A few recent pics of the little girl

At eight and a half months, Ella is treating us to new tricks all the time... She is still clapping like a champ - that's probably her favorite - that and the motorboat/raspberry noise that she makes with her mouth... She now likes to slap you five and not only give you kisses, but lick your face. It is surprisingly endearing. Her days are filled with "ba-ba-ba"s and "ma-ma-ma"s and, most recently, "da-da-da"s - none of these sounds have meaning yet, but they sure do have charm.
As you'll see in the video, she has been pulling herself up wherever she can and is becoming quite strong. We've realized lately that, in comparison to other babies, we've got a real wiggleworm on our hands. She is constantly straining and grunting and reaching for the dog, a stack of papers, a remote control or some other verboten item. She keeps us on our toes.
Her inflatable water toy should arrive in the mail on Friday and then we're off for a Hawaiian adventure, filled with lots of pool and beach time and snuggles with both east- and west-coast grandparents.
Much love to all!

Ella Standing in the Bath

Well, it won't be long now...Ella pulled herself up in the bath tub tonight, all by herself, so we figure it won't be long before she is fully, independently mobile.

The last week and a half...

Ella is becoming so much more active and mobile. She is rolling around, constantly pulling at our clothes, reaching for toys and wanting so much to move independently. She continues clapping those hands and even knocking two toys together with a huge smile on her face. One of her favorite toys right now is a little stuffed soccer ball that she likes to bat and kick around. She also loves her two jumpy seats, which let her bounce and turn around so gleefully. She'll be eight months old on Thursday and we're loving this age...

Some favorite pictures!

Just thought we could use some illustrations for our blog!

And we're off!

A good friend, Emily, gave us the idea to create this blog for photos of and updates on our little Ella. Today is the first day - and an important one because Ella learned to clap today! We were having a skype conversation with her Eastern grandparents and all of a sudden, she got those hands together! It was very exciting for us, but she seemed even more thrilled with the discovery. This weekend, she also started leaning forward and dunking her head in her own tub (trying to drink the water) and singing along to Mariachi music at the local Mexican restaurant. What a week! It is amazing to think of all the exciting new tricks that lie ahead. Love to all - HAM