Happy 10 months, Little Bee!

Yesterday was the Little Bee's ten month birthday! Let me tell you what a fun little girl she is! She prefers walking everywhere to crawling, says mama, dada and dog dog, she seriously gives the sweetest kisses in the world, she knows how to make Indian noises with her hand (this is ok since daddy has American Indian heritage! - not enough for scholarships though...), loves finger food and going out to eat, waves at all strangers (scary!), has two teeth, and really enjoys playing with her friends. I love this age so much! She is still having a bit of stranger anxiety and clings to mommy like a zoo monkey but is getting better about being around others as long as I am near. She still loves her school and her sweet teachers. Ellen is lucky enough to have Ms. Angela as a teacher again next year. We are so blessed to have found such a great school. Ellen has made such good friends with Betsy and I have learned so much from her mother.
This weekend Ellen got to spend some extra time with her friend, Caroline. This was Caroline's first babysitting job and she did great. Truthfully, Caroline's mommy noticed that I was a bit frazzled due to Daddy's extended absence and offered to watch her for a bit while I ran some errands. When Caroline woke up from her nap she was so happy to find that Ellen was there to play. I understand that they had a great time and when I got there to pick them up Ellen was sitting in Caroline's daddy's lap eating Goldfish and drinking from a sippy cup.
This year is flying by and I am so happy to see my Little Bee growing up. Can you believe that I am already planning her birthday party?! Love, The Little Bee and her Momma

"As Long as I'm Living My Baby You'll Be"

Do y'all know the book I'll Love You Forever by Robert Munsch? I love this book and can't read it without crying. When I look at these pictures I was thinking of this book. Ellen is growing so fast and hitting milestones at what feels like warp speed. These pictures that her daddy took of us remind me that she is still such a baby who loves to take naps in her Mommy's arms.

Daddy was just playing around with the new camera but I really love this intimate moment he caught.

These are not glamorous of Ellen or me but they are real life and I love our life!

Daddy shares my love for her chunky feet!

My Sweet Bee, you are and always will be my baby. I love you forever. Love, The Little Bee and her Momma

Beautiful Weekend!

Our Little Bee has hitched her wagon to Muffy (she does come from a long line of sled pullers so why not?) and is headed to Tiki Island with her Cece and Gramps to enjoy this beautiful weekend. Happy Friday! Love, The Little Bee and her Momma

Finger Food

A couple of weeks ago, Ellen began to refuse her purred baby food at home. Her teachers tell me that she was still eating it at school but they forget that they are magical and I am just a mom. (Have I mentioned how much I love her teachers?) After some counseling from Betsy's mom, I decided to get more adventurous with Ellen's finger foods at home and to send more to school. She had already been good about eating out with us and loves all kinds of food. So far, the sticky rice served at Chinese food restaurants have been a favorite.

At home she loves any kind of berries but blueberries are a favorite. She also likes to feed herself grapes, black beans, green beans, peas, chicken, rice, avocado, and banana.

She takes this whole eating thing very seriously.

We are still working on perfecting our sippy cup skills. I put watered down apple juice in her cup to make it more appealing but we are still struggling with this. I have tried the cup myself and found that you have to suck pretty hard to get the juice to come out. This week I am going to send her sippy cup to school and ask her teachers to work their magic. I think they could teach her the ways of the sippy cup in no time flat. (I love her teachers!!!) Love, The Little Bee and her Momma

New Camera

I recently got a new camera and I love it! It is an Olympys EPL 1. It is very easy to use and I can't wait to learn more about it. We ordered it online and I was like a kid waiting for Christmas. I would race home from work every day to check the mail. When it finally came I couldn't wait to try it out. These are some of my first shots. I had just raced home and Ellen was zonked out in her car seat. My friend, Mary, says that most of my pictures of Ellen are of her sleeping. I have noticed that this is true. It is really hard to get her picture when she is zooming all around the house. When she is asleep I can play with the lighting and exposure, etc.

This camera does not have a true macro lens but does have a macro setting. I love her little hands and can see all the details I love in this shot.

I am semi-obsessed with how sweet Ellen's feet are. When she was first born they were so round. I couldn't imagine how she could walk on them. The are starting to thin out but still look like kissable baby feet. She thinks that it is hysterical when I pretend to eat her piggies for dessert. I promise to post more awake pictures of the Sweet Bee soon! Love, The Little Bee and her Momma

Bee Box

I have been a very busy mommy lately! Ellen is going through separation anxiety and has been clinging to me like a baby monkey. I am trying to help her understand that the world is a safe place to explore but she would rather just stay stuck to me like glue. So I spend my days carrying her around the house. It slows me down a bit but it is what she needs from me right now. This has made it difficult to blog and I have a lot to catch you up on! Look forward to that in the next coupld of days. Until then, check out this cute lunch box I found at Doodles . It is made by Skip Hop, who generally make nice sturdy things. She took her lunch to school in it today. I love the little gold leather beehive tag! This was not the only must have I found at Doodles this weekend. I really should not be allowed in a baby store with out my baby daddy to help curb my spending! Kisses from the Little Bee and her Momma