strawberries have even gone to the wayside because she loves blackberries so much.

Unfortunately Ella had kind of a rough month in that she had two rounds of a cold. She first got it from the little boy at daycare (who had gotten it from a sick kid during his 3 year old well-visit to the doctor's office), then she gave it to Mike and I. Just as we were getting over it, she got another mini cold. It was a germ-filled month for us, but with a lot of Lysol and a lot of laundry, we got over it.

Poor Ella-girl when she wasn't feeling well.

Snuggling all her buddies to make her feel better.

Her friends got a bath a few times this month. Thankfully, they're all holding up well!

Finally feeling better, so running around Pegula Ice Arena while the snow continues to fall. Thanks for letting us come run laps, Daddy!

Grandpa Dave sent a sweet Valentine, including two heart-shaped suckers! This was the first day Ella wasn't feeling well, so she didn't want to eat anything. But the sucker sure was yummy!

The goofball helping in the kitchen one morning. Who needs pants to cook, anyway?!

Reading a book in her cozy chair. Yes, we're still recounting The Christmas Story in February.

After learning how to use crayons at daycare, pens are so much fun! Apparently we need some Crayola to happen at our house.

Ella has learned a new version of Peek-a-Boo. If she can't see you, surely you can't see her, right?!

Too cute not to post. Quite the dancer we have on our hands!

As you can see, it's been a fun month yet again. Ella is just growing and learning so quickly, it's amazing. She mimics everything, which is a riot. 

Until next time (which shouldn't be long)... Hugs to you!

Work It

I have eluded to this in the past couple posts, but I haven't really officially updated you all about this. I started a new job about a month ago.. my first day was January 5th.

When Mike and I were still in Minnesota, I had planned to go back to work in December of 2013, taking 12 weeks of maternity leave after Ella was born. But when we moved here, I decided I would take a couple extra months, then go back after the first of the year. But a couple extra months quickly turned into a year. I feel extremely fortunate that I was able to stay home full-time with Ella for so long, but it was really time for me to get back to work. For so many reasons. Ella was at an age where she wanted to be playing with other children. I felt the need to use my brain and have adult interaction, more than a quick chat in the park. And even though we were doing a good job cutting unnecessary costs, I was looking forward to have a little extra income.. you know, for delicious sugary coffee and new shoes :)

I began the job search probably four times in the last year, and I had to finally bite the bullet and apply. But I soon realized that it was going to more difficult to find a job than it had ever been. Seriously - I had more trouble getting hired now than I did right out of college! That's unheard of in nursing. Out of college, I applied for two jobs. Just now, I applied for eight. EIGHT! I think between wanting part-time hours with minimal weekends and holidays, and having not worked in the last 16 months, I had a very hard time. Finally, I was given an interview and then offered a position - which I took. I didn't know if anything else would come along, so I had to jump on it.

The position I accepted is a Registered Nurse at a company called HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital. It's a nationwide company that has 107 rehab hospitals across the country - though I had never heard of them before. It's an acute inpatient rehab hospital.. which means that we get a variety of patients that are needing intensive therapy before they can return to their regular living situation. Patients who have had knee and hip replacements, strokes, brain injuries, bad accidents.. things like that. People who aren't needing a regular hospital anymore because they are mostly stable, but they need the therapy to get moving again. All of our patients have three hours of physical and occupational therapy a day, so it's a pretty intense rehab. Most of the patients are older, but we do get some younger patients who have had car or work accidents.

The work is pretty similar to what I have done in the past. Giving meds, helping patients get dressed, go to the bathroom, and eat their meals. Nursing is glorious, isn't it?! There are a few things that are different because it's rehab.. mostly just how you go about caring for these patients. In a hospital, you do most things for the patients because they're so weak or sick. In rehab, you want them to do as much for themselves as they can. Anything from opening their Cheerios, to putting on their shirt, to combing their hair. All those little things that you don't really think about, that they need to be able to do at home. We have to make sure they're able to do those things for themselves.

It's also different in some funny ways. The facility itself was built in the 1980's, and I don't think anything has been updated since then. This maybe doesn't mean much sense unless you're used to the ins-and-outs of a hospital, but... Oxygen isn't pumped into every room. No rooms have wall suction. The hoyer lift uses a crank lever. Almost all the rooms are double occupancy. The respiratory therapist isn't on staff overnight, on many weekends, and on holidays.. so I now do respiratory treatments and EKGs when necessary. I refill portable oxygen tanks outside from the liquid oxygen reservoir. We don't do ACLS. If there is an emergency, we call 911. Oh, and we do paper charting. All these things are totally safe for the patients and completely legal and ethical, but it's just funny to see the differences in how hospitals run and operate.

For the first few weeks, I was working full-time. Now I'm doing three days a week until I really get used to how things operate. Once I get used to things and in my regular routine, I'll be doing one to two days a week. My minimum requirement is four weekday and four weekend shifts in a six-week period. I can sign up for as many shifts as I want, but I am the first to get cut if staffing needs drop. I think it's really going to be a good fit for our family's needs. I didn't want to get wrangled into too many weekends because Mike works so many during hockey & football season, and I didn't want many holidays because that's when we're able to travel to see family. And we found a fantastic daycare provider that is flexible and able to cover the hours we need. All the while, I still get to spend most days with my Ella!

It took some time, but I think we've maybe found a good fit for us for now. Now, I'm off to bed. Up early for work tomorrow!

Ella {16 months}

This month hasn't been too crazy; we've gotten into a little routine. Mike has been busy with hockey and I have been working three to five days a week, so Ella has still been spending some time at daycare. She continues to love going there. In fact, most days she doesn't want to come home with me. As sad as it makes me at the time, I'm so glad she enjoys going. It makes it much easier to leave her there during the day, and I don't worry that she's having a rough day. She enjoys the daycare lady and her son, and she really loves their dog and their playroom. I feel very fortunate we found her for daycare.

As I said, Mike has been really busy with hockey. January was probably the busiest month, as far as home hockey games go. He has been busy every weekend. He is pretty exhausted, and we miss him! But Ella and I have been enjoying our quality times.. and of course going to games!

Ella at the basketball game (the Penn State - Michigan game, actually!). Mike had to be there to oversee an appearance for the hockey players, so Ella and I tagged along.

At the hockey game. She is getting much more used to [and tolerant of] the goal horn, and she really loves the second-intermission ice cream!

Because it has still been really cold and snowy, we have mostly been hanging around at home. Ella has become quite the little helper around the house. She has to be right beside you, no matter what you're doing. She especially enjoys helping in the kitchen!

Playing in the dryer. She's really good at unfolding clothes, too.

On one very rare Sunday that Mike didn't have any hockey events going on, we were able to enjoy a little night out. We went bowling with our friends Chris and Carrie, and Ella even got in on the bowling action! 

Ella used the ramp, so she was able to push the ball and watch it hit the pins. Once she figured out what was going on, she loved it. She actually thought it should be her turn every time!

Over the past several weeks, Ella has really become more vocal. The little boy at daycare is quite the chatterbox, so I think maybe Ella is picking that up a little. She jabbers and jabbers, but we really have no idea what she's saying. But in the past couple weeks, she has started saying more real words, too! She says up, down, on, off, snack, tickle tickle, shoe, boot, teeth, and bath. I'm sure there a few more too, but those are some that she's using pretty regularly. It's so fun! 

Ella is still eating most of the same things, though she has become more selective. She has figured out that there are options, and she'll let you know if she doesn't want something! Her favorite food is blueberries, by far. She would definitely eat an entire pint if I would let her! She has also come to like hot dogs. I don't really love that fact, but I suppose she's a kid so I'll just roll with it. She doesn't have them often, but she really enjoys them when she does. She is starting to eat more of our regular dinners, but she still has a hard time with meat. But she is getting four [yes--FOUR] molars right now, so hopefully soon she'll be able to chew more things soon. 

I think that's about it for this month. I'm amazed how much Ella is becoming a little girl rather than a baby. Week by week she grows up a little more!

Have a great February! Sending hugs to you, wherever you are.

Oreo Cupcakes

It has been far too long since I baked anything, and even longer since I posted something fun like this. I love baking, but I always end up eating entirely too much of whatever deliciousness I created. I have tried the single-serving mug cakes and cookies that you can find on Pinterest, but they just don't cut it. Totally not worth the 3 minutes it takes to whip them up. And definitely not worth the 200 calories. So I figure --why not. I'll bake up a little something delicious, and then I'll get rid of the rest. And rather than throw them in the trash or give them to my non-existent friends, tomorrow I'm going to make Mike take them to his office. I'm not sure if his coworkers are into delicious treats, but surely there are some hungry interns lurking around there somewhere.

So, without further ado, here are the results. The Treat of the Week.

Oreo Cupcakes
via

For the Cupcakes
1 box chocolate cake mix
1 package Oreos

Mix up the cake batter according to the directions on the box [hey, i've got to ease my way back into baking]. Line cupcake tins with paper liners, and put an Oreo into the bottom of each liner. Take half of the remaining Oreos, crush them, and stir them into the cake batter. Fill cupcake liners and bake according to the package.

For the Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 package Mini Oreos

Cream together the cream cheese and butter once both are room temperature. Add vanilla and then powdered sugar, a little at a time. Send the rest of your regular-sized Oreos through a food processor, then mix them into your frosting. Frost each cupcake, once cooled, and top with a mini Oreo.

And there you have it. An Oreo cupcake. Because, really. Oreos.

Ella {15months}

Holy cow, could I get any more behind?! Sometimes I feel like I have a lot of things on my plate, but I really don't. I just like to spend my free time with Mike and Ella and doing fun, memorable things. What suffers? The blog. Woops!

Anyway...

Ella's 15th month was a busy one. Mike's Grandma Dee came from Florida to visit for almost a week. We had loads of fun hanging out. She brought books and toys that made noise, and they quickly earned favorite status. Ella loved having Great Grandma Dee here, and they were both worn out by the end of the week. We were sad to see her go!

The following week, we left for the Midwest. We were able to spend nearly two weeks visiting family and friends. First we spent a couple days in Omaha with some of our dear friends. We got to meet a new baby, and we barely missed the birth of another. It was so fun visiting friends - we always pick up right where we left off.
Next we headed to Iowa, where we spent nearly a week with my family. Santa even found us there on Christmas morning!

Next we went to Kansas City, where we spent several days with Mike's family. The Chiefs were in town, and we were able to go to the game. Ella and Grandma Marie had an in-the-car tailgate of fruit and drinks, while the rest of us were outside having brats and a different kind of drinks. They were definitely the warmest of us all!

On our way home from the Midwest, we made a two-day stop in Pittsburgh. Penn State was in a hockey tournament again this year, so we stayed in town for those games. Unfortunately they didn't do so well, but we had a great time anyway.

New Year's Eve was pretty low-key. We got back from Pittsburgh on the 31st, so we spent most of the day relaxing and catching up on life. That afternoon, our friends Chris & Carrie came over for dinner and some sports-watching. We wore sweats instead of the typical NYE glam, and they still like us. It's true friendship. Ella went to bed early, but the rest of us [barely] made it to midnight. Win! [side note:  The NYE countdown shows aren't nearly as good as I remember them being. The hosts were less than impressive, and they were all over the place. Was NYE just that much better as a kid??]

Ella's latest big news is that she started daycare! Her first day was actually on the 5th, so it was a full 15 months before she went to any kind of daycare. After that many weeks and months together, it was time for both of us to branch out a little. I needed to get back to nursing [a little, anyway], and Ella needed to play with some other kids in other environments. Mike and I were pretty nervous about sending our baby girl to daycare, but it has been just perfect. The first day, as Mike was dropping her off, Ella ran to play with the little boy, Cooper, and didn't even want to give Mike a goodbye hug. It was great that first day, and has gotten even better since then. Ella naps well, eats well, and she loves playing there. She gets a good report card every day, and she has even brought home art on two occasions!

We also had one huge accomplishment this month. We're bottle-free!! At Ella's 12-month check-up, the pediatrician told us that we should aim to be done with bottles at 15 months. She's been taking fewer bottles since she starting eating real foods and drinking milk out of a sippy cup, but she was still taking one bottle in the early morning, and one at bedtime. Ella really liked both of those bottles, so we were pretty certain that we wouldn't be completely done with them by 15 months, but we still knew that was our goal. During our trip to the Midwest, we were able to stop the early morning bottle. It was a huge pain to warm a 5am bottle in someone else's home [no bottle warmer, and i can't navigate another kitchen in the dark], so we would get up early with her and forego that bottle. In just a couple days' time, she didn't even seem to miss it. And a couple days after we returned home, Ella had eaten a late evening snack. When it came to bedtime, she didn't want to drink her bottle. It was the first time that had happened, but she slept all night anyway! So we decided it was time. The following days, we gave her a bedtime snack and no bottle. She was confused the first few days, but within a week it was our new routine. Three days before the 15-month mark, we were done with bottles!

I think that pretty much sums up Ella's latest month! It's been a busy one, but definitely fun for us all.

Quick Update

Heyyy! I do realize that another month has passed and you've been waiting to hear from me. So patiently. You're on the edge of your seat, aren't you?

No?

Ok, whatevs. Anyway... things have been busy around here. I'll get into more detail soon, but here's a quick overview.

We went to the Midwest for Christmas and visited lots of family and friends.
We spent a weekend in Pittsburgh.
Ella turned 15 months.
I started a new job.
Ella started daycare.

And that's that. We're in the midst of a very busy two weeks, but I promise I'll squeeze in some blogging time soon.

Any requests??

ok, now off to find a blanket in attempt to stay warm. thanks for sending the cold weather, midwest peeps.

Ella {14 Months}

It has been another month full of growing, learning and having fun. Ella continues to entertain us every day. She's learning new words and new activities and visiting new places.

This month, we finished up the fall story time at the library. Ella loved doing that each week, and we hope to be able to do it again in the spring. Except next time she will probably be in the Two's group... yikes!

We've still been going to some playgroups in the last month. Each week there are a few scheduled playgroups for small children around town. We've met some nice people, and Ella really enjoys playing with children her age. And of course she likes the new toys!

Ella and I made a trip to the Midwest without Mike. Unfortunately my aunt passed away after a fairly brief fight against Lymphoma, so we went back for her funeral. It obviously wasn't an ideal reason to go back, but I'm glad we were able to go. We were able to see many family members [many of whom Ella had never met] and spend some time at "home". And although it's never fun, I'm glad I was able to appropriately say goodbye. If I hadn't gone, I'm sure down the road I would have wished I had.
It was the first time I had flown with Ella but without Mike, so I wasn't sure how the trek would be. But it actually went really well. Ella is at an age where she doesn't really want to be contained to one person's lap for four hours [shocker], but I was prepared with a bag of tricks and she did great.

my twenty-first flight and i finally get my own seat?!

playing with cousin alice for the first time!

it snowed, but she didn't have her boots or snowpants. so gary brought the snow to her. she loved it [and ate the whole cup]!

We were able to take another trip this month. In early December, the three of us went to New York City for a Penn State hockey game at Madison Square Garden. We had a fantastic trip! If you missed it, here's the recap.

exploring times square

It seems like Ella learns something new nearly every day. Every week, for sure. She has a new way of going down the stairs. She doesn't like to go down on her belly anymore, because that's not how the big kids do it. She likes to sit on her bum and plop down from step to step. She is pretty unsteady doing it [and makes us nervous every time!], but she has only tumbled down the stairs doing it once. And thankfully, no injuries.

she started doing a little baby yoga

with our first snowfall, we built an ella-sized snowman

and played in the snow

For Thanksgiving this year, we weren't able to go home. Instead we had a Friendsgiving! We had a couple friends over for the day.. we ate way too much food, watched too much football, and went on a fun walk.

going on a walk around the neighborhood

Ella is still doing a few animal sounds:  a cow, a lion, a monkey, and she's working on a cat. However, the cat sometimes says "HI!". Oh yes, that's her favorite [and her first!!] word. "Hi!" She says it all the time. It's too cute. She also points to something [anything] and says "This?"

She's eating mainly soft table foods. Nothing really new here. Fruits, some veggies, and pasta and bread. She still has a hard time chewing meat, so we haven't pushed that. She loves her whole milk, yogurt and cottage cheese, so she's getting plenty of protein. She even has an occasional grilled cheese sandwich, which she likes.

Other than the mullet cut she got a few months ago, she hasn't had a haircut. Her hair is getting longer and more in her face, so we try to keep it contained with a ponytail or barrette. She doesn't usually leave them in though, so we may have to cut bangs sometime. Nooooo!

Some things she likes doing around the house are helping unload the dishwasher and dryer. She thinks she's really helpful in folding the landry too, but I beg to differ. She also really likes helping in the kitchen. She obviously isn't able to do much, but she likes to watch everything you do and to carry things like spices and containers.

Since it's Christmas season, we have our Christmas tree and stockings up. It's a daily struggle to keep her out of them, and it has turned into only the top half of our tree being decorated. Whatever works... 'tis the season!

We're looking forward to a very fun month ahead. Ella's Great Grandma Dee will be visiting from Florida, we'll be going to Iowa and Kansas for Christmas, and we'll be going to a hockey tournament in Pittsburgh.

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas, wherever you are. Sending love and blessings your way!