Tough Girl

Ella had her 4 month well check today. Here are her current stats:

Length: 26 3/4 inches- above 97th percentile
Weight: 15 lbs 7 oz- about 85th percentile
Head Circ: 42 1/2 cm- about 85th percentile

At this checkup one of my old young women, Megan, was our nurse. It was so nice to see her again. She is a WONDERFUL girl and I haven't seen her much since she graduated from high school last year. She wasn't supposed to work with Ella, but she switched with another nurse so we felt very lucky. Ella unfortunately had to get 4 more shots and one oral vaccine. It wasn't as bad as last time (no tears on my part) because I knew what to expect. She was so tough! She cried as she got her shots (who wouldn't?), but then calmed down right when Gustavo picked her up and comforted her. She didn't cry or even seem to be bothered again until about 7:45 tonight. What a tough girl!

hands and feet

Ella loves her feet, but is very frustrated that she can't get them to her mouth...yet.

She has been successfully finding her thumb and even used it to fall asleep instead of the pacifier one afternoon.

Daddy's Little Girl

I think it is really hard to buy gifts for Gustavo because at this point, he buys himself the things that he really wants. Since Gustavo LOVES basketball and dreams of the day he can play with our kids, I had Ella get him this cute little ball and I got him the old school Penny Hardaway shoes he wanted. When he came downstairs she was wearing this special Father's Day shirt while holding the ball and a card.

We went to Nephi for a special Father's Day dinner with Grandpa, Liz, Isaac, Yolanda, Shevin, and Gabe.
Ella was happy for most of the time.
Uncle Isaac held Ella for the first time.
We all went outside to enjoy the beautiful day. Gustavo took Ella on the trampoline. They didn't bounce, but just being outside was fun for Ella.
Ella loves her daddy so much. Since her first ultrasound she has been labeled a daddy's girl. She lights up when she sees him. There have been lots of times when nothing seems to calm her, but as soon as she gets into her daddy's arms everything is fine. He can get her to laugh hysterically just by looking at her. Yesterday Gustavo was talking to Ella while driving us home from the store and she couldn't stop laughing. No one can make her as happy as her dad.
We love you and hope you had a great Father's Day!

Photo Shoot

We decided that for this Father's Day we would take pictures of Gabe and Ella for their grandpa Gonzalez. Unfortunately Gabe got his shots last week and wasn't his happy self for the pictures. He always looks adorable though.

This was one of my favorites.

Ella loves to hold up her legs. While we were taking pictures she randomly lifted her leg for a few minutes.

We loved that they were holding each other. This was Gustavo's favorite.

I had to get a close up of their chubby hands!

I just love her sweet smile.

Gustavo and I laughed so hard at this picture. We think it looks a little like a glamor shot engagement photo. Yolanda and grandpa thought it was the best of the bunch.

4 months

We think our little Ella gets more beautiful every day, hence all of the pictures! This is my favorite age so far because she isn't mobile, but she is starting to be really interactive. Here is a list of some of the things Ella is doing at four months:

• Ella LOVES to suck on her hands. She will put anything she can grab in her mouth, so along with her hands she also sucks on her clothes, toys, blankets, and our fingers. Every time we approach her face to give her kisses she opens her mouth as wide as possible.
• Ella is starting to talk with us a lot more. She loves to use her voice. During most conversations, and randomly, she will vocalize while sucking in so she makes a very loud awkward sound. I love it!
• She laughs! We can get her to laugh by bouncing her in our laps, tickling her chest, making silly noises, and raising her in the air above our heads. It is the best sound in the entire world. She even makes her great sucking in sound in the middle of her laughing at times.
• Ella is experimenting with her legs. She wants to stand up most of the time and when we lay her on her back she raises her legs and keeps them in the air. During some diaper changes she rests her hands on her knees while her legs are in the air.
• She loves being with her mom and dad, but is still hit and miss with most other friends.
  
• Ella can be extremely sensitive. If she hears a loud sound suddenly then she quickly protrudes her bottom lip forming a very dramatic frown and then starts to scream. She has done this with lots of sounds including laughter, accelerating trucks, dogs barking, the telephone, the tv, and her parents conversations. Of course these noises don't always make her sad, just when she is in the "right" (or should I say wrong) mood.
• Ella is starting to like some toys. She loves the cow Jessica bought her (thanks Jess) and anything that circulates (ceiling fans, her mobile, etc.). She loves bright colors and lights. She still loves watching the tv because of the movement and colors. The first time I put her bright pink sneakers on they kept catching her eye and she would just stare at them.
• Ella loves to be outside. We go on at least one walk a day. When nothing else can calm her I walk outside and she is instantly alright.
  
• When we talk with Ella and get her to smile she quickly turns her head to the side as if she is shy. You'll notice in the pictures above that her head is turned because her daddy was getting her to smile.
• Before Ella sneezes she lets out an anticipatory yell and then pauses to wait for the sneeze. If the sneeze doesn't come she gets a little perplexed look on her face.
  

Movie Night

and

and

make a wonderful girls night in with El.

Thanks for being so incredibly good looking Rock Hudson.

Just the Two of Us

This week Gustavo went on a stake camp out with the young men. When I first realized he would be gone for an entire week I was really nervous. At that point Ella was only about 4 weeks old and I was still very sleep deprived and in a lot of pain so I didn't even know how to function. Now, I can happily say that I feel WONDERFUL. Life is absolutely perfect. Ella and I had an incredible week together; just the two of us. We spent lots of time with Eleanor and the sisters in my ward. I felt like I was finally able to fulfill the responsibilities of my calling in Relief Society. We even started a successful playgroup for enrichment. It was so much fun playing with my baby girl all week.