baby – Chelsea's Postcards

Ellis Ann is Eight Months Old!

December 14, 2022

My goodness sweet girl! It seems like time is just blowing by. I never want to compare you and your brother because you are each your own person, but man if it doesn’t seem like time is just going by so much faster with you. Between the chaos of having to keep up with both of you, I seem to have blinked and here we are with an 8 month old and a 2 year old.

You are still the sweetest snuggle bug. You’re going to bed easily at 7 pm every night now. You take a bottle and go down without a peep most nights. Some nights you’re back up at 10 or 11 for another feeding and some times you surprise us and make it until 2-4 am, but still not sleeping through the night. Daddy had his first weekend away from us. You did well but I was thankful to have Mina and Pop Pop to help out! We’re still working on eating solids, if I’m being honest it’s not going great. You are really not interested in eating and you gag on food so easily that it is really scary for us! At 30 weeks we could finally start to see your bottom two teeth peeking through, so maybe some teeth will help you start eating a little more!

Daycare is going wonderfully! You got a new teacher who you LOVE and we can tell she just adores you! At 31 weeks you started clapping and waving. I love seeing you clap for yourself and wave at us! You are ready to crawl and be able to chase after your brother, I can see it won’t be long! At 34 weeks you perfected sitting up from laying down. You are still loving swim lessons too!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at the beach this month. We celebrated Graham’s second birthday. We had family photos taken. Our house is all decorated for Christmas. We have so much to be thankful for this time of year! I am extra thankful for our family! I love you big little girl!

31 weeks – enjoying the patio

31 weeks – Ellis Ann to the rescue!

31 weeks – snuggling

31 weeks – not interested in oatmeal but still the smiliest

31 weeks – a little pre Christmas carriage ride at Reynolda

32 weeks – Thanksgiving at the beach

33 weeks – snuggly girl

33 weeks – Jumpin’ girl

33 weeks – celebrating brothers birthday

34 weeks – dinner by the tree, just a spoon for you

34 weeks – no thanks for the sweet potatoes

34 weeks – the cutest baby and all the Christmas decorations

34 weeks – Go Mountaineers!

Family Photo Shoot – December 2022

December 10, 2022

We had a photo shoot done recently for our annual Christmas cards and Graham’s second birthday! We used Amber again, and per usual the photos turned out amazing! I absolutely cannot believe the we have a two year old and an eight month old. Life is so crazy and hectic right now that I am so thankful to have these beautiful photos to look back on!

Graham’s Baseball Birthday Party!

December 8, 2022

Graham is Two!

We had the best time celebrating Graham at his baseball themed birthday party! Graham is obsessed with all things ball right now, but really LOVES baseball the most! He was so thrilled with all the decorations and baseballs at his party. I had a friend make his shirt for him and he loved being a baseball player in his special shirt. We had mostly family over, and a few friends with kids his age. It’s fun to see him starting to play with other kids and make friends. We were lucky the weather was warm enough to be outside playing! I ordered all the decorations on Amazon and kept it super easy with food (peanuts, cracker jacks, popcorn, pretzels and, nachos). Graham is still pretty in to wearing hats (and wants everything to be a baseball helmet) so our party favors had to include team helmet, which were a big hit with the kids. I absolutely cannot believe our little boy is two! He is the sweetest, most joyful, energetic two year old and we had the best day celebrating him!

Thanksgiving 2022 at the Beach

December 1, 2022

paci’s allowed in the car… even though we gave them up months ago

straight to the park

Our house for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving sunrise with my sunshine girl!

Baby in a turkey hat!

Beach hugs!

Dinner at Mini Jalapeno! No more leftovers!

Mina with the pitcher of margs!

Sun setting on a perfect trip to the ocean!

We had the most wonderful trip to the beach for Thanksgiving! We rented a house that was on the ocean at Holden Beach for four nights. Mina and Pop Pop joined us for the trip and there was plenty of room for all of us. The house was recently renovated and we all really enjoyed the location. Holden Beach was quiet, but had everything we needed. There was a nice park that we went to right as soon as we arrived in town, and it was also walking distance from our house. It was amazing to be able to go in and out of the house right onto the beach. I had not done that since I was a kid and it is just the absolute best to play in the waves, come in for a snack, go out and dig in the sand, come in for a nap, go back out and run and play ball on the beach, and watch the sun set over the ocean. We watched the Macy’s Parade, which was a tradition I always enjoyed with my Mom, so it was fun to see Graham start to show and interest in the big balloons and the music. We bought most all of our Thanksgiving meal premade again this year which is a tradition that is really growing on me. There wasn’t much cooking to do once we arrived and this turned out to be such a good plan. We really got to enjoy our time at the beach as much as possible and no one was stuck in the kitchen cooking. We only went out for one meal this trip, the last night we went to dinner at mini Jalapeno. We were all pleased with the food we ordered. I am also happy to report that both Graham and Ellis Ann did really well in the car going and coming from the beach!! We are already looking forward to our next trip to the beach!

Ellis Ann is Seven Months Old!

November 16, 2022

Another month of fun with you sweet girl! You are growing by leaps and bounds! This month your big milestone is that you started sitting up on your own at 28 weeks old. You are a rolly poly playing girl now! Rolling all over the place to get to your toys and get into everything!

We celebrated Diwali with Mina and Pop Pop this month. We had your first Halloween this month, and you were the cutest Minnie I have ever seen!! We walked for our Francey this month. We miss her so much and wish she could be here to see you and your brother grow! She would just be over the moon for you!

We started trying to eat solid foods this month, so far you’re less than impressed. You like playing with the spoons, but that ‘s about it! You’ve had another ear infection this month, but are honestly handling really well.

Graham asks “hold sissy hand” on our walks now and I just wish I could bottle this joy up and keep it forever. My hope for you two is that you will always want each other by your side. Seeing him love on you brings me so much happiness. We love you big little one!!

26 weeks – Six month check up

26 weeks – waiting our 15 minutes after covid shot # 1

26 weeks – wear pink day to school

27 weeks – trying out the high chair at the table for the first time

27 weeks – first bite of real food (baby oatmeal)- not a fan

27 weeks – “Gah hold sissy hand” the sweetest thing

27 weeks – working on sitting up, almost got it mastered

27 weeks – Happy Diwali

28 weeks – giving avocado a try

28 weeks – no thanks, I’ll just chew my spoon

28 weeks – Halloween celebration – Mickey, Minnie, and Disney tourist

29 weeks – matching Halloween PJs

29 weeks – A visit from Jo Jo

29 weeks – your first Halloween

29 weeks – wearing purple and walking for Francey

29 weeks – the perfect fall day to remember our girl

30 weeks – movin’ and groovin‘

30 weeks – 7 months – the flexibility is impressive

30 weeks – back for covid shot round #2

Ellis Ann is Six Months Old!

October 18, 2022

Ellis Ann how can it be that a half a year has flown by just like that?? What a joy it has been to watch you grow! Our big milestone this month is finally getting you on a schedule. It is helping us all sleep better! We took your first big trip and spent a week at the beach. You loved the pool!! Jody and Penny came with us and boy were we glad to have their help. Traveling with two under two is no joke! Our week away, really helped us realize that you needed a bedtime routine to help you start sleeping better at night. You are going to bed around 8 now and sleeping until 3 or 4, wake up to eat and fall back to sleep for a few more hours with any luck. You’ve really perfected rolling over this month and now if we put you down on your back you roll right over to your stomach. This has also really helped at night with your sleep since you prefer to sleep on your stomach.

Absolutely everything is going straight for your mouth now. You’re drooling like crazy and we feel like some teeth have to be coming soon but still no sign of them. You had an ear infection last month that seems to be still hanging around this month. You are putting up with it really well, but I’m really hoping tubes won’t be in our future. You and Graham have really started to interact and play and I just love seeing you two together! We started swim lessons with you this month and you are loving it! You are still the happiest little joy, and go with the flow for almost everything! We love you big little girl!

21 weeks – headed to the ball game

22 weeks – vacation nap at the beach house

22 weeks – first boat ride

23 weeks – three Tar Heels testing the new stroller out

23 weeks – in the bathtub

23 weeks – playing with brother

24 weeks – first day of swim lessons

25 weeks – first trip to the pumpkin patch

25 weeks – trying out part of your Halloween costume

25 weeks – the sweetest girl napping

25 weeks – First Wake Forest football game!

25 weeks – The sweetest brother and sister

26 week/6 month old girl napping with her Pop Pop

Family Beach Trip 2022

October 7, 2022

loaded up and ready to hit the road!

We’re here!!

first trip to Provision Company for Sissy

Playing at the farm!

Celebrating three wonderful years!

We loved spending the afternoon at the pool!

Ferry ride to the aquarium in Elmo PJ’s

not a fan of the scuba diver. no thank you.

worn out.

mom and dad in the way back

vacation naps, am I right?!?

Bertie was so glad to have Aunt Jody with us, she never left her side.

Cooking fresh seafood at home

ice cream downtown

cute boy exploring

Neighborhood strolls!

Beach day!

Library fun!

Applesauce is life.

One last Provision Company meal before heading home

We had the best week at the beach! It was Ellis Ann’s first trip to the beach and I think she really enjoyed it. We are so lucky that Jo Jo and Penny were able to join us. We are in a stage of life now where the more help we have the more fun everyone has! I feel so grateful that the kids have Jody and Penny to vacation with and bond with since they will always miss out on the joys of their Grandma Francey.

We ventured out to the farm for an oyster roast to see Uncle Tim and the kids and all the animals. Their house is basically a kids paradise with all the space to run and play and all the animals and toys. Graham really enjoyed his afternoon here and it was great for Ellis Ann to get to meet so many people!

We spent a day at the aquarium. It’s funny how with kids you can build something up to be OMG SO MUCH FUN and then when the day of the event happens they are just not having it. Graham slept it and we had to wake him up and hurry to the ferry in his pajamas so we would make it to the aquarium, and it was like he just never quite woke up so he was very unimpressed with the aquarium. I think he did enjoy the ferry ride over, but on the ferry home both Graham and Ellis Ann were sound asleep.

We went for lots of walks. We spent time playing in the sand. We went out to eat. Ellis Ann had her first (and second) trip to Provision Company. We checked out the local library. We played in the pool. (The pool at Jo Jo’s rental house was a life saver!) We cooked fresh seafood from the market we can walk to down the street. We shopped. We ate ice cream. We played on the playground. We watched the boats. Just a wonderful week of beach things. We tried to relax and take it easy as much as possible, but that’s not easy to do right now!

Sean and I were able to get to one of our favorite restaurants to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary! It is absolutely wild to me how our lives have changed in the past three years. We are beyond lucky to have two beautiful children, a sweet puppy, a home, and now a second home to show for the past three years. It was a wonderful chance to celebrate all the things together!

We discovered the beauty of travelling in the off season. Our trip was in mid September, and while the weather was still plenty warm for all the things, it wasn’t sweltering hot and there were no crowds anywhere! It was really ideal with little kids! We can’t wait for our next trip back to our little house by the sea!

Ellis Ann is Five Months Old!

September 12, 2022

What another wonderful month with you sweet girl! The time is just passing by so quickly. You’re playing with your toys now, and starting to play with Graham more and more. It is just the sweetest to watch you two together. You moved in to your own room this month which was a much needed change for us all. You did pretty well adjusting to your crib, but still no strict schedule yet. You’re making lots of good noises now, still making the growling noise, and tickling your tummy makes you laugh with joy. Hearing you and your brother laugh is one of the best sounds I’ve ever heard. We had a wonderful girls day in Chapel Hill! We’ve spent lots of time outside soaking up the last of summer. You’re getting more and more comfortable in the water at the pool. We are hoping to start you in swim lessons soon. We celebrated Mommy’s 38th birthday! Mina and Pop Pop have officially moved to town and we are loving being able to see them all the time now! Unfortunately we’ve had more daycare germs this month, you had a bad cough and your first ear infection. You handled it like a champ though and really weren’t fussy or anything at all. We love you so big sweet girl!!

17 weeks – playing

17 weeks – 4 month check up

17 weeks – Girls day in Chapel Hill, you were such a good sport after your 4 month shots

17 weeks – visit from Uncle Penny

18 weeks – tummy time

18 weeks – a visit from Mina and Pop Pop

18 weeks – checking out Mina and Pop Pop’s new house

19 weeks – hanging by the pool, you blow bubbles like that when you’re hungry

19 weeks – worn out

19 weeks – you’re still my little snuggle bug

19 weeks – bath time

19 weeks – this is what our family photos look like these days

19 weeks – bribed Graham with a popsicle for a photo

19 weeks – the sweetest girls

19 weeks – the cutest overalls

19 weeks – Saturday at the doctor with an ear infection

19 weeks – holding your bottle like a big girl

20 weeks – trying out the new double stroller

(again with the family photos)

20 weeks – Sunday is for baseball (and Mommy’s birthday)

20 weeks – Happy Birthday Mommy!

20 weeks – tummy time – people are always commenting on your big beautiful eyes!

20 weeks – the sweetest picture from school

20 weeks – someone is excited for football season kickoff

20 weeks – Mountaineer football!

20 weeks – out for a stroll at Reynolda

20 weeks – soaking up the last of the pool season

21 weeks – brother helping take your weekly picture

21 weeks – Cutie at Incendiary

21 weeks – last night in your Snoo

21 month old boy and 21 week old girl

5 months – 21 weeks – first night in your crib

Ellis Ann is Four Months Old!

August 15, 2022

You are the absolute sweetest cuddliest little thing! This has been a big month for you. You’re doing well in daycare now. You brought home what was either a nasty daycare germ or covid, and the whole house went down. Luckily you were only sick with a low fever for about a day, the rest of us went DOWN with whatever it was. You’ve become very interested in Graham this month and are always watching him now. We met your Florida cousins this month which was so wonderful since we had never been able to meet Gracie due to covid. You’re constantly putting your hands in your mouth now and are starting to play with some toys. At 17 weeks we finally got the elusive belly laugh. At 18 weeks you rolled over from your back onto your belly, I think you even surprised yourself by doing that! You are making the most hilarious growling noises now, Graham makes them back to you and we all crack up! We love you big sweet girl!

13 weeks – the cuddliest girls

13 weeks – my little Tar Heel

13 weeks – the sweetest little boy and little girl holding hands and not feeling well

14 weeks – meeting your cousins and aunt and uncle

14 weeks – evenings are rough, but you love it snuggled up in here

15 weeks – the cutest little Pooh

15 weeks – matching jammies

15 weeks – little flamingo

15 weeks – a trip to the country for ice cream, too sweltering hot to do anything else

16 weeks – afternoon out for lunch on a hot Sunday

16 weeks – the sweetest picture from your teacher

16 weeks – little cuddle bug

16 weeks – trying out your frog chair

16 weeks – hanging with Daddy

17 weeks – tummy time

17 weeks and 10 weeks in the matching overalls

17 weeks – pool day

17 weeks – love this picture from your teacher

17 weeks – getting clean

4 month old – napping with Daddy after a bath

4 months old with the big bow

Ellis Ann is Three Months Old!

July 14, 2022

Three months! It’s hard to believe how fast the time is flying by! What an absolute joy you are! You are so smiley these days! You learned to roll from your tummy over onto your back at 9 weeks this month. You started daycare at 12 weeks old! I was sad to go back to work, and very sad to leave you at school but you are in wonderful hands! Ms. Jennifer & Ms. Eden, your teachers, and you have become fast friends. You’re the smallest one in the class so it’s still hard for me to leave you with the big kids, but you will be as big as them in no time! You’re making lots of cooing noises now, and we can tell the laugh is coming but no real belly laughs just yet!

We’ve had lots of family time this month. You met the Carter Family at Grandpa Jack’s memorial service. Kaki and Kaka flew in from New York for a visit. And of course Mina and Pop Pop have been with us a lot. Aunt Jody has also been to visit and stay with you quite a few times.

You went in the pool for the first time this month. You were not such a fan, I think because the water was too cold! We are hoping to get you in swimming lessons soon!

We still don’t have you on much of a schedule, since starting daycare you’re not sleeping quite as well at night. You’re waking up a few times to eat and are more restless at night. I think it’s the daycare germs. You’ve had your first stuffy nose and that seems to keep you up.

All in all you’ve just been our happy go with the flow girl. Along for the ride wherever we go! We love you big little one!