Almost 6 months

Six months. Half a year. And so hard to believe. Ellen turns six months next week, and I remember her being six WEEKS like it was yesterday.
I got mixed reviews on my last post...some people liked it, some people thought it was overload on the sap and under-delivery on the photos/videos/general Ellen-ness. So, we'll switch gears back to updates, photos, and videos (which I'll upload separately from this entry).
Although it was only a couple of months ago, it seems like so much has happened since Christmas! We had a wonderful extended visit with Jim, Robin and Grandma Joy and couldn't have asked for a better first Christmas for Ellen. Activities included an evening luminaria tour through the Desert Botanical Garden, meals at some favorite restaurants and the luxury of having Ellen at home for a week with her grandparents instead of having to do the daycare drop-off routine. Pictures are posted on my Facebook account for those of you who are my "friends" on there.
January seems to have completely flown by, as it's now basically mid-February! It would truly be a shame for too much time to pass between visitors for Ellen, so we are very excited to welcome Katie and Adam this coming weekend as we celebrate Ellen being baptized and Sean's birthday--both on Valentine's Day! We asked Katie and Adam to be godparents way back in November, so we're thankful they cleared their calendars when a baptism date was finally (and quickly!) set. Although we won't have a ton of family down, we know you'll all be with us in spirit.
Every day I'm so happy and feel so fortunate that Ellen is so healthy. She's changing all the time and is such a happy baby. Over the holidays she mastered rolling from her back to her stomach (although has yet to demonstrate the stomach-to-back roll). Her neck is still really strong and she's always so curious about what's going on around her, always craning her neck to take in the view. She has also started to grow back more hair and, interestingly, when in direct sunlight, it shows hints of red.
We've also started taking more "family outings" on the weekends lately. Robin and Jim got us a membership to the Phoenix Zoo for Christmas, so we've made a few trips with Ellen. We think she likes the monkey village the most, as you can go directly in the enclosure with the squirrel monkeys and watch them leap around. Recently, we've also taken Ellen to a couple ASU sporting events--basketball and baseball. And of course, it wouldn't be the weekend without a trip to Costco. Now she's big enough and strong enough to sit in the little seat at the front of the cart, with a much better view for her curiosity.
I'll leave you with a photo of Ellen at the ASU baseball game. I just got her sunglasses last week in anticipation of future baseball outings. So far, she tolerates them. I think it's only a matter of time before she discovers she can pull them off and shove them into her mouth.

Gravity

I remember one day, riding in the car with my brother Joel, a long time ago...I think it was during the summer...and a song came on the radio that made him smile. He looked over at me and said, "isn't it funny how songs can just transport you back in time? You can recall the exact period in your life that the song reminds you of." And then he went on to tell me about how this particular song reminded him of junior high and why it did. I kind of shrugged it off, agreeing that I suppose he was right, but not really thinking much of it. Then, some time in high school, I had The Moment. The Moment where I heard a song on the radio and time instantly rewound 10 years. The first house I lived in had a beautiful oak tree at the end of the driveway. It was perfect for climbing up into and just sitting. When I was little I would sneak my one of my brothers' Madonna tapes and take my little cassette player and listen to Madonna in the oak tree. Away from the house, away from anyone's watchful eye, I was free to be a "big girl," singing along to my Madonna tape, daydreaming about the future. When I had The Moment, I remember silently thanking Joel for bringing this to my attention and smiling, thinking of my six year-old self.
Since I had my first Moment, I've had many similar moments, always smiling and thinking back to that time in my life. Sleepovers, summer camp, high school dances. And you can never predict when a Moment will happen. They have a way of sneaking up on you.
Such a Moment happened this week. I listen to Pandora, an internet radio application that chooses songs for you based on artists you've told it you like. I was just sitting at my desk at work, and "Defying Gravity," sung by cast members of the TV show "Glee" came on. Before I knew it, it was October and I was home on maternity leave with Ellen. I was holding her, walking around the house because she loved motion and hated being put down. I was doing laps around the family room trying to catch bits of the show each time I passed the TV. But I stopped and watched as the characters Kurt and Rachel sang "Defying Gravity" to see who would earn the solo.And then Kurt purposely flubbed the high notes so he wouldn't get the solo--a solo meant for a female--to avoid embarrassing his dad, with whom he was struggling to connect. Kurt was trying so hard to defy gravity by auditioning for a part he loved SO much, but bowed out because he loved his dad even more. And it wasn't until "Defying Gravity" played yesterday on Pandora that I truly thought about the gravity of "Defying Gravity."
Maybe it's because I'm now a mother, but as "Defying Gravity" played, my heart ached for Kurt. And my heart ached for Ellen. I found myself wanting to give the TV show character a hug, reassuring him that his dad loves him no matter what, and to always go after your dreams. Words my parents always told me growing up. I thought back to my days sitting in the oak tree, listening to my little cassette player, daydreaming about all the possibilities of my life ahead. I wanted to hold Ellen and tell her all those things.
Ellen isn't even six months old yet, but I have so many hopes for her. I hope she has her own Moments to reflect on, and her own dreams to aspire to. I hope she knows, above all, that Sean and I love her no matter what. I hope she tries to defy gravity.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Being from the Midwest, I often lament the lack of snow in Phoenix in the winter. But as the years have progressed, I realize I don't really miss the snow as much as I miss what I associate with the snow: Christmas, time with family, memories of sledding with friends, watching Brinkley romp through the snow on walks in Lawrence. This year we're staying in Phoenix for Christmas. My first Christmas outside of the Midwest. No snow (or threats of snow), no Christmas Eve service in a familiar church, no roaring fireplace. And at first, I was completely bummed out about it all. Christmas is all about traditions, right? Where are my traditions this year? They're all imbedded in the Midwest Christmas I've grown up in. But then I realized, as I thought about Ellen's first Christmas, that this is our opportunity to start our own traditions with our new little family. Much like I grew up expecting and looking forward to certain things at Christmas with my family, Ellen will do the same. This year we're easing into it a bit, still incorporating familiar traditions like Robin's Christmas Eve gumbo and the Cox family tradition of meatballs and lil smokies in the Crock Pot on Christmas Day (I promise we also have traditions that don't revolve around food...but not many). Christmas tradition is what you make of it, and I'm happy Sean and I have so many years to draw inspiration from to establish our own traditions. We're very much looking forward to an extended visit from Robin, Jim and Grandma Joy, and excited to celebrate our first Christmas with Ellen. While we'll miss spending time with the rest of our family and friends, we know you'll be taking part in your own Christmas traditions, whether new or old. Merry Christmas!

A little photo to brighten your day: Ellen doing her best "senior photo" pose:

Ellen laughing

She had tired a bit by the time we got the camera out, but she was still having a good time.

Ellen chatting

Here's video of Ellen "chatting," as we call it in our house. As you can see, we have a very loose definition of the word. I tried to include this video in the last post, but it didn't work. Here you go!

The new routine

Before we had Ellen, Sean and I had a fairly regular routine during the week: go to work, cook dinner together, walk Brinkley, watch some TV, hit the hay and then get up and repeat the process again the next morning. The weekends might include a movie or a dinner out, but mostly just time to relax after a week at work. Although this routine was pretty nice, I like our new routine even more. While much less predictable, it's so much more fulfilling now that we have Ellen to share it with. Before, the end of the work day was just that...the end of a day of work. Now the end of the work day means we get to pick up Ellen from daycare and spend a couple hours with her in our new nightly routine: get home from daycare, feed Ellen, spend time with her doing tummy time or playing on her play mat or bouncy chair, maybe a short nap, sometimes a bath, another feeding and down for the night. Weekends are eagerly anticipated even more so than before, because weekends mean two whole days to spend with our little lady. She's a good sport, tagging along for grocery shopping, hikes up A Mountain, walks around the neighborhood with Brinkley, church and visits to friends' houses. One of her favorite activities to date is watching football with her dad on Saturdays. We've heard all too many times that we need to enjoy this time while we have it--it's fleeting and we'll never get it back. I can honestly say that we're savoring every moment of our new life--spit up, poopy diapers, crying, you name it-- while looking to the future with excitement. Life with Ellen is so amazing now, it's hard to think it can get any better, but I know it will! My next post may very well be a 180 of this gush-fest, at my wit's end because my baby won't sleep or I can't figure out why she won't stop crying. But for now, I have to say life is good, we are so blessed with the family and friends we have, and all I can ask is, what the heck did we do to deserve all this???
Below you'll find some videos of Ellen. The first one is of Ellen staring at her hand for literally almost two minutes. But if you love babies and you love Ellen, those two minutes will just whiz by! The second video is of Ellen batting at the toys on her bouncy chair...one of her newer skills. Enjoy!

Watching the fan

Ellen is transfixed by the fan. Sometimes she'll track the fan's movement with her feet. We understand that's not the most interesting viewing, so I've thrown in a couple of sneezes and her show of surprise following Brinkley's bark.