Were Back, Just took a little break....

Well just as I knew it would happen, we took a bit of a break from the blog as I returned back to work in mid-June. Things have been going fairly smoothly and we have got a bit of a routine down now. Three days a week we have a nanny for our little puffball, daddy stays home 1-day with her, and then I work from home 1 day. So far, this seems to be working well for all parties. Our nanny is Tennielle and she brings her adorable little boy Hunter along, who is exactly 3 weeks older than Elinn. They have great fun together, and Tennielle has been a little blessing for us and caring so well for Elinn!!

Here are a few pics of Elinn with her new bud Hunter!

We have also been enjoying our summer! It has been great weather for dips in the pool. Our monkey has turned into a real fish. She can now conquer 2 lengths of the pool without her wings, as well as jumping in for cannon balls, etc. She loves to have her wings off, if we are not in the water with her!! Puffers on the other hand loves to just watch from afar, just relaxing. We have to be quite careful with her and the water, b/c the smallest drops that make it to her mouth could cause her to choke. I just hope as she gets older she can enjoy the water as much as her big sis. Now for a few pics from our summer fun!! You will see sibling rivalry has already started in a few pics :)









In other news, we have enjoyed a close friends wedding and spending time with family and friends. We hate that the summer is flying bye, b/c we enjoy soaking up the daylight for walks, and late evening swims and ice cream. Were so glad the monkey misses the cutoff for kindergarten in the fall, as this mama just isn't ready for her baby to begin school yet. These last 5 years have just flown bye. She will remain at her same daycare and begin Pre-k with one of her favorite teachers and her best buddy Eli.

Here's a cute story from this week. Addie's class had a field trip to see Toy Story 3, and during the movie there was a scary part where a building or something caught on fire. Her buddy Eli was right there beside her, patting her back and letting her know when the scary part had ended. They are just so cute together, and he is adorable. A real sports nut already. He always shows Ryan and I his latest Cubs or Butler hat or shirt.

Well other than given you the latest stats on our lil' puffers, I think I have somewhat caught everyone up on our household happenings. So for 6 months, Elinn weighed in at 13 lbs. 4 oz. and was 26 1/2 inches. She is close to sitting up on her own, as she can make it a couple of seconds without any help. She also is enjoying her baby food, practicing drinking from a cup, and puffs!! She is doing quite well other than her recurrent ear infections, which we hope to get under control at her next ENT visit in August. Here are some more pics of our summer fun, enjoy!

Past Due...

Is a pretty consistent theme in my life. Ask my hubby, I am not known for returning library books on time, or movies to the video store, and of course getting bills sent in on time. I pretty much am a procrastinator, not because I don't won't to get things done, I just like to do them on my own terms :) Anyways, good title for the post b/c I have missed highlighting you all on Elinn's 4 and 5 mos. stats, as well as telling all about our vacation to Disney World, that we have found a nanny to care for our little puffball, etc. etc. And now of course, I will be returning to work next Monday June 14th, let the fun really begin. (Just Kidding of course)!! So, with much further ado, here are the lastest stats:

4 mos.

Height-11 lbs. 1/2 oz.

Weight- 25 1/4 in.

5 mos.

Height- 25 1/2 in.

Weight- 12 lbs. 4 oz.

We also had our first scare with puffers this past Monday. We had to take her to the ER for respitory distress due to croup. They did admit her and she was given steroids to assist in lessening the complications on her breathing. The also monitored her oxygen and heart rate levels for 24 hours before releasing her. She additionally has ear infections in both ears, poor little things :( She definitely was not her normal cheerful self, as she is one of the happiest little babies I know, and she is an absolute sweetheart.

In other news, our trip to Disney was lots of fun, minus the heat and crowds!! The monkey loved every ride and I think we lost track of how many times we road Snow White's scary adventure after our 3rd day at the Magic Kingdom. It took us until our 4th visit before we moved away from the Adventureland section of the park. Here are a few pics of the girls, from Easter, and some more recent shots. Enjoy, I will be back soon to share a few from our trip!!

My Girl's Growing Up

I see it in her everyday, she is growing up. On Friday, she took time before she left with her dad to ask what her baby sister and I were going to do that day. I said we were going to the hospital b/c lil' puffers was going to have another swallow study performed. I said let's pray puff has improved and we can thin her liquids a little more. Not thinking anything about it, I took her to the door and waved goodbye. We went about our day, and I sent daddy to pick her up after our hospital visit so I could run by the store. When I got home, Ryan advised that the monkey's teacher said our monkey did the sweetest thing at lunch time. Our grown-up girl asked her friends to say a prayer for her little sister b/c she was having a test done today, so that she could eat better. My heart melted when I heard it, and just one more reason I know our girl is growing up. Oh, and that prayer must have worked b/c we now get to thin the liquids a bit more for our lil' puffers, which has made each feeding this weekend like starting all over, but will take it :)

March Madness Literally, and of course 3 Months

March seems like it was a whirlwind (See 1st picture, for proof). The girls and I made our first long car trip together. Well it wasn't that long, but it seemed like it :) 5 hours later we made it to my parents, but it is really only a 3 hour car ride. We stayed a week, and things actually went fairly smoothly. I got to catch up with friends, celebrate birthdays, and do a little shopping of course!! We also had a leprachaun visit us upon our return. The Monkey loves St. Patty's day, and this year when she returned home from school the leprachaun left her a scavenger hunt, oh what fun we had. I have shared some pics of the adventure. Elinn has continued to change weekly, she is eating more ounces now and cooing and talking quite regularly. Whenever in her swing she goes crazy talking. We haven't quite figured out what she is talking too, but something on that swing sparks her to strike up a big ole' conversation :) We enjoyed the first couple weeks of March Madness ending with a trip or date night for Ryan and I to the Championship game. We closed out the month with a visit from CeCe during her spring break. I was able to busy myself with searching and interviewing nannies for our little E-bear. And finally, I have to officially announce that Elinn has her nickname, little puffers or little puffball as the Monkey likes to call her. So, from this point forward we have a lil' monkey (aka Addie Bobo's) and lil' puffers or puffball (aka Elinn or E-bear or Ely Bear) We like nicknames in this household. So enjoy this months pics, will be back soon!! Unfortunately, I will be returning to work in the not so distant future and I am not looking forward to it :(

Two Months

Well, this post is a bit late as usual, but we thought we would share some more recent pics. Elinn is now 2 months old. She is changing weekly and her accomplishments include cooing and smiling quite regularly, beginning to track objects with her eyes, and her newest infatuation is definitely her hands. She has found them and she loves them, except when we use them to scratch our face :) Big sis is also one of her biggest fans, she loves to cheer Elinn on during tummy time!! Were also excited as big sis now stays home with us a few days a week so we can enjoy some fun outings all 3 of us. Were loving the warm weather the last two weeks and have big plans to hit some of the outdoor playgrounds soon. Daddy is promising a swing set this year, and we can't wait! Enjoy this months pics.

SO, Stinking Cute!!

I love the title of this post, b/c that is what the monkey continues to say to her baby sister. She creeps up beside her and always, I mean always says, E an (as she pronounces it) "You are just so stinkin cute!!" We obviously totally agree with her. And before I forget, I want to capture some of our other favorite monkey happenings, so here is a list in no particular order b/c she too is So, Stinking Cute:

1. When asking for milk in her cereal, she tells Ryan and I every morning... "I want a lot of milk, but not much lot." Ok, we got it we respond.

2. She continues to tell us, when she can not taste something, that "Mom, I don't feel it"

3. She also tells us when our fur or her fur is bothering her, which in 4 year lingo means the hair on her arms or legs.

4. She also absolutely adores Taylor Swift right now and knows every word and I mean every word to most of her songs on the Fearless album. She can belt it out with the best of them.

5. She loves to have dance concerts with her dad, and sometimes mom can sneak in for a dance, but daddy is a little stronger and can do fun lifts, etc. with her.

I just want to pause time right now, b/c time seems to be flying bye right now and I really don't want to forget these moments of the monkey. Elinn also has been changing as well, she has started to hopefully take off in the weight area, and cooing is becoming a little more regular, which is such a sweet sound. She also is doing well with tummy time, we just need to keep working on that head control. Elinn weighed in at 8lb. 12 oz. this week as we are nearing the 2 month check-up.

One Month

Well the last month has been a bit of a whirlwind between little sleep, tons of dr. visits, and a 4 yr. old adjusting to her new sibling. But all is well in the Monkey household thanks to wonderful family and friends who have helped with the little ones, kept up with household duties, cooked meals, and just visited with us. Our new little one is doing well, she is a little slow to gain weight and is now on a food thickner due to a swallowing issue. Additionally, she does have a very mild defect to the aorta in her heart that is being monitored regularly. Other than that she is a changing weekly and becoming quite the strong one. She is lifting her head regularly now, gaining a stronger grasp, and is much more alert beginning to follow her big sis with her eyes. I have posted a few pics below so you can see how she has changed, she now weighs in at 7 lbs. 13.5 oz. Hope everyone is doing well, thanks for all the love you have shown us!!