New Babbles

Ella is making some new talking sounds now.

It's mostly "Bwa, Bwa" and occasionally "Mwa, Mwa".

It's been really hot the last few days here. Yesterday evening all three cats were stretched out on the balcony.

The Original Roller Coaster

I've wanted to get Ella one of these wire bead toys ever since she played with one in a doctor's office, but they're usually pretty expensive and big. I found this one at Target for just $14 and it's a much better size. The wood blocks on the wires are cute too. She's really enjoying it!

Deer Hollow Farm

We went with a couple of friends to Deer Hollow Farm at Rancho San Antonio Park this morning. Ella enjoyed the cow, chickens, ducks, goats, and a couple of really big pigs. :-)

This is the first time I've put sunblock on Ella. It was so hot even at 10:30 AM. I had to put her in her coolest outfit, so she needed extra sun protection. Fortunately, she was asleep when we arrived at the park so I had put her in her stroller in her car seat. That way I had two "hoods" that could be pulled out to shade her completely when needed.

I didn't catch it on video, but she was "talking" to the goats and the chickens.

Presents From Family In Bosnia

Sead's sister, Semsa, and her family just got back from Bosnia. They brought presents for Ella from Sead's family in Bosnia. Ella had a lot of fun opening the presents.

The Circus!!!

Our friend, Steve, got us tickets to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Ella had a great time! She was so excited about the sights and sounds. We didn't think she'd make it through the whole show, but she napped and ate during the show and was happy the whole time.

Crashed! She slept for almost an hour.

Time for a snack.

Pre-show entertainment

Elephants!

Suddenly, Ella Loves Tummy Time

Ella has never really liked tummy time, but that changed a few days ago. She's now rolling all over the place and spending a lot of time on her tummy.

This was her first time sleeping on her tummy and also her first nap in her crib! She's been napping on our bed during the day, but it's not going to be safe anymore now that she's rolling around so much and will probably crawl soon too.

Cute in Lavender

We were on our way out the door to meet our friends at Vasona Park to walk. Ella looked so cute in her outfit I just had to snap some pictures first. I think that was our last morning walk with the other moms and babies though. We meet at 9 AM, which is now Ella's first nap time. She use to sleep in the stroller, but the last two times we've gone she hasn't slept at all. We'll probably go after a nap on our own from now on. It's great exercise for me, but if Ella's not enjoying herself it's not fun for either of us. :-)

Snook likes my play places too.

Ella In Her Crib & Apple Juice With Daddy

I put Ella in her crib for a second while I was putting away a couple of things. She was so happy there I gave her a few more toys and took a shower. Her crib is pretty close to the bathroom so I can see her and she can see me from there.

Sead gave Ella a carefully prepared chunk of his apple to check out and she just started putting it to her mouth and then figured out how to get the juice out of it. She doesn't have any teeth yet. We watch her really closely to be sure she doesn't get any little pieces off that she could choke on. She makes a chewing motion, but it's just a little juice in her mouth.

(I muted the sound on this video because I was standing in front of a fan and it distorted the sound. The only sound was her Blue's Clues in the background anyway.)

Our New Car

We just turned in my leased Saab and bought a Honda CRV. It's nice to have a car with more space and several parent friendly features and most importantly, lots of safety features. :-)

A Play Place With A View

I try to set up unique play areas for Ella to keep her entertained. This is the first time I placed her so close to the balcony door. She can't move far right now, so it's a good time to take advantage of the view without the worry that she'll crawl out.

What's Snook up to out there?

Hmmm... maybe she will crawl. She doesn't like tummy time, but lately she's getting more motivated to move herself.

What Ella Likes To Do

As she's winding down in the evening, Ella likes to sit on the bed with her boppy for a little extra support and play with toys.

This Little People Zoo is for 1 and up, but she's already quite interested in it. She likes to put the animals in the lion's cave and take them out again.

Chewing on toys while watching Blue's Clues

We think it's so cute that she can get her paci into her mouth on her own. She's been able to do that for about a month now.

Playing with Calli

Sead took these videos while I was on the phone with my dad. Ella and Calli (a.k.a. Snook) have found a great way to play together. :-)

Grandpa Drops By

Grandpa was passing through town on business so he stopped by Great-Gramma Jean's house. We brought some of our toys and visited for awhile.

Gramma Jean took these photos of Ella and I. I'm rarely in pictures with Ella since I'm the primary photographer. :-)

Grandpa on a business call