Sick Baby Girl

Ellie had her first stomach bug this weekend and I am hoping it is her LAST! Sorry for the bad pick of me below but this is basically how ellie and I spent all day yesterday as we were both not feeling very well. She was so sick for three days- not throwing up the whole time but her poor little body was so worn out that all she did was want to cuddle with me and as an active 18 month old that is not normal. I enjoyed all the cuddling I just wish it was for different reasons than her feeling so bad. But I pumped with fluids yesterday and dry foods and this morning she woke up ready to go- back to her old self which we have not seen since thursday when the bug struck.

On Saturday we naively thought she was better (like I said first stomach bug so we have learned that looks can be deceiving)- it was so beautiful out- in the 50s which we have not seen the 50s since October so we headed out for a walk around newport. The ever present pacifier in the pics is a good indication that Ellie does not feel well as we usually only have pacis in the car and in bed but I was willing to do anything to help her. We got some good Newport shots despite her feeling sub par- she is such a trooper and I think getting out saturday helped me somewhat keep my sanity on Sunday. I have no idea how I am going to do this with two but God only gives us what we can handle so I know it will all work out.

Ellie and I snuggling- we have both seen better days

Big girl likes to walk instead of be in the stroller- she is so cute


by the water with her best friend- pacifier

Blast from the Past

Here is a pic of our precious girl last February- and then now! It is amazing how quickly they change. I remember when she was not sleeping thru the night and cried ALOT and I thought will she ever get bigger and before I knew it she was walking, talking, laughing and showing her own very distinct (and very dramatic) personality. Before I know it she will no longer be a baby, but I guess that is why you have other ones! At 18 months, Ellie is walking and running, she loves to tease and be teased, she is very ticklish and loving, out of nowhere she will run and give bigs hugs, she has many words and is a little mimic with everything we say so you have to be very very careful, still a little picky on the eating side but she loves cookies and asks for them constantly, she likes to test the limits but is mostly an absolute joy. I wish we lived closer to family so they could all experience all her wonderful changes with us but until then this blog will have too do!

Newport Winter Festival

Well it seems to keep snowing here in Newport, so we have had to become creative on ways to entertain ourselves (see wagon pics below). Luckily, in the north, life does not stop because there is snow. Starting this weekend is the Newport Winter Festival which has tons of activities for both children and adults. On Saturday we took Ellie to the Tom Jam Puppet Band- it was a little over her head but she enjoyed running around all the empty ballrooms at the marriot so we have found a new place to play. She was so funny because all the kids were sitting on the floor in front of the stage and our little peanut decided to take her snack and sit on the steps next to the stage- but then the music started and she was scared to death but luckily she recovered quickly.

On Sunday, we went to the children's fair at the marriot- they had bounce houses ellie's absolute favorite thing. She is so little but is pretty fearless in those things. We had a great time watching her try and get the hang of jumping. We knew she had fun because she threw a fit when we tried to leave which is always a sign that the activity was a hit.

Monday was President's Day so mike had off of school and we headed to Save the Bay which is an indoor sea life exploration center. Again, we thought it may be over her head but we were suprised. Below you can see that have a tank where one of the workers hands the kids different animals to hold - Ellie was fearless- she held a hermit crab, regular crab, starfish, shell, etc- the worker was so impressed, Ellie had her cracking up. At one point she handed Ellie a shell, Ellie proceeded to stick her finger in the shell and taste the salt water- she won't eat mac n cheese but she will taste the water in a shell- go figure.

All in all it was a great weekend. Although she has her occasional tantrums as all 18 months old do, she is such a little do full of energy and happiness. I am soaking up every minute I can with her as I know come July I may be more distracted than I like at times. She is such a loving child who for no reason will run over and just give you a big hug and I just know that she is going to be great with her brother or sister (after a little adjustment I am sure). We are just so blessed and thankful for the little miracles God has blessed us with!

Ellie looking at the sea animals
Tasting the salt water
So excited to touch the shell
Holding the starfish and assessing whether this is really safe
Pointing to the fishes
Playing with Mommy and cracking herself up
Jumping in the bounce house
Watching a magic show with Daddy
Watching the Puppet Band- what a little peanut

Doesn't daddy look thrilled- he was such a trooper- had a terrible sinus infection but pushed thru for his little angel.
SNOW!!!
Still not a fan of the snow- southern girl at heart
riding inside in the wagon that holds her mega blocks- great idea until she refused to get out and mommy and daddy were dizzy from walking in circles around the kitchen

Newport Fun

Since it has been pretty cold here we have been trying to find some in door activities so that we do not all go stir crazy. We took ellie to the Providence Children's Museum and she had GREAT time- I thought her head was going to explode with excitement. We like to call her the destroyer because eventhough she is tiny, she has a big impact. Any time there is any stacked or built- ie blocks, lincoln logs, cups- she loves to run over and completely demolish it. The workers at the museum had made all the exhibits to encourage the kids to use the materials- well our ellie had a different idea and within seconds had knocked down the block tower and completely taken apart the structure built out of lincoln logs. Nothing is safe around this kid. It is hilarious because she looks so innocent- ha ha.

Some of the pics are random- ellie loves to take the books we bought when we first got Brimley about training dogs etc- they have pictures of Boston Terriers and other dogs and she walks around like she is reading them- it is hilarious. And she is really starting to interact with Brimley- every morning when he comes down the stairs she gets so excited- he seems to only like her when there is food involved but it is a start. And I just loved the shot of her in her tights and shirt as she had dirtied the dress she was wearing- she is such a little thing with such a big personality. She constantly is cracking us up- when she is not trying out patience but luckily the cute definitely outweighs the tantrums.

Last night ellie had a big accomplishment- we have been trying to introduce her to the potty- just get her comfortable with sitting on it etc as my goal is to only have one baby in diapers by the time the Deuce arrives this summer. Well last night before bath she actually pee peed on the potty. I got so excited that I freaked her out so I am pretty sure she will not be doing that for awhile but it gave me such great hope as I still have 4 and half months to get her accustomed to it.

Enjoy the pics!

She is just so cute even when she is a mess
Ellie reading to Brimley

Loving her walk even if it is freezing
Future career choice- bulldozer driver?not sure how she feels about this!

She was so scared of walking through the tunnel- not quite a dare devil


She is such a little learner- she is going to be smart one.

Long Time, No Post

Here are some pics from Christmas- sorry it took so long but I have been busy growing a child- haha. We went to North Carolina and loved escaping the snow and seeing ellie with her cousins. It was a great christmas. While in NC, Mike and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary. Funny to think how much has happened in four years- we have lived in Jacksonville, Oklahoma and now Newport. We have gone from a family of 2 to a family of 3 and a half (4 and a half if you count Brimley). We now own our own little piece of heaven in Brimley Michigan. All this in 4 years, I can not wait to see what happens in the next 50!

On the baby front, The "Deuce" as we are referring to number two is doing great. I had an ultrasound at 17 weeks and all is well. We are once again not finding out the sex so no big news there but the baby is healthy and that is all that matters. I am feeling FANTASTIC- especially compared to the first trimester. My energy is back for the most part but I am still working and chasing an active 18 month old so come 9 oclock I am wiped but that is when mike gets all his reading done for class so it works out well. Oh, and Mike has already finished his first trimester at the war college- he did great especially since he has not written a paper since he graduated from college in 1998! I am so proud of all is hard work.

on a final note, WHO DAT- I am so excited and shocked that my new orleans saints won the superbowl but I do not believe it could have happened to a better team/city. I have taught ellie how to say Who Dat and touchdown ( she loves to throw her hands in the air) and daddy can not wait til next football season to teach her war eagle and the auburn fight song. She seems to learn new things everyday and I think she is incredibly smart eventhough I know I am a little biased.

I am going to post more pics later of some of our Newport adventures but it is snowing here today (blizzard actually) so the whole family is home and I need to get in work time while I can. Hope everyone is staying warm. Love Amy

Mike, me, Jennifer and Ron before our anniversary dinner- thanks Mimi and Pawpaw for watching the kids
Our little tinkerbell.
Glass invitational 2009- (minus billy) Mike was victorious- that is two for two this year since he also won the birch point open. Watch out Tiger, while you handling your personal issues Mike may just sneak up on you- ha ha.
At the park
She loves the slide- look at that pure joy in her face
Ellie loved her cousins Claire and Grace- they were both so attentive to her- she was a little spoiled when we got home
HIbachi- the one restaurant that completely holds ellie's attention the whole time- and she ate more food than I have ever witnessed her eat.
First taste of a lemon
The szurgots
Doing a little grocery shopping

the three girls with matching pjs on christmas morning

Blizzard 2009- and other Christmas Fun

Well the Piedmonts finally experienced our first snowstorm. And of course we could not ease into the winter season with a light little snow- no no we got the Blizzard of 2009- Ha!! We thought we were just being wimps from the south when we were overwhelmed by the amount of snow until we spoke to out neighbors who said that on average Newport gets 6-10 inches a year- we got 20 inches in ONE DAY!!!!! it was beautiful but then again I was not the one shoveling it- thank god from pregnancy. Poor Otto/Mike was shoveling snow for 3-4 hours- unfortunately we live at the end of our street so the snow plow just pushed all the snow into our driveway. We did experience some Christmas goodwill as a neighbor came out to help mike shovel because he felt bad for him. As you can see below- ellie was not a huge fan of the snow either- it was a little overwhelming to say the least. She is going through "fear of new things" at the moment as she was not a huge fan of Santa either. She loved to stare and wave at him from a safe 10 foot distance and from behind the railing but get her close and she lost it. It was pretty funny.

We saw santa at the navy christmas party and also discovered another activity ellie loves- after she danced around in the middle of the floor to the christmas music for about 30 minutes she discovered the bouncy house and had NO FEAR! she is a funny one- she was about half the size of most the kids in there and could have cared less- one man even said, and I quote "she is a scrappy one" So my little peanut can hold her own - I was so proud.

We got a really tiny tree this year as we are going to North Carolina for Christmas and quite frankly did not have the room in this house for anything bigger. But it was the perfect size for Ellie and she loved decorating it. She does not quite understand the no touching and leaving the presents under the tree but I think that just goes with the territory of having a little one- so for the next couple years I am sure we will be decorating on the top two thirds of the tree so as to keep ornaments out of reach!!

We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and is staying warm- we can not wait to leave on Wednesday and head to NC for over a week to see Jennifer, Ron, Connor, Claire, Grace, Mimi and Paw Paw- we will miss our family that is not there but I know that Ellie is going to just adore her cousins and it is just such a blessing to have such an incredible family to share the holidays with. Merry Christmas!!!

Pretty sure she will end up living in the south- what do you think?
Bundle up- lots of layers for only 5 minutes outside
At least daddy is happy right?
Look how high the snow was- but Brimley had to go so Daddy braved the blizzard!

She loves spaghetti- as long as she can feed herself- thank goodness for stain sprayOur Angel- sorry it is blurry - hopefully I will get a better camara for christmas- please Santa
Brimley- he looks about as thrilled as Ellie did in the snow.
Such a pretty little thing!!


Look at the devilish little grin- TROUBLE
Jumping like a mad woman in the bounce house.
This is how she like santa- (notice him 10 feet away in the background)


All the kids trying to escape because Ellie got there- i kid.


At the christmas tree farm- thought we would get great photos except two problems- it was freezing and I forgot to charge the camera- excellent day!!!