Time to Play

Looking a little like Pope John Paul II

Now she's getting the hang of it
"Hey, I could do this all day."
Play gym timeShe's running in this pic, as you can see from the blurred foot

This week we bought Ellis a Bumbo chair which she is starting to love. At first, as you can see from the pictures, she couldn't hold her head upright, and Vimal and I thought she resembled Pope John Paul II. We have to be the meanest parents in the world because we laughed about that one for awhile. But, she seems to have gotten the hang of it and is doing a lot bettter now. And this morning I got out her play gym, which I hadn't used in a while, and she went to town. I'm posting a video of her running and playing in her gym. She gets pretty excited. And, speaking of playing, Vimal has agreed to watch Ellis for a whole 48 hours so that I can go to NYC with my friend Susie. So, all weekend long it's going to be Daddy/Daughter time! I'm sure they'll have a blast together. I'm also sure that I'll miss them both terribly, but I'm still excited to have a little vacation! Enjoy the video...

3 Months Old!!!

SPRING IS HERE...and so are her toes!!!

(I also love her smirk in this picture.)

She kept trying to spread out her toes to get the air between them!
Spring in the city...I love it!

Today is Ellis's 13 week and 3 month birthday simultaneously. I can't believe all the changes she's made in the last 3 months...from barely being able to open her eyes to being constantly alert and aware, from only sleeping 2 hours at a time to sleeping one 8-hour stretch at night, from being all curled up in a ball to stretching our her legs and toes and enjoying the sunny weather. Ellis has definitely changed a lot, but it doesn't compare to the changes that Vimal and I have had...from not knowing if she was a boy or a girl to not being able to fathom her being anyone but who she is, from worrying about her constantly to relaxing and enjoying being her parents, from jumping at her every noise to laughing at her funny noises. It has been a great, wonderful, exhausting, fascinating, tiring, fantastic ride these past 3 months, and I look forward to many, many more.

Family Pictures

Four generations!

Ellis with her Great Grandfather

Ellis with her Great Grandmother

Ellis and the smitten Cole men...

Ellis with her Aunt Asha

Ellis with her grandmother
Shyamji family picture
Grandfather and Grandmother Shyamji
Vimal with his cousin/best friend Sharad

So, as you can see from the pictures, Ellis had a very busy few days in Nashville this past weekend. She was passed around like a hot potato, and she seemed to love every minute of it. It's obvious that everyone loves her, and she has already wrapped everyone around her little finger. Now that we are home, I have to readjust her to the quiet life of just mommy during the day and just the 3 of us in the evenings. Luckily the experts say that you can't spoil a baby before 4 months of age, otherwise I think this past trip to Nashville would have definitely spoiled Ellis!

First Flight...

"Flying is exhausting Mom..."

"I'll pray for a safe trip."
"Stop trying to get a good picture of me...I'm tired!!!"
Washing off the airplane germs in Nonna's sink
After bath curls...I love how fuzzy her head gets!

Last Thursday Vimal, Ellis, and I flew to Nashville so that Ellis could meet more of her family. She was so perfect on the plane...she slept through most of the flight and didn't complain at all. And of course everyone loved her, including the flight attendants. I've posted some flying pictures and some of her "after flight bath" which was really necessary given how many people were touching her! I have tons of family pictures to post too, so I'll try to get those up really soon....

The BUG!!!

Sharing deep thoughts with her bug!

I guess the bug said something funny...
Here is a close-up of the mommy/daddy replacer...

it doesn't even have a full smile!

So it seems that Vimal and I have been replaced. I always knew it would happen--that someday she'd have a best friend who told her how uncool her parents were or she'd fall in love with some boy and not have enough time for her parents anymore. I was prepared for that. But, I wasn't prepared to be replaced so early on in her life...and by a half-smirking, crinkly old bug! But, it's true, Ellis prefers this bug over her parents. Everytime we put her in her chair she will sit for long stretches at a time and stare/laugh/giggle/smile/talk to this bug! The only solace I have is that, eventually, the bug says or does something that pisses her off and she'll start yelling at it and then, only then, either Vimal or I can swoop in and save the day. But within a few hours she's back to loving her bug and we're back to trying to convince ourselves, and each other, that just because our daughter would rather spend time with a bug does not, in and of itself, make us bad parents.

Pediatrician Appointment...

Mirror shot at the Dr.'s Office

With Daddy

Mommy and Ellis
Up Close and Beautiful

Today marks 11 weeks since Ellis arrived! We had to go to the pediatrician to get her the first round of shots/vaccinations. She was great, but I was a nervous wreck the whole time. And when the doctor gave her the shots, I think I cried more than her! But, she's doing okay now...although we're pretty sure that we'll end up being awake half the night with her. Good news though--she weighed in at 10lbs 11ozs and the pediatrician is really happy with her growth. Enjoy the pics...I especially love the one with her double image in the mirror!