Thumb's Up

My Little Bee did not even play fair last night and started up with this cuteness when I was about to feed her. I sat her up in her Boppy while I turned to grab something and when I turned back around she has pulled this number on me. Luckily, I was able to grab my camera and share this accomplishment with you. From the minute she was born we knew she would be a thumb sucker if only she could get that slippery devil to cooperate. We have watched her determination as she has struggled to master getting her thumb to her mouth and then keeping it there. Just when she would get close that wily thumb would pop right out of her mouth. I think she's got it now and we are so happy for her. At daycare they offered to help us break her of this habit but we are happy to let her soothe herself in this way. She does come from a long line of thumb suckers and we turned out just fine. So, thumb's up to you Little Bee! Love you, Elizabeth

Tikki Time

So, the good news is that we all came to Galveston to help Cece and Grandpa move into their new house on Tikki Island. The bad news is that there was some confusion with the electrical company and the house won't have power until Monday. The worse news is that it is over 100 degrees right now. Thankfully Aunt Susu came to the rescue and let us stay at her house on the West End. We spent this morning doing a fashion show for Aunt Muffy and taking some pictures. After that we stopped by the Sweat Lodge, I mean new Beach House to do a few things. While we slaved away in the heat the Bee had a little nap in her travel swing. Mommy and Cece had to run to Target to get a few things for the new house and Ellen decided she was not done with her nap yet.

This is how the Little Bee rolls. Have a great weekend! We love you, Elizabeth

Another Mommy Photo Shoot

Happy Three Month Birthday to our Little Bee! Daddy and I love you so much and are so lucky to have such an amazing daughter. Daddy brags on how smiley you are all the time. He doesn't believe that any other baby could have as many smiles to share as you. We love you more than we knew we could and look forward to years of Little Bee smiles and kisses. Love, Your Very Happy Momma Bee

Watermelon Baby

Ellen, please don't hate Mommy and Cece for this photo shoot! We were just dying to do this the minute we saw our sweet Bee. These photos were taken at our farm while everyone else was out shooting skeet. Ellen was about a month old and I guess my mom and I just shouldn't always be trusted together. Cece hallowed out the watermelon while I fed Ellen. Our hope was that she would be nice and milk drunk and fall sweetly to sleep in her watermelon cradle. (Just like Anne Geddes, right?) We thought since it was such a hot summer day that the nice cool watermelon might even feel good. When I laid Ellen in the watermelon she shot me a look that would curl your toes and started screaming. I grabbed her right back out and calmed her down. We decided to try again and this time she didn't mind as much. These are two of the best shots we got. We didn't take many because we didn't want to wear out our favorite model. What happened to all of the leftover watermelon? We made crushed it and made Watermelon Aqua Fresca and Pear Vodka cocktails and enjoyed them on the porch with our Little Bee. Love ya, Elizabeth

Daycare or New Tutu?

Ellen and I had our first day to daycare and work last Friday. She did very well and loved to watch all the babies in her class play. She is the youngest in the class until September when all the 1 year-olds will be moved up and she will wait for her other classmates to start school. She did not sleep much her first day at school because she was so excited but she did not fuss and ate all of her bottles. That night she slept for twelve hours straight because she was worn out! Over the weekend she and I began to feel a bit congested so Cece took her to the doctor this morning. Her doctor thought we were doing all we could for her (humidifier, saline nasal spray and propping her mattress at an angle) and that her little cold will pass by tomorrow. In the meantime, Cece decided to keep her at their house today and the above picture shows how she has spent her morning thus far. I guess in the matter of going to daycare or trying on a new tutu, Ellen choose the tutu. Good choice, Little Bee! Love, Elizabeth
P.S. Ellen loves to get comments on our posts!

End of Bliss

Here is what Ellen thinks about me returning to work in the morning:


I share the sentiment, my angel. I think it is only proper that I am returning to work on Friday the 13th. I know that starting will be the hardest part and that Ellen and I will both adjust but I am mourning the end of my maternity leave none the less. I have really enjoyed this time with our sweet girl. I will miss lazy morning cuddles when we lay in bed after she eats just staring at each other. I will miss lunching with Grandpa and Cece. I will miss holding her while she naps. I won't miss the daytime television that was my only company some days or the dent I put in our credit cards with all my free time. (Yikes!!!) I know that we will still be able to have those sweet moments when I am not working but I fear how many I will miss. I also worry about the firsts that she may achieve while we are apart. Before I considered having a baby, a friend described motherhood as giving birth to a piece of your self and letting that part of you go in the world. She described this as incredibly painful because while your baby is in utero you have the illusion of being able to protect her but once she is born she is susceptible to the world. So with the ambivalence of whether or not I want to work (I went to Smith for this?) and worry about trusting someone else to care for such a large piece of my heart (I really do love and trust our daycare) I am coming to the end of my maternity leave. Say a little prayer for Ellen and I tomorrow as we begin to adjust to real life. Thank you, my Little Bee, for such a blissful three months with you. I have loved every minute of it (well, maybe not the part where we figured out nursing but I don't think you were too fond of that either). I hope you love your new school and watching the other babies play as much as I think you will. I know your teachers will love you and give you tons of cuddles and kisses. Be sweet, Little Bee. I love you, Elizabeth

Ellen's Daydreams

Have you seen the blog milasdaydreams.blogspot.com? If not you need to check it out! Mila is about the same age as Ellen and her mom must have gotten pretty bored on her maternity leave. While her daughter naps she creates these beautiful images of what her daughter dreams about. I tried my hand at creating some daydreams for my Little Bee. The tricky thing was that Ellen woke up when I moved her so she is not napping like Mila. I enlisted my mother's help. She was skeptical about moving a waking baby. The first image was inspired by the watermelons on her dress. I don't love how it turned out but here ya go. Notice Ellen has her bink in her mouth. I might be willing to move a sleeping baby but I am not willing to take her bink! The second image is Ellen dreaming of dancing with her friends in the sunshine. Imagine the song "I'm Walking on Sunshine" playing while she dances. Cute, huh?

Here are some outtakes: The first one is meant to show that no babies were harmed in the making of these photos. Ellen was actually having a good time.

In this one she is sticking out her tongue.

In this one she is showing you that she is working on rolling over and sucking her thumb. I guess she is a multi-tasker like her mom and is working on two milestones at once.

I wish I could tell you that this is the first time my mother and I have done something like this to the sweet Bee but most of you know better than that. Just wait for the watermelon pics in a later post! Cece and Mommy love you Little Bee! Please try to remember that when you are 16 and you look at these pictures! Love you, Elizabeth

Cletus the Giant

When I was a Little Bee myself, I went to see the "Princess Bride" with my family at the movie theater. I always sat in my father's lap and Margaret sat in my mom's. I can remember sitting in my dad's lap and watching Andre the Giant playing "Fezzik". When we left the theater, I was just sure that people would think that my father was Andre the Giant and that they would ask for his autograph. I am not sure that I didn't convince myself it had really been my father in the movie all along. I have always thought of my father as larger than life. Not just because he is tall but things are just kind of more when he is around. Parties are more fun, jokes are funnier, and the deal you are negotiating will always be better if my father is on your side. He's the one I turn to when I need to know anything or fix something. Although, Lloyd is very good at these things too! My father was an Eagle Scout and I feel like my sister and I should be Eagle Scouts by proxy. He raised us with many of the Eagle Scout ways like being a good steward to those less fortunate and leaving a camp site better than you found it. I also admire the way that my father continues to grow as a person. I am a strong believer that you should always be working on improving yourself. Maybe I learned this from watching my dad through the years. Now my father has become a grandfather. I know Ellen will love her grandfather and will enjoy all the things I used to love doing with my father, like crazy driving, fishing, cooking, and traveling. I love you, dad. Happy Birthday, from your first Bee.

Bon Annversaire!

Once upon a time, when I was 12 years old, I met the man I would one day marry. On May 31, 2008 Lloyd and I got married at St. Paul's United Methodist Church. Last night we celebrated our anniversary at Brennan's. Yes a bit late but this year our anniversary fell 10 days after Ellen's arrival and we were a bit preoccupied. Below is a picture of Lloyd and I saying our vows.
Here we are leaving our wedding and beginning our life together. Little did I know then that in two years I would be usurped in Lloyd's eyes by someone who drools and has thunder thighs!
I don't mind though! Ellen pretty much steals the show anywhere and we are so proud of her. I am also so proud of the father Lloyd is becoming. This is a responsibility that he takes seriously and he is succeding in being a wonderful father. There is no better diaper changer or burper. Ellen is just as in love with her father as he is with her. When he walks into the room she lights up and knows that she will have his undivided attention. What a sweet pair!
Lloyd, I love you tons and am so glad that you are my partner in the task of parenting our amazing Little Bee. I love you, Elizabeth

First Boat Ride

Ellen has been up and down the Texas coast this summer. We started with a trip to Galveston when she was almost three weeks old. She also went to the farm in Chappell Hill a few times, Galveston a few more times and to Port Aransas. Ellen has enjoyed her travels this summer and her time with Cece and Grandpa. One of the highlights of her trip to Port Aransas was her first boat ride. Grandpa and Daddy spent the morning fishing and when they were ready for lunch motored over to the condo to pick up Cece, Mommy and Ellen. Earlier in the day, my mother "Cece" and I went on a mission to find an infant life jacket and to ask the locals about how legal it is to take an infant on a boat. At Port A Outfitters, we found an infant jacket that is good until Ellen weighs 30 pounds and were assured that it was perfectly legal for Ellen to go on a joyride. So, dressed in her new life jacket and sun hat, we embarked on our three minute cruise to Virginia's, an outdoor fish sandwich and rum drink sort of place. Ellen slept for the whole ride while Lloyd nervously wondered what we were thinking taking such a tiny baby on a boat. I'm sure that Ellen will love going on many more boat rides and will live for the day that she no longer has a to wear a life jacket. I know Margaret and I counted down the days until we could throw caution to the wind and ride with Dad sans life jacket. Ugh, that reminds me that Ellen will one day be a teenager and of all the other things we were up to around the time that we riding around without our life jackets. For now, I am glad that Lloyd and I are still her favorite people in the world and she has no idea of how embarrassing we actually are. Love you Little Bee! Much Love, Elizabeth

Little Bee

Here I am adventuring into the world of blogging. Lloyd is a bit afraid of how much time this may take up and is issuing warnings about his friends' wives who spend "hours a night" blogging. However, he has been helping me figure out how to start this blog a week before I return to work. One of my goals was to have this set up prior to the end of my maternity leave as a way of updating our aunts and grandparents on the happenings of our sweet little bee. While most of my visions of what maternity leave would be like (a luxurious vacation with a well dressed baby in my arms) did not necessarily pan out, I appreciate his help in realizing this one. We got the name for the blog from a nickname that started when I was a baby. Since then, my family has generally referred to babies as "b"s as in "baby".

One May 21, 2010 at 8:20 AM, Lloyd and I were blessed with our own baby b, Ellen James Conaway. She weighed 6 lbs 12 oz and was 19 inches long. She was beautiful. We have enjoyed every second with her and regularly marvel at how lucky we are to be her parents. Lloyd and I have had a lot of help this summer from our friends and family and are so grateful for that. We hope to use this blog to send pictures and stories to those of you we don't get to see as often as we would like. Much love to you all, Elizabeth, Lloyd and Ellen "the Little Bee"