The Life and Times of Ellis Kaye

Christmas 2010

2011-01-04T14:58:00.005-05:00

Well, here they are, as promised. Pictures from our Christmas this year. It was a great one. Lots of fun now that Ellis is starting to really participate and understand things. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Ellis and Claire, waiting to eat/decorate Christmas cookies

Yummy Christmas cookies

Decorate your own cookies at Teddy Bear tea. She took this very seriously!

She loved this HUGE teddy bear.

Ellis and Claire, best buddies!

It's so nice to have friends who have kids the same age so you can share, complain, cry and laugh about it all.

"Wake up Uncle Bro!"

Nonna kisses

Opening her Christmas eve gift

Christmas morning! She was really excited about this jacket. Really. She put it on immediately.

Ellis and Uncle Bro

Mamaw--Ellis' great-grandmother

SKATEBOARD

Skateboard from Uncle Bro

BOWLING

Lite Bright!

It snowed on Christmas day in Nashville. First time since 1969!

The house I grew up in.

Daddy and Ellis made two little snowmen that Ellis named Kayla and Mayla

Playing lite bright with Pop

Side profile

Fall and Winter 2010

2010-12-29T22:11:00.009-05:00

Well, once again, it has been awhile since I posted on here. As I suspected when I posted over the summer, the past few months have flown by in a whirlwind. I am still in school too, which makes the days fly faster than I ever could have imagined. But, enough about me. Now, back to the star of the show--Ellis.

This fall was a time of great transition for Ellis. To begin with, we got her haircut for the first time! I cried; she didn't. Then, Ellis started preschool two mornings a week. Again, I cried; she didn't. In fact, she seemed to take to school right away though she still gets a little sad sometimes when we drop her off. But she talks about her classmates often and really likes her teachers.

Well, I think that sums it up for fall and winter. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I'm going to try to post some pictures from our Christmas in the next few days, so stay tuned for those. And a Happy New Year to all of you!

Apple picking

Apple picking in the daddy backpack

Walking with daddy to school on her first day

Giving daddy hugs before her first day of school

She was excited about going to school, though I don't think she knew exactly what that meant.

Daddy and daughter love

Playing with her classmates on her first day of school

Painting on her first day of school

For Halloween this year, Ellis was a NASA astronaut

I think NASA would hire her in a second

Helping mommy study for her big test

Fall is in the air

Look at how long her hair was the day of her first haircut

The haircut place

She was a brave girl in the barber chair

Snip, snip (I cried but she didn't)

Mommy and daughter love

She's getting excited about the lollipop she was going to get for not crying

After the haircut--so cute!

Uncle Bro came to our house for Thanksgiving

Erick and I have taken a picture at this exact same place (Cheers) every Thanksgiving for the past seven years.

Getting ready to cut down our Christmas tree

Apple cider donuts!

Riding the little blue train at the Christmas tree farm

Freezing with daddy

This was the tree we picked (Okay, I picked it).

Daddy and Uncle Bro cut down the tree

Ellis supervised

Ellis helped me decorate our tree

I love this face!

A Summer Worth of Pictures

2010-08-22T21:30:00.009-04:00

I'm sure that some of you have been wondering why I haven't posted since Easter. To say that life has gotten really busy would be an understatement. Since April a lot of things have changed for us. For starters, we sold our 2 bedroom condo and moved to a 3+ bedroom condo on the other side of town. The extra rooms have been great and Ellis has adjusted really well to her new surroundings.

The only thing she hasn't adjusted well to is the fact that I am no longer a stay-at-home-mom. I have started nursing school full-time and so, as a result, Ellis has a full-time nanny now. Neither of us was too thrilled with this at first but we're both getting more and more used to the idea.

Also, Ellis has become potty trained! And she starts preschool two mornings a week in October. (She had to be potty trained to go so that's why these two thoughts go together!)

Boston has been absolutely beautiful this summer so, while I'm only home on Fridays during the week, we have made the very best of it. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I'll try to be better about posting, but I'm not making any promises that I'll be able to keep up with it once school resumes again. For now--enjoy the pictures. She's growing so fast it's kind of hard to keep up!

Playing with mommy on my last day as a stay-at-home mom.

She, of course, was oblivious about how important the day was.

Happy girl! I knew that I was going to miss seeing this face all day.

My sweet girl.

Just look at how they are both sitting--like daddy, like daughter.

Dancing with Claire after a swim in the pool

Playing at the playground near my nursing school

WATER!

This is the view of Boston from my school

Looking for "fishies".

LOVE!

Driving daddy's car.

Feeding ducks in the Boston Garden

We took her to an open house at her soon-to-be preschool.

I don't know why but I just love this picture.

Ellis, Esme and Claire--they have known each other since they were 1 month old.

Riding on the swan boats

Swimming (in Maine) with daddy

Strawberry Shortcake at the pool. A perfect summer treat.

Sandcastles or Mud Pie? It's the same difference to her.

Mudcastles with daddy

He's going to hate that I put this picture on here. But I think it's sweet!

Carousel. Ellis calls it "The Carrot-Self" and she loves it.

"Carrot-self" with daddy

This was her first McDonald's experience. She had four fries and asked for a Luna Bar.

Splash park with daddy

Chillin' in daddy's glasses

My sweet Ellis' face

Having some milk at Nonna's house

Wearing an outfit that my mother used to wear when she was a child. (She's holding a picture of me wearing the same outfit in 1981.)

Three generations.

Four generations!

She adores her Nonna.

I mean, c'mon, what can I say?!?

Easter Sunday

2010-04-07T15:05:00.004-04:00

Well, Easter in Boston was gorgeous this year. Sunny and in the low 70's. Really, there was no way for it to be prettier. We all went to church in the morning and afterward we had a picnic at Ellis' favorite park. Nonna (my mom) sent Ellis a huge Easter basket which she loved! All in all, a glorious day to celebrate Christ's resurrection.

Walking to church with daddy

Looking pretty in her Easter dress

Picnic in the park

Park!

No dress will keep her from running around

Daddy wanted to "hold her like a baby" and she let him.

Chocolate ice cream!

Gorgeous ice cream face

Sugar overload...no, really. She usually goes to bed at 7:30 but this night she didn't fall asleep until almost 10. We learned a valuable "no chocolate after 2 p.m." lesson that day.

Los Angeles 2010

2010-04-07T14:06:00.004-04:00

Well, once again, it's been a while since I posted. But I do have a few good excuses again. First, we were in L.A. for about 10 days (with some friends) visiting my brother, etc. And second, we've been buying a new condo and selling our old one. We aren't moving far, just across town, but it's been very time consuming! Anyways, here are some pictures from our recent trip to L.A. I'll post Easter pictures next.

Looking out the window of the airplane. She did really well on the 6 hour flight (non-stop, of course!)

Mommy and Ellis on the plane

Running in the sunshine at The Grove.

Bubbles at The Grove

Doesn't she look so grown up? Chilling in the lobby of my brother's apartment.

On the roof of Erick's apartment, downtown L.A.

More roof. It was gorgeous up there...and HOT!

Nonna, Einstein and Ellis at The Griffith Observatory

Checking out the view from the Griffith with Danielle and Erick

Cole heads.

Love, love, love this picture. Ellis + Uncle Bro

The Griffith Observatory

Running at the Griffith.

Mommy and Ellis at the beach in Santa Monica

How cute is she in that swimsuit?!?

Going to check out the Pacific with daddy

Nonna is laughing at her because she's trying to get the sand out from between her toes. She tried for a while!

More cleaning between her toes

E & C (our friends 3 yr old son) on the steps of our rented house.

Pool of our rented house. It was in the Hollywood Hills. It was gorgeous!

Potty Training...

2010-03-31T13:13:00.002-04:00

Here is a video of Ellis right after she went in the potty. We are in full-blown potty training now and so far it's going pretty well. Yesterday she went on the potty 5 times. Today, only once. But she's definitely getting the hang of it. We got a potty training video a little while back and she watched it for about 2 weeks before deciding that she wanted to "try the potty" all by herself. Fingers-crossed that this sticks because I'm really tired of feeling guilty about our diaper carbon footprint ;)

Family Photos

2010-03-06T22:10:00.008-05:00

Well, here they are, as promised. These are the pictures that we had taken for Ellis' second birthday. We used the same photographer, Erica Ferrone, as last year and we were just as pleased with how things turned out. We love her aesthetic and how she captures all of us as a family. She took about 200 photos and I had to narrow them down, which I wasn't very successful at, as you can probably tell by how many pictures I'm posting. I hope you like them as much as we do.

Going for a ride

Celebrating her victory

Party hat

Washing up after her victory

She was soaked...

...but happy!

Drying her hands

My favorite "face" picture.

Playing with her letters

Daddy hugs

Mommy hugs

Family pose

Storytime

Glasses

I love this picture. She's pointing to her heel here because I asked her where it was.

Mommy kisses

"Da Bee" made the photo shoot again this year.

My sweet girl

Snuggling with "bee" and going night-night.

Checking out how much she's grown

Daddy kisses

She was happy to be heading to the park.

Family walk

"Wheeeee"

Holding daddy's hand

Big slide

Looking for "airpeens"

She loves to swing.

I think this one just about captures our family.

Family conference

She's still so cautious. This is how she sits down for the slide.

Happy girl

The first and only family portrait that I really like.

Heading home

Some long, lost Christmas videos...

2010-02-28T08:44:00.002-05:00

So I've finally given up on the video option at Blogspot and decided to use You Tube instead. So here are some videos that I've been trying to post since Christmas.

Tea Party with Nonna. This is pretty much how my mom and Ellis spent every single morning that we were in Nashville. Ellis still talks about it now. She wakes up some mornings saying, "Want a tea party with Nonna." And I think it's so sweet how she says "Sugar."

"The Ants Go Marching." Obviously, Ellis has our entire family wrapped around her little finger. In fact, we still march around the house on an almost nightly basis to this song. Oh the things you do when you have kids.

This video needs a little explanation. When we were in Nashville over the summer, Ellis fell in love with this garden bunny that my mom keeps outside. So while we were there over Christmas, Ellis kept staring out the door and mourning that she couldn't play with the bunny. My mom decided to bring it inside and this was her reaction..

Ellis went on a carousel ride with Bah. I think the funniest part is my ongoing commentary. And, for the record, I was talking to my mom not some random stranger or the camera. Try not to get too dizzy on this one...

New York or Bust--Or a Little Bit of Both

2010-02-27T15:23:00.007-05:00

Taxi Ride. In NYC, you can put kids in taxis without car seats. So strange, but Ellis loved it. Just look out that window at the snow coming down.

One guess at who took this picture.

At the American Museum of Natural History. I wanted Ellis to pose with the elephants but, as you can see, that didn't happen.

She was smitten by the penguins though.

Snack time. Can I just say, again, how much I love not carrying sippy cups everywhere anymore.

An archeological dig at the discovery center inside the Museum of Natural History.

I can't quite figure out why, but I love this picture. I think it's the intense concentration in her face. (She's looking at dinosaur bones).

And then back to more excavation...

Checking out the dinosaur teeth

The next morning in Manhattan was a big, snowy mess.

More big snowy mess.

So--I took Ellis to the Time Warner Center and to the bookstore. This picture cracks me up. If you haven't been to the Time Warner center, there are these giant Japanese bronze statues that are completely nude. Ellis just stood there and stared at this one for a while. The whole rest of the time we were in the building she kept asking to see the "satue".

Given the big snowy mess, we went home a day early. Thank God for trains. And guess what, Boston hadn't seen an inch of snow. Just a little spring rain. Crazy.

All in all, I'd say we had fun in New York. There were definitely some disappointing moments such as when the Children's Museum of Manhattan closed because of the snow and we couldn't go in, or when we stood outside in the snow for 15 minutes trying to hail a cab. In fact, I heard Mayor Bloomberg say on the radio that Manhattan schools had only closed 3 times in eight years and we just happened to be there on one of those days. But, Ellis did love riding in the taxis, the Museum of Natural History, the train, and watching the snow fall. So I'll just try to focus on those things instead.

I also have to say, not bragging but just out of gratefulness, that Ellis has such a sweet and happy spirit. She didn't cry or throw a fit once, which I can't honestly say about myself. I'm not, of course, saying that she's perfect. But her gentleness surprises me daily. Such a blessing...

This is a video of Ellis brushing her teeth. We are trying to teach her to spit out the toothpaste rather than swallow it, but as you can tell from the video, she doesn't quite understand the concept yet. I think it's hilarious how much she "spits" right after swallowing the toothpaste. And yes, for the record, Vimal is always that thorough with the tooth brushing.

A Medley of Songs

2010-02-22T08:17:00.000-05:00

Here is a video of Ellis singing a variety of song. I think she's doing quite well with her ABC's. And just look at how long her hair is! Crazy.

More Indoor Wintery Days

2010-02-21T22:40:00.003-05:00

Playing in the race car at the mall. She's her daddy's daughter. Just look how focused she is. Focus + Love of cars = Daddy

A little fun in the mall photo booth. Mommy and Ellis took a strip of pictures together. They were hilarious!

Mid-conversation. She really had some things to say.

I love this face too much.

Breakfast with our friend Diane.

Drinking water from a glass. She's mastered this now. Bye-bye sippy-cups.

This is the face Ellis makes if I ask her to say "Cheese."

This is the face that Claire makes when I ask her to say "Cheese." I love how Ellis is looking at her here.

Just a few pictures from this past week. As you can tell, we've been making fun wherever we go. This week we're going to accompany daddy on a business trip to NYC. Can't wait to show Ellis the Central Park Zoo and the Children's Museum there. So excited!

Wintery Indoor Activities

2010-02-12T14:22:00.007-05:00

She got these glasses for her birthday as part of a doctor kit. She loves them.

Checking out her glasses in the mirror

Ellis always asks me for the lemon out of my water. I finally decided to give it to her and see what she did with it...

...and this is what she did with it.

Then she made this face...

...went back for more while making this face...

...and finally made this face while devouring the whole wedge, rind and all.

When I asked Ellis why she put these boots on her hands, she told me that her hands were cold. She's always making me laugh out loud.

Apparently, she's very proud of herself for finding a solution to the cold hands problem.

She randomly started playing with this little girl at the indoor playground.

They were carrying on a full conversation with each other and really seemed to understand what the other was saying.

They were pretending to have a store and "selling" food to each other.

Then they decided that working at the store was exhausting and decided to take a nap.

Getting hearts painted on her hand at our church's winter carnival.

She sat perfectly still until her entire hand was covered in hearts.

I LOVE this picture. Such insight into our little girl's personality. She loves music so much that once this band started playing (at our church) she took a seat right in front of them. There was NO ONE else sitting there but she wanted to sit and listen to them play. And she couldn't care less if anyone else joined her. So sweet.

Yes, I am still the TV police but a few months ago we started letting Ellis watch one 30 minute PBS show a day. As a result, she loves "George-a-monkey" so I decided to take her to this special 'Curious George' exhibit at The Children's Museum. Ellis was talking to "the man with the yellow hat" like he was real.

Then she found George and she stood like this with him for about two minutes saying "Hi George."

Then she gave him about 10 hugs.

Kate, Claire and Ellis. Can you tell that Ellis was all done with my photo shoot?

I was shocked that Ellis knew all the Curious George character names. She saw this mural and ran over to it yelling "Charkie, Charkie!" like he was her long lost friend.

In the water room at The Children's Museum, carefully pouring the water into her measuring cup.

Still focusing...

...SUCCESS! (And very proud of herself)

Well, as I'm sure you can tell from these photos, the last few weeks have been a lot of fun here in Boston. We've been having cold but precipitationless (yes, I made up that word) weather so I've been finding indoor things for us to do. I have to admit that I usually hate winter but this one has been so mild and fun that I really can't say that.

We also had the same photographer that took pictures for Ellis' first birthday come back again. I can't wait to get those pictures in hand so that I can post them on here. They really are beautiful. Will post them as soon as I can.

Ellis turns 2!!!

2010-01-19T15:30:00.006-05:00

She looked so cute in her party hat...

...for a few seconds

Half the spread

Balloons (Hello Kitty) and food

Birthday cake (carrot) made by our friend Becca

Getting ready to blow out her candle with mommy

She was more interested in all the people singing than she was in blowing out her candle.

All the kids loved playing in her new big girl chair

A few of the guests. I love how it looks like Ellis is "working the room" in this picture.

Ellis talks about Naima constantly. She just adores her little friend.

Emma and her mommy

Ellis helped feed Hudson (One of the 5 month old twins that lives downstairs from us.)

Ellis LOVES Becca (Our downstairs neighbor who found time to make a carrot cake while caring for her 5 month old twins--she's my hero!)

The morning after, and her ACTUAL birthday, with her leftover balloon.

She wore her party hat all morning the next day. Playing with her new toys.

At music class on her birthday. I posted this picture to show off how TALL she is.

Waiting, with mommy, for music class to start.

If you can't tell from these pictures, we decided to throw a small birthday party for Ellis on Sunday and so we invited over some of her friends to our house. I didn't really have a "theme" for it, but I did buy a few Hello Kitty balloons and accessories. It's funny because Ellis doesn't really watch TV so she doesn't know any of the characters but she loved the "kitty cat" on the napkins so I went with that!

Anyways, we had six two year olds running through our house + parents and nothing got broken. I repeat, NOTHING GOT BROKEN! I think this means that it was a successful party. Vimal and I were worried that Ellis would have a hard time letting other kids play with her toys but she did really well. I think that it helped that there were so many people here so she really didn't have time to focus on any one toy being used.

I can say with certainty that Ellis's favorite part was when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her. She started grinning from ear to ear. In fact, the next day, she sang "Happy Birthday" to herself for an hour rather than taking her nap! Too funny.

It's really hard for me to accept that my little girl is growing up so fast. I want to hold on to the baby so badly that I find myself in mourning over her latest accomplishments. Weird, I know, but it's still true. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the pictures. I think I'm finally caught up on my postings. Still working on those videos though...

New Year's + Early January

2010-01-19T15:16:00.005-05:00

The best restaurant in Atlanta.

Love on New Year's Eve

Mommy and Ellis

Uncle Dane comes to Boston

Chillin' in her big girl chair

She loves her birthday present from Nonna.

Here are some photos from early January. Vimal and I were able to travel to Atlanta together for New Year's while my mom took care of Ellis. We went to The Woodfire Grill for dinner one night (the Executive chef was on "Top Chef" last season) and we both agree that we had the best dinner ever. It was really nice to get away for a little bit but, of course, we missed Ellis and were glad to get back to her.

When we all got back to Boston, my uncle was in town and we got to spend some time with him. Ellis is funny because when she sees my uncle in pictures she thinks he is my dad (Pop), but in real life she never confuses the two of them. Okay, my next post will hopefully contain all the pictures from the big birthday party. Still trying to post videos but Blogger is giving me some grief so we'll see when that happens. More soon...

Christmas and Beyond...

2010-01-18T14:02:00.007-05:00

Well, again, I have to apologize for how late this post is. We were traveling until after New Year's, at which point I started having some computer issues. Luckily, that seems to be fixed now so I'm going to try to post a few times today. First up is our Christmas pictures and videos. We went to Nashville for the holidays, and we had a great time. Ellis was showered with so many gifts from both of our families that we ended up with an extra suitcase on our trip home!

Opening gifts at Bah's house with her daddy.

More gift opening with Bah

Bah and Ellis

Ellis and Daddy are checking out her new toys

Dancing

She loves her Cousin NeNe

Getting ready to ride the carousel with Bah

Waving at Mommy and Nonna

Stacking her blocks with Nonna

Ellis's Great Mamaw (How cute is she!)

Giving Great Mamaw a big hug

Skating with Uncle Bro

Still skating with Uncle Bro

Christmas morning. This dress was mine when I was 2 years old. My mom kept it and it was so sweet to put Ellis in it too.

Still daintily opening her gifts. I kept waiting for her to tear into them but it just never happened.

Nothing like a girl in a dress playing with an airplane. That's my Ellis.

Mom and son. I love this picture though I'm sure neither of them will.

Helping Uncle Bro open his gift.

Talking about it.

We got Erick a colander for Christmas and this is what he decided to do with it.

We turned our Christmas card into a coffee mug for my mom. She loved it.

Showing Ellis the coffee mug.

The 3 P's: Playing, Puzzles, Pop

A Month of Pictures

2009-12-22T14:08:00.008-05:00

Obviously I have been meaning to post pictures for quite awhile. So, here they are. These include pictures of our cutting down our Christmas tree, decorating it, Ellis opening her first Christmas present, and our first real snow in Boston for the winter. Enjoy!

The place where we went to cut down our tree had this train and Ellis loved it. She kept saying "Puff, puff, puff" because of the book "The Little Engine that Could."

Train ride + Apple Cider Donut = The Good Life

Daddy kisses

We found our tree

Before...

After

Trimming the bottom up. Ellis is helping, can't you tell!

Ellis woke up from her nap and it was completely decorated.

Not sure what was so funny to her but I love this face.

This is what a "child-friendly" tree looks like.

Our Christmas card photo. If you didn't get one, I apologize. I only bought 50 and we ran WAY short. Next year I definitely have to buy more!

Checking out herself in her hat.

Go Boston!

Matching hats

Hats make kissing quite difficult

Opening her first Christmas gift. She's very dainty so it took a while.

But soon enough she got into ripping the paper and starting enjoying it.

Still working

Yay, it's a shopping cart!

Playing with her new shopping cart, the next morning

One guess who picked out these new car slippers--if you said Vimal, good job!

About 8 inches of snow on the ground--a mere dusting by Boston standards.

Ellis loved staring at it and yelling "Sooooooo."

As you can see, she did this for quite a while.

Mornings with daddy = cashmere sweater + car slippers + learning to put her hands in her pockets.

This is a video of Ellis and daddy eating an apple cider donut on the "Puff, puff, puff."

Ellis trying to figure out what daddy is doing under that tree.

Thanksgiving Week with Uncle Bro

2009-12-08T14:38:00.003-05:00

Almost two weeks late, I'm finally getting around to posting photos from Thanksgiving. As you can see, Uncle Bro came to visit from California. He and Ellis had a great time playing together. It's sad that she is growing up so much, but it's also wonderful that she is interacting and actually playing with people now. Anyways, my school schedule has gotten really hectic these last few weeks so I'm a little behind on posting but I'll try to make it up soon. Hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season. We all definitely are.

Trying not to wake up Uncle Bro, who obviously thought he was still on Pacific Standard Time.

Uncle Bro woke up enough to watch "Curious George" with her.

Uncle Bro kisses

Uncle Bro tickles

Skateboarding with Uncle Bro

Neither of them wanted to take this photo but I like it anyways.

Playing with her Uncle Bro on Thanksgiving day.

Chocolate ice cream ALWAYS hits the spot.

Tryptophan coma...okay, not really, more like a toy coma.

Plus, she loves "PILLOWS!!!"

Bro and Sis

This little girl, Rajina, kept picking Ellis up and carrying her around the house.

For the most part Ellis liked it--until she decided that she didn't.

At the indoor playground--laughing at her Uncle Bro!

This is a video of Ellis chasing mommy at the indoor playground. She's getting so fast!

This video needs a little explanation. For the longest time, Ellis has pointed to the mole on my cheek and said "boo-boo". I have recently started correcting her by telling her that it isn't a boo-boo but that it's a mole. When Erick came to visit, she noticed that he has a few moles on his face too and she got a little focused on them. At the beginning of this video, she is holding the right side of her face and saying "moles" because that is where Erick has his. My favorite part, however, is when she notices that the camera is on her. She sighs heavily and looks away from it. So funny.

(P.S. Vimal was obviously having a phone conversation in the front seat so try to ignore that while listening to this video.) Enjoy.

It's beginning to look a lot like "Sim-Sim"

2009-11-24T20:03:00.002-05:00

This morning I decided to put up the ceramic Christmas tree that my grandmother made back in the 1960's. I remember, as a kid, staring at this tree for hours on end and being completely mesmerized by the lights at her house. A few months ago my mom brought it up to Boston when she came to visit and I was really looking forward to putting it out. Now that it's Thanksgiving week, it finally felt like a good time.

As you might imagine, Ellis was really excited to help put the lights on it. While we were decorating it, I told her that Mamaw (my grandmother) made it and that it was a Christmas tree. Let me just say that it's amazing to me the things she is remembering and repeating right now. This video shows how well she knows her colors now and that, after only telling her one time, she knew who had made it. Guess it really is time to start watching what I say around her...uh oh!

A Trip to the Zoo

2009-11-19T20:32:00.003-05:00

Looking like a big girl playing at the zoo.
This is the "big cat" that stared Ellis down in the video below.
Bear!
Ellis staring at the bears. I LOVE this picture. It might make it onto our Christmas cards so don't look at it too long if you usually get a card from us.

While daddy went to NYC this past week, Ellis and I went to the zoo. Not exactly a great consolation prize for not being able to go to New York with daddy, but we had fun nevertheless. Ellis was especially fond of the bears and monkeys, though I think she got a little creeped out by the "big cat". I can't say I blame her though. That cougar was staring her down something fierce. I'll post a video of her reaction to it. It's kind of funny. Anyways, Uncle Bro arrives next week for Thanksgiving and then Christmas will be upon us. I keep asking myself where 2009 went. Good thing I have this blog to look back on or else I'd have no earthly idea.

Ellis and the "big cat"

Video Proof that She's Growing Up

2009-11-04T16:25:00.003-05:00

Here are a few videos of Ellis's latest accomplishments and developments.

About a week ago, she started going down the big slide all by herself. I was terrified at first but, as you can see, she is very cautious and does a good job on her own. And, c'mon, how cute is that hat!

This is a video of Ellis counting and naming her colors. She's really close to knowing all her colors but there are still moments when everything is 'blue' or 'purple'. And I just love the way she says 'three'.

I recently started letting Ellis drink chocolate milk in the mornings after she has her yogurt. She keeps drinking it until the cup is bone dry and she's slurping the bottom. I know that chocolate milk may not be a big deal to most of you, but I've been a bit of a stickler with Ellis where 'junk' foods are concerned. So, this is definitely a BIG treat for her. And, as you can tell, she LOVES it.

Paging Dr. Ellis

2009-10-31T20:01:00.003-04:00

Did anyone call for a Doctor here?
Her scrubs said "Dr. Ellis"
She started to get the hang of it but at first she tried to give candy out of her bag to everyone instead of taking it.
Letting Mommy hold her. Being a doctor is exhausting.

Well, in case it isn't obvious, Ellis was a doctor for Halloween this year. Vimal jokingly said that since she was half-Indian she had to dress up as either a doctor or an engineer and since the costume is better for a doctor that's what we went with. I thought she looked too cute in her scrubs. Actually, Halloween is quite huge on our street and every year there are over 300 kids that come. This year was even more. I bought so much candy and still ran out well before everyone had come through! And Ellis was by far the best doctor on the street, if I must say so myself.

Anyways, we decided to let Ellis stay up a little later since the time was changing tonight anyways. We thought she would be so distracted by all the kids that she wouldn't get as tired, but when she laid her head on my shoulder at 7:30 and didn't want to pick it back up, we gave in and let her go to bed. Hope everyone had a great Halloween.

Music Class

2009-10-20T07:56:00.004-04:00

Here is a video of Ellis with her friend Claire at music class. She loves class so much and especially loves dancing and playing the drums. Enjoy.

Dancing

Drumming

New Toys

2009-10-19T07:53:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I'll admit it--I hate wintertime in Boston. I love the change of seasons, don't mind being cold, even enjoy a snow fall or two and all the hot chocolate that goes with it, but here in Boston it all just lasts way too long. And since having Ellis, my dislike for this season of cold has exponentially grown each year. I don't think I'm being unreasonable. Look at the date of this post and then think about the fact that it SNOWED yesterday. Our steps were slippery, our cars were covered, and it's October. Need I say more?!?

Anyways, in order to somewhat combat the impending doom (I'm being a little melodramatic here but did I say that it SNOWED in OCTOBER?), we have invested in some new toys for Ellis. I sold some of her old toys (sad) and we bought her a basketball goal, a table and chairs for tea parties, and Nonna got her a new kitchen. I am hoping that with the addition of these things, distractions for both of us, the fact that we can't go out to the park every day will not quite register for either of us.

So, I'm posting some videos and pictures of Ellis playing with her new toys. She loves the basketball goal and kitchen so much and I do too. Playing with her toys is kind of like being a kid again. And who knows, maybe seeing snow and playing in it with her will feel like being a kid again too. I doubt it, but what can I do but give it a try.

Old Kitchen
View of how small the old kitchen was
"What is happening here?"
Helping daddy put together the new kitchen
More help for daddy

Video of Ellis playing with the new kitchen

Here is Ellis playing basketball. "I did it!"

"Want to see the baby."

2009-09-25T07:58:00.003-04:00

This is a video of Ellis saying the words that I talk about in the next post. Her new favorite book is "The Little Engine that Could" and she knows all the toys in it. She also loves watching "the baby" (i.e. herself) in the video camera after I'm done making a video.

Ellis's ABC's "Airpeens, Bi-gulls, and Cahs"

2009-09-24T18:22:00.004-04:00

I love this face too much
Checking out the car. There is a video related to this down below...
Bicycles! (a.k.a "Bi-gull")
Trying to figure out what Noah and Ollie are doing.
Posing with the boys
Noah had this idea to pose in height order. I love kids and their ideas! Anyways, this picture makes me kind of sad because I think Ellis looks so grown up and not like my little baby.

Here are a few pictures of Ellis playing. She has started really interacting with other kids. Our friends Joe and Amy, who live in Seattle, came to visit and Ellis loved playing with their sons. She loves kids who are just slightly older than her, around 3 or 4, so she had a really nice time following them around and mimicking whatever they were doing (as you can tell from the pics).

Over the last few weeks, Ellis has really started picking up tons of words and communicating more then ever. Her favorite things to talk about, by far, are modes of transportation. She cries "airpeens" every time she sees or hears one. The other morning as I was changing her diaper she started yelling "airpeen, airpeen" and I said, "No Ellis there aren't any airplanes in here" but then I realized that she was hearing one out her bedroom window. So funny! But "cahs" (yes, she has a bit of a Boston accent) are definitely her favorite. Vimal thinks it must be his genetics that make her love cars. She screams "Cah, Cah" the entire time we are on the highway, walking down the street, or playing at the playground. "Bi-gulls, Kucks (trucks), Bus" are frequently pointed out everywhere we go too. This age is definitely a lot of fun for both of us.

This is a video of Ellis playing in a "Cah" at a friend's house. I took this video too late so you can't see how excited she really was, but she loved it! We couldn't pull her off the car for about 30 minutes.

"Pop!"

2009-09-23T11:20:00.005-04:00

This is a video of Ellis playing her name game. She started doing this about a month ago when we were visiting my family, particularly Pop (her grandfather) in Ohio. She points to people, like me or Vimal, and calls us by someone else's name. She knows, of course, that we aren't named what she calls us but I think she likes our reactions. And I love that she has a game that she plays with us. So funny. In this video, she was stuck on "Pop". Enjoy!

Erick's Visit

2009-09-01T15:27:00.008-04:00

Since Ellis wouldn't cuddle with him, Erick snuggled up with "Da Bee" instead.
Ellis playing the "let's go to sleep, let's wake up" game with Erick
Erick was on Pacific Coast Time so Ellis would congregate all her toys around him while he was sleeping
Uncle Bro and The Phew (Erick calls her that because she was a 'neiceaphew' the whole time I was pregnant and 'the phew' stuck even after she turned out to be a girl.)
Swan!
She started to come down with something while Erick was here. This day was the beginning of her being sick, and I think you can see it coming in her eyes.
Riding the boat with her Uncle Bro
This is my favorite tree in Boston Garden. So gorgeous...
Playing with Uncle Bro on the swan boat.
Going down the slide (I'll post a video of this adventure too because it was pretty hilarious.)
Fenway park on the day Ted Kennedy died.
Flag at half-mass for our Senator
Green Monster (Two home runs went over this wall during the game!)
Bro and Sis

As you can tell by the photos, my brother came to visit last week. Vimal actually surprised me by getting him a ticket and it was great to be able to spend time with him and to have him spend time with Ellis (since he hadn't seen her since Christmas!) Anyways, as you can tell by the photos, we stayed busy by going into Boston to ride the swan boats in the Garden, and we also went to see a game at Fenway. Ellis definitely loved playing with her Uncle Bro too, even though she did get sick during his visit. And, by the way, she is feeling much better now.

I'm also going to post a few videos that I took while Erick was here. The first one is of Ellis and me on the swan boat. The second one is of Ellis and Erick on the slide. It's pretty hilarious because they have a little trouble sliding down. And the third one, if you don't get car sick watching it, is of Ellis saying "Uncle Bro" and "Mooshie Tiger". Uncle Bro we know, but we aren't sure who Mooshie Tiger is.

More Wedding Pics...

2009-08-17T14:22:00.002-04:00

Love this one of Ellis
Rings!
My handsome husband doing what he does best--talking :)

(All photos by Ashley West Leonard)

Babydolls and Firetrucks

2009-08-05T15:41:00.005-04:00

Most of the time, this is how Ellis pushes the stroller around the house. I think it's because she wants to see the babydoll while she's pushing it.
Ellis and her doll. I found this Asian babydoll on Amazon and just had to order it. It's not half-Indian but it will do. I have since named it Mei-Mei which means "little sister" in Mandarin.
Not sure what Mei-Mei did here but it appears that she's getting a lecture from her big sis!
Cuddling. Read below to find out why she's sleeping with Mei-Mei...
Ellis is checking out the other kids who came to visit the fire station. I seriously love how diverse our neighborhood is.
Engine 1
Inspecting Engine 1 with Jo-Jo (her friend and babysitter)
Driving the fire truck. I thought she'd lose her mind when Jo-Jo put her in the seat but she just grabbed the steering wheel and seemed ready to go.
Truck BIG, Ellis SMALL
Playing with the ladder
Watching the firefighter demonstrate the water hose
"Wawa, Wawa, Wawa" was pretty much all she had to say for this one

As you can tell from the photos, we recently bought Ellis her first doll and doll stroller. Every time we were at the park she'd try to play with other kid's dolls and, recently, she started to pick up her stuffed animals and pat them, rock them, comfort them and give them her sippy cup. So, it seemed the appropriate time to get her a doll of her own. For those of you that know me well, this was not an easy purchase for me. As a kid, I spent more time playing with my brother's Tonka trucks than I did with dolls, so this whole "girl" thing is a bit of a learning curve for me. Anyways, once the doll and stroller arrived, Ellis fell in love. She pushes Mei-Mei from one end of the house and back. If she's awake and we're home, she's playing with this doll and stroller. So, obviously, good purchase despite my reservations.

As you can tell from the sleeping picture, Ellis took Mei-Mei to bed for her nap time yesterday. Usually I don't let her sleep with toys. She has one snugglie (DA BEEEEE) and that's it. But yesterday while Jo-Jo was watching her, Ellis managed to take her snugglie into the bathtub with her, thus rendering it too wet for nap time. Since I wasn't here, Joanna gave her the doll to help her sleep. When I got home and she told me what had happened I immediately found the backup snugglie (yes, we have two) and headed into her room. I didn't think she'd sleep with such a fun toy and was determined to swap them out so that Ellis could nap. Well, needless to say, I found Ellis cuddled up with Mei-Mei. I thought it was so cute that I just had to take a picture of her.

This morning our local fire station held an open house for kids in the neighborhood. I decided to take Ellis and I'm really glad I did. As you can tell from the pictures, she enjoyed poking around the fire trucks and observing all the kids. She did get a little scared when some firefighter (who obviously does not have children) decided to honk the really loud horn. In fact, there was a collective cry that rang out from many kids and that, I think, is what actually scared Ellis (not the noise). Anyways, it was fun to watch her explore this new place. And it just reminded me once again why I love living in the city.

Steve and Colleen's Wedding (Portland, OR)

2009-08-04T23:08:00.005-04:00

Last week we all flew to Portland, Oregon for our friend's wedding. I was a bridesmaid and Ellis was the ringbearer. Ellis did really well on the flights and she quickly adjusted to the 3 hour time change. While in Portland, Vimal went camping with the groomsmen (yes, you read that right--Vimal went camping) and, since my wonderful mother once again made the trip, I was able to go out for Colleen's bachelorette party! But of course, despite all that fun, Ellis ended up stealing the show in her white tuxedo on the day of the wedding. The venue was in an Arboretum and, despite the heat, the wedding was perfect. All in all, the trip was a great success. Seeing Steve and Colleen get married was also really wonderful for me because I witnessed their courtship from reconnection to wedding. I can honestly say that this couple is meant to be together!

Getting combed and ready for her big moment
Waiting for the wedding to start
Even the ring bearer needs a water break now and then
Holding the pillow and rings (fake rings, of course)
Colleen looked absolutely beautiful
The happy couple...I LOVE this picture!

A..C..G (also known as A,B,C)

2009-07-25T09:59:00.003-04:00

Ellis is becoming quite musical. In the car, she sings along to her favorite CD and when we say a melody to her she can repeat it almost exactly (except la, la, la which ALWAYS turns into ya, ya, ya). Anyways, she's starting to copy us a lot (which is exciting and scary at the same time, especially when I have a tendency to say bad words when I'm in Boston traffic). This is a video of Ellis singing the A,B,C's which is really more like the A,C,G's with her. She's also saying please "peas" and thank you "tank shoe" at the right times now. I didn't think it was possible to love her more than I did when she was a baby but, as a toddler, I love her more than ever! Hope this can sustain through the dreaded teenage period...

ITALY!!!

2009-07-19T21:40:00.010-04:00

Well, as most of you know, Vimal and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary by going to Milan and Lake Como. While the travel on both ends was quite challenging with an 18 month old (here's some advice: BUY THEM A SEAT!), the overall trip was wonderful. We rented a house in Lezzeno, a village about 10 minutes from Bellagio, on Lake Como and as you can tell from the photos the views were magnificent. From our balcony we could see the lake, the Swiss Alps, and the French Alps. Oh, and we were directly across the lake from Sir Richard Branson's villa...if only we were so lucky! Anyways, I had a really hard time narrowing down the pictures so there are a lot posted here. Feel free to skip some if they get a bit redundant for you.

Near the Duomo and some fantastic shopping in Milan
Ellis is checking out the Italians
We were obviously not "blending in" to the culture, what with the bright orange backpack and all
Duomo in Milan
More Duomo
Having a snack with mommy in the plaza
Waiting to see Michaelangelo's "The Last Supper"
Having a snack as we wait to see "The Last Supper"
This is the building where "The Last Supper" hangs...kinda unimpressive, huh?
Vimal and I loved this department store sign
Just arrived to the house in Lake Como...Ellis is sharing a nectarine with daddy on the balcony
I mean, c'mon, could the view have been any better?
Rowing competition being held out our front window
I couldn't get over the fact that the rowers were standing up (though it's not very clear in this photo)
Reading "The Belly Button Book" with her Nonna (aka, my mom)
It's impossible to describe how much I love this face!
Access to the lake from our house
Making friends with the Italian kiddos next door...this relationship would blossom throughout the week
Who doesn't love ruffles on a baby tushie?
This became her default outfit of the week
She liked the gelato (her face is smeared with it in this pic)
Eating Watermelon gelato in Bellagio
Bellagio...gorgeous but thank goodness we didn't bring a stroller
My mom called this one her "Italian prison" picture but it's really the porthole at the front of our house. You can't tell from here but she had just finished crying and her cheeks were streaked with tears
Nonna hates getting her picture taken!
The swans came to visit everyday. Not sure what sound a swan makes, but Ellis quacked at them constantly
She was really quite happy the whole time we were there
Blueberries are definitely her favorite fruit, no matter what country they grow in
View out the front of our house
Our rental car, an Alfa Romeo station wagon
More of the kids next door. About a hundred times a day, Ellis would yell "Hi" to them and they would yell "Ciao" back at her
Vimal was so excited about having "line dried" clothes that he did our laundry the whole time we were there
This was pretty much where Ellis stood everyday, staring down at the kids who were playing next door (by the way, I think she's standing just like her daddy in this picture)
We could only find quarts of milk for Ellis, so we went through A LOT of them (and a Coke Zero or too as well)!
Walking down to the lake with Ellis
More time with her new "friends"
Splashing in the lake (I thought it was too cold)
Just checking things out

Pictures I've been meaning to post...

2009-06-29T10:04:00.004-04:00

Here are some photos that I've been meaning to post for a few weeks now. Our niece left about a week and a half ago but she's in these photos too because we took them while she was here. Most of these pics are of our trip to Kennebunkport, Maine but there are a few from Father's Day as well. Currently I am packing for our big anniversary trip to Lake Como, Italy. I can't believe that Vimal and I have been married for TEN YEARS! That's crazy to me, but also really exciting. Anyways, Ellis has the cutest passport in the whole world. I'll try to post pics of it soon, but I've been a little behind on posting (as you know) so we'll see if I get around to it.

Splashing in the FREEZING Atlantic
Nechelle and sand, a very good combination
She's trying to figure out how much trouble she can cause
Ne-Ne (that's what Ellis calls her)
Swinging with mommy
Ne-Ne and Ellis on the swings
Okay, seriously, a playground with this view? Amazing...
We ate dinner at our friend Susan's house. Delicious greens from her organic garden. Vimal was in heaven!
Ellis had a few things to tell Susan about her day
Wearing daddy's hat. Vimal took this pic Father's Day morning
Playing with her music table. Still wearing daddy's hat

Reading

2009-06-16T19:33:00.004-04:00

This is a video of Ellis "reading" a catalog that I got in the mail. She has started doing this with books, magazines, newspapers, etc. She picks them up, thumbs through them like she's browsing for something, and "reads" in her own language. She has also started pulling my books off the bookshelf and reading them too. (As a side note, her favorite book to pull off the shelf is "Death of a Salesman" and Vimal always asks her "Hey, what are you trying to say?!?" Funny.)

Strawberry Picking...

2009-06-16T18:17:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I realize it's been a long time since I posted. We have been so busy the last couple of weeks. Vimal's mom came to visit (though we somehow forgot to take a single photo of her visit) and our niece has been staying with us for 2 weeks (she goes home tomorrow.) Also, I went to Los Angeles to see my brother and we all (Ellis, Vimal, Nechelle and I) spent last weekend in Maine. Anyways, suffice it to say I have a good handful of pictures and videos to post but I just haven't had the time.

I did want to post a few pictures of our outing to the strawberry field today. As soon as I got Ellis out of the backpack she walked over to a strawberry bush, said "yummy, yummy, yummy" until I handed her a strawberry, and proceeded to eat strawberries until we left the field. Nechelle had so much fun too, as you can tell from the photos. We're having strawberry smoothies after dinner tonight and it's all we can talk about. I'll try to post more pictures really soon...

Ellis in the strawberry field
Pretty sure this was her fifth or sixth strawberry
Nechelle in the strawberry field
Ellis and Nechelle
Pretty sure that was her tenth or eleventh strawberry
Getting full, time to play with the strawberries
Our bounty

Da Beeeee....

2009-06-09T21:02:00.003-04:00

This past week I was in L.A. with my mom and my brother and I started playing old videos of Ellis from my computer. We were all cracking up at this 13 second video of Ellis so I promised to post it so my mom and brother could watch it whenever they wanted. In the video, I was trying to get Ellis to walk for the camera and as bait I was holding her favorite stuffed animal, the Bee (which is actually a bunny), above my head. As you can tell, she freaked out and just did everything possible to get "Da Bee" from me. It's hilarious how excited she is. I just love this. I have a feeling you will too...

15 month check-up (at 16 months) and more with the peas...

2009-05-20T09:50:00.006-04:00

Giving her speech and making her point in the waiting room at the Doctor's office
Happy Drool Girl
Playing in the waiting room
Reading books with daddy while we wait for the doctor
On the scale...
Making sure the nurse gets her weight right
Contemplating life
REALLY contemplating life...okay, she's actually crunching one of her freeze-dried peas.
Bobbing for peas
This made me laugh! She had this pea under her nose for a good five minutes before she realized it.

Last Friday was Ellis's 15 month check-up. She weighed in at 19lbs and 15 ounces, which I am very happily rounding up to 20 pounds! This means she is still in the 5th percentile, but it also means that we can turn her carseat around soon. I thought for sure she'd be TWO before we could do that! Anyways, she is also 32 inches long which was quite a growth spurt for her, putting her into the 75th percentile for length.

All in all, it was a good visit. We had decided to wait on the MMR until she was at least 18 months old but when we told our pediatrician that we are spending 10 days in Italy this summer, she strongly encouraged us to go ahead with it. I agreed, as long as it was the only shot she got that day, and so we hesitantly gave it to her. It's been 6 days since then, and I can happily say that she has been just fine so far. She had a mild fever after but that's pretty common with her and vaccinations. According to the pediatrician, a pretty severe rash can develop 7 to 12 days after getting the shot, so I'm praying that she doesn't get that in the next few days. Especially since her dedication at church is on Sunday!

I'm also posting a few more pictures of Ellis munching on those peas she has come to love. I especially love the super-serious face she makes whenever one of the peas is especially crunchy! So funny. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Erin

Food!

2009-05-17T19:16:00.002-04:00

So I wouldn't say that Ellis is a picky eater, but I would say that she is picky about the kinds of things that she likes to eat. She certainly doesn't like "normal" kid foods. For example, she won't touch chicken fingers, throws mac n' cheese on the ground, and don't even think about giving her a plain old French Fry. I know we should count our blessings that Ellis is a healthy eater. It is, after all, what we are trying to teach her from a very young age. But when we literally have to say to each other to "hide the veggies" or "don't let her drink that water", it just gets a little comical. So here is a video of Ellis eating the freeze-dried peas and corn that Vimal found at the neighborhood natural store, also known to us as the "hippy store". As you can tell, she's a huge fan since she keeps asking for "more, more". And for the record, for dinner the night I filmed this, she ate some kidney beans, about 10 spoonfuls of hummus with tahini, the corn and peas, and a little cheese. Vimal says that she eats like "someone who's trying to lose 20 pounds". Funny since that is, quite literally, all that she weighs.

Walking--Slowly

2009-05-12T08:59:00.003-04:00

Here is a video of Ellis walking around our kitchen. She has started to do this more and more, though you can tell that she's still pretty slow and deliberate about the whole thing. The good news, however, is that she rarely falls down or gets hurt. Hope you enjoy the video. We are obviously pretty excited about the whole thing.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:17:00.005-04:00

The beautiful flowers that Ellis and Vimal picked out for me.
Ellis's handwritten card. I'm not sure what it says, but I hope there is an "I love you" in there somewhere.
Having a snack on the front porch with mommy.

Mommy and baby girl.

I had a great Mother's Day with Vimal and my sweet baby girl. First, I got to sleep in later than normal and then I was woken up by Ellis bringing me a card that she had drawn in herself. I also got flowers and, after church, we had lunch at one of my new favorite Chinese restaurants. I am so lucky to be Ellis's mom and I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful family. It's nice to have special holidays like this one to remind us how fortunate we really are. I hope you all had a wonderful day, either celebrating the mothers in your life or the children that you get to mother.

DIRT!!!

2009-05-04T09:41:00.004-04:00

Trying to figure out how this dirt is sticking together.
The big picture. Playing in the flowerpot.
Throwing the dirt around. Needless to say, her next stop was straight to the bath.
Pointing at the woodchips in her bucket.
She had a system in her head and was very determined to scoop the woodchips into her bucket.
HAIR! I'm saddened to say that I think her first haircut is just around the corner.

Ellis loves to play in the dirt. These pictures only capture tiny moments of all the time she spends playing in mulch, soil and woodchips. She rarely wants to play on the toys at the playground. She would much rather scoop the woodchips in and out of her bucket or dig up the newly planted flowers. I think she's a nature girl at heart so we'll have to be diligent about letting her find nature in the city.

Walden Pond

2009-04-29T08:03:00.002-04:00

Trying to figure out this whole pond thing. (With Esme and Claire)
Still a little confused...
Now she gets it. SPLASH TIME!

These last two weeks have a complete whirlwind in the Shyamji household. I took Ellis to Nashville for a week so that Vimal and I could go away to Las Vegas for a mini-vacation but, while there, Ellis once again got the croup (third time this year) and an ear infection (sixth time this year) and so I stayed in Nashville an extra day before going to meet Vimal. Once we were in Vegas, though, Vimal and I had a nice time together. We saw the Cirque du Soleil performance, LOVE, and we really enjoyed just being together as a couple. Of course we both missed Ellis SO MUCH but that time alone is also really important for us.

Anyways, the day Ellis and I got back from Nashville we drove up to Maine to see my Dad who was performing in Kennebunkport. Ellis got to spend 2 full days with her Pop. She really took to him quite quickly and they had a great time.

And then yesterday we went to Walden pond with our friends Esme and Claire. I wasn't good about taking pictures on all our trips but I have a few so I'll try to post those soon. Hope you are all enjoying this summer-like weather as much as Ellis and I are. More soon.

Ellis's Second Easter Sunday

2009-04-13T09:46:00.007-04:00

Getting ready for church. For perspective on how petitie she is, Ellis is wearing the exact same tights she wore on Easter sunday last year!
Vimal got the idea to take this exact same picture as last Easter. If you look back at my March 2008 Easter pictures, we have a pic of Ellis in this exact same pose but she's takes up the whole changing table now.
Waiting for mommy and daddy to finish getting ready. I love her little silver Mary Janes.
In the car after church, Mary Janes OFF! She's a comfort girl.
After church. I thought she looked like an angel in her all white Easter dress.

This past Sunday was a beautiful Easter day in Boston. And, for the first time, Ellis didn't cry when we dropped her off at our church's child care nor had she been crying when we picked her back up. I think this was more of a relief for Vimal than it was for me, as he has a harder time leaving her there than I do. Anyways, it was a beautiful service and Ellis looked too cute in her Easter dress. Hope you like the pics...

Ice Cream on a Beautiful Spring Day

2009-04-06T15:11:00.005-04:00

Walking down to the square for ice cream
Waiting in the ice cream line. I guess a lot of people had the same idea we had because it was a pretty long line.
First bite of ice cream
It looks like she likes it...
Reaching for more ice cream
Bite #2
Ice cream face!

This past Sunday was a gorgeous Boston spring day. It was in the high 50's and sunny, so Vimal and I decided it was time for Ellis to have her first taste of Vanilla ice cream. We walked down to the square near our house, which is about a ten minute walk on a bike path, and there were so many families sitting outside. There was a musician playing and children dancing, and it just reminded Vimal and I why we sacrifice space to live in the city. It was beautiful and Ellis loved the ice cream, as you can probably see by the pictures. I think she and I will be spending quite a bit of time there this summer. I can't wait.

Troublemaker

2009-04-03T16:22:00.005-04:00

"I mean, really, do I look like I cause trouble?"
Reason #552 why I, once again, won't be winning "Mommy of the Year" this year.
Reason #553
"Veggie Booty is GOOOOOOOOD!"
Standing independently.
This is when she took her first step. Okay, it was more like a shuffle but I'm counting it.
Lecturing Jack and Punky about something.
Kissing and making up after her reprimand.

This past week has been a roller coaster ride! Ellis has decided to throw all of her food off the highchair before she even eats one bite. Then, when we try to feed her she starts crying hysterically like we are torturing her. It's been rough trying to get food in this girl before but never like this. I even took her to the pediatrician today because I figured she had to have an ear infection or be getting her molars. But, no, neither one! I think it's just our entering into the independent phase. Great, should be a blast.

Anyways, after she had worked herself up so much at lunch that she threw up everything I had force fed her (fun, really fun), I gave her some Veggie Booty and she was thrilled. She carried the bag around the living room and even stood up in the middle of the room without holding onto anything. As I went to get the camera to photograph her standing independently, she shuffled towards me, taking what I am deeming her "first step". Yay! But, as I said earlier, roller coaster ride!

Hopefully I'll get a video of her "shuffling" soon and when I do I'll post it on here. And hopefully she'll start eating again soon. We shall see.

The Ellis Kaye Show

2009-03-27T08:28:00.003-04:00

This is a video of Ellis singing into her microphone. She started doing this because we always sing into it. I was in the kitchen and heard her start "singing" over the speaker. I think she's definitely going to be a performer someday.

Not much to report...

2009-03-22T17:59:00.003-04:00

I just love how she's laid back on our couch in this photo.
If you ask her where her belly button is, she does this...I think she associates "belly button" with being tickled.
Playing with mommy's face.
Giving kisses to her piggy. She loves her and gives her kisses all day long. I'm starting to get jealous.

Ellis was sick most of last week with a throat infection that luckily never turned into strep. So, we didn't really do much or take many photos. She is feeling much better now and we had a really nice weekend together. Nonna, my mom, gets here tomorrow so I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures next week. More soon...

Photos from 1st Birthday

2009-03-13T09:44:00.006-04:00

I just got the disc of photos that Erica Ferrone took of Ellis on her first birthday. I love them! In fact, I love them so much that I couldn't choose which ones to print or post on here. There are over 200 photos and I like most of them. I guess that's a good problem to have. Anyways, here are some of the pictures that I like best of all. Hope you enjoy them too, and if you are looking for a wedding/baby/family photographer in or around Boston check out Erica Ferrone's website at www.ericaferrone.com

She almost looks posed in this picture but she was just playing on our couch when Erica got this shot.

I just love her profile.

Playing with her bracelets
Mommy kisses
Daddy swing
Family love
Chatting with her daddy
Changing time
Exploring mommy and daddy's bed
She's the center of our world.
I love her face in this picture.
Playing with her bunny in her crib.
Don't let the angelic pose fool you...
Blowing out her first birthday candle.
"What's this?"
"Yum!"
"Hmmmm, do they realize I'm eating this?"
Feet!
Scrunchie face
I actually like this photo of Vimal and I, which is really rare for me.
"Look how much I've grown this past year."
Holding hands with daddy.

Sign Language

2009-03-12T08:56:00.003-04:00

This is a video of Ellis signing for "more" and waving "bye-bye". When Ellis was younger we took her to a baby signing class but I didn't really feel like she had picked up on any of it. I kept trying and just recently she's starting signing "more", "water", "milk", "eat", "lights", and "all done". It's nice to have this way to communicate and I think it helps us both to not get frustrated with what she is asking for. Hope you enjoy the video but please excuse the really long part in the middle when she decides to take a water break...

Playing, Hiking and Strumming

2009-03-09T11:37:00.006-04:00

Playing under the big umbrella at Together in Motion
"Man it's really hard work holding this whole thing up on my own."
Sticking her tongue out at mommy
Inside the barrel with Claire
"Hey Claire, why don't you get out of here and let me play alone."
First hike around Fresh pond. She loved it and barked at dogs the whole time.
Maybe it will just be a hobby?!? Not sure how I feel about this one.

As you can tell from all my recent posts, Ellis and I have quite a few indoor play spots that we go to throughout the week. In this group of photos there are some pictures of Together in Motion, an indoor playground just five minutes from our house. We usually go there on Tuesdays, when they have infant hours and only kids from 0 to 2 are able to come. It's nice because she can crawl and play and basically I don't have to worry about her getting hurt. But, last weekend was so beautiful outside that we didn't have to worry about which indoor playspace to go to. As you can probably tell from the backpack picture, we were able to get out of the house and enjoy hiking around a pond near our house. There were so many doggies there that Ellis had a blast pointing them out and barking at them. The last picture is of Ellis strumming the guitar pillow that my friend Susie got Ellis for her first birthday. While I was in the other room I heard Vimal say, "Okay Ellis, just don't tell mommy." I knew instantly to go in her room and this picture is what I found. It's kind of a joke in our family that Ellis will end up playing the guitar, since both my brother and dad play professionally. I also say that I hope it's just a hobby with her, since I know first hand what the life of a musician entails.

Sleeping, Sneaking, and other Adventures

2009-03-04T23:14:00.007-05:00

I finally caught a good picture of Ellis sleeping with her tushie up in the air. I love it!
Messy hair after a good nap.
I caught Ellis in the bathroom, playing with her bath toys behind the shower curtain. Have I mentioned how much she likes to take baths?
She thought it was funny when she got caught. Look at that smirk...
Giving the thumb to her new backpack.
Still checking it out with her thumb. I can't wait for the snow to melt some so we can go out for a walk.

Ellis is growing so fast and getting into everything. I'll be in the kitchen washing bottles or something and when I turn around Ellis has snuck out of the room. She loves closing doors, climbing up onto her chair, turning her humidifier on and off, playing with her bath toys, or digging through the bottom of my closet. It's fun to see her growing up and exploring, but I miss the days when she would always be right where I left her. As Spring approaches (though not too fast as we had 14 inches of snow on Monday), I look forward to all the things we are going to do--exploring the outdoors, going for walks in her new backpack, eating grass (come on, we all did it and survived), picnics, afternoons spent in the sun. I think it's going to be a wonderful Spring and Summer and I am excited to see Ellis really take it all in for the first time. I feel like right now her mind is a sponge and I can't wait to watch her soak up all the adventures to come...

Waking up is fun to do...

2009-03-02T14:13:00.007-05:00

Here is a video of Ellis waking up from her afternoon nap. She is always so happy when she wakes up. She will kick and crawl around in circles in her crib. Sometimes, though not in this video, she will give us kisses through the bars of her crib too. I just love her wake up time and from this video you can probably tell why.

A trip to the Science museum...

2009-03-01T17:51:00.004-05:00

Ellis playing with the abacus. I am really hopeful that her math skills will far exceed mine.
Playing with the foam blocks.
I'm pretty sure she thought this block was a cup because she kept doing this with it.
Vimal and I call this move "giving it the thumb". Ever since she was really little, she taps her thumb on things to test them out. I finally caught her doing this is a photo.
"Okay people, let's take this show on the road."

A few months ago we became members at the Museum of Science here in Boston. It has a great indoor play area for Ellis and is only about 10 minutes from door-to-door so it's been a lifesaver this winter. Ellis and I probably go there once a week to get out of the house and have a new place to explore. Plus, she loves it there, so I do too. Every time we go she finds something new to play with. This week it was the abacus. Oh, and the stairs. There are about 15 stairs that she loved climbing up. She made it to the top in less than a minute! I took a video of her going up them but I have to figure out how to turn it so as to not make all viewers dizzy. If I can figure that out, I'll post it on here.

Walking--with Assistance

2009-02-27T10:05:00.002-05:00

This is a video of Ellis "walking" with a pushcart at the Children's Museum. She is pushing everything around the house but refuses to walk independently so far. Anyways, you can tell from this video that the whole time she is pushing this thing around she is looking for something better to do. Towards the end she is about to give it up and crawl away, but then she spots daddy and takes off again. Too sweet...

Who knew how much fun a cup could be?

2009-02-24T09:23:00.005-05:00

I have learned two things over the last year: Ellis loves water (drinking it, splashing in it, looking at it) and Ellis loves to be independent. That being said, here is a little picture story of my little girl being my little girl.

Ellis dug this cup out of the open cabinet that you see behind her.
Then she drug it over to me...
...waited impatiently as I filled it with water
...and tried very hard to drink it on her own.
Eventually I helped her get the water in her mouth...
...but she was so determined to drink it on her own that she took it back and did this.
"What? So maybe my shirt got a little wet, but it was still good."

Valentine's Day and some other things...

2009-02-15T22:07:00.008-05:00

Valentine's Day outfit. (Actually the vest and shirt were a Christmas gift from Pop.)
In stroller, going to daddy's work.
She had a lot to say to daddy once she saw him.
A rare occasion, watching TV (Duke vs Boston College, actually) with daddy.
Looking under the sofa for her basketball. I guess Duke inspired her.
"Mommy, where is my ball?"
She gets so excited about her bath. She's standing on her tiptoes and squealing to get in.

For Valentine's Day, Ellis and I took some cookies to Vimal's work and then had lunch with daddy. Everyone at Vimal's work just loves Ellis and she, of course, enjoys all the attention that she gets there. But don't worry, Vimal and I also had a babysitter that night and we were able to go out and celebrate Valentine's day together which was really nice.

For those of you that know us well, you are probably surprised to see a TV on in our house while Ellis is awake. The truth is we are trying to not let Ellis watch TV for at least the first two years of her life. However, we have made two exceptions to this rule: the inauguration of our 44th president and Duke basketball. Vimal is a huge Duke fan, always has been (though I know a few friends who read this who aren't going to like this fact) so whenever a good game or March madness comes around our no TV rule heads out the door. In truth, Ellis doesn't seem to care to watch the TV even when it is on, but she did sit in daddy's lap for a few minutes to cheer Duke on with him. But then, she was off, searching under the couch for her own basketball and wanting to play.

The last picture is of Ellis waiting to get in the bathtub. She LOVES bath time. Whenever she hears the water turn on she comes scrambling from wherever she is in the house and squeals to get in. It's really adorable. I love the picture of her, standing on her tiptoes and itching to jump in. Too funny...

Erin

What sound does an Ellis make?

2009-02-11T21:57:00.004-05:00

Okay, I know this video is really dark but I think it's worth it. Ellis' new favorite book is called "Doggies" by Sandra Boynton, where the doggies "woof" and so on. Anyways, the other day I was sitting with her in my lap looking out the window and I said, "Look Ellis, it's a doggie" as a dog walked by, and all of a sudden she started barking at it. I nearly cried from laughing as she just kept going and going. So, here she is, barking away. She also, by the way, has the hiccups in this video but you can tell when she's barking and when she's hiccuping. I'm such a proud mom that I want to show off her barking. Yea, yea...I know I need a hobby.

Splish-Splash (2 videos)

2009-02-10T14:36:00.005-05:00

This afternoon Ellis and I went to the Children's Museum with our friends Lily (Esme's mom) and Kate (Claire's mom). Last time we went there, we spent the whole time in the baby/toddler area, but this time I decided to brave the water room. I knew that Ellis would love it, since she loves bath time so much, and I was right. As you can tell from the video, it didn't take long for her to figure out what to do. Luckily I had brought a change of clothes because she was soaked through to her skin by the end. But just look at her face! I was cringing just thinking about drying her off, but it was worth it. Oh, and as you can tell from her little interaction with Claire over a toy, she's starting to get more and more stubborn and determined. Great...13 is going to be a blast!

This video is of Ellis "splashing" around in the water bed designed for babies at the Children's Museum. I think she felt like she was actually in water. This video is only a few seconds long but she crawled out and back into this thing for more than 15 minutes. What can I say, she loves the feel of water. I can't wait for summer! (P.S. Sorry about the very end of this clip, I thought I had stopped it but it was still recording.)

One Year Check-Up

2009-02-06T15:48:00.004-05:00

Standing up like a big girl and playing with a train set at the doctor's office
I'm thinking she might need her own rocking chair soon.
Getting ready to be weighed.
She was very excited about her weight. I, on the other hand, was not excited about her weight.
Waiting for the doctor.
She was so happy during her check-up. Until, of course, the shot part.
Trying to decide how she felt about the stethoscope on her back.
An odd, but informative, family shot.
On Wednesday, Ellis had her one year check-up at the pediatrician. The pediatrician was very happy with how much Ellis has grown and all that she is doing developmentally. After much soul searching and reading of materials, I decided to wait to give Ellis the MMR until she is two or starts daycare, whichever comes first. Luckily my pediatrician supported this, though as any good doctor would, she did warn against relying on the "herd immunity protection" as so many parents aren't getting their children vaccinated these days. I agree with her completely, when talking generalizations, but just wasn't ready to give Ellis the shot that so many parents feel is linked to autism. So, we will wait and pray that Ellis is safe from these diseases until we feel ready to vaccinate her. We have given her all the other shots on schedule, so I am at peace with this decision. In other big news, or not so big news as one would have it, Ellis weighed in at a whooping 18lbs 6ozs. I really wanted her to triple her birth-weight by the time she was one, so I was disappointed that this didn't happen (tripling her birth-weight would have meant she weighed 18lbs. 15ozs instead so we aren't that far off). She is 29.5 inches long. This puts her in the 10th percentile for weight and the 60th for height...just like her daddy!

Some things that Ellis enjoys...

2009-02-01T18:55:00.004-05:00

Brushing her teeth. She likes the taste of the toothpaste (strawberry). Just look at that drool.
Brushing teeth is a very serious endeavor.
Every morning for breakfast she eats an english muffin with cream cheese.
She gets really excited about cream cheese.
Unrolling daddy's yoga mat
Practicing her "upward facing dog"
Doing "child's pose" with daddy.
Ellis loves splashing in the water.
Her face is totally covered in water but she couldn't care less.
Checking out the splashes in the mirror. Such a happy girl!

We had a pretty quiet week and weekend. Ellis is continuing to grow and surprise us. She has started saying "the bunny" though it sounds more like "da buni" which we are sure is Italian for something else entirely. She has also decided that reading is her favorite thing in the world. She will hold a book up at you and yell "EEEED" (which I'm guessing means read) until you take the book from her and do as commanded. This weekend alone Vimal and I estimate that we have read no less than 50 books to her (many of which were repeats, of course). Oh well, I guess there are worse things than having to read all day long. I will admit that I have almost all of her books memorized and often I just recite them to her while letting her flip the pages at random. Life is fun right now with Ellis. She's turning into such an interesting and fascinating little person and I'm enjoying every new stage.

Also, if you want to check out all the pictures from our photo shoot with Erica, you can visit www.ericaferrone.com and click on "client proofing" then enter the password "ellis". Please don't feel obligated to look, as there are over 200 photos there. And again, if you are in or around Boston and looking for a photographer, I would highly recommend Erica.

P.S.

2009-01-26T21:40:00.002-05:00

If you want to see a "Sneak Peek" of our photography session with Ellis on her first birthday, please visit www.ericaferrone.blogspot.com

Erica was an amazing photographer, so engaging, creative and professional. Please email me if you are interested in more info about her.

Birthday Party at Gymboree

2009-01-26T17:54:00.006-05:00

Getting ready for her big birthday party. She's got the keys and is ready to go.
At Gymboree. No matter what kind of group activity we are in, Ellis always crawls to the middle of the circle. She's certainly not shy!
Going down the big slide with mommy and Miss Dara.
Claire going down the slide with her mommy and daddy.
Oliver and his daddy on the slide.
Group photo. All six of the kids are one year old now!
Party favors. I made the bags and was so proud of myself.
Six candles for six one year olds.
Mommy with Ellis who is in her party hat.
Bubble time.
I call Ellis and Oliver the "Hair Babies". They were both mesmerized by the bubbles!

As you can tell by the pictures, we had Ellis's first birthday party yesterday with all of her other one year old friends. Right after Ellis was born, I joined a New Mom's group and we met for the first six weeks of Ellis's life. I think I cried in there every week, since I felt so overwhelmed with new motherhood, but that group was such a help to me. We have kept in touch over the year, some more than others as is apt to happen in those situations, and decided to have a big birthday bash together. I think everyone had a great time, I know Ellis did, and it was so nice to see some of the women (and babies/toddlers) that I hadn't seen in months! It was also nice to see how confident and secure we all are compared to when we were in group together. Anyways, enjoy the pics. I'll hopefully be getting the proofs from the photo shoot that we had on Ellis's actual birthday and when I do I'll forward the link so you can check them out if you want. More soon...

Cheers...Ellis Turns One!

2009-01-17T19:40:00.010-05:00

First photo on her first birthday and she looks like she wants to cause some trouble.
Poor thing is going to hate having a birthday in January. It snowed all day long. Thank goodness I didn't have a party planned today.
Close-up with rosy cheeks
Morning time snuggles on her daddy's lap
Inspecting the quilt that her Pop had made for her
Playing and Crawling
Standing up like a big girl
Bath time with curly hair
Bath time tushie.

Okay, I'm going to try to keep this relatively short because I could very easily expound on this past year for, well, about a year. But, in keeping things simple, I will only say that Ellis has changed our lives tremendously over the past year. Vimal and I thought that we had a great life before. We traveled extensively (almost ridiculously); we enjoyed our time together; we took advantage of being a dual income family without kids in the best ways possible. And then, we had Ellis, and she has made everything before seem like we were simply killing time.

It's not to say that people who choose not to have children or who can't have children aren't perfectly fulfilled. It's just that, for us, we didn't know how much we needed Ellis in our lives. Since she's been here, we have both grown by leaps and bounds. I have realized what it really means to be loved and to love unconditionally. The way Ellis loves, the light in her eyes when she looks at us, is so pure and so genuine that it can't be described. And the kind of love that we feel for Ellis is like no other. We look at Ellis and we want to be better, to be something greater than ourselves, for her. Every single day Ellis changes and everyday we love her more and more.

So...(raise your glasses)...here is to another year of changes, of growing, of becoming the woman that she's going to be. I, for one, hope the time inches by as slowly as possible so that I can savor every second that I have with my lovely Ellis Kaye.

All grown up...

2009-01-14T09:45:00.003-05:00

My little girl!
Okay, I was so proud of how straight her part is. You try parting a 12 month olds hair and then tell me this isn't straight. It's straight! Trust me.
She's thinking about causing some trouble.

There are moments when I look at Ellis now and I can see the little girl she has become. She isn't my baby anymore, she's my little girl. It's sad but good. I won't go on and on about how fast this year has gone by, as I'm saving that for my One Year Old update (which is only 4 days from now, by the way) but I can't get over how old/mature she looks in this picture.