Oh How Long It's Been..

Wow! It's been awhile since I've blogged, how did this happen?! I should probably get used to long spaces between blogs now, it's just shocking how fast time flies!

Me and Ella, M&M'S attack!! Memorial Day 2009

Ella is doing wonderful! We had an appointment with a hearing specialist at Seattle Children's, they are awesome! They would like to see 1-2 more ear infections that require antibiotics before they do ear tube surgery.

Ella loves packing, more specifically boxes..

So far so good, she does have some fluid back there so her speech is not progressing as fast as we would like, but we are working with her Therapist who comes out to our house once a week, she's learning sign language pretty fast, it's amazing how quick she is to pick up on something and how she puts her own spin on the hand signals. So far she knows More, drink, eat, please, thank you, stop, all done, play, book, open, and several barnyard animals...haha. Her vocabulary has expanded some as well she's a lot better at harder words to say than the simple everyday ones she says Yeah, uh-huh, open, movie, chicken, all done, i did it, thank you, and the usual hi, bye, dada, mama...etc.

Ella, demonstrating just how fast her moods change..

I think she's hitting the Terrible Two's as well, tantrums, yelling at mama, and very short tempers have become the norm around here...fun!

Ella is an excellent rock-finder, Ocean Shores 2009

We have our good days and bad, on the flip side, putting her down for naps and bedtime has become so much fun and so easy!! She LOVES her toddler bed and makes it herself, when she wakes up in the morning she talks into the monitor and when I go into her room to get her she pretends to be sleeping and acts surprised when she opens her eyes to me standing over her, she usually greets me with a big gasp and then "Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi" and a huge smile. I love that., and I hope we can keep up the same game once little sister comes. Ella is growing taller everyday, I swear when she takes a long nap I can actually SEE the difference in height when she gets up. Shes still VERY tall for her age, high 90 percentile, but super skinny, 18 percentile for weight. So clothes have become a little difficult to shop for, she fits comfortably in 2-3t tops and 12-18 month bottoms....weird I wonder where this height came from? She loves anything dangerous, climbing, jumping, swinging, upside down, going fast, and spinning.

Going High and fast on the swings are her favorite!

Exploring is also a favorite activity

Ella is starting to make friends and loves to watch other kids play with her toys, she gets so excited when she sees other kids her age, and when we have play dates. A couple weeks ago we went to church with some friends and for the first time I left her in the 1 year old class, I expected to be called at any minute to come and get her but she did so awesome and I guess I need her more than she needs me. She even fell asleep in one of the helpers arms, I need to give the girl more credit, kids are so resilient!

Ella and her friends Eowyn, Alexia playing in the backyard on a HOT day!

Note the matching Ariel swim diapers, the cutest pictures!!

Of course shes got to applaud her friend for making it down the slide!

Over Memorial Weekend we went to Ocean Shores, we had tons of fun and loved watching Ella experience the Ocean, although it was too cold to swim (for us anyway) there was no shortage on entertainment, we got to chase kites, drive on the beach, search for all kinds of shells, rocks, and even bugs, lookout for deer, go on scenic walks (yes, I did complain but only a little) shop, and discover, and she loved being in a totally new environment, Ella is going to be a great little traveler!

Out for a walk

Squeezing into the tightest space she could find
Brad is doing well, he's working a lot, which is good for this economy but it's getting tough being so pregnant and keeping up with a toddler and our hectic schedules! His work shop just moved and that was a pretty big undertaking for him, I don't think i've ever seen him so exhausted. He needed the mini-vacation we took and I am so proud of how well he's handling all the new adventures we are taking on! He still has an infection, but with a little luck we are going to get through this, neither of us can wait until he's feeling 100% again.

The Sweetest Stuff, Ocean Shores 2009

Ella just adores her daddy and loves to wake him up with a big kiss and hug, I love watching them play together, there is nothing I would rather do than sit back and take pictures of those two playing, swinging, sliding, laughing, talking and rough housing together. He is an amazing father and husband, I couldn't ask for anything more.

Ellie and Daddy having another priceless moment at the park..

Claira is almost here! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going!!!! I remember when we found out we were going to be expecting again, that seems like last week! With Ella I couldn't wait to get one more week pregnant, one more day even. This time I just want to take things slower! Next month!!!! Oh dear. I haven't packed our bags or even bought anything for the poor girl :(

Me- 25 Weeks

Me-32 Weeks

The pregnancy itself is going great, i've gained the safest minimum amount of weight, I passed the 3 hour glucose test (my fasting draw was REALLY low and the 1 hour draw was really high, but the numbers after that were fine) which shows, yes, I am hypoglycemic and just need to make sure I snack every 2 hours. It's been increasingly difficult to get around and pick up Ella, but, we are managing.

Ella talking to baby sister (or to her, just Mommy's ever-growing tummy that makes a comfy pillow)

I think Ella has begun to understand that something different is in mommy's tummy, she likes to blow raspberries, kiss, sing, talk, and lay on my tummy, Claira responds by kicking and squirming around, it's so cute, the sister bond already!!!!

Baby Claira, we got to see hair!!!

Claira's nose (on the right), chin and lips, shes got her sisters cheeks!

Feet that will probably end up kicking me in the face some day..

Face Shot

Clip of Claira sucking her thumb..

We were lucky to get another ultrasound on Monday, I could never get enough of seeing her! Shes head-down and ready to go! We saw a little hair on her head, saw her sucking her thumb, saw the same chubby cheeks, nose, and chin as her big sister! She looks great, she is falling a couple weeks behind on her growth, I am 33 weeks pregnant and she was measuring 29-30 weeks only 3 pounds 11 ounces, the norm for her gestational age is 4.5 - 5 pounds, but we are hoping she is either going to be a smaller baby or that she will catch up on her own. I am now going to the Dr. every 2 weeks!

Ella and her dada, no boundaries! Ocean Shores, 2009

Well, that's it for now, im sure more will come up later as things change around here so quickly! I am going to go and cool off in the baby pool, it's 90 degrees out!!