Adam and Erica's Wedding!

This past weekend, we attended the wedding of Travis' friend, Adam and his lovely wife Erica!

{Sadly, Ella did not get to attend!}

Since Trav was in the wedding, I rode to the church with Amanda, whose husband was in the wedding as well. There was terrible traffic, so we got there at 3:59...and the wedding was at 4. Whoops!

The ceremony was gorgeous and was in Erica's home church. 

{Oh and side note: all of these pictures ARE terrible! I was not about to bust out my fancy cam and try to compete with the wedding photog ;)}

{Can you see my husband?! Ohh no, of course not, because he was hiding behind a bridesmaid the whole. entire. time!!}

I loooved her dress!!!

The reception was about 50 minutes (!!!!) away, so Amanda and I decided we would both pump...in the car....on our way to the reception. It was quite a spectacle. 

The reception was at Cape Fear Botanical Garden, which was gorgeous and had lots of pretty areas for picture taking! Unfortunately, I didn't get a good pic with my husband till later, because he had to stay with the wedding party during the cocktail hour. 

The room was super big and open and had gorgeous purple and green uplighting once the sun set!

Our meal was served family style, which could have been a little awkward if we didn't know everyone at our table, but fortunately, we were sitting with all good friends.

The food was really good...we had trout, chicken and a filet!

{With my handsome groomsman! 

My dress is from here--had to get something to hide my baby pooch!}

Their cake was super gorge and I'm still kicking myself for not getting a good enough pic of it...it had lights shining on it to make it look even more pristine (Trav thought it was an ice sculpture, haha)!

{First dance!}

I actually had to leave soon after the first dance (during the daddy/daughter and mother/son dances) because I was about to cry thinking about Travis dancing with Ella at her wedding one day. I hid in the bathroom for about 10 minutes and I pulled myself together. 

#ridiculous

For their exit, Erica changed into a shorter, super cute, sparkly dress!! I wish I had gotten a better picture of it!

Congrats, Adam and Erica!!! Have fun in Fiji!!!

Life with Ella {week 10}

I can't believe my sweet girl is in the double digits now!! 

We had a pretty busy week!

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday were fairly low key though.

We tried out the Bumbo seat...

...dog-sat for Auntie Kaffy's puppies...

...attempted to sleep in our own crib {it did not go well!}...

...and of course, took lots of baths, going under the "waterfall"!

Thursday was Ella's 2 month appointment! She was 10 pounds, 12 ounces and 22.75 inches long! 

She also had to get some vaccinations. First was the rotovirus, which was given orally and is supposed to taste like sugar water, so she didn't mind that too much.

Then came the shots!

Needless to say, she was NOT a happy camper!

We spent the rest of the day either screaming bloody murder...

...or sleeping.

Poor baby. It was kind of awful and I could tell she was miserable. Thankfully, it only lasted a day!

Friday, we had to get ready to go to Fayetteville for a wedding. Travelling with a 2 month old is no joke!

Our car was packed to the brim. It doesn't look like much, but we had golf clubs (I asked Travis about 2947 times if he really had to bring them! I mean, seriously.), a stroller, a Rock n Play, suitcases, tuxes, dresses, coolers of milk, the boppy pillow....you name it, we probably brought it!

Ella did great during the 3 hour car ride!

She even got to hang out with her boyfriend Rhys at the rehearsal for a little bit.

We took her to the hotel so Trav's parents could watch her while Trav and I went to the rehearsal dinner. Little Miss Elle Belle decided to cry the whole time we were gone, and this was how we found here when we returned to the hotel room. Ha!

Luckily, she was in a much better mood on Saturday and did great for her grandparents while we were at the wedding! 

{I will post more about the wedding later this week!}

Yesterday, we said goodbye to Travis' parents (THANK YOU again SO much, Arnold and Beverly!!!)

Then, we drove back to Charlotte and enjoyed the sunshine! :)

I am so glad those 2 month shots are behind us...they were awful! Not looking forward to Ella getting them again at 4 months, but at least now I know what to expect!! 

Have a great week! :)

Two Month Favorites

Here are a few favorite things that helped us survive the second month with Ella!

First up...her top 3 favorite places to nap:

(notice the crib is not on here, whoops!)

1. I got realllllly lucky and have a kid who loves the Mamaroo! In fact, she is currently chilling in it now, as I write this! This thing is awesome...you can see all the details here. (The "car ride" setting is her fav!)

2. Our stroller and car seat are pretty awesome too. I love that the stroller has 3 wheels, like a jogging stroller (although, I haven't run with it yet, so the jury's still out on whether or not it can fill in for a full-fledged jogging stroller). And the car seat fits perfectly in it...no need to buy any crazy adapters. Plus they are both super, super safe! 

3. The Rock n Play is probably my favorite favorite for this month (and definitely Trav's favorite...he carries it all over the house)! Ella could sit in that thing all day long if i made her. She is still sleeping in it at night and takes the majority of her naps in either that or the car seat. We will also be taking this with us when we go out of town this weekend! 

{Side note: I got this cute pattern at Target...because I HATE (hate, hate, hate) beige--which is the color of almost every other Rock n Play at every other store.}

1. My child is very, very strange and actually LIKES the Nose Frida!!?!? I know. Travis prefers the nasal aspirator we got from the hospital, but I have a hard time getting the snot out with that...the Nose Frida is awesome. 

2. Thank God for the person who invented these bags. No waiting to run things through the dishwasher--or worse, washing them by hand myself!

3. This month we have fed Elle Belle a few bottles and I have to say, I totally love the Dr. Brown's bottles. Yes, they have a lot of parts...but using those sterilizer bags really helps!

1. I'm going to be totally honest and say that I added these Aden + Anais swaddle blankets to my registry, because everyone had them on their "must-have" list, even though I wasn't totally sure what I would do with them. Now, I am obsessed with them! They are the perfect burp cloth, plus they make a great blanket and swaddle for when it's hot out. I foresee us using these tons more as the weather warms up!

2. These are my favorite swaddles. We also have some of the Halo Sleep Sack swaddles, but Ella busts out of those like nobody's business. She sometimes busts out of these, but it's a little more difficult.

3. This rattle is about the only real "toy" Ella has interest in at the moment. I use it to get her attention during our photo shoots and she actually will hold on to it from time to time. Plus, there's an owl on it, so obvi I needed to have it. 

And there ya go....another month of fun stuff for Elle Belle!

Life with Ella {week 9}

Another week, another recap of fun times with Elle Belle!

We spent LOTS of time outside since the weather was so nice! Monday we went to the park with one of Ella's boyfriends, Rhys.

My friend Chelsea came to visit us on Tuesday!

Ella and I were so excited to hear that Chelsea is prego and due in October! Yay for more baby friends!!

We also read some fun books! Ella LOVES looking at the waterfalls in this book that my parents bought for her!

On Wednesday, I woke up to this smiley face, who slept from 11:30 PM until 8 AM! That's a record for her and it felt pretty amazing!

We spent Wednesday afternoon at Carter's house on a little playdate!

Auntie Kaffy was such a pro holding 2 babies at the same time!

To celebrate Ella's 2 month birthday on Thursday, we went out to lunch with Travis and then took her to his office...

This was her face the entire time she was in the arena! Haha.

She loved meeting all of her dad's coworkers!

On Friday, we went to the park with Rachel and Katie and their girls! 

And Friday night, Ella attended her very first Bobcats game!

She also got to meet Trav's friends Tim and Mike, who were both in our wedding!

Saturday, Ella chilled with her dad while I went with my friend to help her with stuff for her wedding.

{How cute is that little headband?! I just die.}

When I got home, we changed Ella into her Easter dress...

...and took her to see the Easter bunny!

Yes, I know the Easter bunny is creepy. But I think this one is not as creepy as some that I've seen.

And tell me that's not the cutest thing ever?!?! Ella was SOOO good! She really liked it, I think! People that were walking by kept stopping to stare at her sitting so nicely with the Easter bunny!

I was dying from laughing/crying! 

Yesterday was gross and cold, but we did manage to go for a walk, in our matching North Face jackets! 

This week we have a doctor's appointment and a wedding out of town!!! Big stuff!!! I'm already nervous about packing....

Ella Grace {Two Months}

{Yep, another update this week!}

  

Dear Ella,

Didn't I just write one of these?! This month has yet again gone by way too fast and brought about so many changes!

Height: 22.75 inches (52 %ile)
Weight: 10 pounds, 12 ounces (26 %ile)
Head circumference: 15.5 inches (76 %ile)

Clothes: You finally outgrew your newborn diapers and most of your newborn clothes...you can still fit into some newborn size onesies, though! You are wearing size 1 diapers and fitting very comfortably into all of your 0-3 month clothes, and even a few 3-6 month outfits (although I'm not rushing)!!!

Nicknames: Elle, Elle Belle, Ella Bella, peanut, sweet girl, stinky/stinky head, little bean, Ella Bean, love bug

Milestones: You smiled for the first time this month, and every time Daddy or I can get you to smile, it melts our hearts! Such a sweet smile you have! You have also started babbling and cooing this month, and it's pretty much the cutest thing ever. You are gaining a lot more strength in your neck and you are able to move your head around more in every direction. I thought you were pretty alert last monht, but that was nothing compared to how alert you are now! You are also able to track objects pretty well with your eyes, and you respond well to familiar (mine and your dad's) voices. 

Sleep: You are a champ sleeper at night!!! You normally sleep 11:00-6:00 or 7:00 no problem, and then go back to sleep after you nurse until 10 am! During the day, you do not want to miss any action, so napping has been a bit challenging. You usually take a cat nap around noon while I am running on the treadmill, and then another cat nap around 2ish. You usually take your longest nap around 4:30 but if there is too much going on around you (if we are out and about), you won't sleep! This makes for a very cranky evening. You are still sleeping in the Rock n Play in our room (I knowwwww) but we have attempted a nap in your crib....I'm not convinced you slept very much. We will keep "practicing" a bit more before we move you to the crib at night...I'm just not ready yet!! 

Best Moment: Your first smile!! Or anytime you smile at me for that matter!!

Worst Moment: This would definitely have to be the 2 (yes, two) times you got poop on your rug (that I had such agony about buying, but that's neither here nor there)! 

{Anyone have a fool-proof way of getting poop out of carpet? I've already tried Woolite carpet cleaner and white vinegar.}

Likes: Wubbanubs/pacifiers, being outside in the sunshine, bath time and going under the "waterfall," snuggling with mom and dad, being in the Mamaroo, carrier or car seat. 

Dislikes: The hours of 7:00-9:00 PM (especially if you haven't napped well that day), being hungry.

Health: You are still a picture of perfect health (knock on wood)! A little congestion at times, but nothing the Nose Frida can't fix! 

Eating: You are still nursing every 3 hours or so. Of the few times I've had to give you a bottle, you've eaten 4 ounces at each feeding. I still have yet to feed you any formula. 

This past month you have changed so much, sweet girl! We love seeing you smile and become more attentive to the world around you. You have brought so much joy into our lives and your dad and I are constantly entertained by your smiles, noises and facial expressions! I'm pretty sure you are the most beautiful baby I've ever seen (I'm biased, but I'd think that even if I wasn't your mom) and you just keep getting cuter and cuter every day! We love you so much, Elle Belle!