She Cries She Cries

Today is my birthday (happy birthday to me). So I figured I'd write about my favorite thing, Ellie crying.

It's not really my favorite thing of course, it's really quite sad and sometimes almost unbearable. But she's so cute when her face gets wrinkled up and red. And when she's mad because I'm changing her diaper when she'd rather be eating or because she can't quite reach that favorite toy, I can't help but chuckle a little. She scrinches her eyes, tucks in her chin, opens her mouth so wide and away she goes!

So, without further ado, a tribute to Crying Ellie...

*chuckle*

Amelia and Eleanor

After a long day at work during kind of a rough week, today I got home to find a package on my doorstep. Inside the package was this book:

How absolutely perfect and wonderful is that? Thank you Linda and Rich, I love it.

Puppy Love

It's tough to find that balance between letting the dogs know it's okay to be around the baby without letting them get too wound up or sneak in too many licks. Especially since she seems to enjoy trying to touch their muzzles so much, holding out those enticingly slimy baby hands.

It's also tough finding time for the dogs like we did before, they certainly aren't the center of attention any more. I wish we could explain to them that, in a very short while, they're going to wish they weren't so much the object of attention and to enjoy the relative peace while they can. I can already see Ellie's little wheels turning as she contemplates how to get hold of that swinging tail.

For now, we're nearing a comfortable equilibrium. They get walks every day, and have found that story time is the perfect time to tear around the house. Since Pete gets up early, sometimes they join me on the bed for a morning snuggle before I start my day. Ilow still avoids Ellie for the most part, but Dragnet seems to enjoy the occasional brushes when her hands find his fur, and her grab isn't yet good enough to really grip his shiny short black hair like she does Mommy's.

{enjoying some quiet time together}

Visiting the Queen

With spring in the air we finally made the trip up to visit Great-Grandma (a.k.a. Queen Dorothy) again this weekend. Not that it's a long trip, but it's hard to find the time these days. The first time we visited was just a few days after Ellie was born, and just a few days after Grandma made her big move to MD after living in New York her entire life. It was a big week.

{Great-Grandma and tiny Ellie}

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{Great-Grandma and big Ellie}

You can not only see how much Ellie has grown in the last 5 months, but also how much Grandma has improved in that time. She can really get around in that chair!

The weather was beautiful so we had a wonderful time sitting outside enjoying the view and just being out in it. It's supposed to rain tomorrow...blech.

{my first flower}

[image]
{the first non-screaming picture with Uncle G}

It's A Girl!

So, I'm not sure how exactly, but somehow Ellie's made it to 5 months without wearing a dress. Maybe it's because it's been cold out, or because we didn't know until she arrived whether she was a she, or because I myself don't wear dresses very often. Whatever the reason, here she is wearing her first dress.

Turns out she looks awfully cute in a dress so I'm sure she'll be wearing more of them as it gets warmer...

Double Fisted

Ellie's newest trick is using her hands together and keeping track of what they're doing independently. This has allowed her to reach and grab for things, get them in her mouth consistantly, and play with multiple toys at the same time. Oh joy!

{mine all mine}


{Can I get them both in at the same time?}


{Oh so fun}

Size Doesn't Matter

Proof that you can be small and still be a big fan. Sporting her new shirt from Aunt Jo. Go Stout!!!

{UW Stout rulz}

A Story

As the inaugural post to my blog, I thought I'd begin with a story.

It was a brisk fall day at the beginning of October, 2007. I was just shy of 8 months pregnant and getting ready to perform the Schubert Octet with a group of talented and fun amateur musicians. I'd agreed to do this earlier that year when I thought we'd be performing in the summer. Now my due date was fast approaching and I was just glad I'd made it that far.

About half way through the piece things were going very well, I was having fun, the baby was having fun. Then the cellist fell over. He fell towards me and I jumped out of the way still playing, not really understanding what had happened. Seconds later one of the other musicians there for a different piece ran up and began performing CPR. He had no pulse, he wasn't breathing. And we all stood around and watched, thankful that someone there knew what to do. The paramedics arrived shortly. They shocked him a few times, they had the bag over his mouth giving him air, they continued CPR. Eventually he was stable enough to be loaded up onto a stretcher and taken to the hospital. They gave us his watch and his glasses, we packed up his cello and music. In addition to the cellist, everyone was concerned about the baby and the shock of it all potentially sending me into labor. On a day with the potential for life to both begin and end, neither happened.

The group of musicians got together again this week to rehearse a new piece for a new concert. For the first time, the cellist who nearly died and the horn player who saved his life met again. They shook hands. The cellist thanked the horn player. The horn player said no problem and that he hopes he doesn't have to do it again, ha ha, filled in a few of the missing details of what happened. That was it.

Now we have our 5 month old perfect baby girl. The cellist has a new pace maker and is back playing music with us. And life goes on...