Kansas Update

We are settling in to our new home. We have been so busy with new jobs and family fun that we haven't taken any time to download pictures or make a post. I guess things will only get busier with another baby to keep up with.

Ella is 18 months old and continues to grow and learn everyday. She amazes us with what she can learn daily. She understands pretty much everything that we ask her to do. Even if we ask he to get something from another room of the house. She loves to climb on everything and has discovered that she can climb her dining chair with the booster attached. This was not a problem until she started standing on the booster that is attached to the counter-height dining chair. She can say so much now! I have been meaning to make a list. I am sure that I will forget some, but this will give you an idea.

Dada, Mama, Sam (she says these frequently) ("Sam" is usually said in a shouting voice, quickly followed by "No, No".)

Shoes, diaper, socks.

Upstairs, down, up (only sometimes), outside.

Bye Bye, Hi, Yeah, No No (only says this to Sam when she barks).

Grandpa (she refuses to say "Grandma" although I think its just a game.)

Apple (as in apple sauce, apple fruit, or apple jacks), cracker, eat, done, please, thank you, milk (she usually just signs this, but is trying to say it). She still only signs for water.

Bear Bear (as in Baron), Hadley, Avery, Amelia (at least I think she tried, it was pretty garbled).

Various animal noises (Moo, Quack, Elephant noise, Ssss (for a snake), roar, she says "Kitty").

Bath, bubble, tickle (as in, tickle your teeth with your toothbrush), brush.

I am sure there are more, but this is all that I can think of at the moment. She is at the point where she will attempt to say anything with enough prodding. With the exception of "Grandma"!

She seems to like her new daycare. It took almost 2 weeks for her to get comfortable there. She no longer cries when we drop her off, instead she sometimes cries when we pick her up. She recently got in trouble for hitting the other kids with a stick and biting. She did not want to take turns going down the slide. We had noticed her biting her right wrist when she got upset but had not seen her attempt to hurt other kids until this happened. She hasn't done anything like that since (that we have heard about anyway). She also loves the playset that is in the backyard. She climbs up by herself and slides down with some assistance with stopping. Ben just lets her go alone and sometimes she flies off the end of the slide. She doesn't seem to be bothered by this at all.

Ella does pretty well with our new schedule. She gets up around 7:30am and goes to daycare. She comes home with Ben around 4 or 4:30pm. We eat dinner at 6 and she takes a bath at 7:45. Usually she is in bed by 8:15pm. She sleeps through the night, no problem, and has since we moved. Transitioning to a new room was not an issue for her, the girl likes her sleep.

Ben and I are enjoying our new jobs. I think there are aspects of our old jobs that we both miss (our coworkers for starters). She are both struggling to balance work, family, and home now that we are back in Kansas. We will get better at it. I think I am just going to have to get over doing laundry throughout the week and not on Sundays anymore.

I am 22 weeks pregnant (23 weeks tomorrow). The pregnancy seems to be coming along just fine. I haven't had any issue with high blood pressure yet. I still get nauseous from time to time, but it usually only lasts a few hours and doesn't return the next day. I have had heartburn from conception. I have to take Zantac to feel like a normal, non-fire breathing, person. And sometimes even that is not enough. I had heartburn with Ella toward the end, but for the most part Tums did the trick. That is not the case with this pregnancy. The last few days have brought sciatica pain. I am hopeful that this is temporary. As far as a baby bump, it is just now getting to the point where people are confident enough to ask, even if they don't ask me.

And now for some pictures.

Some pictures of our house. We are renting a 3 bedroom 2 and 1/2 bathroom house. The neighbors are WONDERFUL. And the location is convenient for both of us. In the pictures you can see the formal dining room that we never use, the playroom, and the backyard with the playset.


Ella, setting a new fashion trend. She tries to help put her clothes on and taking them off. She put her shoes on all by herself for the first time this weekend (18 months). Although they were on the wrong feet, they were on her feet.
She loves to play on the computer. Someone needs to invent a key that locks the keyboard. There is a button to lock the mouse, but not the keyboard. Of course, then she would probably just learn to press that key.

Ella is very helpful with the laundry.

Books.
She was playing in the kitchen towel drawer and decided she needed a cape. Judy, I am sure that this will remind you of Ben when he was little. Aunt Lynn, do you recognize the towel?


Making cookies with Mommy.

There may be another post of just pictures. Kate took several on her camera that are worth sharing. Check back soon!