Happenings in July

We have been so busy it has been hard for me to get anything posted...although I do have most of it documented on my camera :)
Aundrea came in to stay with us for a night on July 1st. I stupidly was preoccupied with a crabby teething baby and got no pictures...we did have a lot of fun together and it was great to see her again.
Here is a picture of my crabby teething child:

Ellie and I have been going for walks everyday! We found a brand new park in Center Point, Ellie loves to swing and go down the slide.

In early July Ellie stayed at YaYa and Grandpa's house and got to go swimming in their pool for the first time. She was a bit apprehensive at first (the water was chilly), but she quickly warmed up and had a blast!

Enjoying the pool:In the pool with Grandpa and YaYa On July 10th a friend on the rugby team had a reception in Cedar Rapids that we attended. I would like to think that they threw a party just for my birthday...but the fact that they were in wedding attire threw me off :)

Jerm, Shep and Hosh

April, Me and Amy at the wedding reception

July 11th was our 8th annual canoe trip (we missed last year). I have no pictures of the group, but learned a very good lesson...NEVER GO CANOEING WHILE PREGNANT! :)
This past weekend I met up with Jerica and Sarah for lunch in Galena. It was great to catch up with two of my college roommates...although we missed the other three greatly. Jerica had a rough night the night before and struggled a bit through the day, but she was a trooper and we had a fun time.

While in Dubuque we stayed at Mary and Tom's house for the weekend. Ellie got to spend some quality time with her Grandma Mary and Jeremy got to spend some quality time playing his drums with his dad :)

Hmmmmm :)

Dancing to Daddy and Grandpa Tom's music

Hanging with Cousin JacksonTuesday night after visiting baby Waylon we were able to stop over at Paul and Kate's for a cookout. It was great seeing all of our friends again. We are really starting to miss Dubuque a lot!

Finally on our way home.... :)

Welcome Waylon Allen Daughetee!

Waylon Allen was born early Tuesday morning at 3:13 weighing in at 8 lbs. He is a little cutie...makes me so excited to have my new little baby in my hands (18 weeks and counting). We went up to the hospital to see him, and the proud parents Tuesday night. Everyone is doing well, Rachel and Waylon get to come home today!

The Little Guy

Proud parents with Waylon

My first time holding Waylon

Big Uncle Jerm and Waylon

Celebrate!

Ellie had her first birthday party on her actual birthday! It was very difficult to get pictures...too many people were at the house, and Ellie wanted nothing to do with sitting still for a camera.

Here are some pictures of her big day:

Opening Presents with Mommy

Before CakeEating Cake

Happy 1st Birthday Ellie!

Happy Birthday to our little Ellie Bean! We cannot believe how fast the year has gone. You are our sweet little sunshine girl and we are so lucky to have you as our daughter.

Mommy and Daddy Love You!

All about Ellie at One Year Old:

Weight: 18lbs (unofficial her Dr appt is on the 21st)

Walking: Ellie started walking around 11 months. She started with one or two steps at a time, and is now walking across the room and back. She is a very determined little girl and you can tell she would prefer to walk rather then crawl.

Diapers: Size 3...and she has no problem filling them!

Eating: Ellie is on all table foods and has been for over a month. She LOVES fruits especially watermelon, oranges and bananas! She also likes green beans, mac and cheese, pizza, potatoes, grilled cheese, chicken and anything sweet...she gets that from her mommy!

Sleeping: Ellie typically is in bed by 8 and up by 6ish...sometimes later if we are lucky :) She sleeps with her baby and binky.Ellie is still a very light sleeper, but at least she is making it through the night (most nights that is)

Playing:Ellie loves to play with her toys and crawl/run around the house, she does not like to stay in one spot for too long...she loves looking out the window and squeals at the birds, squirrels, rabbits and anything else outside.

Talking/Laughing: Ellie talks all the time...mostly gibberish to us, and she has the best laugh in the world...just like her daddy!

Words: Ellie says- Dada, Mama, Hi, Bye, love you, whats that, (the last two don't sound exactly right but close enough:) We are working on more, milk, binky, ball, cat and dog.

Pets: Ellie has two dogs and two cats, she loves them all. Bell our female dog shares Ellie's love and they are good buddies. The cats run away from her, and Bear, although he loves her would rather get attention from us.

Favorites: Being outside, wrestling with daddy, dancing with mommy, Sesame Street, Abbey Cadabbey, bathtime, playing in the four seasons room or bathroom (yuck), stacking cups, helping mommy put makeup on, music, playing the drums with daddy, walks with Yaya.