Ella's new bikini

Ella's 2 teethsies :)

Purotu Tattoo

Always daydreaming of our next trip to Tahiti, we reminisce about our amazing honeymoon. One of the best memories is getting our first - and to this date only - tattoo's on Moorea by world famous tattoo artist Purotu. Jim came across this great picture of Purotu (the one on the left) along with Chime (2nd from right), another famous artist who we *almost* got tattooed by...perhaps next time??

(Notice the Hinano beers...)

And here's our pics

(And notice my Hinano beer!)

9 months today!

Just a couple of pics from today, as Ella turned 9 months. I can't believe in just 3 months she will be a year old! I mean REALLY?!?

Ella loves her pups and both Foxie and Benny are really great with her. We are trying to make sure she is gentle with them because even when she tries to pull their whiskers or tails they reward her with lots of kisses and licking...esp Benny!

Loon Lake, E9

Our camping trip was SO much fun. Since we didn't have a campsite reserved, we headed up early on Friday morning figuring we could just get a walk up site. The first couple of campgrounds we tried were all full which was fine as we just made up our way further North into Eldorado National Forest, ending up at Loon Lake. Having been here before, we knew this would be a great choice. When we get to the campground there was only one site left...an equestrian site. We were a bit weary thinking it could smell like horses, etc. Deciding to check it out anyways, we were pleasantly surprised and quickly realized E9 was THE best spot in the whole campground! Not only did it NOT smell like horses, it was really private, had the perfect mixture of sun and shade, and was much larger compared to regular sites. We set up camp and had a fantastic few days. And Ella? She LOVED camping :)

Watching as camp takes shape

Hi Ella!Exploring the tent
Hiking is fun!Our canoe!

Ella really liked paddling around in the canoe

Even a little rain did not stop Ella from having a good time :)

We had such a fun time we have already made plans to go back to Loon Lake in a couple weeks! Too many favorite pics to post so check out our trip here :)

Going camping

Ever since Jim and I got together and started talking about our future, we talked about how great it would be to one day do some of the things we love to do with our kids...like camping. So this weekend we are taking Ella on her first camping trip!! We are going to head up to Desolation Wilderness on Friday morning for two glorious nights. We didn't do any camping last year so I'm super stoked to just get out in it again but this time it's going to be even that much better because we get to introduce Ella to camping. We even bought an inflatable canoe so we can paddle around. I am SO SO excited I can hardly stand it!

On the go

So about a week ago Ella figured out how to crawl. And now every day she is getting just a little bit faster. It's the funniest thing to watch as she scoots along. Soon, very soon, we are going to have to do some babyproofing. Not only is she now crawling, she is pulling herself up whenever there is something to hang on to. Most recently Jim found her standing in her crib in the morning! She's only done that once so far but I'm sure it's just a matter of time...or perhaps if she didn't sleep in her sleepsack it might be a little easier. Anyhow, she is definitely a girl on the move now. I'm sure it won't be long before she is walking as she can already walk around her play pen while holding on.

Play pen fun from Justina Lindquist on Vimeo.

In other Ella updates, for about a week now she has been sleeping through the night!! (Of course I'm sure I've cursed it now :) ) She sleeps from about 7:30-8pm to about 6:30ish. Some days she wakes up around 5am but usually has been able to put herself back to sleep and if not, a bottle usually does the trick. Of course 6:30am isn't exactly sleeping in on our days off but we try to get her back to sleep til at least 8am or so...doesn't always work though and my wonderful hubby usually ends up getting up and entertaining her allowing me to catch a few more zzzzz's.
Speaking of bottles, Ella is no longer breastfeeding. I miss it but am glad I stopped before her teethsies came in! Ella is eating a variety of solid (organic, jarred) foods and there isn't much she doesn't like. She has even gotten over her dislike of green beans and rice. She is eating more and more, a half jar does not satisfy her anymore and I think she is definitely getting ready for *real* food. She loves her Cheerios and bits and pieces of our food that we give her. As she learns how to chew a bit better, I am looking forward to giving her more of the foods we eat and less of the mushy jarred stuff.
Lastly, Ella loves to babble and is constantly amusing us with her new sounds and faces as she tries out new ways to form sounds. She is a super happy little girl and honestly, I just can't get enough of her - especially the calm I feel when she falls asleep on me in one of those baby bear hugs before I put her down in her crib at night and seeing her break out into her happy smiling face the moment she sees us after she wakes up. During these moments, nothing else matters.

Happy 4th of July!

It was a wonderful long weekend spent at home - something we haven't done in a while. We caught up on a lot of garden work (and especially our front yard!) and just spent time around the house. But the best part of the long weekend was Ella getting to spend 4th of July with both her Grandma Marilyn and Babcia Beata. After Ella was tucked in bed, we watched the San Francisco and Berkeley fireworks from the comfort of our living room with a glass of wine and when the show was over, we didn't have to fight the crowds to head home...we just walked over to our couch and enjoyed the rest of the evening. Lots of great family time this weekend!

"I'm On A Boat"

Driving Miss Ella

Driving Miss Ella from Justina Lindquist on Vimeo.

8.5 months

Ella had her 8 (+) month appointment and she is 18 lbs 14 oz (70% tile) and 28.25 inches (still almost off the charts at 90% tile). She only had 2 shots this time and while I prepared myself for lots of crying again, Ella was amazing and only cried for a couple seconds before forgetting all about it. Ella has sprouted her second bottom tooth and I'm not sure how this has happened but both are now the same size! She looks super cute with her little teethsies. After the doc appt, Ella took her first Bart ride so mama could meet up with her girlfriends for a little happy hour...which ended up going til about 10pm! But that's ok, Ella was snug as a bug in her stroller and fell asleep while mama caught up with her friends and had a *few* glasses of wine. Papa met up with us after hanging with some peeps and we all rode Bart home together. Ella's big adventure into the city without having the safety of the car went very well and I look forward to doing it again soon!

Happy Father's Day!

Just as we spent Mother's Day at our beloved lago, Father's Day was also spent on the lake. It was a beautiful weekend and Ella enjoyed her time with her papa.