9 weeks old...

...and Ellie rolled over today! She rolled from her stomach to her back. The best part, I got it on video. I was taping some tummy time and she just rolled over!

A photo from today, Ellie really enjoys "reading" The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Ellie's First Red Sox Game

Last Saturday we took Ellie to her first Red Sox game. It was a great experience (I still can't believe how great Ellie is in public, so mellow!). The tickets were given to my company from the Red Sox as a thank you for the work we did at Fenway. So myself and my coworker (who also helped on Fenway and took over once I had Ellie) took our significant others (and Ellie) to the game. We sat out in the bleachers and had fun, despite the cold weather, cheering on the Red Sox as they beat the Orioles 6-4.

Holding Ellie on my lap was a little distracting, but I saw the majority of the game. Nick even kept score, like he usually does. We stayed through the whole game. Changing Ellie's diaper in the women's room was an interesting experience. It was crowded and full of semi-drunk to full-on drunk women who all wanted to tell me how cute Ellie was and some anecdote about their own kid/neice/nephew/friend's baby... When we were leaving some women were really excited by Ellie, and Ellie got really excited by their squealing and funny faces and squealed back at them and flashed a huge smile.

Eight Weeks Old!

My, how time has flown! Ellie is now eight weeks old! And she has grown, not only her size but her personality.

Some things we have learned recently:

-Ellie loves her polka dots! So much so that she will fuss if she can't see them!
-Ellie is becoming very attached to her mother, sometimes I can't be out of her line of sight, or she has to be in my arms.
-Ellie loves to smile, just like her dad!
-Ellie is interacting with us and the world around her, making everyday more fun than the last.
-Ellie is putting weight on her legs and pushing herself up when in our laps, of course we are still lending some support.
-Ellie has actually laughed a couple times...seriously...we think.
-Ellie, apparently, doesn't tolerate dairy products too well, causing a rash and frequent spit-ups. So mommy is off all dairy products (no cheese, no milk, no chocolate...oh my!) .
-Ellie is now sleeping between 5-6 hours a night before feeding, which makes mommy and daddy very happy!
-Ellie is much better at holding her head up for extended periods of time and will turn and look for the sources of different sounds.
-Ellie's hair will probably be a light blonde, as she has some serious reverse roots going on right now.
-Ellie has gotten her thumb in her mouth a couple times and is getting much better at getting her hand to her mouth (she even sometimes pushes the pacifier in when its in our hands!)
-Ellie throughly enjoys her photo shoots and will follow the video camera around and ham it up with smiles!

All wrapped up in a blanket made for her by my (and Ellie's) Auntie Claire.

Monthly photo shoot with her dolphin...this way we can track how she grows

Loving her polka dots!

Smiling!

Family portrait time!

The many faces of Ellie

So I took some close-up photos of some of the classic Ellie faces and thought I would share...

Of course, she may need therapy after this...

"umm...mom...do we have to keep doing this?"

"really...mommy...I think I'm done now"

But there is the smile I love!

Meeting the Grandparentals (Round Two)

So the past few days Nick's parents were in town to meet Ellen and hang out with us. We had a couple days of nice weather last week, but unfortunately for the majority of their trip it was cold and kinda rainy.

Nick's mom with Ellen

Nick's dad with Ellen

However, that didn't stop us from going to the Baseball Beanpot at Fenway. We saw Harvard get beat by Boston College. It was really cold and we left after the first game, so we didn't get to see UMass vs. Northeastern. I kept Ellie in our carrier the whole time...and she slept the whole time. Note, this was Ellie's second visit to Fenway. I took Ellie to Fenway before the season started because I had to help with some final things and wherever I go...Ellie goes. So she has actually been on a construction site, and she met all the contractors that I worked with during my pregnancy. But, this was the first time to Fenway when it was finished.

On Easter we went to see Monsters vs. Aliens. A much more appropriate movie for Ellie than Watchmen. But...she slept through this movie again.

We had a good time visiting with the Harrer's...and I know Ellie enjoyed meeting her grandparents and all the goodies and gifts they brought with them!

Happy Easter!

I know its a day late...but we aren't big Easter people anyway (we went to the movies on Sunday morning). But on Saturday we took Ellie to the Charlestown Easter Egg Hunt. Yeah, we understand that our 7 week old child isn't really old enough to look for and find eggs, let alone appreciate the candy that is inside...but we really wanted to see all the cute Charlestown kids. Unfortunately it was really cold, and it had rained overnight so the hunt was inside.

We'll have to get there early next year as Ellen will have lots of competition...

She slept the whole time we were there, and missed seeing the Easter bunny. Which may have been a good thing as the costume was a little frightening...

Nick and I had fun...we'll just have more fun next year!

Hooray for Baseball!!

Happy Opening Day!!

...unless of course you are anywhere else in the country, besides Boston, where they cancelled Opening Day yesterday because of rain. In honor of baseball Ellie and I had a little photo session (she seemed happier in the Cubs outfit...).

Last night we also attended the Red Sox Foundation Welcome Home Dinner. It was a shindig at the newly opened House of Blues on Lansdowne Street. We didn't meet any players (though we saw them on stage for a Red Sox version of the Match Game mc'ed by Mike O'Malley, the TV actor), but we did get to hang out with Wally the Green Monster and see both World Series Trophies. Ellie was terrific!

She was awake most of the night, I think really enjoying the colored lights, but didn't fuss at all. Everyone was really impessed with her behavior. She really was cute in her Red Sox outfit, despite the fact that you couldn't tell she was a girl. Nick and I are insistent that she only wear team colors...no pink Red Sox clothes or Cubs hats for her!

We are all excited for baseball...161 games to go.

Meeting the Grandparentals! (Round One)

So my parents came to visit and meet Ellen for the first time last week. My dad arrived on Friday, but my mom had to wait until Saturday to meet Ellie!

Grandpa V with Ellie above and Grandma V with Ellie below.

My parents with Ellie.

We had a relaxing time, we didn't schedule or actually do too many things. Nick was able to get Monday off of work, which was nice. It was too bad that the weather didn't cooperate so we couldn't get out on walks more. Ellen did really well, but it was obvious that by the end of the day she was worn out wiht the new faces and being held and just needed a break. I have a feeling we may have a very shy little girl on our hands with major stranger anxiety. We were able to extend some of the photo sessions by giving her her pacifier.

My mom brought some more of my old clothes and even brought a dress she wore when she was a baby. So of course we put Ellie in the dress for some photos with my mom. My mom was so excited about all the modern baby gear. And thinks the Boppy pillow is the best invention!

I think my dad took about a thousand photos. It was really nice to have another photographer around so that Nick and I could get pictures with Ellie without balancing the camera on something and using the self timer. He got some great photos of Ellie's funny faces.

6 weeks old!

Ellie is already six weeks old! We had our one month wellness visit last week at 5 weeks old, where Ellie measured in at 10 lb 12 oz and 22.5 inches long. She is already two pounds over her birth weight!

She is becoming more fun as she is spending more time awake during daylight hours and is interacting with us more. We are waking up once during the night for a feeding (put her down around midnight, and we eat at 4am) so I can't complain. We had our first smile when she was one month old (she smiled at me). And her smiling has continued. She may be like her father and have a continuous smile on her face and smile at everyone! Our favorite game is mimic mommy's face. Her head control is increasing everyday, and we have caught her twice pushing herself up on her arms (lifting her head and her chest). It looks as though she inherited my very sensitive skin as she developed a rash over the weekend, the doctor said it was harmless and probably a heat rash. So Ellie is now a 100% cotton gal! This past week my parents were in town and spent a lot of time with Ellie, I'll post about that later.

Ellie is very aware of where her mother is at all times. She will follow me around a room, turn her head when she hears my voice, and focuses on me when I'm within her eyesight. We have caught her a couple times watching TV, well the colors changing on the TV. Ellie is really attached to her pacifier. She won't go to sleep without it. And if it falls out while she is trying to fall asleep, she wakes up and lets us know she doesn't have her pacifier (probably the most fussy she gets...). She will attempt to grab my hand when I have the pacifier and pull it towards her mouth. However, she is getting better about getting her fingers and hand into her mouth.

Last week Ellie visited Fenway for the first time. I took her in the carrier to the construction site (substantial completion was a couple weeks ago and no heavy construction is going on anymore). It was great to see the park and all the work that was completed in the 5 weeks since I had last seen it. All the contractors ohhed and ahhed over Ellie and were really excited to see her.

I had my 6 week follow-up appointment yesterday and got a clean bill of health. However, I still have some excess pounds I need to lose before my sister-in-law's wedding in October.

I wish the weather was nicer, but it is spring in New England...I wish we could go on more walks. Oh well...guess we just have to wait it out. At least baseball starts soon!

Ellie looking pretty in pink in her stroller on one of our few walks.

We got caught sleeping during the afternoon when Nick came home from work.

Bundled up with her pacifier getting ready for a walk

Nick learned the hard way one night that you have to comb Ellie's hair before it dries (or he was secretely trying to give her his hairstyle...)

Ellie and Nick hanging out after dinner.