A Smorgasborg of Ella

We had a great Thanksgiving. Janet, Brad and Alisha, Ryan, Ella and I celebrated together. I made my first turkey, and I was fairly pleased with the results. I found an Ina Garten recipe that uses a turkey breast instead of the whole turkey. Plenty if you are having a small gathering, and everyone gets white meat!

On Friday I had to work, but had a break between patients in the morning, so I stopped at Smith's Market Place to pick a few things up. It was crazy; packed with people, long long lines, free donuts, and socks that were 50% off. I kept thinking, "If it's this crazy at the grocery store, what does Target or Wal-Mart look like?" Maybe next year I'll find out.

Mr. and Mrs. Wride

Here are some belated pictures of Jamie and Taylor's wedding. It was wonderful, and Jamie was absolutely stunning. Most of these pictures were from her wedding day, but a few are from her bridal shots in New York.

Nursery, nearly done

Most of you have seen the nursery, but Camie reminded me that she hasn't seen it and I haven't posted any pictures since it's been done. Well, nearly done. I still need to recover the blue rocker. If anyone knows where I can get upholstery fabric in good patterns (brown with polka-dots, brown with stripes, yellow with polka-dots, yellow with strips, etc) let me know. Thanks to Jamie for making the flower wall hanging. She's good to have around.

Control Issues

So...maybe I am a little type A. Maybe I do use my iPhone to record every time Ella nurses. Maybe I did create a Sleep Graph (as recommended in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child). Maybe I should just let babies be babies...eat when hungry, sleep when tired, no schedule, no worries. But I have this nagging worry that 3 months down the road I'll end up with a sleep problem that is huge, a baby that is unhealthy in her eating habits and a life that is chaotic.

Whoa...maybe I should just slow down a little and enjoy today, because Ella is going to grow up before I know it. Elder Ballard once quoted Anna Quindlen, saying

“The biggest mistake I made [as a parent] is the one that most of us make. . . . I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of [my three children] sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages six, four, and one. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less”(Loud and Clear [2004], 10–11)

I am really trying to focus more on enjoying the moments. Those precious smiles when she wakes up from a nap. Bathtime. Walks where she nuzzles her head against my chest. Her curiosity that is already apparent. Picking out clothes to wear for the day. Listening to her jabber. Getting a good burp. Changing a messy diaper (when this only happens once every 4 days you find yourself enjoying it!) The list goes on and on. The trick is to be able to see these things in the moment.

But I think I will still keep using my Nursing Tracker and Sleep Graph.

Ella Jane

I know I'm biased, but isn't she cute?

30 Seconds of Ella

We've been playing with our new video camera, trying to capture Ella's different faces and smiles. I can't believe that I didn't record her as a newborn; she has already changed so much. (It's obvious that I can't work the video camera well yet...hopefully it will come.)

We Won!!!

Yippee! Salt Lake City voted to renew the zoo. I think it was because of this ad:






It makes me laugh every time. Now Ella can grow up with a zoo where the animals are happy and healthy...or at least have a little more breathing room.

Happy Halloween!

Ella was the cutest little pumpkin for Halloween, thanks to Aunt Beth who whipped out the perfect hat to complete her costume. Thanks, Beth! We love you and your mad knitting skills.