10 Weeks Old

Ella will be 10 weeks old this week and has blossomed into such a beautiful smiley baby! The best time to catch her lovely toothless grin is right after she eats, usually when you are leaning over her, talking to her or changing her diaper. She also likes to talk to you, "ahhh...goo" - I love it!

One of the funniest things that she does is when she is happy as a clam, smiling away, and then immediately transitions into the saddest face you have ever seen. Here is a before and after picture.

Before ....

After ...

Ella has pretty much settled into a routine and is happiest when we stick to it. The most exciting thing is that she is starting to sleep through the night! We feed her at 9:30 and put her to bed, and she has been sleeping until 5 or 6. We are so lucky because this is a long stretch for such a little squirt! She also does a great job of napping throughout the day as long as she is at home and can nap all swaddled up in her swing. For some reason, she is not such a fan of sleeping in her car seat like most babies, so taking her out of the house is really tricky if she is tired.

I think I have mentioned this before, but Ella is so ACTIVE! Whether it's her arms or legs, something is always moving if she's awake. She has this thing where she bends and straightens her left leg over and over (only her left one), and it cracks us up. People have joked that she is practicing her kick start for my dad's Harley or that she is going to walk in circles. Regardless, it is so freakin funny to watch. She is so strong, too. She always wants to be straightened out, and sometimes standing up with help. When she is on her tummy, she can push her head and chest up onto her forearms - so awesome! She also holds her head up really well whenever you hold her.

As I right this post, I am realizing that I go back to work in a couple of weeks, which is hard to believe. Although I am excited to get back into the swing of things and see all of my colleagues and friends, I am dreading saying goodbye to my daytimes with Ella. To be honest, there have been multiple days where I would have gladly dropped her off at daycare so I could go to work and get a break from a fussy baby, but the majority of my days with her have been absolutely wonderful. I just love being able to spend time with her everyday and experience all the new things that she is doing. I am already very emotional about this huge transition, but I know I will get through it with the support of my family and friends. Plus, Ella will be in great hands while we are at work - the home daycare we have chosen comes highly recommended by some of our best friends.

I will end this with one of my favorite pictures of Ella thus far. Since she doesn't have much hair yet, I have resorted to buying her headbands with attachable GIGANTIC flowers and bows to make her look more girly. I had to do this because her huge noggin no longer fits into the headbands she got as a newborn! Now, I just have to find a knit beanie to attach flowers to for the cold months ahead =).