1.  Ella is 2 months (or 8 weeks, 5 days) old today! 2.  Jack has a new tooth. It's a bottom left one. I didn't know he was cutting one until I saw it already poking halfway through Wednesday afternoon.  3.  He started running fever yesterday. This was accompanied by several very yucky diapers. Seriously yucky. Then, he happily left me a "present" in the tub. First time for that. Truly disgusting. Those poor, poor bath toys... As I was nursing Ella at 3 this morning, Jack woke crying. I asked The Husband to check on him. He was running fever and needed a diaper change. I finished with Ella and headed in to see if I could help with Jack. I gave him some Tylenol while The Husband took care of the diaper. Even though he didn't feel well, Jack was all smiles and babbles there in the dimly lit room. I was worried he wouldn't want to go back to sleep, so I got him a little bit of milk and sat with him in the rocker. I held him a little longer after h...

1.  The gal we bought our table and chairs from on Facebook (hey Rhonda!) gave us two more chairs. For free!  We now have 6 chairs, which means we can have three guests over :). Whoo hoo! Excuse the computer monitor and other miscellaneous junk. We're currently looking for a really inexpensive but decently-made desk to house the computer :) 2. My mom went with the kids and me to drop off some of my clothes at a local consignment shop. It's SUPER cute in there with lots of really nice clothes and house things. It's very boutique-y. :). I will definitely be shopping there first the next time I need something to wear.  3. Now that Jack is walking, he needs some shoes. We got him a cute pair at another consignment shop, and he looks too adorable trying to walk in them :). Imagine a high-stepping horse.  4.  While there, my mom got Ella two very pretty outfits!  I can't wait for her to wear them. Now, I just need to find some cute headbands that will fit her! 5....

1.  The living room is coming along. Our pictures and crosses and curtains still need to be placed and hung, and the few remaining boxes of items need to either be moved upstairs or thrown/given away. At least it's livable, and it's a place where Jack can play. The bottom shelf of books is his shelf, and he enjoys pulling out books to bring to me to read to/look at with him. I've stored some of his toys under the coffee table (classy, right?), and  Ella's swing is in there until we have room elsewhere.  2.  Speaking of Jack. Here are the many faces (and the wild hair) of Jack this morning. 

Independent playtime is a staple around here. It's how I spend one-on-one time with Ella. Or how I get things accomished. Or how I just have some time to breathe.  During his playtime this afternoon, I decided to see what he was up to. I happened to catch a little bit on camera :)  This video is just a peek at Jack during his playtime.  Yes, I filmed under the door :).  A little background: this was 30+ minutes in, and he had wooden blocks, a wooden puzzle, a stuffed animal, and a few odd, small toys that were in the attached basket on the side of the playpen. I change out the toys each time; I have them pre-sorted in bins, so all I have to do is grab a bin. He's listening to Mozart, but that's not the only music he listens to during playtime. This morning he listened to Bob and Larry's Campfire Songs (LOVE that CD!). Tomorrow, he might listen to his Sesame Street CD and some praise and worship songs.  A typical Jack day looks like this. It's a schedul...

1.  The Husband must have gotten bored with mowing the regular way... 2.0.  I think Jack enjoys our floors.  And,  2.1.  I couldn't resist sharing these shots of her. I mean, really?!  She's so darn sweet.  

Jack is 14 months old today.  He's currently napping. Whoo hoo! A few things: **Jack can follow simple directions well.  He asserts his stubbornness ahem independence sometimes, but he really is doing a great job at obeying.  **Jack understands soooo much. Truly it's astounding how much he grasps.  **Jack refuses to speak. He will babble a little, but mostly he just wants to squeal or say "uh uh" and point at things he either wants or things he wants you to tell him about.  **Jack plays twice a day by himself in his room (in his playpen). Each time, he plays for 30 minutes to almost an hour. I have baskets of toys, and I'll choose a basket for him to have in the playpen with him. He listens to music while he's in there.  He has begun leaning how to help me clean up the toys he's been playing with. **Jack loves to look out the windows and watch the world. He gets eapecially excited when he sees someone he knows.  **Jack answers t...

My mom brought over a bag of a few articles of clothing I wore as a baby. I've set most of the items aside for when Ella is big enough to wear them.  However, there was a neat white and blue bib that I knew would be perfect for our little drooly man.   I love that there's a teething toy attached! Isn't that ingenious? I wish his other bibs were as neat! Plus, this one has a snap and stays put to protect his shirt from the onslaught of moisture, which seems to escape his mouth constantly.  Awesome!  Thanks, Mom (Nana) for saving these things for us! 

1.  This little lady weighs a whopping 6 pounds, 13 ounces. She's gained 1 pound, 1 ounce since we saw her doctor two weeks ago.  My nicknames for her are Ella Bella, Miss Noisy Britches, and Stinky Pete.  She gets the hiccups super often.  She's a ridiculously noisy sleeper. And awaker. She pretty much makes grunting noises constantly with the occasional squeal thrown in when she's dreaming.  She very rarely cries.  She's losing her hair, and her scalp resembles an old man's receding hairline.  She's so very precious.  2.  Jack is walking more and more. He attempts it even without me asking him to now. He's very proud of himself.  He also claps, gives "five," pretends to be shy, looks for items when asked to, gives hugs, shakes his head "no" but refuses to nod "yes," and is incredibly sweet.  I ran out of memory on my phone, so I don't have a recent picture of him to post :(. 

Jack has been doing this for a few days now, and he's getting braver each time he attempts it :)