Play Date

Ella and I went to the Zoo today with Mandy and Cori. Lotsa fun! :-)

It Begins...

This week has been HOT and NASTY. It is currently 91 degrees at almost 7pm. Ella and I have been trying to stay inside, as we are very limited to what we can do outdoors. In weather like this, the only things to do outside are:
a) sweat
b) find shade (or better yet, air conditioning)
c) commiserate with others about the nastiness of the weather.

So... we walked around the Wheaton Mall a bit this morning (and bought NOTHING - yay!), met Brady for lunch at the Navy Yard, and then (after a nap for Ella) walked around Union Station with thousands of weary travelers.

We are now hanging out at home, waiting to hear whether or not Brady will be coming home tonight. He's now at the airport — his flight to Dallas was cancelled due to severe storms. I'm (not-so) secretly hoping he gets stuck at home with us for the weekend. While I know he'd have a wonderful time at the bachelor's party with all of his buddies, I wouldn't mind having him around the house for a few days :-)

I hope this finds you all well... and out of the heat!

Picnic(s)

This weekend was beautiful in DC... not so much now, but it was nice to have a few days of gorgeous, non-humid weather. So, we packed a picnic and headed for the park. Ella enjoyed some hummus and tzatziki, as well as O's and apple juice. More photos can be found HERE!

Keeping Busy

This morning, Ella and I went to the US Botanic Garden - down by the Capitol. I hadn't been there since last year and it's even more wonderful now! If you're in the area... go! It's free and easy to get to... Afterwards, we met up with Brady at the Navy Yard for lunch. Ella was very excited to see her daddy. I'm happy to have him home, too :-)

p.s. you can see more of my garden photos here >
and can see LOTS of Ella photos here >

Another Thursday with Ella!!!!!

Ella's just waking up from her nap after an eventful day. Ji Sun stayed with us last night (yay!) and this morning we went for a nice walk through the neighborhood. Later on, Ella and I went back down to the National Gallery, as I wanted to take a look at the Foto exhibit. But right as we got there, Ella decided that she had seen WAY TOO MUCH art this week and shrieked and sobbed until we left. So, I spent all of about 30 seconds in there, which was better than nothing.

She was fine once we got outside. We ate some O's at the Sculpture Garden again, and then walked over to the Castle and around the mall before making our way back to Chinatown for the Metro. She enjoyed all of the tourists and their ill-behaved children... they made her giggle :-)

I've discovered that as long as she is getting attention from someone, she's happy. Unfortunately, I'm not included in this "someone" category. So, if she can charm an unsuspecting stranger into smiling at her, we're golden. What a flirt! Oh, boy... we're in for it!

Further evidence that Ella is the cutest baby EVER

The things we do all day...

Today, it got up to a scorching 95 degrees! So... I took Ella to the American Art Museum/Portrait Gallery, which is across the street from the metro. We have been there before, but for some reason (probably because it was crowded), we only made it to the first and second floors. This time, we started at the third floor... which I've now decided is the BEST floor. Whoa! It's a beautiful building (it was under years of renovation and just opened last year), and the top floor is amazing! Apparently it is the old patent office building...

Ella's favorite piece was calle "Electronic Superhighway". She was mesmerized by all of the telvisions and neon lights. I was impressed by the collection of American art, but portraiture isn't really my thing... However, they definitely have some interesting paintings/photos on display. So, if you're ever in town this museum comes highly recommended. And, if you happen to go around noon on a Tuesday, you just may be one of only a handful of people there :-)

Just Like Old Times

Well, Brady made it back safely from Hawaii on Monday morning. Boy, are we glad to have him back! We made the most of our day together yesterday by having a big breakfast, taking Ella for a walk... and then handing her off to Rennell (her nanny) to enjoy some time together. Brady and I both got massages (yay!) and then went to a movie. Neither of us had been to a movie in nearly a year! And we saw... Knocked Up. HILARIOUS! Way funny and highly recommended.

Then we came back home and played with Ella - she really missed her dad! At least we have him for one more day... (he's off to Pittsburgh tomorrow)

Happy Father's Day!

It has been a LONG week! Brady has been gone since last Saturday morning and I can't wait for him to get back. Brady will be spending most of his first Father's Day flying back from Hawaii. He gets into DC tomorrow morning and I am anxiously awaiting his return. Ella and I have been keeping busy, but the weather is about to turn hot and nasty again so we'll have to find a few indoor activities that don't make Ella crabby.

On Thursday, I took Ella to the Museum of Natural History. While I enjoyed it, this is NOT my favorite museum. Why? Taxidermy. Lots and lots of taxidermy. I'm not fond of dead animals. I find them incredibly creeping and a bit frightening - even in a museum setting. There's just something unsettling about their glassy eyes, which seem to follow my every move. But, we had a great time - Ella loves to watch all of the little kids - and this museum has lots of them. Afterward, we shared a pear and some O's near the fountain in the sculpture garden.

On Saturday, we went up to downtown Silver Spring. There was a small festival going on with music and dancing, which Ella found very interesting. But her favorite was watching the little kids run through the fountain. Someday, she'll be out there too!

She's still crawling and climbing - getting into everything. It wears me out! She likes to cruise along the furniture... but ever so slowly. She's been talking a lot more and prefers to say "dada" or "daddy"... perhaps she's missing Brady, too :-)

Googies

The DC Experience

It is getting increasingly difficult to stay cooped up in the house with Ella on days I don't work (Tuesdays, Thursdays, and most Fridays)... and since it's already too hot to spend much time outside, we visited the National Gallery of Art this morning (thanks for the idea Ji Sun!). Ella and I walked from Gallery Place/Chinatown down 7th street to the gallery. She was sooooo happy to be going somewhere! We were able to spend nearly an hour there before I decided that we should leave BEFORE someone got crabby. The exhibit on European Master Drawings was interesting and made me want to start drawing again! Then we walked through the underground concourse to the East wing... stopping along the way at the kids' section of one of the gift shops. There, I spotted something I HAD to have - a tiny Sunprint kit. I remember using these when I was a kid. They're so simple, but lots of fun. I can't wait to try it again.

After leaving the gallery, we walked through the sculpture garden and Ella soaked her feet in the fountain. She LOVED it! Then back up 9th Street, where we had to wait a LONG time to cross Pennsylvania Avenue because of the largest motorcade I have ever witnessed... and I have been here for nearly six years. Dozens of cars, dozens of policemen (on foot, in cars and on motorcycles), and loud sirens. What a waste of taxpayer money (that's another subject.)

We're finally home and little Ella is taking a nap. She was incredibly good the entire time and didn't cry or even whine once! If only she could do that every day...

Whatchu lookin' at?

Stinkin' Cute... a 9-month update

On Friday, I took Ella in for her 9-month checkup. Here's what I have to report:

Ella is weighing in at 19 lbs, 2 oz and is 27 inches long - pretty much average for a munchkin her age. She's very healthy all around and has been given the go ahead to eat almost anything we're willing to give her. So, I went out and bought some plain yogurt, tofu, fruits and veggies and we're giving them a try. So far, Ella loves the yogurt, as well as watermelon, bananas, cantaloupe and O's (like Cheerios, but organic). She seems to like anything we give her. The only problem is that changing her diaper has become much more of an olfactory experience. Is it too young to start potty training? ;-)

One thing that I have failed to report in the past is that Ella has had (and still has) a heart murmur. Though all of the doctors have said it sounds innocent, we will have to get further tests if it's still there at her 12-month checkup. Hopefully it goes away!!!!!

As I am writing this, Brady is in Hawaii (probably asleep - it's 6 hours earlier there) on business and won't be returning until Monday the 18th. It's already difficult having him away. I have never been very fond of all of this work-imposed separation, but am thankful he's only away for a week and a half. It's not always fun trying to take care of an infant on one's own and I am looking forward to moving closer to family... who will hopefully be willing to take Ella for a few hours every once in a while. She is lovely, silly and amazing... but is a handful and even I need a break from time to time, especially now that she is incredibly mobile :-)

I hope this finds you all well. Have a wonderful week!

This is the way the ladies ride

Thursdays with Ella

I've added a new set of photos (taken today) on my flickr account. Take a look!

p.s. I know that it's ridiculous to take 47 photos of Ella in one day... but it's really hot outside. And she's cute :)

Ella the Explorer

Little Ella is loving her new found freedom and is using it to explore every inch of our house. She loves crawling into the kitchen and attempts to open the drawers and cupboards. She also likes the dining area (not so much a room, really) and is fond of using the chairs to help her stand. But, Ella's most favorite place of all is the entertainment center, which is full of cds and dvds for her to pull out and throw around.

I'm now finding it difficult to keep this place clean enough for our silly little girl. She seems to find each and every speck on the floor and attempts to put everything in her mouth. Ella is certainly keeping us busy!

We're off to her 9-month appointment Friday morning. I can't wait to see how much Ella's grown! :-)

Pretty Little Things

Too Hot for TV

Last night was our annual offensive t-shirt party in honor of Brady's (and Wessley's) 29th birthday. We didn't have Ella in anything obscene, but Brady did her hair and she wore her "bad hair day" onesie. She was soooo cute! Most of the photos (meaning most of the t-shirts) were a little too racy for this family blog, but here are a few pics from last night's festivities.

A Major Award

This Wednesday, we traveled down to the Navy Yard for an awards ceremony for Brady. He received a Navy Achievement Medal for being so great at his job :-) Ella and I were joined by Wessley (AKA Uncle Trouble) and several of Brady's co-workers for the ceremony. Ella was good for the most part - except when anyone wanted to speak. That's when she got loud... and MAD. But, she was easily placated by the sound of applause which I can only assume she thought was for her :-)

Here are a few pics from afterward - Brady had already taken off his uniform. We will have more to post as soon as we get some pictures of the actual ceremony from the photographer there. Also, stay tuned for disturbing images from this year's offensive t-shirt party to be held tomorrow!

Happy Friday!

Crazy Hair