This week...

Ellis and the new camera

"Oh no...like they don't take enough pictures already."
Close up with new camera
Her hair is getting so long now.
Just hanging out in her play gym.

Well, I was a little disappointed at the six month checkup because Ellis only weighed 14 and 1/2 pounds, but she is holding steady in the 23rd percentile and her pediatrician isn't worried about it. We've been trying to feed her more and more solids, but she's a little indifferent about the whole thing so I guess we'll just keep trying. That's about it for now. We went to a BBQ this weekend with all the families that were in our "New Moms" group, so I'll post those pics as soon as I get the chance to upload them. Oh, and Vimal got a new toy so I'm sure we'll have even more pictures than ever!

Six Month Photoshoot

Waking up and coming unswaddled

Morning play time
Perfect little face
Enjoying Nonna's flowers before bathtime
BATH!
She's getting too long for the tub.
It seems a duck has eaten Ellis.
My tall little girl with wet hair from the bath.
Tushie shot

Hanging out on Sarah's front porch
"Ah, the luxury life." In Sarah's hammock and loving it.
Profile beauty.
"Yay...Daddy's home!"

On Friday, Ellis turned six months old and I went a little crazy with photos trying to capture her whole day. I can't believe how fast the time has gone! All in all, we had a good day. We went over to my friend Sarah's house and Ellis loved swinging in her hammock (but don't worry, I didn't leave her side the whole time). We have our six month pediatrician appointment on Wednesday and while I dread the shots I can't wait to find out how long she is and what she weighs. I'll post more then.

Our Week In Pictures

"I think I might cause a little trouble."

"This sitting up thing is kind of fun."
"But maybe I'll lean back for a minute.""I think I could do this sitting up thing all day."
"I think I fell over. Oh well, I'll just hang out here!"
"They finally gave me something sweet and I like it!"
"Mommy is funny."
"My parents have pretty lofty ideas for me."

This week we have been working on getting Ellis to sit up. She's actually doing quite well with it. She can sit for a few seconds, sometimes more, by herself before she either rolls forward or flops back. She gets excited about it, but that's probably just because she can tell how excited I am.

Also, after weeks of trying to get her to eat different types of solid foods, we finally conceded and gave her oat cereal mixed with pears. (We were hesitant about this because everything we've read said that once babies eat sweets they won't eat anything else. But since Ellis wasn't eating anything else to begin with, we really didn't have much to lose.) Anyways, she loved the pears so hopefully feeding her for the next few days won't be so much of a battle zone!

The bib was a gift from the Laboratory for Developmental studies at Harvard . Since I delivered at a Harvard affiliated hospital, they contacted us and asked if we'd be interested in having Ellis do a study. So last week Ellis and I went in and they had Ellis watch a video of two different types of music and videotaped her to see which type she responded to more. I guess they were testing to see if babies naturally respond to the type of music that prevails in the culture that they are born into rather than music from another culture. I didn't really understand the point of the study, but that's probably because it's Harvard and I'm not that bright :). Anyways, the whole study took five minutes, Ellis had a blast, then she got a new bib and we went on our merry way.

Hope you enjoy the pics!

Some extra shots...

PEAS!!!

Helping mommy fix dinner

(Don't worry--the stove wasn't on nor had it been turned on yet.)
Looking like a big girl in her Black Dog onesie
She loves the camera

Martha's Vineyard

Getting on the Ferry from Woods Hole to Oak Bluffs

The Ferry
Family Picture on the Ferry
Mommy Kisses
"Island life is perfect for me."

Hanging out on the front porch of our B&B

Vimal and I think she should have one of the purple cottages.
Beach Bum...she looks happy but she was about to throw a fit!
Sun protectionDaddy Time
She had a lot to say about island living
Family Ties~~Michael J. Fox waiting for his kids
outside the carousel ride.

First Carousel Ride
Outside the carousel
Making friends with the B&B manager Blanche
Sad to be going home.

For the last several years, Vimal and I have spent our anniversary (July 3rd) and Independence Day on Martha's Vineyard. This year we brought Ellis along, and we all had a great time! We are really lucky because Ellis travels so well. And she quickly took to the island lifestyle...laying around in her bathing suit, sitting on the porch and watching people walk by, walking along the waterfront and watching the boats come in. She loved it all, and we loved having her with us. Hope you enjoy the pics! More soon...

Ticklish!

Here is a short video of Ellis cracking up when I tickle her stomach. I just love her laugh!