17 months old

Ella is 17 months old today. I can't believe she is almost half way to 2 years old. Time continues to fly. I think Ella is hitting the terrible twos a little early. It's becoming a daily occurrence for Ella to throw herself down crying when she doesn't get her way. I have read that this is normal for her age so I just try to ignore it as best I can. Ella is so curious and loves her little life. I love this little girl and the little person she is becoming.

The Windy City

All of you probably know by now that our trip to Chicago was a disaster. I used to love big cities, but since having Ella I am not a fan. Not only was it cold and windy, but Ella couldn't go out and run in the grass. That is one of her favorites things to do. Sleeping was horrible also. Ella isn't used to sleeping in a pack and play AND she isn't used to sleeping anywhere but her bed. She ended up sleeping with us, and I'll just say we didn't get much sleep. By Tuesday we were both physically exhausted (I was mentally exhausted) so I packed up and brought her home. Even though the trip was a disaster we still managed to go site seeing. I'll just warn you once you get finished with this post you will probably be on picture overload. Enjoy!

We took a taxi to Navy Pier on Sunday when we got to Chicago. It is so beautiful there.

Mommy and Ella by Lake Michigan

It's called the "Windy City" for a reason. I thought we were going to blow away.

The next day on little to no sleep I got the brilliant idea to take Ella to the aquarium. Once we got there I saw how crowded it was and decided to just take off walking. I happened to stumble upon Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain, Millenium Park, and Michigan Avenue.

Ella looks miserable. It was FREEZING!!

BEAUTIFUL!
Buckingham Fountain
Really cool fountain at Millennium Park

It was nice to see some plant life in the middle of the city!

The Chicago River

I could have done some MAJOR shopping!

Ella's purchase at the Disney Store. At least someone did some shopping:)

On Tuesday I decided to take Ella to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It would another cold day, but we toughed it out. Ella ended up falling asleep and looked miserable. That's when I decided it was time to go home!
Mommy sitting on her nest and daddy protecting her
I felt like this Rhino looked!
This is what pure misery looks like! Poor thing:(

These are a few pictures from the hotel room.

She really loved looking out the window...

We made it!

We made it to Chicago this afternoon. Ella did really well on the car ride. We only stopped once for gas and once for lunch. We went to Navy Pier when we got here. I took quite a few pictures, but unfortunately I can't post them. Adam took the usb cable out of my bag and forgot to put it back (surprise, surprise). It is currently a little after 9:00, and Ella is running around like a crazy woman. I have already tried to put her to bed, but it didn't go very well. Keep your fingers crossed that we get some sleep tonight!!

*UPDATE: It's 10:30 and Ella is asleep in the middle of our king size bed. We have never let her do this (and we won't when we get home), but she is peacefully sleeping. Thank goodness:)

Packed and ready to go!

So we are headed to the windy city tomorrow and won't be back until next Saturday. This is everything Ella needs for a week. This isn't including her stroller and portable high chair seat. I don't know how something so small can require so much stuff! Check back each day, because I will be posting pictures from out trip (that is if Ella cooperates and actually sleeps). Wish us luck, we may need it! =)

Hair bows!

Ella looks so pretty with a hair bow in her hair. Too bad she can't leave it in!

And so it begins 5 seconds after I put it in her hair....

Daddy is so funny....

Ella thinks her daddy is hilarious. Mommy is the serious one who does all the work. Let daddy come around and she laughs hysterically.

Adam calls Ella "supergirl" and throws her on the bed. She thinks it is hilarious!

Ella loves doggy kisses!!

Old friends and New friends

My friend Leslie brought her daughter, Olivia, over to play yesterday. Leslie and I have known each other since we were about two years old. It is crazy that we both have kids that are close to that age now. Leslie found out she was pregnant with Olivia the day I gave birth to Ella. Hopefully Olivia and Ella can grow up to be great friends!

Mini Leslie and Mini Miranda playing together

Olivia coming in for the steal:)

Olivia giving Ella a pat on the back for teaching her how to turn the power chord off in back of the television....Oops:)