Meet the teacher day

This morning, we went to Meet the Teacher day at Lakewood Methodist where Lia and Ella will go going to pre-school/mother's day out this year.

Ella will be in the Monkey's class with Ms. Kim and Ms. Juliet as her teachers. Lia was in the same class when she was a little one, and her old teachers were so excited to see her again! There are 6 babies in the Monkey's class and most of them are about Ella's age. Ella seemed really comfortable in her new classroom. She played with toys and crawled around the room exploring with a smile on her face : )

Lia will be in the Zebra's class for 3 year olds. Her teachers are Ms. Kathy and Ms. Elkins. She was excited to see all the new stations, like the reading corner, a dress-up center, blocks and stuffed animals. I think once she gets used to her new surroundings she is really going to enjoy her class!

Both girls will be going to school Monday and Friday from 9:15 - 1:00 and on Wednesday from 9:15 - 2:30. I know they are going to learn so much this year, and I'm so excited for them!

Lia's first dance class

Lia had her first Jazzy Bugs class at Little Gym last night. She will do 30 minutes of tap and ballet, then 30 minutes of gym. Things started off a little rocky, but she warmed up at the end. We've made a deal that if she does a good job when Daddy takes her next week, she can get her own tap and ballet shoes like the other girls in her class wear : ) Here are some pics:

Talking to Ms. Jennifer

Practicing the 8 count by tapping her heels

A few house pics...

 Here are a few before and during photos of the house renovation. It's going great so far!

Before:

 

 During:

Last time at the beach this year...

9 months old

Ella is 9 months old : )

This month's stats: 17 lbs 6 oz (25th %) 28 inches tall (67th %). Unfortunately, today's check up also revealed another ear infection (her 4th!) and a sinus infection with a nasty cough : ( So back on the antibiotics we go...

Nicknames: E, Belly button, Lil Sissy

Likes: Lia, Miller, swimming and bathing (anything where she can splash! she doesn't even mind getting a face full of water) crawling all over the place exploring the house! She also loves to suck on ice or fruit (especially watermelon!) in her little mesh snack bags. She loves playing with any and every toy she can get her hands on these days too!

Playing with Bentlee at Aunt Elaine's lake house

Dislikes: Being sick : ( Just about the time she got well last month, Lia got sick with strep. Now, on Lia's last day of antibiotics, Ella is sick again...I just can't seem to keep these kiddos well!
 
Milestones: Ella has quickly mastered crawling! She is super fast and looks adorable scooting around the house! AND she pulls up with ease and has started "cruising" using the coffee table to hold on while she walks around it. She is great at making the "B" sound, so she says "bye bye" while she waves and "ba-ba" (for bottle) really well!

 
Feeding: Ella has 4 bottles a day, usually about 6 oz. each of Similac Soy formula using Dr. Brown's level 3 nipples and wide neck bottles. She also eats one 3.5 oz serving of fruit for breakfast, one fruit and one veggie for lunch and one of each for supper. She has started practicing eating puffs, yogurt melts, and cheerios. She is great at picking them up and putting them in her mouth, but hasn't mastered chewing - she usually just gags and spits it back out!

Practicing with Puffs

Sleeping: She goes to bed at 7:00 pm and sleeps until 6:30 am. She usually stays awake about 2 1/2 hours between naps. She is trying to drop that 3rd nap and only take two long naps per day lately.

Asleep in he pack n play in her room at the new house

Behavior: She is getting a little attitude lately and will let you know when she is unhappy. Ella is going through a little bit of a Mama-attachment phase and doesn't want Daddy to put her to bed at night right now : (

Clothes: 12 months

Favorite Moments: We have enjoyed watching her master crawling and pulling up. As soon as she figured out the crawling thing, she has been unstoppable! She doesn't like to be confined to the high chair, etc. anymore now that she has get around : ) Another favorite this month was playing with all her cousins at the lake!

With Evan, Thomas, Campbell and Lia at the lake, boating with Nana

Looking Forward To: Standing up by herself and talking more!

The 9 month comparison: