Adventures On The Gorge

About once a week we head over to the Class VI, or Adventures on the Gorge resort.  They are a rafting company in the area, but they have a nice little playground that is always in the shade.  It has been a good place to visit during the summer and since it is fairly small I can watch Jack and be with Ella whenever she needs to eat or something.  Another great feature that they have is a large deck overlooking the gorge.  We usually walk over there and then run around on the deck.  This morning, Ella decided to pull upon the railing and Jack joined her.  It was too perfect, so I snapped this picture!

Ella is 6 Months Old

Wow, we have had two children for half a year already. Actually, it really has felt a lot longer than that.  I'm glad to say we are managing two little ones really well.  I expected this year to be much harder, but as it continues to go on, it just feels like it is getting easier.  That is probably because Ella is capable of doing more things as she gets older.  So on to the stats!

Nicknames: Hazel Nut, Wiggle Worm, Ella Bella, Little Turtle

Weight and Length: 17 lbs. and 26 inches long

Foods:  Ella is continuing to have bottles. She averages about four bottles with 7 oz. of formula.  I also nurse, but only three times a day.  I nurse in the morning, with the afternoon nap, and then for bedtime.  It might be a bedtime curse, since that is how she usually falls asleep.  We started giving her solid foods after she was five months old.  She seemed interested and ready, and let's face it, I was excited to give her some too.  Now we eat as a complete family for lunch and dinner.  I'm a little better at figuring out how often and how much to feed so she has tired a lot of new foods in the past month.  Let's see if I can list them all: bananas, apples, carrots, peas, green beans, squash, pumpkin, prunes, raspberries, avocado, sweet potatoes and yogurt.

Temperament: Ella is super smiley.  She loves to smile at strangers and friends alike.  Even though Jack is not always nice to her, I think he is still her favorite person.  He is the only person that can make her giggle besides Joe and I (and that's only when we tickle her).  Although she is a very happy child, she can also be super dependent as well.  She likes to be held and will cry when not getting her way.  She is way more sensitive when not getting her way.  And when she doesn't like something she can really cry.  We have learned that she does not like to be contained in a car seat.  Road trips have become hard because she cries after about two hours.  And when she is learning a new skill it can effect her sleep, and temper.  Nevertheless, she still smiles and that makes us love her so much.  I'm so glad to have her in my life.

Items/Toys We Love the Most:  We continue to use the baby jumper that my mom bought in Canada.  She loves to jump and lately Jack will push her around while she is hanging in the jumper, which makes them both laugh.  I tried to capture it on video tonight, but I was just a little too late for the giggles.  Other than that we just have to put toys on the ground and she will crawl over to them.  She basically likes anything that Jack is playing with! The bumbo seat is also comping in handy too.  We have to drag it upstairs and downstairs, since it is her high chair for now and also a seat for her in the bath tub.

First Experiences:  After we had the derecho and knew our power would be out for a week, we decided to make a road trip to my grandparents house.  It was a quick last minute decision that we made while the kids were sleeping in the car (we were going to go to the lake to cool off from the heat when we turned around).  Thirty minutes later we were on the road with dirty laundry and almost everything we would need.  We choose their house, because they live by the beach.  So it was Ella's first time in the ocean.  She loves water, especially swimming pools.  This was extra fun though, because she got to touch the sand and discover a new environment.  However, the sand gave her a diaper rash...poor girl.  As I already mentioned she started crawling too.  At first it was a lot of rolling to things and she would get up on her hands and knees to lunge forward for an item.  Then she attempted the army crawl for short distances.  Maybe that was just too dirty for her, because this week she has figured out how to get onto her hands and knees and coordinate the movement to be able to crawl.  It is so cute too.  I'm constantly impressed with how quickly she is learning new things.  I wonder if she will struggle to walk after having had foot problems?

We also went on our first family backpacking trip.  Joe has been trying to get me to take a backpacking trip for years.  He finally made it happen when we had two kids.  Why didn't I try it before, it would have been so much easier!  Actually, it really wasn't that bad.  We decided to go to Summersville lake, which is thirty minutes away.  Then we hiked about a mile to a secluded cove where they was a fire ring and benches.  It was a great little camp site.  Each of us carried a backpack on the back and a child on the front.  Then Joe hiked back to the car and got our kayak so we were able to play around in the water too.  Everything went pretty smoothly until bed time. Ella had a bit of a hard time calming down, but she went to sleep when the rest of us tuckered down (almost two hours late).  Then she woke up at 3 am and took almost two hours to settle back to sleep.  Needless to say, Joe and I were both super tired the next day.  Oh, and it didn't help that we camped next to a working beaver.  I woke up around 11pm to the beaver gnawing on a tree.  I was so scared because it was an unfamiliar noise and he went out with the head lamp for a better look.  Fortunately we were able to be sure it wasn't a bear and I tried to fall asleep.  Then I wouldn't go pee by myself since I was scared of the beaver so I made Joe go with me again.  He must have been hating me that night!  Like I said, it was a long night with few solid hours of sleep.  But Jack woke up happy and that made it worth it.  I look forward to many more camping trips with both of them as they get older!

We extended our trip to the beach for one more day so that we could see my parents and siblings.  We went to the swimming pool by my parents future home.  I think everyone had fun...it was a hot day and the pool felt really good!  I don't think I will write too much more, but let you look at the pictures instead!

Derecho Strikes - July 2012

 If you have been keeping up with the news, then you have probably heard about the major storm that stretched across West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and northward.  It was a derecho, a horizontal wind storm, and there was some severe damage.  West Virginia was in a state of emergency and as I write this there are still people in my county that don't have power.  Fortunately we had no damage to our home, but knew we would be without power for a while, since the damage to our power lines was pretty bad.  In addition, there was only a limited number of gas stations working on generators, so it was difficult to get gas.  Then after about three days the generators stopped working on the water and many people were without water in our county.  After two days in the extreme heat, sleeping on our living room floor and trying to help Ella relax in the heat, we decided to leave town. 

I think Joe and I could have handled it, since we were used to camping, but it was really hard on our little baby girl.  Even Jack was managing well.  Then one day as we were headed to the lake, we made a quick decision to pack up and get out.  With the kids still asleep in the car, we quickly grabbed what we thought we would need for a week at my grandparents house.  I had to pack dirty laundry, since we couldn't clean anything, and then we also packed up for beach trips, since they live right next to the ocean! 

Overall, it was a great trip and I am so glad that we were able to get away to see our family.  The power came back on a few days before we got home and we are so glad too, since it is still quite hot outside.  Below are the pictures from our impromptu trip!  So thank you derecho for allowing us to get to the beach this year!

We were able to see the parade and fireworks in Southport, NC (home of the largest 4th of July festival in NC).  They were filming a Nicholas Sparks movie so scenes from the parade are going to be in it and there was a camera crew that filmed us cheering.  I doubt we will make it in the movie, but oh well!  Jack was in heaven during the parade.  Actually he had a serious look of concentration on his face the whole time.  It must have been due to the fact that there were fire trucks, motorcycles, horses, and boats, which are all his favorites as of right now.  

 We also took the ferry over to Fort Fisher so we could go to the NC Aquarium.  It wasn't that big, but it was a great experience for Jack.  He was able to see fish, alligators, sharks, and so much more.  It was a good day, and we followed it with a trip to the pool, but those pictures will follow in another post. (Check out the fear in Jack's eyes as Joe is putting him next to the bronze alligator...that picture is priceless!)

A Few Things

This post is full of little bits and pieces of things I have been thinking about.  I hope you enjoy! 

Ella has started on solid foods this week.  We tried bananas first.  I decided that she doesn't need to start with rice cereal, but we will probably incorporate that into one of the first foods this month.  She is still unsure of what to do, and gagged a little bit.  Today she did much better and I actually think she was excited to be sitting at the table with everyone else!






Jack has watched me breastfeed Ella a lot.  So I guess it was no surprise when I pulled out a baby doll that he would try to feed the baby.  I finally decided to capture it on video!  It is too cute and I'm sure it will be extremely embarrassing when he is a teenager!

 
While we were visiting my family this past week, we made a trip to the zoo.  Last year my  mom bought us a yearly parking pass to the zoo, so I have tried to make it worth the cost by going every time I came up for a visit.  This time, we decided to make the trip in the morning.  I wanted to beat the heat of summer and also to make sure we were able to get a parking spot.  The night before I got everything ready that we would need, like snacks, clothes, and diapers.  We decided to wake up at 5:30 am and get the kids in the car while still dressed in their pajamas.  By 6:30 we were at the zoo, we fed and dressed the kiddos and were off to see some animals.  At this point there were very few people there.  Most were running through the zoo, but I read online that the mornings were the best time to see the wolves, horses, and pandas.  Exhibits and buildings did not open until ten, but I knew it would be cooler so more animals would be outside at this time.  We decided to stay until 9:30am, since it was starting to heat up and the kids were getting tired again for a morning nap.  However, we were able to have an unobstructed view of the pandas (I have never been to the zoo without the panda building being a mad house) and we saw the wolves (something I had never seen before).  So I think it was a great success and from now on, any summer trip to the zoo will start that early!  I know this might not be appealing for others, but since we are already early birds I was happy to bypass traffic and get there early.













We have cardinals that are nesting in our front bush.  Actually this is their second nest.  I read online that they have two broods a year and the first brood was nesting in another front yard bush.  I love that I can watch Jack play with his toys and also listen to the baby birds as they chirp.  I took a picture of the daddy (he was watching me since I was right next to the bush with the nest).




I found these pictures of Jack and Joe on my camera the other day...Joe is always taking random pictures and for whatever reason, this was my favorite of the bunch.  I think Jack decided to wake up his daddy!

Recently we took Jack out in the kayak at Summersville lake.  He loves and boat quickly became a new word in his vocabulary.  He loves riding with daddy the best, but I look forward to a few early mornings with him on the water this year!  I have included a video of his very first trip with Joe and also a picture where we let him sit in the boat by himself. 

Ella is 5 Months Old

I need to find more time this week.  Joe and I are working on projects all summer and since we just got home from visiting family last week, we are straight back to work.  So this might be a bit brief, but I will definitely get through the stats.

Nicknames:  Ella Bella and Little Miss Wiggles

Weight and Length:  We don't have another doctor's appointment until next month, but I believe she is about 15 pounds.  We just recently increased her bottles to 6 oz. at each feeding.  She usually eats right when she wakes up, also at 11am, and then 3pm, 5pm, and 7pm.  I also nurse at least five times too. Although most nights she sleeps through the night, sometimes she will wake up and I usually give her a bottle then, since I know she will sleep a little longer in the morning if I do that.

Temperament:  It seems to me that Ella is becoming a happy baby as she gets older.  She still lets us know when she is not happy, usually she will grunt or growl if she doesn't like what is going on, but for the most part she is a smiley baby.  Ella is very ready to learn how to crawl.  She can roll all over the floor and she can turn around in a circle, but she hasn't quite figured out the forward movement yet.  I am going to give it a month, since she moves all over the room.  I don't remember Jack ever being like this and it is so fun to see her explore the surroundings.  It makes her so happy too (unless she gets stuck somewhere and then she will growl).  In addition, she got a new toy, which not only keeps her busy for a very long time, but she gets so excited to play in it (Jack gets jealous and wants to use it too).

First Experiences:  When I knew that my mom was going to be making a trip to Canada, I asked her to pick up a jolly jumper, which can only be purchased there.  You can ship it to the United States, but the shipping costs are super expensive.  So luckily the timing was just right and we saw my parents the next week and we were able to pick it up.  She LOVES it.  I have yet to find a toy that keeps her interested and she loves that she can be in a standing position.  I enjoy seeing her smiling face too.  It has already come in handy, since we used it at my parents house this past week, then at the rest stop on the drive home and about three times since we have been home.  Maybe I'm the one that loves it....

Ella was also blessed in my church this month. I was so worried that she was going to scream bloody murder through the entire thing, because she is older and I figured she would be so aware that she might freak out!  Fortunately, she was quiet and the message was very sweet and special to me.  I was thankful to have so many family members there too.  And she was wearing my dress from when I was little and baptized as a Catholic! What a little cutie.

 Items/Toys That We Love:  Of course I have already been raving about it, but Ella loves her jolly jumper.  She is also a big fan of a little butterfly that is very tactile and makes lots of crinkly noises.  And since she is moving around so much lately, she is starting to grab at her brothers toys as he leaves them on the floor.

I'm looking forward to the next month, since we will be giving Ella food for the first time.  OMG time is going by so fast, and before I know it I will have a two year old and a one year old!!

Parenting Ups and Downs

Things are going really well for our family as of late.  I am so excited for Joe to be home for summer break this year.  I feel like it has become much harder to be motivated to exercise with little ones around and I'm looking forward to more time to be able to get out on my own.  Maybe then I will finally lose this last bit of baby weight!  Here is a bit of an update on our little ones:

Parenting Ups:

1.  Jack has started to learn a few words. This has been super encouraging, since he has a little friend he plays with (a week younger than him) who knows at least 100 words.  Just hearing him try to sound things out and discovering that he is saying a few new words, just makes me so happy.  As of now Jack can say the following words: hi, bye bye, night night, Dada, mine, beep beep, and bike.














2.  Ella has started to sleep through the night.  I hope I am not jinxing myself, but for the last two weeks she has slept from 8pm until 5-6am.  I think I have had to wake up twice for a feeding at night.  This has been so great.  I am still waking up because of Jack, but it just feels nice to not have to train her to cry it out and learn to fall asleep.  I love that she is learning to self soothe!  Oh, and she always wakes up happy in the morning just calmly making noises in her crib.  Then she greets me with a big smile. 

Parenting Downs:
1.  Jack still does not sleep through the night.  He finally has his own toddler bed, and he will go to sleep there each night, but he wakes up around 1am every night and cries because he wants to be in bed with us.  At this point, it is a habit and we let him into our bed for the second half of the night.  I have a goal to eliminate this trip to our bed each night and also to have him stop using the pacifier for naps and bed.  I want to get this done during the summer...I'm just dreading the cry fest that we are going to experience when he learns to sleep through the night.  Maybe I will get rid of the pacifier first.  Ugh, it is already ripping at my heart strings.


 2.  Sometimes being a parent makes you fight with your spouse.  I hate that there are times when we argue about how much free time we each get or if we should just let Jack cry it out at night without any comfort.  Life would be easier if there was one perfect way to raise your kids.  A simple manual to point out how to make it work.  Yet we all know that it doesn't work that way and we are still figuring out our needs.  Thankfully I know that I married a man that is a great father and wants to make his children happy.  That will always make me smile!