Plum Cute

Well, yesterday when I was preparing her snack, Ellie grabbed a plum out of my hand and chomped down. This sister has learned how to use all 4 of her teeth! She was enjoying it so much that I had to get a few pictures (of course!).

And for those of you who are wondering if Ellie eats everything, well... not really. Her absolute favorite thing ever is cheese. The only rival of cheese is anything off of my plate. Which is why she ate the plum, I think she thought she wasn't supposed to have it. Little did she know...

Talk soon,
The Raz's

How Big is Ellie?

SO BIG! We measured her today and found out that she's 29.5" tall! Our little two-and-a-half footer! Geez, she is growing fast.

Don't Hate us 'cause we're green...

I was hanging Ellie's diapers on the line today and had an artistic moment. "This would be a pretty picture" I said to Levi my dog, who was the only one around to admire how cute Ellie's little diapers were hanging outside on the clothes line. I went inside to get my camera and as I laid on the ground to take a few shots, Levi was thrilled.

So anyway. I'm not sure if all of you knew that Ellie has cloth diapers. Originally I became interested because she had sensitive skin and cloth kept her from getting mean diaper rash. But then I was excited to find out how much money we could save in just one year of use (depending on how many disposables she would use, we saved anywhere from $200-$400 in a year). And now that I'm learning more about our valuable depleting resources, I'm excited to be keeping more diapers from the landfill (where mine are still not decomposing. Sad.).

Woo woo!

Talk soon,
The Raz's

This Time Last Year

Well folks, you've heard it and it's true... babies do grow fast.

So I finally opened iMovie on my computer and it automatically imported all the video clips I have in my iPhoto... Wow! I seriously love my new Mac. Anyway. So it turns out that I have quite an arsenal of video clips I took with our little point and shoot camera. Fabulous!

I came across this video that I took on July 28th last year. I had to hide the camera because all Ellie used to do was stare at the camera with big googley eyes. SO. She was participating in her all-time favorite activity at the moment which was was kicking the crinkly plastic bag the wipes come in (man if it were only that simple these days!). And as you can see from the video, she had JUST started laughing!

Have a wonderful day!
The Raz's

Lil' Cheese-Eating Swimmer

Lexington has these terrific family city pools (although not free, darn...). The one we visit is strictly for family swimming, so no lap pools. Ellie and I have been three times or so and she just loves it. One of my friends was joking about Dan, Ellie and I doing a family triathlon (Dan would bike, I would run, Ellie would swim), and after today I think it just might be possible. Ellie was going in the baby pool face first with no fear. She swallowed a lot of water and sneezed a bunch, but it didn't seem to bother her any. Since it was just the two of us, I couldn't get a picture of her in the water, just one of her eating her cheese after a lot of swimming (which I now see is out of focus, oh well!).

Cheers!
The Raz's

P.S. For those of you who know how painfully white I am you would be surprised to know that my shoulders now have this nice speckled tan... but my legs remain a stubborn shade of cream (go figure).

Look Who's Walking Now!

Yesterday Ellie started walking! She watched everyone in the nursery at church and just decided she could do it to... thank you very much. Most of Sunday and Monday were spent walking around the house and strutting her stuff. I'm pretty excited about this new development because it means maybe I can stop carrying her everywhere!

Hope everyone is doing great! We miss you!

Love,
The Raz's

Ravens Run

This weekend Dan had what they call a “Golden Weekend.” Basically, he got done on Friday and was off Saturday and Sunday. If you’re thinking “wait a minute... that’s a regular weekend” then you’re a genius because it IS a regular weekend. Apparently, interns (first year residents) don’t get weekends.

So... since the weekend was declared a golden one, we decided that we had better do something noteworthy. We didn’t want to go very far or spend any money, so a hike was the natural (pun) choice. We picked a nature sanctuary by the name of Ravens Run. Oddly enough, you aren’t “allowed” to trail run on Ravens Run, but we saw two people doing it anyway. Who needs rules?

It was a pretty hot day even though we got out there at 9am. Some new friends of ours met us out there, they are really cool. The husband is from Wisconsin and the wife is from northern Arkansas, so they are more outdoorsy and very laid back. We actually met them for dinner at a local Mexican restaurant later Saturday night... apparently Dan found some people who like Mexican food as much as he does... I knew there was something fishy about those two. haha.

Evidently we were boring Ellie, because she fell asleep for a little while. We ordered a pack that was supposed to be here by Saturday but it wasn’t. So she had to ride along in the backwards baby bjorn again and both she and Dan were uncomfortable. But the good news is the pack came in today, maybe we’ll make good use of it this weekend. Who knows, it’s not supposed to be a golden one. Dan is working a 30 hour shift starting early Friday morning. Oh well.

Talk soon!
The Raz’s

The Funeral

Does anyone else think it's strange that Ellie has been to more funerals than weddings in her 14 months of life... or is it just me?

About a week and a half ago, Ellie's great grandfather passed away. [Incidentally, this is her second great grandfather to pass away in her lifetime.] The memorial and funeral were to be held in Nebraska (900 miles away) and Dan was to be a pallbearer. Travel was going to be tricky because Dan had just started his job and didn't feel like he could ask off for very much time. At first, flying seemed like the obvious choice, but we couldn't find a flight without a 4 hour layover in Chicago. So, we decided against flying, which turned out to be a great decision because they shut down O'Hare last week and we would have been trapped in Chicago with no broadway musical tickets. So, we drove! Dan's brother, Ellie's Uncle Erik, rode with us.

Ellie made the drive (13 or 14 hours, depending on who's driving...) with minimal fussing and went crazy in the hotel room once we arrived. She was particularly fond of the king size bed and all of its fluffy pillows.

We spent the next two days in Grand Island, Nebraska visiting family and celebrating a life well lived. Oh, and have I mentioned that Ellie's great grandfather had 12 children??? They were ALL there with families in tow. Now, you have to understand that I've never seen this family pass up an opportunity to have fun (granted, I've only been an official member for 5 years, so it's possible at some point they were all sticks-in-the-mud). So, when they all get together - wedding or funeral - by golly they're going to have a good time!

Returning home was a bit more difficult than the trip out. But we made it home safe and sound with memories of Ellie's great grandfather that will last forever. What a trip!

Talk soon,
The Raz's

P.S. Most of the images are from Coney Island, a local hot dog joint that hasn't changed since it was opened. The original owner and his wife still work there!

Chef Ellie

It looks like we've got a Tiny Chef on our hands (and I don't mean Ratatouille if that's what you're thinking...). Since I have some blueberries in the fridge that are on their way out, I decided to make some muffins for Ellie's dining enjoyment (she is rather fond of muffins in the morning). I set her on the counter and we were off! Ellie sampled the whole wheat flour, maple syrup, blueberries, and even the baking powder (which elicited a twinge of disgust). Everything met her inspection and we stirred the wet ingredients into the dry. Just as I was about to spoon a bit into the greased tins, Ellie dove for the batter. She deemed it yummy and ate a few handfuls (don't worry, there are no eggs in vegan blueberry muffins). They turned out great and Ellie sampled one before she climbed the stairs for her bath. Or "Ba" as she calls it.
Happy Eating!
The Raz's

I Know God.

Poor little Ellie. Tuesday afternoon/evening Ellie became rather cranky and started to run a fever. After her dinner I took her temp and it was the highest her fever had ever been (102.8). After a series of phone calls to Dan - who had just started his first day at work and was on call the first night on the job - we decided she needed to see a doctor. Only it was 6:00 in the evening already and we hadn't received our insurance cards yet so we had no proof of insurance. Thankfully none of that matters up at UK (University of Kentucky Health Systems, also where Dan works). I strap a bawly-scrawly Ellie in her car seat and off we go to the Twilight Clinic. At the check-in station, the nurse was very helpful and sympathetic about our insurance situation (surprise!). Apparently you can use the social if absolutely necessary. Since there wasn't a single soul in the waiting room, Ellie's name was called out before I even made it to my seat. How's that for service? Now, this is one of those times where I smile to myself and say "I know God." God is simply the only explanation for my, er... good fortune.

Ellie has never been a fan of the scale in the pediatricians office, and probably for good reason. - who on earth likes to get on the scale at the doctor's office anyway?? Especially when you have to do so naked! Well, this is about when she started screaming. And crying and crying and crying. The cries did not stop for the doctor, not for the nurse, not for the administration of sticky hot pink tylenol, and especially not for several examinations of her ears. It was a lovely visit. Turns out she had an ear infection and we left with a prescription to have filled. Thank heaven it was only for a cheap antibiotic that qualified for the $4 plan! And considering my current proof of insurance dilemma, I smiled and said to myself, "I know God."

Off we went to the pharmacy that I picked at random and once we were inside, Ellie threw up all her cheese and grapes she had gobbled up during dinner. And guess what? Because I stopped at this random big-box pharmacy (and didn't go another 10 minutes down the road), everything went straight into the shopping cart cover and nowhere else. Not in the car, not on Ellie, and not on me! I thought to myself, "this is disgusting, but it could have been so much worse." I smiled again, "I know God."

We made it home without any problems and Ellie seemed to like her syringe of orange antibiotic. Still hated the dropper of the pink tylenol. More crying.

After I was convinced Ellie was fast asleep in her bed, I fixed myself some dinner. I sat at the table alone eating my oatmeal (it was what I wanted for some odd reason), and I was left with thoughts about the day. I am constantly amazed at God's provision for me. He took a situation that had potential to be horrendous (high fever, after 5pm doctor visits, puking in the store...) and made it as comfortable as possible. He knows right where I am these days. He knows how hard it is to be a mom - how much it takes out of you, yet how much you still want to give. He knows all my struggles, my feelings of incompetence, my over-thinking-ness, and my current physical isolation. So he took this crappy situation and made it smooth sailing, just for me.

(smile) I know God.

Talk soon,
Anna