Spooky Spider

Since David & I are traveling this weekend to North Carolina for Caroline's big day we decided to do Halloween a few days early.....well Catherine Ellis was not in the mood for the early celebration. We think she might finally be cutting a tooth or she could just still be under the weather from our little stomach virus we both had Monday & Tuesday - happy to report we're still alive, although my status was debatable for a while - Mommy got it much worse than Catherine Ellis.

David hurried home to carve one of our 4 gorgeous pumpkins - doesn't Mr. Pumpkin look awesome?

We have been excited for a week now about her costume - I ordered it online, so I was a bit nervous if it would fit - and we were so pleased that it looked so cute. However, she had different thoughts. I will give her the benefit of the doubt - it was close to her bedtime and she'd had a full day - so she let us know real quick this was going to be a short photo shoot. Our neighbor, Uncle Ray, came over to help and we had fun!

This is how we started the night, skeptical and in Mommy arms - we warmed up to the idea after a few minutes.

Shhh Mommy, I don't want to play dress up tonight

Warming up for the photo shoot

Are you serious Mom?

Maybe this isn't so bad.....

Nope, it's bad....

Hey Mommy, I'm a spooky spider!

Happy Halloween!

Well hello again Mr. Pumpkin

I'm a spider that might bite!

I had to post this next picture - I wish you could have seen us trying to make her laugh and smile, we were pulling out every trick in the bag and it was not working. David looked like a crazy man making her laugh and I just lost it, I almost cried I was laughing so hard......

Dying laughing...

Yeah - we are almost finished..

Catherine Ellis & Uncle Ray Ray

We're finished!

And one final picture from the Fall Festival at school last Friday - she was much happier about Thanksgiving than she has been about Halloween - maybe it's because there is a lot more food involved? I tell you, a child after her mothers own heart.

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch

We had another great, low-key weekend at home! We're thankful for it since we'll be traveling for 2-3 weeks after this weekend. Today we joined our good friends, John and Amy and their two children at Old Baker Farm in Harpersville. It was a gorgeous day - clear blue sky and warm weather - for a visit to the pumpkin patch. Catherine Ellis is starting to notice more and more her surroundings and she loves being outside, so it was a fun activity for us all.

Here we are in the field getting ready for our adventure:

Luke, Catherine Ellis & Sallie

There were hundreds of people with their children there, so it was mass chaos but lots of fun to watch all the children go through the various activities. They had a hay maze, which we weren't old enough to enjoy, but did take a rare family photo (I'm usually not in the photos since I'm the one taking them!):

Cain family at Baker Farm

Catherine Ellis & David

We did the hayride next and that was a hit! The hayride led us to the pumpkin patch where there were hundreds of pumpkins to pick from (we were told with all the rain and coyotes - they like pumpkins apparently - they had to buy them and bring them in). We got two great pumpkins, one large, one small and Catherine Ellis had a great time climbing on them!

David and Catherine Ellis on the hayride

Happy girl

And the 'what is this' exploratory fun starts:

Hum, what is this?

Let's eat it....seems yummy

Yay! This is fun...

Silly girl

She's getting big enough to ride David's shoulders and she LOVES it! Here are a few snapshots from her high in the sky!

Trying to take Daddy's sunglasses

This is SO much fun

Seriously Daddy, we should do this more often

Mommy, you sure are missing out!

Another fabulous weekend with those we love! Hope your week is off to a great start! Check back here mid-week for some more Halloween fun!

Happy Fall Ya'll!

There's no place like home

We spent this past weekend at home for many reasons. I started the weekend a bit under the weather, but I'm feeling much better after a few days of rest. David and his father went fishing in Slidell, LA for red fish, so my mother came up to visit and help out in his absence. We stayed at the house all weekend and rested. It was a wonderful weekend to spend indoors considering it's been windy and cold (low in the 30s at night). Fall is arriving, finally!

Meme and Catherine Ellis had a big time -- I think they secretly wished I felt like being gone and they could have had the place to themselves! She sure loves her Meme! And I'm so blessed to have such an involved and caring mother - she took care of me and loved on me this weekend and helped a TON around the house. Thank you Mom for being so wonderful! We miss you already!

Catherine Ellis and Meme

My Aunt and Uncle stopped in on Sunday on their way back from the Auburn game to visit with Catherine Ellis -- they have not seen her in a few weeks -- and boy did Catherine Ellis have a great time catching up with them. We saved her first 'meal' of the day for Aunt B to feed her and they had a blast. Here are some pics:

Auntie B feeding Catherine Ellis

Cutest dirty face ever!

Happy eater

Open wide...

In the previous posts I've mentioned how funny she acts while eating -- we can't put the food in her mouth fast enough (she is a baby after her mother's own heart!). So, while she's waiting for the next bite, she kicks her legs in anticipation. It's quite funny....here's a look....

Loving from my Auntie B

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Visits

We've had a lot of visits lately. The most recent was Catherine Ellis's 6 month checkup at the doctor today. She's doing great! Here are her stats:

26 inches long
14.5 lbs

Waiting on the doctor, enjoying the view

YAY! Dr. Farr says she looks great -- she's on the lean side since she is so long, but he's not concerned. We know she'll catch up soon. She's gained almost 2 lbs in one month! It doesn't appear that she has acid reflux anymore, so we're going off the medicine and will see how the next few weeks go. She's hit all of her milestones and in the next few weeks she'll start to be a lot more mobile once she gets sitting up by herself down pat. God is good! We are so blessed to have such a healthy baby. She did really well with her shots again -- what a trooper! She only cried about 2 minutes and then she was fine -- I would cry longer and I'm 30 years older:)

My good friend Katherine came to visit 2 weekends ago! We were so happy we got to see her.

Me and my namesake

We had a great weekend this past weekend, we laid low, watched football and did a little shopping. I'm working hard on refilling her closet with fall/winter clothing. It's so much fun to shop for her. Little girls have got to be the best to dress:) There are just so many cute things out there. Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Laid back in the tub (she's got her feet propped up, ready to relax!)

Quality time with Mommy

And last but not least.....videos of her playing in her exersaucer and eating solids.....hope this makes you feel like you are experiencing it with us! She's not a big performer on demand, but I did get a chance to capture some of the fun we are having these days! We're going to start using the real video camera -- sorry for the poor quality, but every time she starts doing something cute, I don't have time to grab it. Enjoy!

Daily exercise

Eating solids

6 Months

Happy 6 month birthday Catherine Ellis! It's amazing how much she has changed since we brought our bundle of joy home from the hospital. She's a big girl now and her personality is shining through. We are having so much fun! It certainly makes those early weeks and months when she was pretty much eating, pooping, and sleeping all worth the fun that she is now. She's becoming a little person who is healthy, fun-loving, and a hoot to be around.

6 months

Here's what she is doing now:

• Loves the exersaucer and actually plays in it
• Learned how to make the music play on the exersaucer
• Fine motor skills are improving -- she can do most of the activities on the exersaucer
  
• Working on her ab muscles more and more every day
• Can roll from her stomach to her back, but has a harder time with back to stomach
  
• Babbles and makes sounds like she is talking
• Her feet can now go in her mouth
• Takes an object and moves it from hand to hand with ease
• Laughs
• Standing more strongly on her legs
• Reaches for objects and toys
• Started solids -- so far she has tried bananas and peas -- she likes them both
• Eats in the morning and afternoon with the older children in her classroom (a mixture of rice cereal and bananas or peas)
• All of her food is organic at this point in time. I was going to make her food, but I've decided time is precious and right now I'm juggling enough with working full-time and mommying full-time. I may change my mind as she begins eating more and more. It's expensive!
  
• Eats from a bottle during the day - I'm still pumping and nursing her in the mornings and at night, but for less stress for us both I've switched to bottles for day care. It's less disruptive for her and I actually get things accomplished at work
• Takes baths without the hammock - she sits up and splashes in the water and plays to her hearts content
• Loves taking her vitamins (we hope this continues well into life - I always hated them)
• Watches Nick Jr. in the mornings and acts like she is comprehending what is going on (although we know that's a stretch)
• Much more aware of the dogs and wants to pet them -- she thinks pulling Cains ears and gums are hysterical
• Still working on growing hair -- I think she'll be year before she has much. Dad is hoping it's sooner
• her eyes are a light brown/hazel mix - it depends on what she's wearing
• Sucks her thumb at night to soothe herself
• Sleeping is hit or miss -- she still sleeps through the night, but the past 2-3 weeks she has begun awakening between 3:00 a.m. - 4:00 a.m. to play. She doesn't cry or act like she is hungry, instead its 'let's see how many sounds I can make' time. It would be much cuter if it weren't so early in the morning.
• Clothing size is still some 0-3 months, but wearing more 3-6 months. She needs 6 months for her long legs if they are pants, but then they fall off of her because she's so lean -- but we're working on that!
• The passy is not used near as much as it once was, she's so busy babbling she doesn't need it
• She recognizes David and I and when one of us leaves the room she notices
• Her eyesight is improving -- she can see from a decent distant now - she recognized David from across the restaurant last night
• Waving bye bye, but backwards or side to side -- she doesn't always do it when someone says bye-bye, but you can tell she's working on getting the wave down
• Her hands are mesmerizing -- who needs toys
• Tummy time is still not fun for her but she's getting better
• No teeth to report at this time - we keep thinking it will be any day now
  
• She's a very happy baby, typically only fussy when hungry and not being fed fast enough (this is straight up a trait she gets from her Daddy -- he's the same way)

I know I say this every time, but we are so blessed. We are trying hard to stay in the present and not wish her stages away -- I know I'll blink and she'll be 16 before I know it. Each stage has it's ups and downs, but this is really the most fun we've ever had. She's a delightful child and we look forward with great anticipation to the next cool thing she does. We praise God for the wonderful gift he has given us!

Bananas!

We're going bananas at the Cain house! Catherine Ellis had her first solid food (not counting rice cereal she's been practicing on for a few weeks) on Thursday. It was bananas! She LOVED it. It takes her a little while to warm up to eating ... it's still new ... but after warming up this child loves to eat -- imagine that! She did really well and ate almost half of her little jar. I was so proud.

She's so funny in the Bumbo -- recently she tries to escape whenever she's in it. So eating is a challenge sometimes. You'll see below we started in the Bumbo and ended in my lap. Let the eating begin.

Not loving it yet.....

I think I might like this

Yummy in my tummy

A visit from the Hendersons

One of my best friends and former roommate in San Diego came to visit and meet Catherine Ellis this past Thursday. What a treat! Cristin and I met as freshman at Auburn when she lived across from me in the dorm --we've been friends ever since. We were trying to count up the number of years we've known each other and decided it's been 12 years! It scared us; it still feels like just yesterday that we were students at Auburn. What a wonderful friendship!

The last time Maison and Criddy 'saw' Catherine Ellis she was snug in my tummy and moving up a storm -- we went to AJ's wedding in Mobile as my last road trip before having Catherine Ellis! Needless to say, Catherine Ellis has grown a bit since they last 'saw' her. It's always a treat to share your children with those you love. We've been so lucky this year to see Criddy and Mais twice in one year. We're hoping for a trip to sunny Callie soon.

Thanks for visiting us Aunt Criddy and Uncle Mais -- hope to see you again soon.

Criddy and Catherine Ellis

Me, Catherine Ellis, Criddy & Mais

Catching up

We've had a busy two weeks, but things are about to slow down for a little while. I had my big event for October, October 1, and things went well. We raised double the amount we were hoping for, so in this economy that's a big win!

Catherine Ellis is doing well - it's hard to believe in a week she will be 6 months old. Where does the time go?

We went to Jasper last weekend to visit David's parents and celebrate his Dad's 60th birthday. It's been raining for weeks here with this past week being the driest in about a month. It rained most of the weekend, but we had a great time. Here are some pics from the weekend:

Watching football with my Daddy

Someone scored - YAY!

Hanging out with Aunt Stace and Sam Sam

Meeting Mr. Mark for the first time

Church with Mommy & Daddy