Ella Bs - 9 months

18 lbs, 26 inches of sweet baby girl!

Loves: Annie, Standing, Puffs, dog bowls, balls, making loud noises and "dancing"
Hates: Not to be the center of attention. 

Ella is a really fun baby.  But, oh my, she is going to be trouble!  I can see it.  She is so nosy.  Wants to be into everything and notices everything.   

Remember how Annie has never touched my china cabinet (that is on the ground)... Trust me, Ella will be in it.  I can just see it in her eyes.  I can tell by the way she gets her mind set on something. TROUBLE, yall.  I swear she has a magnet for the dog's water bowl... bee line for it every time.  Even when I sneak and move it.
I've already caught her climbing up the stairs.  Already using distraction tactics.  She is keeping me on my toes and keeps me smiling all day long. 

She is such a little firecracker.  And we are totally obsessed with her!

  

July Catch Up!

Yall I was reading my old blog post.  I'm so happy I have that documentation of my life.  All the funny stories about Annie from age 1 - 2.  I need to start this again.  Who knows if I will, but I wish I would. 

So catching up on the last god knows how many months have passed since I've written something.  I have a 3.5 year old and a 9 month old.  And we are going through a really sweet spot right now.  Both girls are just happy and easy.  We still have bits of insanity and temper tantrums, of course.  But at this moment I can't relate to the mom blogs of "holding on to the edge of sanity by the your fingernails just trying to make it through the next second of the day".  Not that I don't get it.  I've been there. Sweet spot, yall.  It makes all the negatives seem so far away.  Sweet spot.

So what have these sweet girls been up to?  Road trips!  We,ve been to New Orleans 3 out of the 4 weekends of July.  The girls are professional travelers.  Annie (the tv-oholic) is perfectly content watching 6 hours of jake and the neverland pirates on the ipad.   I swear, not a peep out of her except to pee.  We pulled up at my parents house last Friday and I switched off the ipad.  And she blinked, looked around and said, "oh, we are here?"...

 

The first weekend trip to NOLA was for girls weekend.  Hart party.  Text message build-up for weeks.  As the weekend approached, I realized it might be better for everyone involved if I toted Ella along with me and have my mom pick her up for the weekend.  Mom gets alone time with Ella, Anthony gets alone time with Annie, I have alone time.  Win-win.  Except I was little bitter about the actual roadtrip part. Not quite the usual freedom ride with a crying baby in the back seat and pulling over so Jess could pump... but it worked. 

 The weekend itself was mellow... but I think that is reality.  We are old.  BUT, it was time away from my usual life, and I was grateful for it. Becky and Steeeeeeve were the all-star host/hostess.  I loved Steve’s house and being uptown.  Just a completely different experience then where we grew up.  Becky got us goody bags and matching monogrammed sunhats. She had champagne waiting for us when we got there with back that ass up playing on repeat. She served us pastries and lattes on the back porch Saturday morning. SHE DID IT RIGHT, yall.  Then Saturday night Steve took us to dinner and then to a cool bar, Cure. Mellow but good, see?

Then a weekend break, and SURPRISE! Annie and I drove back in (I had to go for work) to spend the evening with my mom for her birthday.  It was a glorious 36 hour trip.  Mom was totally surprised.  I can't remember the last time I got to spend that much alone time with Annie.  She was delightful. I'm not just saying that because she is mine. Well maybe I am.  Multiple times during the trip I would just peek back at her in the rear-view mirror and think "who is this adult child in my back seat and thank you for letting me take credit for her".

And to conclude the month, we drove right on back for Wyatt's birthday party.  The entire weekend was just wonderful.  I feel like I keep repeating myself.  Sorry, but it was.  We got in town and took the boat over to Phil's for dinner.  Fried bowtie pasta with creamy crab dip.  Fried artichoke hearts and fried shrimp platters.  With some fried beers too.  Delicious!

Catherine and Stacy of course went over the top with Wyatt's petting zoo birthday party.  I can't wait to see the pictures and hopefully write a guest post on TLC about it.  It might have been the cutest party to date (and I don't say that lightly).  I have never been to a backyard petting zoo before.  It was awesome.  And the kids LOVED it.  And I don't know what came over my shy/scared of everything daughter, but she just walked right in and picked up a chicken!  And just held it.  Like she owned it.  Like she does it everyday.  And then she decided, why not pick up the baby alligator and ride the turtle too. I asked Anthony multiple times why we don't own a farm.  Why don't we?  I could go to work, Anthony could tend to the farm with Annie.  Ella strapped to his back in the ergo.  It just makes sense.  We live in TEXAS for goodness sakes.  It just makes sense!

So that about wraps it up.  Sure I left out lots of glorious details.  Sure there were so many uncaptured instagram quality moments that just passed on by.  Now the plan is to pick up starting now.   K, see yall soon.

Backdated 6/25/2013

Right before I started blow drying annie’s hair last night she asked me “can we go see Grannie-boo and paw paw tomorrow”. I told her no, she had to go to school but we will call them after we finish in the bathroom and ask them to come visit. So I start blow drying her hair. She picks up the big tube of toothpaste and puts it up to her ear like she is talking on the phone. After a few seconds of mumbles, she puts it down and says “I just talked to grannie-boo, and she’s going to come visit me.” But I could barely hear her with the blow dryer on, so I asked “who did you just talk to” and she replied “I just talked to grannie-boo, your mom, my grandmother....”

 I died laughing. She knows everything.

Annie says...

"My tongue hurts a little when I use grown-up toothpaste"

"That toothpaste is too spicy for me"

 

 

 

"I like chocolate, Mommy likes chocolate and Daddy like chocolate too."

 

 

Sore Boobs

I'm done breastfeeding.
This day has been coming. Gradually Ella has become less and less interested in breastfeeding. But Monday I officially decided to stop altogether. Then Tuesday morning I woke up and breastfed her one last time.
I'm emotional today about it.  My boobs are sore and I want to pump.  But I'm not.  I know this will pass.  And I know it was time to stop.  But even though I've done this before it doesn't make it any easier.  I'm mourning today.

on a lighter note...
Monday night we had dinner at the Hill's house. yall know they live right around the corner. well as we were driving over Annie asked us "why aren't we walking to Mimi and papa tom's?" Anthony and I looked at each other... damn she called us out on our laziness! What do you say to that?
I say we need a neighborhood golf cart. 

Hello Babies

We finally had Kaley & Sophie's sprinkle last Sunday. And I know everyone is sick me saying it BUT I have a great group of friends in Houston!  Shouted from the rooftops!

I got to love on this threesome...

Harper (Shala's), Owen (Jessica's) & Sophie (Kaley's)

We had a little in-home brunch with bagels, pasta and prosecco mimosas. Perfection.
Six girls sitting around in "work-out" clothes (three breastfeeding at the same time) talking about laser hair removal, sleep schedules, labor stories and bitchy nurses, crazy toddlers and everything in between. Perfection.

There were no pennant banners hanging on the fireplace.  No cutesy matching napkins and paper striped straws.  No pinterest craftiness to brag about.  "Ain't nobody got time for dat".  Haaa.  We wore elastic pants, ate off of blue striped plates, and no thank you notes were required.   Perfection, yall. 

Ella in a bumbo.. and other happenings

Last night we hosted red beans and rice at our house.  We do this pretty much every Monday.  I love our neighborhood. I love that our girls already know this tradition and call from the gameroom "Are beans ready?  We're hungry!".  Ha.

Cat, Ryan and Wyatt came to visit this weekend. I need them to move to Houston. My world is a happier place with Catherine around.  Always.  Annie and Wyatt are so good together too.  Mainly because Wyatt lets Annie be the boss. He is content just doing whatever Annie is doing.  And Annie is content being in charge.  Win - Win. 

We gave them a bath together Friday night and I think it was Annie's first time taking a bath with a boy.  Haaaa.  Annie would look at Wyatt's "stuff" and then look down at her own "stuff".  Like why does his look so different.  So I'm staring down Cat like what do I say?  And Cat ask me... "Nicole, haven't you ever said anything about it".  Ummmm NO! I don't even say the word vagina.  We call the whole area her "booty" and that is that.  So Cat just flat out says "Annie, that is Wyatt's PENIS.  Wyatt is a boy and he has a PENIS.  Girls don't have a PENIS but boys do.  So PENIS PENIS PENIS". 
I intervene... "OK CATHERINE! We got it". LOLOLOLOL  I'm thinking, Annie is a blabbermouth.  Now all of Primrose is going to know that boys have a penis.  And I'm probably going to get a phone call that she keeps saying the word over and over and over again.  Good grief. 

So I still haven't said the "V" word to Annie yet. I told Shala and Beth that I might be switching to using the real word very soon.  I needed their approval before I did it because I didn't want Annie teaching all her friends the proper name for it.  Ya know.  AWKWARD!!! 

So Ella's sitting in a bumbo! (see how I changed the subject)  She has found her feet and pulls off her socks all the time.  She is getting so big.  She is so easy to tote around. Her only request is to be held and fed on time. Easy enough.

Fun stuff going on in the Bruno house.  Here are a few pics of Wyatt and Annie from the weekend (which you have already seen if you follow Cat on facebook).