I am 7 Months Old!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am 7 months old today. I am still 27 inches and I weigh almost 18 pounds. I am getting a tooth in at the top of my gums and on the bottom. Both are on the left side. I can hold my bottle all by myself for the first half of my feeding. And I am reaching for everything now. I reach for my daddy when he comes home from work and I reach for my mommy when she's finished cooking, cleaning, running errands or taking Lexie for a walk. I am practically leaping out of my parents arms when I no longer want to be held and when I just want to get down on the floor to play or practice crawling. I can pull myself up to a standing position when I'm sitting down. I can even pull myself back up to a sitting position when I tumble onto my back. I have been trying really hard to pet my doggie Lexie and sometimes pull her tail or grab her whiskers. But, my parents pay a lot of attention to me and so I'm learning how to be gentle. I like to throw my new soft toys at her and watch her go fetch, but Mommy and Daddy are trying to set boundaries with her too. We are not allowed to share our toys. 

I am eating solids now at least twice a day, oatmeal in the morning and organic veggies for lunch or dinner. I have a lot of fun reaching for the spoon and bowls every time and slinging the food that dribbles onto my bibs. 

I am still sleeping through the night at least 8 to 9 hours. My parents tell me I'm a real "night owl" and that I get that from my Daddy. Mommy is an uber morning person! By night time, she just wants to crash while Daddy's just getting perked up. I try to take two 30 minute naps during the day and at least one 45-60 minute nap around dinner time. I overheard my parents whispering that my New Year's Resolutions were going to consist of: going to bed at an earlier hour every night, thrice weekly manicures and pedicures (I can't help it my nails grow so fast. I'm a baby!) and listening to spanish tapes, spanish music and reading children's books in Spanglish.  They both feel it's important for me to learn Spanish since my Granddad Huesca is from Mexico and it's a part of my heritage. Meanwhile, they're both trying to learn too. You should hear my daddy's accent. It is so funny and it makes Mommy laugh. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! We stayed in Washington for my first Christmas. We went to the oldest built Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill for services last night on Christmas Eve. The church was nicely decorated, the right temperature and the choir sounded joyful. It was so nice in fact, that I decided to fall asleep immediately after arriving and waking up only shortly before the candlelit ceremony and communion. 

On Christmas morning I started my day with a nice bottle of milk followed by opening presents from Santa, my parents, my Grandparents, my Aunt and some friends of our family. It was a ton of fun! I got a lot of clothes for the upcoming spring and summer, some awesome learning toys and some books and bath toys. My favorite toys so far include the Baby Laptop by V-Tech that my Aunt Antasia gave me and my Rock 'N' Roll ball by V-Tech from my Grandma and Grandpa Talan. 

My parents, Lexie and I hung out most of the day spending time together playing with our new gadgets and toys and eating and drinking--being "Merry". After dinner, we took a quick drive to the White House to see the National Christmas Tree, all the State Trees, the Yule Tide Log and the National Menorrah. It was freezing out! But, my parents took care to bundle me up so that I was nice and toasty. Unfortunately, we didn't have any snow. Maybe next year...

Ella Meets Santa Claus

On the coldest day of the season (and of my life) so far, my parents dressed me up like an Eskimo in a faux suede and sherling fur bunting coat by Baby Gap. It was definitelly not the most comfortable coat and I felt completely restricted, especially since it's a size too big for me. But, it did keep me nice and toasty.

We were shopping in Georgetown when we stumbled upon the 1st Annual Merriment Winter Festival on Wisconsin Avenue. They were serving several types of hot cocoa and ice cream. We could hear several local choirs singing carols in concert.

We walked from the front to the back of the festival in 26 degree blustery windy weather. Thank Goodness it was only a block long. At the tail end of the block sat this ginormous and bubbly man dressed in a nice warm and padded red suit. I was introduced to him as Santa Claus. Daddy sat me upon his lap while Mommy, as well as five or six other stand-bys took my picture. Look how happy I am. Santa seemed happy too!

I am 6 Months Old

I am 6 months old today. That's half way to my first year birthday already! Wow! How time flies when you're growing and having fun! I am still 27 inches and I now weigh 17 pounds and 2 ounces. I can sit up without any support and I am beginning to scoot around now. I am even trying to squiggle out of my parents arms and onto the floor to play. I am learning to express myself better too. I am reaching for specific things (I especially like reaching for cell phones or the remote control). I also reach for my daddy when he comes home from work or my mommy when she gets home from her errands and the gym. I have been practicing using my vocal range. I grunt using my lower register and I squeal in high pitches. I hum in what I think could become my "regular voice".

My favorite toys are my cloth book, my rubber duckie, my Princess doll and my Pink Teething Ring by Loved Baby that our friend Carmen in L.A. sent me. 

My parents think that I'm left handed so far because that hand appears to be stronger and also seems to be my favorite hand to use when I grab things. Here are a few random shots of me during the first week of December after I turned 6 months old. 

Play Date with My New Friend Nora

Thanks to a smart networking tool called Facebook, my parents were reunited with their friends Pat and Jaime who now have a 2 year old daughter named Nora. We were invited to their home in Severna Park for a few hours of fun, fun, fun! Nora pulled out some of her favorite toys for me to play with and she dressed up in her "Prairy outfit". That's a cross between dressing up like a Princess and a Fairy. That's me in Nora's 2-in-1 Walker and Nora in her baby swing. Nora says she is ready for a little baby brother or sister.

My First Thanksgiving

My First Thanksgiving was spent with my Mommy, Daddy and our doggie Lexie in my hometown, Washington D.C. While my parents noshed on the traditional Thanksgiving meal, I nibbled on Organic Sweet peas and milk. After lunch, Daddy decided to start a new Thanksgiving Tradition: visiting a new exhibit at one of the Smithsonian museums. He chose the National Gallery of Art for my first museum visit. We went to see the Pompei and The Roman Villa exhibit. I could overhear my parents whispering that it wasn't very exciting. They had actually seen some of the same type of art work at the Getty Villa in Los Angeles last year. I was excited about seeing all the new people and hearing all of the different international languages. Here are a few pictures documenting my day. 

My First Solids

My pediatrician gave my parents the greenlight to start feeding me solids when I was 4 months old. However, my parents decided to wait until I was 5 months old to begin. Mommy started out with the standard rice cereal suggested. I found it very yucky and didn't enjoy it at all. After a few days of trying to get me to eat this, Mommy decided to try Earth's Best Organic Level 1 pureed baby food. I loved the Sweet Potatoes. Yum! Yum! I eat about one tablespoon of food a day now. Only about one baby spoon full is normally consumed, but I am having fun practicing.