Hot Mom, Luau, and a very long week.

So, as I posted, Ellie had her 4-month appointment on Tuesday. She's typically a real trooper as far as outings go, but when they include shots, it's a bit more dramatic.

And, seriously. What kind of horrible mother takes pictures of a crying baby?! :)


I figured that with her temperature slowly rising and her little legs so sore, we'd head home and have some Naked Baby Time. Maybe her legs weren't hurting THAT badly....

On Wednesday, we had some errands to run and she resumed her normal out-and-about demeanor:

Thursday was a blur with horrible back pain, but Andrew dressed her so I wouldn't have to bend over too much and this was the product:

And while I relaxed on the sofa with tylenol in hand, she jumperoo-ed away.

Aaaaaand, that was this week. Whew. On Friday, Andrew came home early so we could get ready for the Battalion Luau at the Hale Koa in Waikiki. This meant a mani/pedi for Mama and a super adorable dress for Ellie. Unfortunately, with Aloha Friday traffic, we ended up arrive 75 minutes late. Then EB decided to hate crowds/people/ANYTHING and screamed for an hour. Ahhhh. Lucky, lucky us. We left early, grabbed Taco Bell, and came home to watch Criminal Minds: Season 5. I guess this is a parenting lesson, though... Be prepared to scrap all adult plans for an early cribtime and some fast food.

Before getting ready:

Andrew plays a game with Ellie where he'll blow a small amount of air at her face and she gasps like she's drowning and makes the below expression:

We really are horrible parents. :) [Lisa- Tyra would be so proud! You know, making wind in her hair!]

Ellie in her luau dress:

I wish there were pictures of all of us at the luau, enjoying the show and delicious food, but the food was awful and T-Rex was too much of a hot mess for such moment capturing. I'll admit that we all looked cuuuuuute, though.

Back at home and in her favorite way, the naked way, she was happy again.

We're getting into the separation anxiety stage and EB definitely prefers to be at home, cuddling, and preferably with Mama. This aside, we enjoyed a nice dinner out tonight and Walmart trip where we found these gems:

Hopefully my doctor's appointment on Monday will reveal an end to my back pain saga and we'll all enjoy thrilling week.... Tomorrow is a trip to the Botanical Gardens in Kaneohe, Friday we have a harbor cruise in Honolulu, and BLOCK LEAVE STARTS SATURDAY. Too much excitement about Andrew having 2 weeks off. Seriously. Too much.


And here is a quick lost picture:

I don't know when exactly I took this, but hey! She's beautiful. :)

Whaaaa?!

HOW is Ellie so freaking tall? It is well know that Andrew and I are shrimps, but somehow Ellie is growing like a weed! Her 4-month appointment was this morning and she's weighing in at 15lbs15oz and 26 inches long. That's the 90th percentile in both categories!

Long day. Will be a longer night as immunizations make for a very cranky baby. :(

Lovin' a 4-day weekend!

Wow. We are a busy clan the past few days...

Though you can't see them, she's totally up on her hands. I apologize for my horribleness.

I love love love cloth diapers. I know, she's got a bubble butt, but saving money is exhilarating to me!

Chilling on Thursday. Andrew's enjoying a 4-day weekend and this was the kick-off. She is a total Papa-hog.

And on Friday I went dress shopping. Andrew's unit is having a luau in Waikiki on the 25th and it seems like the ladies in his life needed some new clothes. Above is Ellie's and trust me, it's somehow cuter in person. The above above picture was sent to me while I was out. :)

Yesterday [Saturday] we had a Battalion carwash [over $800 raised!] and then headed to the Honolulu Zoo. There are several soldiers that have difficulty pronouncing our last name, so Andrew's nickname at the Company is "Koala" and I am [lovingly?] referred to as "Koala Wife" and Ellie is "Koala Baby." So when I found this onsie, I was elated! So, our zoo trip:

Andrew is not a picture-kinda-guy, but he's working on it. Slowly.



The stork! We had a visit from him recently. ;)

And then a stop at Dave & Busters! This was Ellie's first experience sans-carseat. Sure, she's kind of small for the stroller, but with all the lights, she definitely wanted to look out. 

This was sort of a joke-shot. Ellie never lets me hold her like a baby.. she always squirms and whines and it makes me so sad. But, of COURSE, she lets Papa hold her this way. Urgh.

And this was her within 5 minutes of game-play. I don't care what Andrew says... I definitely beat him at skee-ball. Definitely.

So, fast-forward to the present. We were fortunate to attend an exceptional church service this morning given by a Stake High Counselor. So awesome. After a quick nap, I ORDERED MY NEW LAPTOP. Ahhhh. I've been using my current one for over 3 years and am so pumped to have a brand spankin' new amazing laptop. I can pick it up on Tuesday of next week and then, LOOK OUT, Escapades readers... this blog will be wild.

I also ordered Andrew a new t-shirt given his obsession with the T-Rex [the dinosaur, not our daughter... though he DOES like her]. So funny.

Tomorrow we're going to the beach and maybe some D&Bs again. Why not? We love games and Belgian chocolate fondue. La la la. :) :)

Long Ellie Day

There are days where I sit on my couch in the evening and think, "Man, today was SUCH a looooooong Ellie day." By this, I mean, she cried/whined/ate/screamed/wanted to be held all day. Besides a nap early this morning, she was a total terror. Andrew rescued me around 4pm, though and I had an excellent solo mission to Wal*Mart. Thank goodness. That said, there are plenty of wonderful things to mention today.

This was Ellie on her first Valentine's Day proclaiming her favorite valentine. :) Seriously, the hand-eating is too much to handle these days... slobber, sticky hands, constantly stained clothes. Bleck.

Those that know both Andrew and I will admit that Ellie sometimes looks like me and then can look like him the next day. It's so weird! But, as you can see above, today was an Andrew day. :)

This was while I was attempting to rock her to sleep this afternoon. Unsuccessfully.

And after throwing the fit of the century, she grabbed her blanket, rolled over, prodded Cookie Monster's eyes and took a quick nap. Why does she already act like a dramatic 13 year-old?

Thankfully she sweetened up by the evening and enjoyed quite a bit of Papa time. And for those that are interested- she is wearing cloth diapers in these pictures. I bought them here and seriously, they rock. A little time consuming, but they're great for preventing diaper rash and they've already paid for themselves, plus some!

Now, to some serious business. If you find THIS [at Wal*Mart] in size 6-9 months and have any intention of being my friend, please shell the 3 bucks out and save it for Ellie.

We call her "T-Rex" all the time and I was heartbroken when I couldn't find her size at our local Wal*Mart. We'll be in Maryland in April and I would be so so so grateful!

Quick Sunday Update

I love Sundays- I feel most relaxed and connected with my family and... I don't know, just happiest. After Church, we watched some House Hunters, Ellie kicked around in her Jumperoo, and I did some organizing for the upcoming week... Can you say Valentine's Day, grocery shopping, baking, laundry, and MORE?! Tomorrow may be the end of me. But!, back to my relaxing Sunday. :)

This was Ellie after Church. She's normally pretty fussy during Sacrament, but after a "quick" spit-up session, she was a total superstar! And THEN she took a nap when we got home. I know, God loves me.

And, as you can see, the hand-eating continues. What Papa didn't realize was that his attempt to curb her thumb-sucking was futile... She slips it in anyway!

And this was 20 minutes ago. She's always a whineball the half-hour before bedtime... You know what ALWAYS helps? Give her a full feeding, tuck her in, and pray with her. I doubt she's as thankful for her Glow worm as I am [it has freakish calming effects!] but I'm sure she likes Mia [the glow worm's name] pretty well. :)

Tomorrow is back to the grind, but with a 4-day weekend coming up, I am positive that we will survive!

Uneventful Days & Date Night

Ellie and I enjoyed a few uneventful days this week... but, by "uneventful," I really mean "uneventful except for tons of hand eating." Whether it's teething season or pure cannibalism, I'm not sure.

Why just chew on my own hands when I have Papa's?!

So... yeah. Motherhood rocks.

On Wednesday we had the privilege of meeting up with Kirstin, a fellow Mountain Ridge Class of 2008 graduate who now lives on Schofield! Small world! 

Then Papa took us out to dinner and maybe not everyone was as excited as Mama was?

But even after a rough night, she always looks like THIS is the morning... and, man, that makes it worth it!

Fast-forward to the weekend! Andrew planned a date night in Waikiki-- dinner at Lulu's [a beachside restaurant], a stay at the Aston Waikiki, and massages in the morning. Top that off with Coldstone and a super incredible babysitter and you can imagine my delight.

Doesn't matter that it's grainy.... you can tell how excited we are!

View from the room. Which was upgraded to a suite. Which looked even more amazing at night.

One very, very, very happy and relaxed Mama!


Meanwhile..... Ellie stayed with friends overnight. I was a little nervous about an overnight away from us so soon, but it's been a rough couple months. Besides, shortly after leaving, they sent this:

And this was her this morning:

So... One night couldn't have been THAT bad for her, right? :) Honestly, I am still glowing after all the quality time. And now my little family is back together- Ellie in bed, Andrew playing video games, me blogging... What a successful weekend! :)

And a little bonus picture! Andrew has a stuffed Cookie Monster from his infancy that he gave to Ellie and, let's just say, they are quickly becoming best friends.