Happy Birthday Rob (in Hawaii, not Palau)

Rob called yesterday. Apparently they're working hard and just moved to a new site on the wreck with one more left to go after that. JPAC wants to extend them there to April 5. Rob seems to think the extension will be approved to somewhere around March 30. Bummer!!! We miss him here.

To top it all off, I'm being harassed by the rental association here. Monday I got a letter explaining that I wasn't meeting up to the "Values and Standard" of "The Club" because I had parked my car in the half of the carport that belongs to our, now vacant, neighbor's house. Note that they haven't even started renovating it so it isn't even close to rental ready. The note came complete with a photo of my car in the carport. Yesterday I got another note about the lattice I have propped up outside so I can let the dogs out. Apparently it's "fencing" which isn't allowed. There was a photo enclosed as well. I have 10 days to comply or they will fine me. I can't wait for a photo of my quickly growing grass as well!! It would be funny if it wasn't so damn stupid!!

On a lighter note (I think,) last night in the tub Ella's Hawaiian rubber duck (as seen in an earlier photo) floated out of her grasp. You would have though I'd pinched her!! She began to cry vigorously. The SECOND I pushed back to her she was quite and within 10 seconds was smiling. It would have been nice if the ability to express frustration was delayed quite a bit longer.

Happy Birthday Rob!!!!

Yes, I realize that it's only the 27th here, but Rob's on the other side of the dateline. That makes him all of 32 years old tomorrow/today.

He won't be getting anything in the mail but we have a present right here waiting.

34%

Huh? you all say. If you look closely at the pictures (click on them) you should figure it out. Poopyhead's most recent approval rating is running @34%. OUCH!!!

My crazy husband

Rob sent me these pictures tonight and I thought I'd post them so you all can see how HARD he's working. He states "the diving is amazing, the only diving it compares to (that I have seen) was the Bloody Bay Wall in Little Cayman."

The bottle is a Japanese beer bottle from WWII ship wreck that most dive shops won't dive because of the live ordinance. Apparently the bunker also contains live ordinance. The jellyfish are from Jellyfish Lake and most, but not all, have lost their ability to sting. The other photos are self explanatory.

Shopping

Yesterday we went shopping for formula, a good thing considering Jake's proclivities. I put Ella in the shopping cart and she was rather happy but did have the tendency to list a bit depending on the direction of her interest.

Dog food, shmog food!!!

Jake has developed an affinity for baby formula. I've gotten better at putting it away but tonight, while I dozed on the couch, he discovered the travel can. Doesn't he look so very sad when he realises there is nothing left?

Happy 5 months Ella!

or should I say 21 weeks, 6 days?

Ella loves the dogs almost as much as she loves 3:00 am playtime. Needless to say, I'm a bit tired with HUGE bags under my eyes. This evening Ella was sitting on my lap and Jake walked up with his duck. He sat in front of Ella with it in his mouth. She reached out and took it from him. I sat there waiting for her to try and put it in her mouth. YUCK!!! HE sat there waiting for her to throw it. She did neither and after @30 seconds Jake took if from her, plopped himself at our feet with the duck as a chin rest and looked pitiful.

No, that isn't Jake, it's Bailey

I couldn't help it.

This morning I was eating my Grape-Nuts in front of the computer with Ella next to me in her Exersaucer. She began to whine and when I looked over at her she was practically smacking her lips. With every one of my bites she would open and close her mouth. When I put my spoon near her mouth she started jerking her arms in excitement and opened her mouth. I was planning on waiting for Rob's return to start solids but I didn't think I would be able to eat in in the interim. So tonight, with my parents participating via Skype, I watered down some sweet potatoes and gave Ella a few bites. The baby food to formula ratio was 1:2 and I mixed up @1 Tbsp. The majority of it ended up on Ella instead of in Ella but she thought it was great fun.

Does anyone have any organic baby food suggestions? I'm not ready to make my own yet.

Sitting up

Sitting seems to be one of Ella's favorite positions, along with lying next to me in bed with all our feet in the air. One of my Amys said her son was much happier when he could sit on his own so today we decided to practice. I put her in her rocker while I made her crib. She did pretty well and seemed to love it.

Silly Wabbit...

Ella and I went shopping in search of some warmer clothes for our April trip to Canada. It's supposed to be in the 40s and 50s and I'm afraid Ella's going to be a bit chilly coming from balmy Hawaii. We didn't find much but we did find this GREAT hat and you all know how I am about hats. I tried it on her just for fun and couldn't stop grinning so the hat came home with us.

Why spend all that money on a cat bed?

Throughout the day yesterday I kept finding Gidget sleeping in the dryer. I guess it's my own fault because I left the door ajar and clothes in it. After the first time I just couldn't bring myself to fold the clothes because she looked so comfortable.

HA HA Rob!!!

Rob was so glad that Ella looked unhappy in the pictures of her in the pink flower hat. He seemed to think it's a sign that she's not too girlie. Well check this out honey, she looks plenty girlie and plenty happy in this one.

Sorry Zadie, but Mom and I couldn't resist.

Oh... The Pressure!!!

I spoke to Mom today and she explained to me that I would be entering a blog entry today so here we are.

Ella and I had a good day today. The highlight was this evening's bath time. We played "TIMBER." Ella would stiffen her body and stand up with my help (of course) and then I would say "timber." She would then lean back and fall into the water. The first time we did it she looked startled and then got this HUGE grin on her face. After about the thirtieth time she was still stiffening her body and if I didn't stand her up she would frown and fuss. We had to get out of the tub so I could get some peace.

She has decided that her Exersaucer is GREAT fun and I have decided her Exersaucer is my new best friend.

I want to be like Mommy

Today I was on Skype with my parents. After about 15 minutes of being admired Ella got bored and NOTHING seemed to entertain her. I put her in the Bumbo in front of the computer while I grabbed a toy. When I returned she was busy "typing" away. Her definition of typing is POUNDING on the keyboard but she was certainly happy.

Goodness, look at the laundry!!

Laundry is piling up, floors need to be swept, grass needs to be mowed, dogs need to be walked, cat need to be washed (actually, not the cat, the dogs but it sounded better). HELP!!!!

It's getting a bit crazy without Rob or any help here. I'd much rather play with the baby than do any of the above. Does anyone blame me?

Ella and Bailey

A few days ago Ella started noticing the dogs. When the come into view she kicks her legs and makes loud cooing or screeching noises. To day I decided to see what would happen if I put her at their level. Bailey was quite willing to put herself in harms way. Jake, on the other hand, would have little to do with her. He made sure he was well out of reach at all times. She was fascinated. It will be great when she can crawl up to them and get a BIG mouth of dog hair. YUCK!!!!

For Rob...

This morning I got an email from Rob asking "what are you doing to my child with those hats?" It only seemed fitting that I post another hat picture. (insert evil laugh) I chose this one because I know how Rob feels about Ella in pink and Ella looking girly. If I had a matching dress Rob would be completely mortified but, alas, I don't. This will just have to do.

Splish Splash

This was her happiest moment yesterday afternoon. Mom and I spent the day trying to find the ingredients for red curry paste from my Thai cooking class on Saturday. In spite of a population with an overwhelming number of Asians some ingredients just can't be found. We even wandered around Chinatown for a few hours. Go figure!! For my last search I left Ella with Mom and ran to the corner grocery. About five minutes after I left Ella woke from her nap, flipped onto her stomach, and began to cry. She has yet to completely master the stomach to back roll. Mom rolled her to her back and she immediately turned to her stomach again and began to scream in frustration. When I got home thirty minutes later she was till screaming. Once I got her calmed down she refused to look at GramGi. Eventually (about 15 minutes later) she forgave her grandmother and grinned charmingly. By this time Mom and I had opened a bottle of white wine and Mom had finished her first glass. It made the screaming more bearable.

The chicken curry with sticky rice was YUMMY as were the two Dungeness crabs managed to pick up on our search.

Fuzzy Wuzzy

Ella obviously need saving! It's just another reason why Rob should rush home.

Yes, it's blurry, but it's the only picture I got of her in this hat. We went to pick up a different one and decided to have Ella model this one before she was awake and protesting.

Linebacker or Pianist?

We visited the pediatrician for Ella's four month vaccines. Imagine my surprise when she weighed in at at a whopping 17lbs, 1oz (naked) and 26 inches!!! That's why the Baby Bjorn is so darn uncomfortable. She's 97%+ for weight and height. Where did this chunk of a baby come from? The pediatrician encouraged me to start cereal but she barely notices when I'm eating, never reaches for my food, and isn't sitting up so well. I think we'll wait.

Lunch Out

A few days ago Mom, Ella, and I went out for Thai food and formula. I'm sure you can guess who had what. Ella sat in a highchair for the first time. Of course we had to put a pillow in the seat and pad the back so she wouldn't fall over but she quite enjoyed watching Mom and I eat. For those of you questioning the warm clothing in Hawaii, it was quite chilly in the restaurant.

Super Bowl XLI

Today Ella, Mom, and I watched the second half of the Super Bowl with Amy. As you all can see, football doesn't do it for Ella. She slept through the entire half!

Burrrr!!!

It was actually 50 degrees last night. Now, those of you rolling your eyes (and I know most of you are) must realize we have no heat, no insulation, and very few blankets. We're about to go on a walk and it's a bit chilly here so Mom and I have dressed the little one in another hat, this one warmer than the rest. She's happy to be warm and cozy, as you can see!