Elizabeth Johnson Camozzi

The challenge of two working parents and a growing little beauty!  It is hard to find the time to keep up, so I will attempt to keep a monthly tab on our sweet girl!  In her 7th month, Ella grew a little bit, said a few new words (and blew many raspberries!), and ate more food!  Nola dog is not too sure about her mobility, which resulted in Ella’s first big boo-boo (a scratch to the forehead).  She also got her passport, ready for some international travel this summer!  She continues to smile, chat away, crawl and walk us around by both hands.

Ella is standing on her own with wobbles for a few seconds at a time, and feeds herself quite messily.  She can pull to stand, which also meant a lower crib.  She wasn’t too sure about that, but got used to it.  She also began to ride in the grocery cart seats, which was thrilling and a bit scary.  Ella’s normal reaction to new things is fear, but then she warms quickly.

so playful in her exersaucer!

Ella riding in the seat at the grocery store, what an adventure!

We think she liked the seat at the store. Such independence!

These eyes spell trouble!

Ella so wants to stand on her own!

During one of the weeks when daddy was out of town, we had many cuddles

goodness, the faces she makes!

We finally took a walk when the temperature rose to 30 degrees. Blissful!

Ella loves helping mommy cook- she’s a loud sous-chef banging her pots and lids!

Ella and her godfather Michael

high five!

face grab

Ella loves pulling at faces

Michael loves Ella

OUCH!

Yet another snow day- after a blizzard tore into town,this is the face that greeted me the next morning. A fun mommy-daughter day ensued!

Ella Mae can sit up on her own!

Our neighborhood after another blizzard- Ella has had quite a first winter!

We took a walk after the blizzard- Ella was not so sure about the white white snow and the cold cold wind

After the blizzard, we had to change plans to go up north to a cabin with friends. Instead, we went to each others’ homes and played! Ella with Micah

Micah, a month older than Ella, is not sure how to play with our little girl

love these looks!

Right before this, Micah crawled over Ella to get to a toy- she was unfazed.

IMG_2855 IMG_2895 IMG_2898

I am 7 months old!

January is wrapping up, and so is our little 7-month old.  Over the past two weeks, Ella Mae has begun to crawl…or army crawl (marine-crawl, in favor of her daddy?)  Her vocabulary has grown to include “baba” and “mama,” and though I’d love to say that she’s referring to her mother, she’s referring to anything in front of her.  She continues to eat solids, especially loving carrots, apples, pears and chicken!  We have been letting her grab the food, which turns into messy but fun meals.  Our favorite new part of eating is that she now can eat dinner with us, grabbing at her food and snacking at will as we are able to sit down and eat together (“hallelujah” chorus in the background).

I can sit up strongly now.

And after school I play with mama!

We have fabulous conversations…

Sometimes she tells me the most surprising things!

I also love to stick my tongue out

…and be adorable.

Ella Mae LOVES bath time.  She gathers all of the toys possible in her little arms and talks to them.  She also has discovered the joy of splashing and is confused why she gets so wet after.  It’s hard to take her OUT of the tub, but at least she’s clean!

Love me my baths!

Don’t really love the drying off part…

Check out Ella Mae’s first crawl!IMG_2623 and IMG_2607 (one of them…).  Should it surprise us that she was going after an iPhone?  Further attempts include getting Nola dog, the vent, and anything within reach.  Everything has been chewed on at this point.  We should own stock in clorox wipes…

The vent! She plays it like an instrument, snuggles next to it when it’s blowing heat, and talks to it.

I’m sure she’s found lint…

..and the chimney sweep…. (now removed)

…and Nola dog!

Another snow-day this week.  We spent many hours cuddling and snuggling.  Ella Mae has experienced a great first winter!

Snowy home!

Snow-day snuggles!

I am 29 weeks old!

Ella Mae has experienced her first -60 degree (with windchill, of course) day!  This past week, the governor shut down schools and advised no one to venture outdoors for two days.  Snow day with mom and dad!  She spent her time on tummy time, reading books, sitting up, and trying out all sorts of new foods!

The windows in our home, -40 degrees during the day with the sun

Snow day! Time in pj’s reading books and sipping tea

Ella Mae reads her board book with mommy

More books!

She loves to look at her face!

Another fun snow-day idea: play with daddy’s computer!

so fun!

Ella met Dee!

Ella now weighs just under 15 pounds and is quite healthy and happy.  She also went to the library with her nanny, helped with laundry, and had many cuddles.  Because of the cold, she got a little runny nose, but recovered quickly (and passed it on to mom and dad!)  This week, she tried peas, pears and chicken.  She also discovered the fun of sticking out her tongue!

Ella Mae can now reach for food and (sort of) stick it in her mouth

Messy!

…but oh so good! Ella Mae likes sweet potatoes and apples.

sweet naps

Ella Mae can hold her own bottle of milk.

Playing with peas (not eating them)

(what a cute smirk!)

She’d rather offer the peas to us!

We think she’d rather have what he’s having. 

Oh that tongue- we see it often

Ella Mae is also standing up against other objects.  We have to keep a close eye on her, due to those wobbly legs.

Ella learning to stand

This week, she enters turns 7 months!  Wow!

The week of New Years!  Happy 2014!

We still had the week together, as school’s winter break was until January 2nd, 2014.  Ella Mae spent many hours cuddling and playing with her parents this week.  We had a little jet-lag issues with sleeping schedules, but she recovered quite nicely.

This week, Ella Mae went bowling with our friends Maddy and Maia.  She was excited to talk to the nearby bowlers!

Ella Mae and Maddy at the bowling lanes

Ella Mae also had play time with Kalen Lavelle.  It is so exciting to see friends’ children growing alongside Ella.  Sweet times.

Ella Mae and Kalen

Though she got many gifts for Christmas, Ella was more excited to play with pots, pans, and the occasional hanger.  Silly girl!

The most exciting toy ever!

Continuing to work on her muscles, our little girl sat up often during the week.  We leave pillows behind her, but she rarely nose-dives into them.  She enjoys talking to her toys from her perch, as well as grabbing anything nearby.  She’ll also squeal loudly to the rest of us no matter where we are, expecting us to squeal back equally as loud.  We’ve become a noisy home.

Ella sitting and playing

Jeff discovered that she is a great mimic this week.  Watch the clip of him waving his arms, and Ella copying! IMG_2349

Ella continues to chew on anything in site.  Whether it’s bath toys or her new sippy cup full of water, this chewing should usher in those new teeth any day now!

She loves bath time now that she can chew on all of the toys!

Ella loves her sippy cup! We’re not sure if she drinks the water or just lets it pool in her mouth, but it’s cute!

The last exciting moment of the week: she’s pulling to stand!  We’re not sure where she’s at with crawling, but Ella began to grab hold of our shirts and pull herself to a standing position.  Once up, she proudly squeals and wobbles.  As an experiment, I set her arms on the edge of the excersaucer.  Check out the video!IMG_2383

Ella learning to stand

Until next week, we’ll keep snapping pictures and loving up our growing girl!

6-month Ella Mae!

What a great two weeks!  Ella Mae enjoyed her first Christmas, her second plane ride, and first time in Northern California!  Other firsts: experiencing a pool, riding in a shopping cart and sitting in a highchair at a restaurant (chicken legs was still too tiny and slid out!)

Ella is now into what WE eat, which is making for interesting meal times!

She is also sitting up like a pro- reaching for and playing with toys during her playtime.

So nearly crawling!

Right before flying out to Northern California to see family, Ella Mae opened her first presents at home.  As we were warned, we found that Ella was much more interested in the wrapping paper than the presents themselves.  Though she did love her new baby doll and talked to it for a long while in squeals.

First Christmas!

yum yum

Nola was also interested in her new toys

baby doll!

Ella Mae took her second plane trip right before Christmas to see her grandma Jan, cousin Justin, great-grandmother Nanny and great aunt Sandy.  She was quite a good flier, and received many compliments!  On the way home, she proudly stood on mommy’s lap and delivered a joyful speech to the plane…the other travelers weren’t so sure about that one…

Before taking off, grabbing one quick cuddle

On the plane- already asleep!

We arrived to Sacramento and rented a car- before driving another hour or so, daddy and Ella had play time

Kisses!

..and her recent favorite- nose grabs! (ouch!)

At the hotel, Ella spent lots of time playing with cousin Justin and bouncing in the Johnny Jump-up that grandma gave to her.

Ella Mae and Justin

Rolling in bed

Johnny Jump Up!

Grandma Jan opening her grandmother’s brag book

All-around cuteness!

Ella also experienced a swimming pool for her first time.  She wasn’t so sure, and clung to us tightly with big eyes.  In her fear, she grew so quiet and attentive, no screams or tears.  We swam every day and by the end she was able to splash and squeal. I think we’re ready for those swim lessons!

Pool time with daddy and grandma

The Camozzi family at the pool

Ella conked out halfway through a swim, so grandma Jan held her tight and sang to her

Ella also experienced sitting in a shopping cart for the first time.  Verdict: not so sure…

We went to a Christmas Eve service and opened gifts in the hotel, followed by more swimming!

Christmas baby!

After Christmas, we headed to Roseville, CA to see great-grandma Nanny and great-aunt Sandy.  Ella “Elephant” was charming to Nanny and they had many cute moments.  Sandy stopped by and they also played and cuddled.  We ended the night having dinner with Sandy and playing together a little more.  It was great to have family time, and it completely exhausted little bits.

Great-grandmother Nanny, Ella Mae and Jeff

So sweet

Cuddles with great-aunt Sandy

Ella Mae playing with great-grandmother Nanny’s walker

Playing with great-aunt Sandy

Before we knew it, it was time to fly home.  It was sad to leave the warm California sun, but we had more presents to open when we returned home!  We have many thank-you’s to send to family and friends who made Ella Mae’s first Christmas so special!  Merry Christmas all, and happy new year!

Playing before flying home

Opening Papa Mike and Grandma Diana’s gifts when we got home

Ella Mae opening a gift…

…or chewing it…

…or climbing on it…

Merry Christmas!

She’s 6 months!

Our little smiler has transitioned beautifully to a nanny during the day as both parents are full-time workers again. Mom is tired but quite happy back in her classroom, and the family cuddles each evening and every weekend together.  Time is precious.

Right after Thanksgiving with Papa Mike, grandma Diana, grandmartha and grandpa Johnson, Ella Mae was baptized!  Her loving Godparents Michael and Eve Brafford were there to celebrate with us at Bethlehem Covenant.  What a sweet day!

Ella Mae is giggling voraciously, babbling nonstop and trying to eat anything in sight.  Her latest foods are rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, cooked apples and avocados.  Each time we introduce a new food, she is unsure, but within a day quickly loves it.

Enough talking, as promised- here are the pictures from the past few weeks of our little babe.

Coffee with Grandpa Johnson

Good food with grandpa

no, grandpa…

I’ll take over!

Grandmartha gets a turn with the bottle

and all is well!

The morning of Ella Mae’s baptism

Kisses before she heads into service

The whole family at Ella Mae’s baptism with Pastor Ryan at Bethlehem Covenant

Grandpa Don was able to baptize Ella Mae alongside Pastor Ryan

One last play before Grandpa Johnson and Grandmartha fly away

Grandmartha painted her wardrobe- so beautiful!

Cuddles and coffee

a few more giggles!

A new game Ella Mae plays- trying to find herself in the mirror

The budding relationship between Ella Mae and Nola dog…

Oh, daddy!

working on those walking legs

..and wanting to run away!

Cute time between daddy and Ella Mae

Ella Mae’s new excited face- scrunching and closing her eyes while squealing. So funny!

“See! Isn’t that funny??”

Ella Mae loves holding the spoon

not so sure about avocado…

REALLY not so sure about avocado…

deciding what to do about this new green taste…

Instead of eating it, we’ll PLAY with it!

yes, that’s much better

Ella Mae loves glasses of water- under supervision, of course!

She loves feeling the glass with her tongue

cutie!

A selfie after a full day of work and time with the nanny. Tired girls just need more cuddles.

Kisses from daddy after a full day of work!

SQUEAL!!!!

Ella Mae can now push up, roll over, rotate on her tummy, reach for things AND sit up!

goofy grin!

all ready for the holiday parties!

I apologize for no pictures, but will bring many next week!  During Ella Mae’s 23rd week, I got a new computer and have yet to figure out how to attach (and find) the pictures from this week!  So a quick update: Ella Mae had her 6 month appointment a bit early and she is doing wonderfully!  Just under 13 pounds, she’s growing in her growth chart perfectly.  Though still tiny, she’s moving along quite nicely!

She had her Johnson grandparents and Papa Mike and grandma Diana over Thanksgiving- what a hoot!  She was loved everywhere she turned!  With walks, cuddles, shopping trips, tummy time and more cuddles, we think she knows that she’s loved!

We’re back on solids because of her voracious appetite!  Ella Mae now has two meals a day: a meal of rice cereal in milk and later in the day, mushed bananas.  She’s had tastings of cranberries (a love-hate relationship with them), yams and peas.  So far, all tastes are good, and she wants whatever we’re eating at the table!  The spoon gymnastics are a treat as well, as she learns to put it in her mouth (and what an independent girl, she wants to hold it!)

Ella Mae loves kisses and hugs.  She’ll “kiss” us- meaning chewing on our cheeks, and talk to us often with squeals and giggles and coos.  She’s a joy to have around, and never wants to miss a moment (meaning naps and bedtime can be challenging when company is over…)  We are so blessed.

Pictures galore to come!

I am 22 weeks old!

Little bird continues to grow!  This week was a whirlwind of activity: visiting her great-grandmother Elaine, meeting Pastor Ryan to discuss her upcoming baptism and seeing friends big and small.  We had a brief foray into solid foods this week, and continue to encourage her to sit up on her own!

Visiting great-grandma Elaine.

Great-grandma was touched by the visit

She was quick to introduce her great-granddaughter to everyone in the home!

It was a sweet visit- we’ll be back soon!

Ella Mae also began trying out solids- with a very watered down rice cereal (thanks for the advice, Aunt Anna!)  It was very fun watching the food go everywhere and Ella Mae tried her best to control the spoon as well!  We’ve decided to wait until she can sit up on her own fully (she’s almost there!) before introducing more solids to her.

bibbing up and ready to go!

dad models how to eat

First attempt….

not so sure…

but she’s a good sport!

What a look!

Pastor Ryan of Bethlehem Covenant stopped by this week to discuss her upcoming baptism.  Ella Mae loved her cuddles, his glasses and tickles!

Ella Mae and Pastor Ryan

Reading the text together

Tickles!!

We had a playdate with Micah, as well!  Being that Micah is one month older than Ella Mae, Micah’s movements are watched intensely and Ella Mae attempts to copy them when we get home.  Thanks to our little friend, she’s now rolling from her  back to tummy! (I credit Micah because he was such a roly-poly during our last time together.)

Playtime with Micah!

Swapping secrets?

Good old soccer match

We had friends over for games and dinner.  Ella Mae loved the extra loving!

Ella Mae with Dave and Amy 

Chris and the koala 🙂

While home, Ella Mae enjoyed her walks with mom, attempts at sitting up, and cuddles!

I can roll back to tummy AND tummy to back!

Thanks to our friend Erin for the warm hat- we need it for walks!

I can sit up…and fall over…

I reach for things!

I chew on things…

And I cuddle with mama

I’m 21 weeks old!

“babymageddon!” This was a frequent text between Jeff and I this week.  With teething in full-swing (and no tooth in sight), Ella Mae has tested every limit of fatigue and patience.  Her speciality is 3am, and often right when we are on the brink of deep sleep.  Poor thing has no idea how to soothe herself, and on top of it, she’s re-learning her sleep cycles.

snuggles with mama

Ella Mae reaches for us when we enter a room.  She loves her reflection and snuggling into mama while around crowds.  She shows clear signs of getting tired for naptimes (two a day, if we’re lucky!) and continues to munch on anything around her.

Tired eyes

At 12 pounds, 14 ounces, she continues to grow and make us smile- even if she’s trying!  She plays on tummy-time, pushing up and doing many superman’s (laying on her tummy, arms akimbo, waving all limbs).

Superman!

Push-ups

Drooly girl!

Watching for Nola dog

When happy, she giggles freely and is quite interested in the other babies around her.  She was very gentle with Kalen, we were surprised!

Gentle times with Kalen

No, sweets. He is not a chew toy…

Ladybug

From Halloween to daylight savings to full-blown November, Ella Mae has had an exciting 20th week!  She now weighs 12 pounds, 4.5 ounces and is standing with help.  She loves reaching for everything around her (and putting it in her mouth!), feeling mom and dad’s faces, giggling, and staring at anything that moves.  She greets us every morning with a wide grin, and is our little barnacle as the day wears on!

Baby’s first Halloween!

This week, Jeff put together the exersaucer.  Ella Mae was quite unsure about it at first, keeping her hands inside and staring apprehensively at all of the toys.  We showed her how to touch and play with the different elements, and sure enough the next day she was playing with each of the parts that she saw mom and dad model the day before!

Unsure of all of these parts!

Holding her hands, Ella Mae was unsure of the exersaucer….

Daddy showed her how to play!

She looked to us for help

She was definitely curious about the toys!

But in time she began to explore

She also is growing quite enthusiastic about Nola dog.  Now that the tables have turned, Nola is not as quick to sniff her, knowing that a baby hand will reach out and grab for her fur!

Ella Mae loves Nola dog!

Ella Mae also played with Micah (son of our friends Lauren and Dylan) and Kalen (son of friends Chelsea and Shawn) this week!  We caught her holding hands with both of the boys, little flirt!  It was cute to watch the three children interact at such different stages of development!

Ella Mae and the boys Kalen and Micah

Play time!

Each doing their own thing!

Little flirt!

She loved watching Kalen

Her old friend, Micah

Walks grow colder, but we prepare in Minnesota with many buntings and warm clothes.  Ella Mae continues to sleep through many walks.  Looks comfy in there!

Brrrrrr!! The last of the leaves fell this week!