Christmas Fun!

We're having soo much fun with our December activities. Uncle Mike is here to celebrate the holidays with us. We have SOOOO much to be grateful for!

A little help please...

So, let me preface this by expressing my extreme gratitude that Bauer is such a good nurser! I'm so lucky that I was able to nurse him after his NICU time getting all types of food intake methods. He is gaining weight and catching up with his peers, all things I am thankful for daily! However, I've been trying to get Bauer to take a bottle once and a while. I'm not wanting to stop nursing by any means-- i love it and I think I still have a few months left in me at least, but I'm just wanting him to take one every once and a while so I can be gone longer than 2 1/2 hours, (every minute of which I spend worrying about whoever has him and whether this was going to be a freak day where he decided he wanted to grow an inch leaving him hungry an hour after I fed him) I've tried a couple different bottles, different (insert word that i hate!) sizes, a couple different formulas (thanks to the multiple complimentary diaper bags I got when leaving the NICU!) ...nothing. I haven't tried starving him yet (a suggestion of someone who said if he gets hungry enough, he'll drink it) but I haven't resorted to that yet. I'm not wanting to have him take a bottle a day even, maybe just once or twice a week so i could enjoy myself while at cheer practice, go to the temple, maybe even a nice date with my husband ;) ANY SUGGESTIONS? or am i out-of-luck for a while until I am ready ween him completely?

But really....who can resist this face??

Holiday Update!

Hello Hello!! I know-- I know. You all thought we moved to Oregon and died! But no- we're alive and well. (that unicorn lyric was for you ashley!)
I can't believe it's the holiday season already!!! It seems like just yesterday I was just getting over my first trimester of being pregnant in DC! It's true what they say, the years speed up as you get older!
So, many of you, not to mention any names...uhhuh gloria... have been begging for pics of our new home. I kept hesitating because it feels like there's still lots of cosmetic things that need to be done, but since Bauer is taking a 2 1/2 hour nap, i thought it might be a good time to go for it! So here you go. No virtual tour but this will have to do.

The house and the view of the sweet park from our front door!


The kitchen (no cabinet doors, but don't bring it up, it's a touchy subject in our house..haha. Andrew, his boss and a friend are building the doors themselves-- so cool and a money saver- however NOT TIME SENSITIVE, much to my dismay! Also a close up of my beloved backsplash. I don't think anyone could see my vision as I designed this, but it turned out exactly like I wanted it to! yoohoo pratt and larsen 2nd hand store. All the tile was under $100!


Before and After of the downstairs living area extravaganza. It's open with no real room separation. There will be a pantry on that wall in the middle, at least that's what the said"cabinet builders" tell me!


Before and after of BauerMan's room. We still need to hang a few things above the crib, but we always think about it while he's taking a nap or down for the night.



Our downstairs half bath-- yet again, I'm not sure many shared my vision of the stripes. You can't really see it good in this picture, but it's the same color just different sheens. One's an eggshell (somewhat flat) finish, the other is a semigloss. I'll also take a second to brag about the bead board Mandy and I slaved over- i love the way it turned out! Then the little desk cutout area in the family room.


Andrew slurged on me and got me these super nice front loaders! They are seriously the greatest. they make laundry a joy...almost!

Ok that's all you're getting for now-- I'm still working on our master. I didn't want to make another decision so I just decided to wait to decorate that when we were in. I've decided on colors and am going to get the paint this week. Pictures will come.

THANKSGIVING!

You should all know that I LOVE thanksgiving. We spent it with my family at my mom and dad's (we were still living there, we moved out the saturday after.) I didn't get to help much thanksgiving morning since I was busy sealing grout and helping install my washer and dryer, but dinner was DELICIOUS as usual (great work mom and girls) and the company was just as good. I wasn't the first Bingo winner, but other than that, the night was perfect!

Bauer Man

...and of course, Bauer is as cute as ever. He's really not interested in rolling over too much. He just lays there and laughs at me making a fool of myself! He's starting to really like the little play saucer that grammy is letting him borrow until Santa comes-- new developments include sucking on wet washclothes in the bath, a very high pitched play scream, and teething! Tonight is the dreaded night we're starting sleep training- wish us luck! My little bright eyed stinker is the love of my life!

I'm one Proud Daughter!

I wanted to give a shout-out to my amazing father who is being honored by the Boy Scouts of America as a Distinguished Citizen on Saturday night.

I've known that I was the luckiest girl in the world since I can remember. My sister Mandy and I were talking about him a few weeks ago when we realized that as kids, we thought my dad could do no wrong. Now as adults we have the priviledge of knowing it! The boyscouts have this little motto they stand by, that they work to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent. I was asked by an interviewer which one of those described my dad best--truthfully, he's not one of those more than the others, nor does that list even come close to touching the type of description my father deserves.

He's not only an upstanding citizen, but he is exhibits upstanding character in everything he does.

I thank my Heavenly Father daily for giving me the opportunity to be raised by someone like my dad-- who I can honestly say is what he ought to be, does what he says he'll do (unless that's be home for dinner on time :)) and goes above and beyond what is expected. He spends countless hours at the office, at church, serving here, giving advice there, and never expects anything in return and does it with a smile and sense of humor that can't be beat.

Thank you Dad-- Thank you BSA for honoring him for being what I've always known he's been!

I LOVE YOU DAD!!!

4 Month Check-Up

4 month stats:
13 lbs 8 oz
24 inches long
25th percentile for everything
Let me just say this is a far cry from the 3rd percentile we started out on when he was 4 weeks early! YEAY BAUER-- you're doing sooo good.
Dr. Pang (who was just as excited as I was) is so excited about his progress. He said if that would have been the first time he'd seen Bauer, he would never have known he had complications at the start. That's what I like to hear! Dr. Pang also admitted that he initially had had some neurological concerns with Bauer (something that came up in the NICU multiple times) but that those concerns are long gone now. He's happy, healthy and thriving-- music to his mothers ears.

@ 4 months Bauer loves....

• Toys-- he's starting to really like having them in his reach. He grabs them and tries to put them in his mouth. It's so amazing to watch him learn and develop.
  
• being played rough with-- he's all boy!
• kicking and splashing in the bath
  
• Laughing more and more-- a nice reassurance for mom, maybe I am doing something right!
• looking up at mom and smiling, laughing and talking while he's suppose to be eating! (hard to resist let me tell you!)
  
• his hands...still, but also mommy and daddy's hands. He'll grab our thumbs and pinky fingers and just look and stare as we move our fingers. Cheap toy huh!?
• Laying on his back-- thank goodness because with the remodel we've been having to just put him down when we're all painted up and stuff.

@ 4 months Mommy loves...

• Making Bauer laugh and smile all day long
• just watching him figure out the world around him little by little
• singing my country favorites super loud to him while he lies on his mat and I feverishly paint the new house
  
• helping him figure out his new toys
• cuddling with him when he lays his head down on my shoulder
  
• sleeping more since he's doing a 5-7 hour stretch in the middle of the night! woohoo!
  
• loving him more than I ever though humanly possible!
  

4 months and cuter than ever!!!

Dear BauerMan,

I can't believe how fast these first 4 months have gone! You are an absolute joy. You are my little miracle baby-- I didn't know if I would ever be able to have a baby of my own. I promised Heavenly Father that I would be happy with any baby if He'd just give me one. He did not just give me any baby, He gave me you. I LOVE being your mom. Some of the greatest moments in my life have come while holding you in my arms.

Thank you for being so strong during the trials of your first couple weeks of your life. Thank you for your smiles and your laughs. Thank you for being so happy and easy going. Thank you for brightening many-a-days. Thank you for being patient with me as I learn this whole Mom thing. Thank you mostly for being You.

I love you more than you can ever imagine. Everyday with you gets better. I love you-- happy 4 month birthday Bauer!

Tired Mommy!

(I ran across this picture while looking for a good one of Bauerman sleeping and brought back a flood of feelings from Bauer's first couple weeks of life~ I can't believe how much he's changed in 4 short months!!! so precious!)

Let me preface this little post by saying that Bauer man is such a good baby! He's even becoming easier lately-- he sleeps super good in his carseat while I run in and out of HomeDepot, CFM and Miller Paint. He's been loving this little mat thing my mom has that has the toys over it. Yesterday he even fell asleep just laying there. But he's still not sleeping very good at night.
He'll usually go 3 or 4 hours til 2am, then it's anywhere from 30 min. to 2 hours after that. When he goes 3 hours he wakes up and has a good eating-- if he's hungry, I'm OK with it-- being a month early, I'm so glad he's growing-- but lately he hasn't been really eating very good when he wakes up; instead he smiles, laughs, and talks to me--VERY CUTE but it's not helping my lack of sleep problem. My tiredness has slowly turned to exhaustion and with the stresses of buying and remodeling this house, Andrew's long hours and other everyday stresses. It especially bothers me because as hard as I try, it's effecting the type of wife I am being. Andrew is super patient with me, but I find myself a little more short tempered, a little more sensitive, and a little more naggy (or A lot of all of those things...) I don't want to be that wife and Andrew sure as heck doesn't deserve it!
I've read most of Good Sleep Habits, Happy Baby and liked it-- Bauer's taking better naps in his crib during the day and he goes to bed around 7. I don't have trouble getting him to sleep really...
I don't really know what advice I am looking for...or maybe none at all. I know every baby is different and some just don't sleep fantastic (Bauer sure has many other endearing qualities!!) Some ladies I got together with from my ward on Friday night were talking about BabyWise-- i had never heard of it, but thought maybe some of you (or the 3 of you that look at my blog) may have. I heard it's a little intense, but would you recommend it? what parts did you find particularly helpful? I've started to let him cry it out a little here and there (i was hesitant to do so before now since he had the crying/breathing issues at the beginning) and I'm not opposed to it if that's the training that works best, but I just want to make sure I'm following a plan and doing it right if I'm going to start it.
Maybe my answer is just-- your a mom now, get use to it...and if that's the price I pay for having the extreme pleasure and blessing of being Bauer's mom, than I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING-- not even a full or even half night's sleep!

Bauer wanted to say hi...

A MUCH overdue update!

Hello!! I seriously can't believe how bad I've been at blogging since we moved! Bad is actually an understatement. I've actually been bad at taking pictures period! But I've resolved to take at least one picture a day so hopefully that will have a positive affect on my blogging habits!

So some quick highlights of recent happens with the Ellis Fam:

-- We bought a house! We are set to close October 23rd on this great little duplex in Sherwood, Oregon (about 20 minutes from my family.) We absolutely love and can't wait to get in there. It was a foreclosure so it needs a good cleaning-- along with some other small remodeling projects. We're redoing the kitchen (new countertops, refacing the cabinets, brick layers backsplash, and building a pantry,) taking out a window above the fireplace and mounting a tv, recarpeting upstairs and repainting throughout. Andrew working for a contractor is working out great for us right now as you can imagine! It's got a great yard and is just steps away from a super cute park. We've already started going to our new ward and we absolutely love it! We couldn't be more excited! Pictures to come!

--Andrew's job is going great! He loves going to work and the business is making lot of progress. We like to think their success is attributed to Andrew's hard work! :)

--I love being Bauer's mom. When I'm not playing, changing or feeding him, I like the scrapbook and as of late, shopping for things for the house. I'm healthy and happy- life couldn't be better!

--Bauer is 3 1/2 months now and growing like a weed, about as fast as our love for him! At his 2 month checkup which happened to be closer to 3 months (thank you insurance!) he weighed 11 lbs 3 ounces and was 23 inches long. He can sleep good at night but most of the time chooses to hang with mom every 3-4 hours. I can't complain-- if I'm going to have to lose sleep, there's nothing I'd rather be doing than cuddling with my little man! He does not like to be in the craddle position anymore except for the purposes of going to sleep-- he loves to look around at everything. He likes to talk and he even graduated from just smiling to laughing yesterday when he was playing with his Dad. He is the joy of our lives and we love him to pieces! ok now for the pictures...

At Bauer's blessing Labor Day weekend.

Little Man with Grandma and Grandpa Ellis who came all the way from Virginia for his blessing!

Buds at his first Blazer game. As you can see he was a little over stimulated and very surprised at how big the players are in real life. Thanks Papa & Grammy for letting us have the tickets to the first pre-season game!

Showin' off his good looks for the camera!

"How big is Bauer?" "SOOO BIG!"

His newest learned skill? Drooling uncontrollably! His dad would be proud to have you know in this picture, mommy was trying to play with him but he was too busy watching sportscenter to give mom the time of day! They start soo young!

"Sunday naps on dad are my very favorite!"

So-- there will be no more of these whirlwind updates. Instead I promise to post more frequently so my posts aren't so long!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

My cute dad had this great idea to buy everyone tickets to a Portland Beavers game. SO FUN! So last weekend everyone met downtown for a night of fun. Cause there's so many of us, my dad got talked into a suite above home plate which was fantastic because the kids could run around and not be stuck in those aisles. Bauer loved his first game and we just had a blast! It's sooo great to be so close that we can all get together to do things like this.

Bauer is getting a little chunky, but I promise his double chin is not as bad as it looks in this picture!


Grammy, Papa and their dozen of Grand kids (really, there's 12)


Daddy and Bauer man enjoying the game!


Us with Auntie Erin and Cousin Olivia (The Beavers colors are Blue and White, hence the BYU Cheer Uniform. so cute!)
SIDENOTE: YEAY for Gregg and Erin announcing they are pregnant with their 3rd. They make SUPER CUTE ones so we can't wait!!


Funny Story: I was in the corner feeding Bauer when a foul ball come zooming up into the suite hitting the back wall just feet from my head-- you can see the marking where the ball left a dent. Amazing enough no one got hurt!

My amazing sisters with their sleeping babies. I can't tell you how much fun it is to be so close. Since they are some of the only followers of my blog I'll give them a shoutout--LOVE YOU!

AND....INTRODUCING THE FIRST SMILE CAUGHT ON CAMERA!

He is smiling lots these days-- It's so fun. Love him more everyday!

All our Adventures...

Hello! I can't believe how bad I've been at blogging since we've been here. Let that speak volumes about how great it's been!

*Bauer-Man is as cute as they come and getting bigger and more interactive by the day! We haven't captured a smile on camera yet but he's got a super cute smile going already. He loves the morning time, between 6-9 am and smiles a ton around then. He's been digressing in the sleep category, he is waking up a couple times between feedings but he takes good naps during the day (at least it's not both right!?) He turned 2 months old a couple days ago and I can honestly say it's been the best 2 months of my life. I love him more than is humanly healthy. He's good to let me kiss him about 200 times a day!

*A week or so ago, Bauer and I left daddy home and went to Black Butte Ranch which is one of my all-time favorite places on the face of the earth. My mom, Jyl and her kids were there and we had a blast. We strapped Bauer's carseat in one of those bike trailors and rode all around the ranch-- so fun!

*Andrew is loving his work with a start-up-ish construction company. He's enjoying learning the various aspects of a small business and hoping their hopes for little company come about in the future.

*Bauer and I enjoy days hanging out with Grammy, Aunties, and Cousins. especially by the pool.

*I'm in the process of changing my Utah Teaching License over to Oregon and I plan on substitute teaching 5 or so days a month for a little extra money. I can't believe how much more Oregon Subs make than Utah Subs! I really am excited to get back in the classroom with the students and am greatful to be by a plethora of very experienced and very cheap babysitters that are willing to help out! (thanks sisters!)

*We're blessing Bauer on Labor Day weekend and we're super excited about all the events surrounding it! We're looking forward to Andrew's Mom and Dad getting here on Tuesday to meet little man.

Mommy and BauerMan at the Lodge Lake


Jyl's oldest, Miss Madigans! She LOVES Bauer, it's so cute.


Grammy pulling Bauer! I'm not very confident on a bike so she did pulling. Thanks Grammy!


AREN'T I CUTE!??


Chillin' in the Carseat

Mommy and B hanging by the pool!

Ellis Fam Update!

Ok, so it's been a few days since my last post ;) But not because of a lack of good blogging material. We're now in Portland and loving it!!! Well, Andrew spends most of the day looking for a job so I think he has a little more frustration than me, but I LOVE IT! You can find me taking care of my little monkey, visiting with my mom in her craft room, spending time with the sisters and their families, or watching/helping my mom host a party (i think there's been like 5 or 6 just since we've been home--she's just so good at it!!) Bauer Man is doing wonderfully! He likes to eat...a lot. He only goes 2-3 hours during the day, and NO MORE THAN 3 at night. He's a pretty mellow little guy-- he LOVES light. If he's near a window there's no taking his eyes off of it! He's smiled once. And to my mom's delight it was at her. He's sweet as sweet comes and I love him more than anyone can love anything!