Sleepy time

Sleeping like a baby!

Ella made the move from her bassinett (more like our bed) to her own room about a month ago.
Prior to her big move to the crib and "crying it out" we'd have to bounce her on a big yoga ball to get her to fall asleep at every nap and bedtime (usually took about 45 minutes) then we'd put her in her swing or bouncy seat to sleep otherwise she would wake up the instant we laid her down! She just wouldn't stay asleep in her bassinett so we'd end up bringing her to our bed just so we could get a little sleep. Well then she'd want to nurse all night long, which meant that neither her or I were getting any solid sleep. I always said "I'll never have a child in our bed" but found out quite quickly that you do what you have to do to survive! After about 3 1/2 months of this on-going battle we knew we had to make a change for everyone's sake.

It took about a week and a half of crying it out to get her to sleep on her own (it was pure heart-breaking agony for all of us but we HAD TO get some sleep). When we started she would cry for 5 minutes and then we'd go in and console her a bit while she was still in the crib, leave, wait 10 minutes, console her, wait 15 minutes console her and repeat at 15 minutes until she went to sleep...SO HARD! Now she'll sleep on her own without a huge battle. There's often some crying involved before she falls asleep but once she drifts off she'll sleep a solid 6 hours most nights before getting up to eat. She naps well on her own now too.

Now that she rolls over like crazy we can't get her to sleep on her back. The first week post-roll we went in and flipped her over any time she was on her belly...well that no longer works. The girl loves to sleep on her stomach. Her position of choice is butt in the air, ankles crossed and arms tucked under her chest. It's a bit of a modified fetal position I guess. So much for "back to sleep", it's all tummy for this girl!

Cereal?...Yes please!

"This is tasty stuff"

Ella has been watching us eat and opening her mouth every time we take a bite of food for a few weeks now. We decided it may be time to try giving her some rice cereal, so last night we gave it a try and she LOVED it. She made a squishy face with the very first bite but from then on she opened up and downed it like a champ. She acted like "what's the big deal, I'm a pro already. Why the cameras mom & dad, I'm just eating!"

Ella gets mad when she's "tied down" in her high chair so Jason fed her a bit on his lap

Happy 5 Months!

Mirror Mirror On The Wall...

Who's the fairest of them all? Ella of course! Our sweet girl LOVES the mirror. Without fail she lights up and gives...,well, herself a huge grin! It can bring her out of the grouchiest of moods.

In this video we were on our way out the door on a walk (hence the sun-hat). She loves to suck on and drool all over her bjorn carrier - thus the burp rag covering the front.



We have had SO much fun with Ella the last few weeks. She's 3 days away from being 5 months old (WOW time flew by!). It seems that once she hit about the 4 month mark she changed a ton and is a very happy-go-lucky baby...most of the time. This makes for much happier-go-lucky parents.

Crazy Play Time

We have a pack-n-play set up in our living room for Ella. She has a toy hanging on the side of it that she plays with once and a while, well she's started this new thing where she wants to hit all of her toys. She full out swings at them and gets a bit wild and crazy at times. Here she is going nuts with her "jingly giraffe".



Here is a quick glimpse of her rolling over. She loves to go from her back to tummy but still not rolling from tummy to back too much - we think she just likes to be on her stomach so that's where she stays. She wants to roll over at night and sleep on her tummy too....we're not such fans of that yet, she doesn't turn her head to the side but rather face-plants into the crib....hopefully she gets the hang of it soon so we can stop flipping her back over at night! We know it's probably fine to leave her like that but we're paranoid new parents, who can blame us?

Rolling Over & 4 Month Appointment

How many fingers can a girl fit in her mouth?
Just bet me I can't get all 10 in...just give me some time!

She rolled over! Ella rolled from her back to her front for the first time last week! She'll be running full speed before we know it!

Ella's 4 month check-up was last week. She weighs 15lb 1oz (75th%) 26" (95th%....no wonder none of her onesies are long enough!), and her head is 40cm (20th%). The Dr. said she looks great. She holds her head up like a champ and he was impressed with how much she likes tummy time...that's our girl! :) He gave us tips on helping her to sleep better at night....an update on that to come later.

4 Month Fun