Thanksgiving 2012

Where has the time gone? Jane Ellis is 2 and Aubrey Claire is 9 months!


We celebrated their birthdays by eating lots of ham, turkey and dressing! Happy thanksgiving everyone!


Tday we ate lunch with Robert's family. We also visited the horses. Aubrey LOVED Tilley.


So did Jane Ellis


JE even shared her apples with her. Then daddy wanted to show the girls his tractors.


We had lots of fun.


After lunch both girls had naps and then it was thanksgiving dinner at my parent's house with the cousins!!


Aubrey's first thanksgiving meal with the whole family

Aubrey Claire 8 month update

So, I know I've been a complete blogger fail lately. But, let me make it up with lots of pictures-

Aubrey at 6mos

Aubrey was sitting up by 5.5 months and as soon as she mastered that skill she started crawing! She is all over the place now. Jane Ellis was almost 7.5 mo before she started crawling so this was a pretty big surprise :) She is also starting to experiment with food and she's quickly learning she likes this new stuff.

She is also 17 lbs! She's a big snuggle bug. 

Jane Ellis loves her sister and will give her kisses either on demand or just when she feels like being sweet. But in the same breath, she will push her down, or take her toy. Her favorite phrase right now is "No, Aubrey! That's mine!" I gently tell her, "Jane Ellis, let's get Aubrey a toy that she can play with." So then she says "here, Aubrey, here" and hands her a toy. Oh she has my heart!

Here are some pictures of Aubrey at 7mo and Jane Ellis at 21 mo.

Aubrey is still nursing like a champ and has really started eating more solids. For breakfast she'll eat a little oatmeal, or banana and cherrios. For lunch she eats a few peas, or sweet potato, and for dinner it's some yogurt and whatever veggies we are eating. I feel like she eats few solids but nurses more than JE did at this age. But she's fat and happy so I guess it's working for her :) She's also still sleeping in her swing and in our bed. I tried a few times to put her down in her bed, but it's pretty hard since she and JE share a room. So we're holding out on that transition for a little while longer. Jane Ellis is goin to the potty more and more each day, and on her own. She's gotten to where she'll tell me know and goes pee and poo pretty consistently. And it was all child-led. I never forced, I just started asking her if she wants to peepee on her potty? I let her go naked and then put her on it every 30 mins or so. And she just kind of got the hang of it. I don't expect Aubrey to be that easy- but you never know, she might be easy too :)

Aubrey 5mo and JE 19mo

Aubrey is now 5 months and 15.6 lbs {90th percentile}. We are still nursing on demand and the sweet thing is still going to sleep in her swiing and then in bed with her mommy and daddy the rest of the night.  

But I don't mind at all. She is so sweet and snuggly. I really try to enjoy the closeness we have. Jane Ellis never slept with us, she always wanted her won space. But this babe- she loves to be in our nice comfy bed!

Aubrey is starting to sit up and is really becoming aware of her surroundings. She grabs things and plays with whatever she can touch. She loves Daisy and grabs her everytime she walks by. She's also starting to get really vocal, so we've been working on our sounds.

Jane Ellis is 19 m 26 lbs {90th for ht and 50th wt.} and is really starting to talk. I mean in two and three word sentence talk :) And she's starting to go pee and poo in her potty. Pretty inconsistently, but she's going when I ask her to, so I think that's pretty awesome.  

This pretty much sums up our days!

I caught Jane Ellis reading to her kitty in the laundry room. I told you she was smart ;)

Big blue eyes and pretty red hair....

My name is Aubrey Claire, Aubrey Claire 

I'm 40w 4d "past" due. I'm 185# but still feel great. I'm on weekends now, but had to call in my last weekend of work due to Jane Ellis being sick. I felt like she needed her momma all to herself. I'll never regret having one more week of "just us" time. Here I am at 40 and 4:

So I had planned to go with Shannon to Summer Kids to get Jane Ellis a few outfits for this summer. As soon as I woke up, I knew there would be a baby within the next 24 hrs. It was the same way I was with JE. Contractions started fairly weakm but noticable, not regular, but coming about every 30-40 mins. Now, to some people this may not be a big thing, but for me it's huge. I don't have contractions. I would have a few strong ones at work occassionally. But never at home. After deciding there was nothing I could do at home, I loaded up my little buddy, JE, and we headed off to Memphis. As the day went on, I started calling the parents and in-laws to let them know what was up. By that afternoon, plans had been made to go out to eat at pancho's. It was my parents, Robert's parent's and Robert's Aunt and Uncle, and of course sweet Jane Ellis.

During dinner I timed my contractions to be around 10 mins apart, but they still weren't too bad. My parent's went home and told us to just call when we were headed to the hospital and Robert's parent's stayed at our house to keep Jane Ellis. I knew there was no way I was going to the hospital until JE was tucked in and asleep. So after I took care of her, we all sat around to watch a movie and just let me progress. Now, with JE I had horrible back labor, I was only 3-4 cm when I went to the hospital - not this time! All of a sudden my contractions went from every 6 mins apart but hurting, to every 10 mins apart but pretty intense - TRANSITION. I didn't realize it until I went to the hospital, but I was in the last stage of labor lol I told Robert we could go, but that it still might be a while after we got to the hospital - the contractions just weren't as bad as they were with JE. The last straw was when I kept thinking I needed to go to the bathroom. Finally, after the third trip it dawned on me - duh! that was me feeling "pressure"! I told Robert "we need to go now!!"

Thankfully, Robert's parents had planned on spending the night at our house with Jane Ellis. We arrived at the hospital around 1am. I don't think they believed me when I said very calmly "I'm in labor" It took us almost 20 mins to get into a room! Hellooooo, I'm 40 and 5 here! Pretty sure this is it lol

After I was finally hooked up to the monitor my nurse said "wow, have your contractions always been that strong? 'yep' ohh, let's check you....ok you're 8 cm!" After my wonderful epidural, I only pushed for a few minutes when this little bundle was easily delivered at 326am weighing 8 lbs even and 21 inches long:)



Meeting Aubrey

Jane Ellis meeting Aubrey



We're home!



Christmas!!

I changed from working during the week to working sat/sun nights right after Thanksgiving, and since Christmas was on a Sunday this year, we did Christmas on Saturday. We were so excited to see Jane Ellis open her gifts - and the little stinker was still asleep at 930! So we decided to wake her =) How cute is she!!!

We've had Christmases in the past - but this was by far our most special.

That's not Daisy! It's a Daisy look-a-like!!

This little tent was a huge hit

She was just a little overwhelmed

Even Daisy got a little present.

Mommy got her nook! Yay! Thanks Daddy

Daddy helped JE open her stocking

That afternoon, after Je's nap, we went to my parent's for Christmas with the family. This is always the most fun because the grandparents come over, dad cooks a big meal, and the cousins get to play!

How stinkin cute are these girls!!!!

Elsie Lou's first Christmas!!

Hi there Aubrey Claire! We are eager to meet you- but you still have a few weeks left - I'm 34 wks here

Jane Ellie absolutely LOVES her daddy- and I think he's pretty wild about her too =)

Hi there Oma! My mom and her mom.


Here are just a few more for your viewing pleasure

13 month check-up and shots

Jane Ellis just got her 13 month check-up and despite teething and running a 102-103 fever for a few days (from teething) she's doing great! She weighs 22lbs 2oz (50th percentile) and 30in (75th percentile) . Dr Folz gave us a questionaire to answer on JE's developement - such as fine motor/gross motor skills, language recognition - and she could do Every One of them :) My sweet smart girl! She also needed some of her shots so she got the Prevnar shot- PCV (peumococcal) and the HIB (Haemophilus influenzae type b). We declined the flu and chicken pox vax - I will reconsider the CPV when she's closer to school age if she hasn't already gotten the virus. I just feel as though natural immunity is better and safer than synthetic immunity.

She's been learning her signs, slowly but surely. She can tell me thirsty, hungry, and all done. She doesn't like to snuggle and watch tv, she sleeps in her bed all night. She loves her naps and most of the time takes a long 3 hr nap after lunch. She still eats everything, but has to have almond or coconut milk because cows milk breaks out her bottom. Her favorite thing right now is to take things in and out of this drawer we have in the kitchen. She loves a hot bubble bath. She makes me smile all.the.time.