The Davis Family Blog

Here's an update on our growing baby girl! She is 8 Months Old ALREADY!!!

OK- I have to confess. I am THAT MOM that just could not part with my baby not sleeping in the same room as me. It just made me feel better to have her right there beside me. But, we have made the transition to the crib- it really was accidental- but we did it. The night of my last day of school (Wednesday, May 22nd) Hunter had put EK down in her pack-n-play in our room as usual. She has always put herself to sleep but on this night she just was not having it. She was rolling everywhere, kicking the sides of her pack-n-play, etc. so I told Hunter let's lay in her in crib so she can stretch out and see if that makes a difference. She went right to sleep and as usual slept all night. She has been in there ever since. I thank God everyday for blessing me with such a good baby that just goes with the flow of things. We are very lucky!

EK had her first beach trip on Memorial Day- May 27th. We met my step-sister Misti and her family in Hilton Head for a beach day. EK loved it from the moment we got there. We took her a little pool to play in and she kept herself entertained by dipping her paci in the water and then putting it back in her mouth and playing with her beach toys in her pool. Her Daddy also took her for her first dip in the water. She absolutely loved watching the waves crash and seeing all of the people. Then we went to the pool at the Marriott that afternoon but she wasn't crazy about sitting in her float. She wanted to be held the whole time. I think she was also very sleepy when we got to the pool because she took a good little nap on the lounge chair while we were there. We had a wonderful day and I cannot wait to spend a whole month at the beach with her in July. I hope she continues to love it because her Mommy sure does!!

This month we also had our first experience with our baby girl not feeling well. On Thursday, May 30th, we began to see signs that our Ella Kate was not feeling very well. She is on a very good schedule as far as sleeping, eating, etc. and that afternoon, she only took an hour nap which is very unlike her. She usually sleeps at least two hours during her naptime. So I took her to the living room and rocked her. She sat with me the whole time without wanting to get down (she has become a busy body lately). I felt her head and it felt very warm so I gave her some Tylenol. She went back to sleep in my arms and I let her sleep there instead of putting her down again (because she rarely let's me do that anymore) and I just wanted to hold my baby girl while I could! :) She still didn't act like herself the rest of the day so we knew we may have a rough night ahead of us. We took her temp. a few times that afternoon and it was over 100 each time. Thursday night, she woke up at midnight, two, five, six, and seven SCREAMING. She has slept through the night since two months old with NO waking up so we knew something was wrong. We had been trying to look in her mouth to see if we had any signs of teeth or swollen gums but she wouldn't even let us touch her mouth without crying. Again, very unlike her. She usually loves to put our fingers in her mouth and chew on them. Hunter called the doctor Friday morning and they wanted us to go ahead and bring her in to rule out an ear infection. They didn't want us dealing with that through the weekend. So off we went to the doctor and she acted like the happiest little girl in the world while we were there (not showing any signs of not feeling well- little stinker!). Her ears and throat were clear and she wouldn't let them look at her gums so they said just keep an eye on her and make sure she stays hydrated and give Tylenol/Motrin if needed. She ran errands with me and helped Aunt Sarah shop for her new house all afternoon and was such a trooper. She slept through the night Friday night but still wasn't her same self. It took her about four more days to get back to that smiling, happy little girl.

Ella Kate is still eating very well and loves most anything we give her to try. She is learning to crawl and pull up. Another two weeks or so and she will be on the go for sure! She gets frustrated when she can't reach something but is still trying to nail down the crawling. That's a lot of parts to get working together!! A lot of times if she can't reach something she will just grunt until we give in and give it to her. If her toys are sitting on a blanket and she's sitting up, she will pull them to her by pulling the blanket. She also sometimes slaps her leg thinking they may come to her. She keeps us very entertained. She loves "spanking" things and I feel very sorry for all of her toys. :) She has also learned how to make a clicking sound with her mouth and we tease her and ask if she's calling Granddaddy & KK's dog "Addie". EK loves Addie! She also loves scratching the carpet and kicking her legs a lot in her car seat. Anything that makes noise makes her happy! Peek-a-boo is becoming one of her favorite things to play as well.

Bath time is getting busier and busier as she wants to grab the water, try and get the bottles off the shelf, and play with the drain. She also tries to grab the water when it's running. It's so funny to watch her expression when she realizes it isn't staying in her hands. She has two little duckies that she loves to play with during bath time and she gives those many a spanking, too.

EK is learning new tricks everyday and it is so fun watching her learn and grow. I am loving these days at home this summer and enjoying each and every moment!

Tomorrow we will celebrate Hunter's First Father's Day and we have lots of surprises for him. Below are some pictures from this past month. Enjoy!

EK's 1st Beach Trip- May 27, 2013- Hilton Head Island

She loved it from the moment we arrived!

Happy girl!!

"Oh, hey Mommy! There's that camera again!"

Hadley (EK's cousin) loved the beach, too!

People watching...

She dipped her paci in the water many times, then put it in her mouth. She did this over and over!

Eating her toys

"Hmmm, which one should I play with?"

First time in the ocean. She loved it!

Watching the water go by.

CHUNKY legs!!!!!

I think the water tickled her!!!

Watching the waves roll in...

"Thanks, Daddy, for taking me in the water!"

EK slapping the water!

Looking at the ocean with her Daddy!

Daddy loved dipping her in the water!

Daddy's little girl!

Love my princess!

:) Our little beach bum!!

EK and her Daddy!

EK's cousin Blaire had fun at the beach, too!

Love my little family!

Everyone having fun in EK's pool!

Sweet little cousins!

This face makes me laugh! This is so BLAIRE!!

HAHA!

Bath time fun!

Playing with her duckies!!

This is probably my favorite picture of EK! She is so prissy! LOVE IT!

Trying to eat my camera. This is what she does every time I try to take pictures of her.

I loved this little outfit so I had to take pictures of her in it. :)

Trying to get the camera again.

Trying to crawl...

Happy 8 Months to our precious little baby! We love you SO much EK!

Next item to purchase: a purse for that prissy hand!

EK's TOMS that Santa brought her FINALLY fit!!

And off they come.

Life has been SUPER busy in the Davis household which is why I am blogging a couple of weeks late! This past month and a half was full of firsts, lots of sadness, and proud Mommy moments. Here goes...

We had EK's 6-month check-up on April 18th (after I had already blogged) and she weighed in at 16. 2 pounds and 26 1/2 inches long. She also took her shots much better this time. She only cried for a minute and slept a lot afterwards. She has always done very well with her shots except for the ones she got at 4 months. For some reason, they made her VERY fussy! So we were glad she did better with them this time. We were also told that we could start introducing a sippy cup and puffs to EK. The sippy cup is still a work in progress. She's not too interested in it right now but is trying to figure it out. She has grown to like the puffs much better. Those first few days she made the funniest faces when she ate them and watching her try to pick them up was hilarious. At first, she just slapped her whole hand down on them. It was pretty funny to watch. After about a week, she was able to pick them up and put them in her mouth! We're working on getting her to grasp them with her fingers and not her whole hand. Another topic the doctor discussed with us is to start training EK to go to sleep on her own. Ella Kate has been such an easy baby to train when it comes to sleep. She has slept through the night since she was 2 months old. However, we were very guilty of holding her after her last bottle until she fell asleep. So, the doctor wanted us to make sure she was fully awake during her last bottle and then lay her down a few minutes after to let her fall asleep on her own. She stressed how important it is to establish a nighttime routine for her and get her to learn to fall asleep in the room she will sleep in for the night. That way, if she happens to wake up she won't be so startled and it will help her learn to not depend on someone holding her in order for her to go to sleep. I am happy to report that she has done so well going to sleep on her own. It's pretty amazing that she "knows" when it's bedtime. She hasn't fussed at all after we've put her down to go to sleep. We lay her down around 8:30 and she usually sleeps til 6:45 or 7:00! And that makes us all very happy! We also have started "brushing" EK's gums and inside of her mouth before bedtime to help prevent cavities. She loves when we rub inside her mouth and gets the biggest smile on her face!

This past month, we have began to make some combos with Ella Kate's food. We've made her a mango/banana combo and oatmeal with apples. She's also had green beans but they don't refrigerate well so we won't be making many more of those! She doesn't seem too crazy about "green" food and will eat sweet potatoes every day if we'd let her. We will still continue to make some of her baby food as she gets older but she has really began to like Gerber's organic food that comes in the pouches. So we will probably begin using a little homemade as well as store-bought!

She has been rolling over like crazy since 6 and 1/2 months and we've had to be much more careful with where we lay her. She can even turn over in her Nap Nanny! For a while, she would only roll over every now and then and we just decided that she wasn't really getting enough practice because we hardly put her down. But, over my Spring break she wanted to show off her skills. She even rolls over while I'm holding her in my arms and rolls right to her belly when we lay her down to sleep. Diaper changing isn't so easy anymore either. :) Since the Nap Nanny isn't so safe for her at this point, we have given it to our niece, EK's newest cousin, Hadley to use! Ella Kate has also learned to sit up ALL by herself. She is getting SO big SO fast!

This month, EK helped me celebrate my 30th birthday on May 7th. We even gave her a taste of birthday cake. She LOVED IT!! Oooopss!

A few days after my birthday, Hunter's grandma (Nan) passed away on May 10th. She had been in the hospital for many months and we knew she didn't have much longer here on Earth. So, Hunter, his mom, and Sarah left on Thursday, May 9th to drive to Kentucky to visit her. They arrived around midnight Thursday night/Friday morning and were able to see Nan for a little while Friday morning. She told each of them hello and then passed away at 10:15 a.m. I am so glad that they were able to see her before she was called to heaven. That same night, my sister and I plus the kids all went to Savannah to visit my Great-Uncle Gene who was in the hospital and not doing so well either. He passed away on Monday, May 13th. Although both of these people were (and still are) very special to us, we know that they are pain-free and living in a place beyond our imagination. Nan's funeral was held on Monday, May 13th, but I was unable to go because of how crazy and busy school is right now. However, we were able to fly up Saturday (May 11th) and fly back Sunday afternoon so that we could spend time with the family and spend my first Mother's Day with Hunter. Uncle Zach flew with us and I couldn't have done it without him. She did so well on all four flights except for the flight from ATL to KY on Saturday. She did pitch a little fit on that ride!! It was right in the middle of her naptime and I am pretty sure her ears were bothering her, too. She finally calmed down after about 15 minutes of crying and went to sleep right when we were landing. Let's also say that if you have a constipated baby, plane rides will help that! I had many fun diaper changes on that trip. :)

We celebrated my very first Mother's Day this month..................Being a mother is the most precious gift I have ever been given. The Lord has truly blessed me. I cannot thank HIM enough for giving me this precious little girl that I can call "mine". I know that as the years go by each Mother's Day will be special, but this is one that I will always remember. We celebrated it in Winchester, KY and were honored to spend the morning at Ella Kate's Great-Grandma's (Nan's) church. I know she is smiling down on us every day and is enjoying each and every day in heaven. Hunter and I are so thankful that she was able to meet Ella Kate when we visited at Thanksgiving. We will always make sure that Ella Kate knows how much she was loved by her Nan.

I am so ready for a fun-filled summer with Ella Kate. We will be in Daytona for the whole month of July and I cannot wait to see her in all of her cute little swimsuits and bubbles (I may have a small shopping problem)! I will also be busy planning her first birthday party this summer because I know I will hardly have time when school starts back. I am so glad that school is out and that I can spend the next two months at home with my baby girl. That is one of the greatest perks of being a teacher!

Ella Kate- I hope that you always know how much I love you and how much I love being your Mommy. You have brought me a joy that I never knew existed. I hope that one day when you grow up and read about your journey growing up that you always know how special you are to your Daddy and me. Nana Linda shared this saying with me one day a few years ago and I have never forgotten it "I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow!" That couldn't be more true and I hope you always know how much you are loved!

Below are some pictures of the last month (and a half)! :)