Ella Goes To New York

My parents needed a break from Washington, so they decided to visit their favorite city in the world--New York City. The Tribeca Film Festival had it's opening the night we arrived with a Woody Allen Film called "Whatever Works". The weather was supposed to be in the 70s and 80s for the week. But, the first few days were very cold--a mere 42 degrees! We enjoyed ourselves every day. We were lucky enough to meet up with some of our friends N'Djamena (who lives in New York),  Hue Linh, Bernard, Tuyet Linh and Gabriel (whom all came down from Boston for the weekend). 

We were also fortunate in finding a nice hotel room right in the heart of Soho with a sweet view of the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. Mommy and Daddy kept gushing over the view in the morning and in the evening before bedtime. 

I learned how to walk without holding onto anything about three days after my 10 month birthday, but I still hated wearing shoes. But, when I was taken to my first ever outdoor playground/park in Manhattan--I knew it was time for me to get used to wearing my shoes. I actually liked them because the support allowed me to walk without having my usual "spills" and tumbles. We visited three cool parks: Vesuvio (was my favorite and only a few blocks from our hotel), Downing Street Park and Bleeker Street Park. I had my first ride ever on a swing set at the Vesuvio Water Park and I also had my first time on a slide at the Downing Street Playground. Fun! Fun!

My parents took me to all their usual "staples" to wine and dine: Nobu, Jean George, Sushi Hana, the Time Warner Center and the Magnolia Bakery. And thanks to Bernard and Hue Linh, we were able to try a fantastic new eatery: Lan Japanese in the East Village. N'Djamena also gave us a new experience to share together: a pass to the Rooftop Terrace at the Hotel Gansevoort. It was very interesting because I was the only baby there amongst all these 20 something Jet Setters. Mommy, Daddy, Hue Linh and Bernard were by far the oldest people there, I'm sure. (giggle) We had a fantastic time together. 

Here are a few pictures of our week vacation in the Big Apple. Mommy took most of the pictures. 

HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Easter Everybody!

My parents and I are enjoying our time in the Nations Capitol together. Hope you enjoyed your holiday together too!

Love, 

Ella

I'm 10 Months Old!

My, how time flies! I'll be a year old in only 9 more weeks! Wow! I'm doing so much more this month! I love dancing and bouncing to anything and everything that sounds like music. I clap my hands all the time now too. I can crawl really fast.  I can walk really well holding onto furniture and Mommy's and Daddy's hands. I'm also speaking my very own baby language. I can tell my parents know what I'm saying because they always repeat the words back to me. My favorite word to say is "no". It's probably because that seems to be my parents favorite word to say to me (giggle). 

I'm 28 1/2 inches tall and weigh exactly 20 pounds. I'm fitting into 18 month baby clothes and 18-24 month size shoes. I'm in the 80th percentile for my height and the 50th percentile for my weight. A lot of my friends my age are around the same size. 

Some of my favorite things to do include: taking a bath (what's not to love? I get the total spa treatment), playing with my mommy's purse (I really enjoy taking out all of her stuff and playing with it, fun, fun), outdoor stroller rides (it doesn't matter what the temperature is, I'm up for getting outside as much as possible), pulling all of my books and my parents DVDs off of our bookshelves and then putting them back on the shelf in a different order and I like practicing how to walk.

Some of my least favorite things to do include: virtually about anything that keeps me confined. I don't like: getting my diaper changed (I can't stand up during it and it drives me bonkers because I want to walk), going on car rides for more than an hour  (again, my parents aren't giving me my freedom to stand up or walk when they take me on these car rides--so boring), wearing shoes (thank goodness Mommy only puts me in them for a few minutes to take a couple snapshots--yuck) and I really don't like getting fed my solids (again, why do I have to sit in my high chair so long? Can't I just eat while I'm crawling, standing or walking?) 

I still don't have any teeth, but my pediatrician assures my parents that they're there underneath my little gums. You're all caught up. Here are a few snapshots from the last few days and today on my birthday!