I'm five months old!!!!

The last month has been quite exciting! I got to know my cousins, meet some friends, hang out with my grandparents, begin to learn to eat, sit, and start to show my true colors with my temper! Oh...and I even slept in this weird thing on the plane...wow, life is exciting!

First real food

Having just passed the five month mark, I definitely think I'm over all this baby stuff. I want to do things like mom and dad, especially eat like mom and dad. I try and tell them this by grabbing at their food and putting everything I can in my mouth. So finally, they decided to give me some of their food. I'm so excited, I can hardly wait...

Phototgraphy time

While in Sioux Falls, mom and dad dragged me to the photographer - here are some of the pictures we took.

Playing with my cousins!

And reading time was with everyone!



I even met Michael and his mom Michelle...


Grandpa has been entertaing me for weeks!

Baptism

We're in America!!!! First it was crazy NYC - all sort of a blur because of the time change and everything. I was even on my own for two evenings - mom and dad were busy partying! Apparently the second night I really misbehaved...and mom's poor friends had to suffer through my mischief. Oh well...that's what happens when going out in the evening becomes more important than me!

But the most important part of the trip is the Baptism when the priest poors water on me so that I can go to haven some day (I don't know who believes this stuff?) Anyway, here I cried as well in the church, but once I felt that water on my forehead, all seemed better. Anyway, I got to meet my cousins as well and see both grandmas, unts, uncles, and many friends. It was a full house! Video to come, but in the meantime, here are some pictures.

Hiking in Henley

Here we go - mom and dad keep doing crazy hiking trips but I love the trees and the leaves. It means that I spend some serious time in the baby bjorn which for the most part is quite fun (it does get old at times though too - although now they let me see the world and face forward at times :)

Ella is three months old!!!

So yes - the big day has finally arrived!!! Apparently all things are supposed to become easier now - I'm supposed to sleep through the night, be on a perfect schedule and let's see...it's hard to know what else I'm supposed to be doing at 3 months since I've not actually read the book, but in any case, I'm going to be doing exactly what I want to be doing :)





We also celebrated father's day in England - it was nice - I got to take a picture with a new shirt!

Reading time

Ok, so I finally get a chance to act a bit. Dad promised to read to me and I told him that I would play the part of the interested baby. I think I've really captured the role here.

Future movie star

I told dad that I was tired of only being represented in slide shows and pictures. I know he has a video camera so I convinced mommy to record me. I've got to refine it a bit before I hit the big screen, but give me a few months...

Playing in Hyde Park

Sometimes, even in London the sun comes out...







But dad still looks really white!

my outfits

Mom insists on dressing me up even though it's a pain to put on new clothes everyday - the sleepers seem to be just fine :) But I get to lay on the big bed to pose :)

Salzburg - My First Plane Ride!

I told my parents that I was tired of spending all my time in London and that we really ought to take advantage of living in Europe and see some other countries (yes, I'm little,but really, there is no time to waste if I want to visit as many countries as my parents think I should). So we headed off to Salzburg and Hallstatt in Austria and saw some villages in Bavaria, Germany on the way. It was a blast (I did get too tired the first day - but oh well, I didn't know that the world is so big!). 'We' hiked in the Alps(OK - dad and mom carried me, but it was still a lot of work to take in all those views - talk about over stimulation)...and I spent a lot of time laying on tables while mom and dad enjoyed having lunch.



They also insisted (well, I think it was more mom) that we see old churches and castles...that got boring quickly but I entertained myself by checking out all these people around (and crying a bit too - why make it so easy on them? :) And there were pretty parks which was more fun...




By the end, I was exhausted. What a great trip.

Family time...

Besides having many visitors who are friends of Mom and Dad - even those that have come across the ocean, like Jennifer and Jocelyn, Ella has also been fortunate to meet her grandparents and both her aunt and uncle already. We don't have all the pics - but a few of Ella spending time with mom and dad and her family.

I'm cute!

That's what mom and dad tell me all the time - but since I've never seen myself, I'm not too sure (that hairdo is the coolest though!)








And I can smile now (even on the playmat!)

My new adventures

Now that I'm seven weeks old and I've experienced so much in my life already (mostly diper changing and sleeping - oh wait, there is that stupid playmat that mom makes me lay on and also that bouncy chair that vibrates constantly as if that was enjoyable for hours on end!), I've graduated to other activities. First, there is the swing, but they only put me in there if I'm about to go to sleep at which point I get extremely cranky and start crying - so fortunately I don't have to stay in there for too long. But the real prize is the outdoor activities - I've been going to picnics, bbqs, out for dinners, and today was my first hike! I even made it outside of London and realized that other parks besides Hyde Park / Kensington Gardens exist in this world. Oh, I slept the entire time so I really did not see much, but apparently there were nice views (it would be nice if I could actually see that far to recognize the views, but oh well, maybe next time).

Oh...and I also wanted to share my new hairdo with everyone - it's too cool with a mohawk on top, a mop in the back, and a beautiful mullet by my neck. I hope it stays this way forever - the concept of long, shiny, blond hair is so overrated!

Playtime with dad!

Since mom loves to take pics and dad loves to play with Ella, there are many laughs to have looking at these. The playmat seems to be a favorite activity; the parents naively believe that the Einstein playmat will somehow make Ella smarter, which of course is ridiculous (who are those parents?? oh wait, we bought into the whole gimmick!)


Oh wait...there is also the bouncy chair as an activity ! These are the very exciting milestones in our lives now (sad but so true :). Although Ella does not seem to enjoy this as much as hanging out with dad - instead, however, she often contemplates very serious matters on the chair.

Ella is one month old today!!!

Wow - unbelievable - but here we are! Ella is doing well - exactly a month after she was born just short of 7lbs, she now weighs over 9.5 lbs.

We've had a busy week as Ella learned how to be a guest at a first party (well, a bbq really), cheered dad on as he finished the London Marathon, and celebrated her birthday!

And the marathon...




Some new pics of Ella as well :)



But not always so happy...

Ella's is three weeks old!

So we've survived!!! It's been fun getting to know one another and Ella has been somehow almost an angel although she has plenty of her little screaming concerts. Overall though, she's pretty good with naps and eating and we're starting to see first smiles from her.


The bath time was a bit stressful at first, but after a few blotched attempts by mom and dad, Ella figured out that it's actually not so bad after all and she seems to enjoy lounging in the water



And when she's not sleeping, we try to have some play time, but of course, it's hit and miss whether she's in the mood. Grandma has been taking her for long walks too and she loves being outside.

Ella gets a bit bigger and louder....

Finishing up Ella's second week and it's been a whole new set of experiences. Her first visitors, still not enjoying the bath, trying a few sips on the bottle...what a week it's been. Heading back to work on monday, we'll see if I make it through the day without 27 calls home and a nap on my lunch hour. At least I figured out the self timer on the camera in recent days.

Ella's first week

It's been a fun week, all of us getting to know each other. I can't say that Ella doesn't have her own ideas about sleep and crying, but we're coming along well. Thought I would throw a few more pics of her up. It's amazing that she's growing and already filling out some of her clothes. She'll be looking to borrow daddy's credit card soon....