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My sweet sleeping baby :)

Off to the races

We had a Sunday fun day and met up with some friends at the horse races. It was the last day of live racing this season and it also happend to be $1 day. So $1 beers, $1 hot dogs, $1 parking, $1 bets. It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a great time. Thanks Kate, Britt, Sajee, Brendan...and of course my hubby and daughter for a great day.

A few of our $1 beersRace 8, I bet the #1 horse - Welcken - to win.

Twice.

On accident. And he won!!
My $2 bet won me $16.40 - it was awesome!!! :)

ps. Ella learned a new trick while we were at the races...holding her own bottle

8 months

Ella turned 8 months today! My little baby is becoming such a little girl. We finally got Ella a high chair and she loves it. At 8 months, she is eating solids - carrots, peas & brown rice, squash, sweet potatoes, pears, avocado, rice cereal, and her FAVORITE, bananas. She is so good about trying anything and everything and at this point enjoys whatever we give her.

Ella is developing like crazy. Every day brings on something a little bit different, whether a new sound or just a little bit more mobility. Ella still loves to practice her walking but also loves to try n pull herself up, sits without toppling over, loves to explore her surroundings, and is *almost* crawling. Always happy and smiling, Ella is really giving back now. You can rough n tumble with her and cuddle with her. You can tickle her and she laughs. You can talk to her and she babble back at you. She is really fun and every day is simply another adventure. Ella is not a great sleeper however. The girl *maybe* naps 20 minutes 2x a day (doesn't seem to slow her down a bit though) and does not sleep through the night, still waking a couple times and is early to rise. But, even though the lack of a good night's sleep can be exhausting at times, it's so worth it. At the odd times Ella does fall asleep, we miss her and look forward to playing with her when she's up again.

I have gone back to work part time and while it was tough at first on both Ella and I, things are a lot better now and her separation anxiety isn't as intense as it was. She is used to Babcia Beata watching her now and my days at work go by pretty fast. The tough part is only having an hour or so with her when I get home but luckily this only happens 3x a week and I get 4 day weekends to spend with her. I'm sure it's good for us both to practice time away from each other since time is flying by so fast it won't be long before she heads off to day care, pre-school, college. I love my baby girl and love every minute as her mama.

Today Ella supervised while Uncle Mikey helped with Grandma Marilyn's big move to Rossmoor - an awesome retirement community where she has a beautiful new house Ella can't wait to visit her in.

Fun in a box

Better than a Ferrari!

Class of 2009!

My ittle bro has gone done gradumacated high school! I am so proud of him because I know he is going to make an amazing future for himself. He is headed to UC Santa Cruz this fall and I have no doubt he is going to kick ass at whatever he does. Congrats Michael!!

Toothfairy

The toothfairy has finally granted Ella her first tooth! I noticed the white spot on Sunday and on Monday it broke the surface. I'm so excited because I can't wait to see how she's going to look with teethsies!! It's fun to watch it get just a little bit bigger every day. Not to mention having teeth will open up a whole new world of food Ella doesn't even know exists :) Since it's hard to get a good look at her little tooth much less get a pic of it, I thought I would post a couple of pics from Ella's first solid food experience about a month ago - rice cereal - which despite how it looks, Ella really liked.

Biker babe

Our friends Mike and Jodie have a Harley rental place in St. Helena and were having a Bikini Bike Wash event and we decided to head on up for a few hours of wholesome family fun. We had a great time hanging with Mike and Jodie and admiring the bikes.

We even got to meet Arlen Ness and his son Cory (our friend Mike is in the center)

Arlen's cool ride

Ella loved the wine train that went by

Mama's sweet girl

All about the lake

More great lake times...Hanging with Uncle Steve
Swimming with Auntie Katie of the back of the boat
And with papa
Learning to drink water from the Think Baby sippy cup (this sippy cup is awesome - NO leaks!!)
Sleeping baby

Tasting dry tullies on the beach
Nap time
Exploring the back of the boat

Laura's Liam - so bright he's gotta wear shades

Two peas in a pod

Our local family of ducks

We've been spending most of our weekends at Clear Lake...our home away from home, our little slice of heaven. I couldn't think of a better place for Ella to grow up on.

What happen in Vegas...

Ella, Babcia Beata, and I got treated to a trip to Las Vegas by my wonderful husband who had a work conference. We got to see the sights and enjoy a couple of days of all that is Vegas. Babcia Beata chillin' poolside
More pool time with papa - Ella's favorite!

Enjoying a bit of water at lunch
Taking a stroll down the Esplanade

Vegas takes on a whole new meaning when you travel with a baby. But in true Vegas style, we got kicked out of the bar lounge...(because Ella is not 21)...and while Babcia Beata babysat a sleeping Ella, we partied til the wee hours of the morning...(or 2am)...and woke up hungover! Ah, Vegas.