Ella's sleep time

I posted these videos because my daughter has a pattern of playing in her crib for hours before falling asleep.  It started just for 30-40 minutes but now from time to time ends up being a couple hours.  She never cries she just laughs and talks and kicks her legs….take a look…you'll get the picture.  

The first video is of Ella reacting to me telling her to lay down.  Every time I say, "Ella, lay down." through the monitor she immediately lays down.  She doesn't always stay down but usually she falls asleep after it.  It's just one of the things she does that I'll never forget.  She really is a pretty good listener so far.  I know….I've got lots of years ahead of me.  haha.   She has been doing both of these things for a few months now.  It probably started around when she was 14 months.   

Enjoy the videos.  

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Ella!  We didn't dress up again this year but I got her a cute BOO! shirt to wear.  It was cuter than any costume I could have put her in, huh?!  

boo!  

She couldn't wait to get off the front doorstep to walk on the wet cement.  

Ella with the outdoor pumpkins.

I don't think you can really tell by this picture but this is a very distressed ella.  She wasn't so sure about the scarey trick-or-treaters.  After a few doorbell rings this kid had a grip on me so tight it was ridiculous.  Poor thing.  She would fuss a bit and then say bye after I said bye to the kids but then shake and just plant her head on my shoulder.  Long story short our light had to be shut off so I could get her to calm and go night night.  I felt bad for turning my light off because our street was pretty busy (for being in a town of like 2 people) but duh, Farah...Ella comes first!  :) 

Walking

yes, that's right, I have a walker....finally.  Although, we were totally ok with her waiting until she was 14 months!    She's been taking steps on her own now for a few weeks but last Friday she just kind of took off.  She would take multiple steps in a row (in the video below).  She starts walking from holding herself up on an object (duh) and then takes off.  If she thinks about it too much she has gets nervous but otherwise does great!  Here are a few videos I've actually been able to capture of her!

This video was the first time she took steps on her own.  Believe it or not I actually captured it....but is it not the funniest thing you've ever seen when she realizes what she's doing and flaps her little wings!  haha!

This was last Friday when she took those multiple steps.  She had probably taken about 8 or so steps before I was able to:  

1.  stay calm scrambling to find my phone to take video so she wouldn't be distracted

2.  Get Kyle's attention so he could watch...because he was flying nights so home in the morning

3.  Wait for the phone to actually switch over from photo to video...it took FOREVER!!!

This was later that morning just watching her walk with her push toy....that she loves!  

This one was taken the next day (Saturday) right before we went to the pumpkin patch.  Kyle was feeding her a snack and trying to get her to walk so I could get more video.  She literally cracks me up in the one!
***Oh and the first day we put pigtails in....TO DIE FOR!!!!

And We're Back!!!.....again.

I've taken a ba-jillion pictures over the last few months...of course!  Here are some of my favorites of my sweet babe. I'll be posting many more.  They may or not be in order.  Most of them are from Instagram.  You can follow me I you'd like!  Oh, by the way, I've changed my Instgram name to @farahbateman if you're not already currently following me! Stayed tunes for her 12 month pictures!  Yes, I said it--12 Months!  And currently she's 14.  How does time slip away?!

This was take while visiting the grandparents in Florida.  We had to go for a coffee run.  

This was also in Florida.  Getting some Chipotle....Ell loves guacamole!

Somebody turned one and also learned to hold up her finger to say how old she was!

I mean...Sooo pretty.  Ugh, those eyes!

Look at those teeth!!!

11 Months

Sleeping Better....finally!--I feel like I go back in forth with this all the time...but she really is sleeping better again!
One Year Old!--We ask her how old she is and she'll stick her finger up and shake her hand.
Pulling UP--she's doing really well at pulling herself up and then she'll stand playing with toys for 5-20 minutes
Favorite Toy:  Stacking Cups--She Loves playing with all the different sizes of stacking cups.  She acts like she's sticking them in her mouth to drink out of them, bang them together, stack them, put pacis or other objects in them, etc.
Visited Florida--Ella went to Florida for the first time to visit her grandparents after Kyle finished in Texas.
Moved to Mississippi--It was a big month for her, we also officially moved to Mississippi.
Two more Teeth--she now has 4 teeth.  She got her top left k9 on July 6 and then the top left front tooth the next day.
Favorite Food:  Cheerios--She LOVES Cheerios.  She lights up when we shake the box and she signs more more more.  She will sit on my lap and eat them up for quite a while in the morning when she wakes up, it's adorable.

11 Months

Finally, here are the 11 month pictures of Miss Ella.  We are so ready to be done in this darn TLF.  Not only is it just plain awful all around but it's got the absolute WORST lighting ever and I'm NOT good enough with my camera yet to fix that problem.  So, once again, bare with me on the photos.  At least the face is adorable no matter what.  

she's signing I LOVE YOU because the toy we were distracting her with says I LOVE YOU when you squeeze it.  How cute, huh?

Black and Whites

You know me and my black and whites....love them!

Family Photos

After we finished in Texas, we drove up to see our BFFs in northern TX.  Brittany took our family pictures and I took their family pictures.  They all turned out pretty great!  Here's just a few...some are goofs but I thought they would be cute!  Check out my logo on the pictures I took of Ella and let me know if you like it!  :)

Can Not Wait to hang these up in our house!  We move in next week!  finally.

quite a bit overexposed but still good...I'll fix it later.

towards the end of the shoot...El was done....I kept trying to turn her around on my lap but she kept turning and wanting to lay on my shoulder.  

I wish I wasn't in this picture because it's awesome of Kyle and Ella.  I look like a head floating in the pic.  That face is my favorite!

She's definitely a Winkler....she squints too!  ;)

Such a sweet baby girl

Atlantic Ocean

Not only has little Miss El been to the Pacific Ocean but she's been to the Atlantic Ocean, too!  I remember a picture of me at a lake in Nebraska from when I was a baby and I've always remembered that picture.  So we took some of Ella here at the beach....someday she'll remember these and be glad we took them.  She's also lucky to have grandparents who live in a beautiful place...called Nebra..I mean Florida!  haha!

Ella and Dada made this sand castle....or maybe we just saw it and took a pic in front of it.  hah

She's holding a seashell that Grandpa found for her.  She liked it a lot.  I think we kept it...not sure where it is now. 

Dada and baby walking down the beach

such a happy little thing.

I mean, can you get enough of that pony?!

she would NOT put her feet down in the water.....I think it kinda scared her a bit...I don't blame her at all!

She touched it!

She didn't like the sand either...

Videos Galore

So I got the videos to work....I have no idea how they just showed up.  I'm not complaining!  There are a ton I wanted to share but couldn't until now.  They go back to when she was probably 10 months.  

This is when she first learned to feed herself....yeah at like 9 1/2 months she finally decided to start picking food up on her own.  She is eating Mum Mums which continue to be her absolute favorite thing on this earth besides m.i.l.k., of course.  

At our TLF in Texas Kyle would bounce her on the bed like this and she would juuust laaaaugh!!!

This one she just made cute noises while laughing.  Adorable.

Ella and I would walk over to the BX A LOT while we were in TX.  It was just about a 5 minute walk and there was a Starbucks so obviously a must.  This was right after we came back from Nebraska, so about 9 1/2 months but we were walking in the BX and she started doing this crazy thing.  I mean, at first I thought something was wrong with her...but then she quit doing it and was totally fine, so I think she was just trying to express her happiness!  haha!  She did do it a couple more times over the week following but hasn't really done it since.  It's so funny...I died laughing, and was so excited to have caught in on video.  

10 Months

happy as can be--I'm pretty sure God blessed us with one of the happiest babies ever.  She is a little cheese!
signing more--I taught her how to say more when she wants more of things...basically food.  It's so cute how she puts her hands together when she is signing it.  **I want to post a video of the first time she did it but for some reason I can't figure out how to get my youtube videos to connect here....hopefully i can get it soon.
Picky Eater--well she's been a bit picky lately.  She used to eat anything I'd give her but now she definitely has an opinion.  She's also just not much of an eater...
Sleep=awful--that basically says it all.  Poor thing sleeps on an awful bed, in the room with us or in a new place all the time.  She has no normalcy.
Crawling Everywhere---she's definitely on the move.  It's not terrible but she is busy.
Favorite Food--She still loves mum mums and her fav pouch is purple carrot and berries.
Says, "mammma"--She actually said it for the first time....I have a video but once again, loading issues.
Favorite Toy: Books--she loves her books right now!

**keep in mind this is all from a month and a half ago....late posting...story of my life!  :)

10 Months

I'M BACK!  We are very behind on here from our move that is taking place.  Did I mention we've been without home since February.  Oh and it gets worse....we have no home until AUGUST 1!!!!  So Frustrating.  Temporary living it is.  We did get our computer out of temp storage so I can post again!  yay!

Here are Ella's 10 month pics from forever ago!  Which means 11 month to follow and then it's HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EL!  Party planning is my thing.  Too bad we won't have a home for the party!  Actually, we are going to celebrate her birthday twice.  Once when my parents come at the beginning of August and then when Kyle's come the following month!  It'll be just fine, right?!  Can you tell I may be a bit bitter...haha!  

Ella Brookelynn at 10 months!  

Ella and Daddy

Here are the rest of the pictures I took of Kyle and Ella the day they went out to the swings behind our place.  I got a couple good ones.  And I LOVE that he kept his uniform on.  I've been wanting to get some good ones of the two of them while Kyle was in his flight suit.  If he didn't strip out of it the second he walked through the door it wouldn't be such a problem.  :)  

There just happens to be lots of american flag benches right behind our place so it was kinda perfect!  haha

Couldn't get Ella to quit chewing her fingers.  Which by the way...tooth number 2 has officially broken through a few days ago.  

Love her little scrunched up nose and her hands resting perfectly on daddy's shoulder.  

Ella

Here's another photo of this precious face I have.  She looks a little chubby in this one.  It's stinking cute if you ask me-i just want to smooch on those cheeks!  

Enjoy!

ELLA

WE'VE BEEN BUSY!  VISITORS AND VISITING GALORE!  Here's a pic I just edited for now...hoping to get some posts ready soon!

Get ready for some major adorableness!

Visiting the Anderson's

We made the trip to Northern Texas!  Having so much fun with them up here-we don't want to leave!!!

Ella and Will riding together in the back seat!

Ella is NOT a fan of Roz, the Anderson's pup!  She is absolutely terrified, the poor sweetie.

Playing in the play room with all the fun toys!

Ella finally warming up to Uncle Geoff!  Such a great picture!

Kyle watching from San Antonio because he couldn't come with.  :(