Ellen's New Look

So I finally caved...I put a bow in Ellen's hair, see below. I have never been a proponent of making Ellen look very "frilly". My mom even gives me a hard time for not putting Ellen in more dresses. Now that I've gotten over that hump and put a bow in Ellen's hair (yes, she has a lot of it) I have become a convert...she does look pretty cute!

Ellen Turns 8 Months

Ellen turned 8 months yesterday, May 19! She is saying "dada" although I'm pretty sure she doesn't know what it means, and showing off more of her personality. Last weekend we attended a wedding in Chapel Hill, N.C. and our friend and photographer Meg Daniels (http://www.megdanielsphoto.com/) took some great shots of Ellen in the UNC arboretum, the site of the wedding. See below for a couple of my favorites! Thanks Meg!

Hanging in the Park

Spring in D.C. is absolutely the best time of the year especially when you have a baby who loves the outdoors! We try to get Ellen outside at least once a day to enjoy the weather and get a breath of fresh air. Here you will see some recent pictures taken by Lily of Ellen hanging out at a local park enjoying her surroundings. Happy spring and Mother's Day!

Grandma Bessie and Rick Come to DC

My mom and stepdad recently came to town to help me take care of Ellen while Andy went to a bachelor weekend in Las Vegas. Ellen enjoyed getting lots of attention while they were in town and looks forward to their next visit! Below are some pictures we snapped during their visit.

Hanging with Lily...

Ellen spends three days a week with Lily, pictured below. She gets so excited to see Lily in the morning before we leave for work--it's adorable. Lately she's been trying Mum Mums (available at Whole Foods) and can't seem to get enough (and it helps buy me some time--thanks AMO for the suggestion). Lily snapped a couple of these pictures of Ellen enjoying her Mum Mum this week. Ahh, the sheer joy and intrigue of eating a rice cracker...

Ellen and Lily

Delicious rice cakes.....

Sitting Up!

Ellen has been sitting up a lot more lately, as seen below (sorry they are a bitty fuzzy!), although she is still a bit wobbly. She will be 7 months on the 19th of April. I can't believe how fast time flies. Seen here she is enjoying her new blocks, although she mostly just enjoys putting them in her mouth--no teeth yet! She is ready for Gramma Bessy to visit this weekend! We'll post some visit photos next week...

Ellen's First Easter

Ellen celebrated Easter with her Aunt Meggers, pictured below, and her Grandma and Grandpa Jerch. She also enjoyed seeing the Teague/Watts family who came over dressed in their Sunday best for brunch. Ellen is getting more vocal (I'm sure that's a big surprise to all of you who know me) and more active every day. Her latest thing is to blow "raspberries" much to everyone's delight (especially when she is eating). She is also rolling over, loving her solid foods and even sitting up without much help. Soon enough she'll be crawling, although I'm not sure we're ready for that yet!