Sickness...Santa and more!!!

Well, the past 3 weeks, my baby girl has been sick in some way, shape or form. No fun for her or for mom and dad!!! But whenever I feel myself start to get frustrated in the middle of the night when she's coughing her head off and not sleeping, I remember the nights when my mom was by my bedside, playing with my hair and waiting patiently for me to fall asleep. I can only pray that Ella grows up to love me as much as I love my momma. The past week I've been sick myself, and as great as Adam is, he's clueless on how to take care of a sick woman....so when I'm coughing my head off in the middle of the night and can't sleep, all I can this is "I want my mom!!"

Here are a few pic's of what we've been up to since Halloween.....

Poor sick baby girl!!! I just couldn't help but snuggle her, and now I have matching pink eye :(

Liz, doggie Scrappy, cute Corbin,Phyllis, Ellie, Me and Ella. We get together every year around Christmas and watch old classic Christmas cartoons, eat treats and laugh! Liz, Phyllis and I have been doing this since we were in diapers. A couple of years ago we inducted Ellie, and this year we added Scrappy, Corbin and Ella. I am pretty sure we will be doing this until we are in diapers again ;)

Before it got too bitterly cold, I took Ella for one last walk. Doesn't she look just to die in that hat?! I am quite sure I have the best daughter in the whole world. I get home from work and see that smile and I feel like the richest person in the world. Having her and Adam as my family, there just aren't words.....LOVE!!!!!!!!

My best friend Phyllis was in town for a few weeks from London where she and her wife Ellie live. Ella was so excited to see her! We were talking one day at lunch about bullying, and I told her that I would not have made it through Junior High without her and her sister Liz who are my best friends. I was definately not one of the "cool" kids growing up and had my fair share of being picked on, but I always had my two best friends by my side to get me through all the tough times. Love you guys so much!!!! I hope Ella has good friends as she grows up.

Love these two SOOOOO much! Adam is probably one of the best dads ever. He is so hands on with parenting and he loves his little girl so much. I'll tell ya what, there's nothing sexier than waking up at 1am and realizing that your husband has been rocking the baby for the past hour so you could get some sleep.

Ella loved Santa!!! Now, the real Santa couldn't make it to our photo shoot, but my daddy kindly stepped in and I think he certainly did the ol' jolly justice!!! Ella was all smiles. She is such a happy little girl :)

I am SOOOO excited for Christmas with this little girl. It really brings back the magic of Christmas when you have kids, and you can experience everything again for the first time.

I don't do Christmas letters or cards, I am kind of "Anti" because I feel like they are more like "bragging" letters, and that's not really my style. So this is kind of my "Not really a christmas letter Christmas letter"

The past year has brought so many changes to my life. Now I do a lot of praising on here about my girl Ella. She is truly the joy of my life, but it's not all smiles and snuggles. I did not experience that joy until at least a couple months after she was born. She was very difficult in the beginning and it definitely put a strain on my emotions, my body, and my marriage. Yep, my marriage. It is a big adjustment bringing another human into the mix when you've spent the past 9 years being "just the two of ya". We love each other more than words can express, but we WORK HARD to keep it that way.

We moved out of our apartment and moved in with Adams parents. They have a beautiful basement and were kind enough to offer it to us. Why did we do this??? Well folks, we have DEBT. We are trying really hard to pay off our debts without filing BK, so what better way to do that than to eliminate rent? Adam and I both work our behinds off and save as much as we can so we can get out of debt and hopefully in a couple of years save up some money for a house. And while, yes, it's a little hard giving up privacy, it is AWESOME to have live in Grandparents for Ella. They both just adore her and are so nice with helping out with her and letting me and Adam get out once in a while to spend time together.

So, as you can see, our lives aren't perfect. And really, they never will be. But, I do have to say I have an awesome family. That is where I have bragging rights!!!!!!

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!!!

Halloween 2011

So, this is gonna be a short post, because frankly I'm tired. Very tired. Ella's havin' a rough night and I'm not particularly in the blogging mood.....but I'll try :)

We did and always do have a fun Halloween season. We had our traditional Pinson Halloween party (pic's on FB...not posting those twice), and we stopped by the Holmes like we always do. Jill had gotten us Pinson kids special treats (donuts, cookies, juice) and my sis-in-law Alex was there and took some really cute pic's of Ella in her ghost costume (made my yours truly!).

Adam looked amazing in his gladiator costume, and I looked, well...hmmmm. Not my best year for costumes :( Kinda thrown together but that's what happens when you're a mom! Hopefully next year I'll look better and will have more time/energy to worry about my own costume.

Even though she wears me out, I am so in love with this little girl. I miss her all day at work and am so happy to see her happy little face when I get home.

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween this year!!!

Cobblecreek

 So there are A LOT of pictures in this post...but we lived here for two years, so it kinda deserves the space.  We moved into the Cobblecreek Apartments in October of 2009.  It was the first time Adam and I were REALLY on our own in a long time, and we were so excited about living here.  From the moment we pulled into the complex we both looked at each other and kinda just knew that this was the place for us.
  This is where we lived when we decided to start a family.  It was in our little bathroom that we saw that little digital word "pregnant" that told us we were going to be parents.  It was our cozy living room that we brought Ella into and said "You're home, baby."
  It was here that we truly became a family.  There are no bad memories at Cobblecreek.  It represented such a peaceful time in our lives.  When Ella got old enough to enjoy walks, either Adam or I would walk around the Cobblecreek grounds with her.  She loved being near the fountains and hearing the ducks quack.  This will always be the place that we will look back on fondly and remember truly being happy and content for the first time in a long time.  Thank you for being a warm, safe home for us Cobblecreek!

This is just a few pictures of the BEAUTIFUL grounds at Cobblecreek.  It was so peaceful to walk around here in the evening, I will miss it so much!

This is Ella on one of our many walks.  This was the first day that the temperature had dropped and I got her all bundled up.  Doesn't she look just to die for?!?!

Another one of our evening walks.  I can't even tell you how much I adore this face.  I would get her inside and snuggle her face to mine and feel her cold little cheeks gradually warm up next to mine.  Nothing better in the world, I'm tellin' ya.

I was watching my nephew Jude one day.  He and Ella LOVE each other so much, it's the sweetest thing.  It was all fun and games until one of the ducks nabbed the bread right out of Jude's hand.  He was DONE with the ducks after that :)

This was our last family walk together.  We walked around for a long time and reminisced about all of our good times here.  We were both feeling bitter sweet about it all.

I couldn't ask for a better dad to my daughter.  Adam would come home from work, strap Ella in the Baby Bjorn and walk around for an hour, bonding with Ella and goofing around with her.  She seriously has one of the funnest daddies around :)

When Ella and I would go on walks, we would always end at our favorite spot next to the main pond.  I would tell her how much I loved her and how blessed she was to be born into such a loving environment, and how blessed we were to have such a beautiful, healthy baby.  She won't remember these talks, but she will always know how loved she is.

This was taken before bath time after our walk.  The picture on the right was literally taken seconds after the picture on the left.  She goes from party to melt-down faster than you can blink an eye!!!

Sleep Improved..YES! Sleep trained....not so much

So 9 days ago we decided it was time to sleep train Ella. I was beginning to go out in the living room and kick things after my 5th or 6th time of getting up with the baby, so Adam and I decided that it had gone on long enough :) And while I would LOVE to say that Ella is just like all the other babies I've read about and that after a couple of nights of minor crying, she is sleeping 12 hours a night.....that is just not our child. Things have DRASTICALLY improved however, and I'm hoping with another week or so she will really get the hang of it and become one of those said babies. Here's a little break down of our experience so far:

Night 1: T..O..R..T..U..R..E She cried for 2 hours, slept for 2 hours, then was up again crying on and off for 4 hours. After that I cannot say because I literally passed out despite my childs cries. (worst mom ever, right?!?!) However...when I woke up at 7:30 (yes, that is what time I'm supposed to be at work) and ran into her nursery in a panic, she was smiling and playing in her crib and still gave me goodmorning snuggles. So she didn't despise me and disown me :)

Night 2: She cried for 20 minutes, slept for 7 hours ( oh my gosh! ), but then was up crying again for 2 1/2 hours. She then went back to sleep for 3 hours.

Night 3: Went down without a peep and slept almost 4 hrs...fussed for a second and then put herself back to sleep for another 5 1/2 hrs. Then was up for 1 1/2, then back to sleep for 45 minutes.

Night 4: Cried for 45 minutes, then asleep for 11...count them...11 hours!!! I couldn't believe it, I had gotten a full nights sleep for the first time in over 6 months!!! I felt amazing, and foolishly thought that maybe that was it, she was cured! Nope.

Night 5,6,7: Average of 15 minutes of crying, then asleep 8-9 hrs. She then INSISTED on eating ( yes, babies can insist on things, even though they are very very tiny and can't talk....don't judge me ) but would then go back to sleep for about 2 hrs.

Night 8: No crying, slept about 10 1/2 hrs. Confused....and then...

Night 9 (last night): Cried for almost an hour..only slept 5 hrs, then cried 1 1/2, then back to sleep for 4 hrs.

So as you can see there is no rhyme or reason to what this kid is doing at night. I would love some more of those 10-11 hour nights, but I will be grateful that at worst she is only waking twice a night, usually only once, sometimes not at all. So much better that what I was dealing with before!!!

Adam and I have decided that Ella will continue to break any molds that other babies set. And instead of being frustrated or jealous of other "Normal" babies....we are going to enjoy our little spunky squirt and hope that this strong will of hers will come in handy later on in life!!

Ella, parties and fun :)

Well, It's been a while since I posted some pictures, so there are quite a few!! This is just a few examples of what we've been up to!

Keslee turned 4!! Shelisa threw an adorable Tangled birthday party with this amazing cake.

We spent Labor Day at the Miller Family cabin in Lambs Canyon. We enjoyed some delicious food and good company. I love going to the cabin because there is no TV, no internet, no phone service. Just a lot of people who love each other spending time together...doesn't get better than that.

Ella loves watching TV in her swing now. Her favorite show is SuperWhy :)

So I know this one is hard to see, but I was trying not to wake them! Ella loves when Daddy snuggles her for naps. So sweet!!

Me, Shelisa and Keslee went and saw Lion King 3D. This was one of my favorite movies when I was younger, so I was stoked when it came back to the theatre! The 3D really added a cool element to it, and it was so fun to be there with two of my favorite girls :)

On the left is Anthony, my cousin Stephanie's little boy. He has been through two heart surgeries!!! He is such an amazing little guy. I'm so glad that I was finally able to get Ella over to meet him. She was being a DIVA and crying everytime he growled. But I finally got her to chill out and lay by him for a picture :)

She also loves her jumper, especially if someone is paying attention to her while she jumps!

Uncle Danny came over for a sleepover, and they were chillin' watching some TV. Love it :)

This is one of my favorite pictures. Just somethin' about that face man. Love her!!!!

This was taken at the annual summer BAAb-que (charity event for the recovery meeting club Adam goes to). Ella was not a huge fan of this event because the music was VERY loud :( Oh well, she did enjoy the snuggles from Daddy :)

I CANNOT get enough of her smile....It will melt me everytime, no matter what. She basically has Adam and me wrapped around her little finger.

She was thrilled when her doctor told her she could start eating baby food :)

Just as a little side note I have to mention that today, finally, she turned from her back to her tummy!! She just has not been interested in rolling to much up until now, but she finally did it today!! I was such a proud mamma :)

10 YEARS!!!!!

Adam and me before the University of Utah Christmas Ball 2002

10 years ago today, a guy named Adam asked me to be his girlfriend in the ZCMI parking garage. I said yes, and the rest is 10 years of incredible history. I've said before that we've been through so much, highs and lows.....but the key is that we stuck together. Even in the really hard times, we still had some really happy memories. We never stopped loving each other, so no matter what life threw at us, we made it through together. If I could have taken a glimpse at my life now, 10 years ago in that parking garage, I wouldn't believe how wonderful things turned out to be. Responsible, handsome, loving husband....gorgeous, healthy baby daughter. I am so blessed. I truly can say that I love Adam Michael Miller with all my heart. He has made me stronger, and more importantly, he has made me a compassionate person. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years will bring. I can't wait to raise Ella with Adam. 10 years under our belt, and here's to the next 10!!!

More pictures of Ella, of course!!

So, Yes I'm posting more pictures of Ella, because she is pretty much my world right now (and I guessing this isn't going to change anytime soon....so get used to it). A couple of non-Ella things have happened since I posted last, one of which being that I turned 27 yesterday. My sister-in-law Amanda came over with her son Jude. They brought me lunch and then we went to the pool here at Cobble Creek. Neither Ella or Jude were that excited about getting in the cold water, so we just hung out on the steps of the pool and talked for a while. It was really nice of them to come over! Then Ella took a 3 HOUR NAP (that never happens) and I was able to watch TV, take a nap myself, and talk to my best friend Liz for a while, uninterrupted! Ella must have known it was my birthday ;) Then Adam made me a nice dinner and helped put Ella to bed (which is no easy task these days).
Speaking of that.....she teased us for a while by going down very easy and only waking up once...but this was short lived. Now it takes several tries of going in and rocking her until she finally goes down, and then she wakes up 2-3 times. Not sure why this is, but I just have to drop all expectations when it comes to nighttime, because she is apparently a very un-predictable child! I did get a new Nikon L120 camera for my birthday, so I have been having a lot of fun snapping shots of my kiddo :) Hopefully with more practice I will get better at getting good pictures. Here are some I've taken so far....

Ella on mommy's bed

Ella doing her two favorite things...bathing and chewing on her fingers!

This is one of my favorite ones so far...laying on the rug in her nursery

So far, her eyes are still blue...not sure but I think they will turn brown like her daddy's :)

She looks like she's taking a stand for something here! You know what they say, If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything!

Ella Miller and Isley Howard--new buddies :) Got together with Ali, Jessie and their husbands at Ali's last weekend to celebrate our August birthdays. Isley is just adorable, and I think these two will be good friends :)

My Grandma Pinson and Ella. I just love this picture!! Ella will really treasure this one day. I have one with my Great Grandpa Olsen quite similar to this when I was a baby.

Lot's of pic's, not a lot of time!

So there has been a lot that has happened since I posted last, but what happens when you have a baby is you have more important/better things to do then blog all the time!! I'm a full time working mother and so when I have free time I generally like to spend it with my daughter and husband, but I got a nice long nap today, so I can actually stay up past 9pm and get some pic's up on this thing!! So, in absolutely no particular order, here goes!

Adam and Ella at our pool at Cobble Creek. She actually kinda likes the pool! Hoping to make her a water baby :)

Once in a while she will surprise us with a smile in her careseat. Usually she is screaming her head off :)

Me and Ella at the pool. So glad we have this nice pool to play in all summer!

Ella and her dolly Lucy

She can sit in a bumbo now!! She totally looks like a bobble head in it, but still!! I'm impressed!!

Went and saw my cute preggo friend Britney in Midway. She has such a cute family and home.

Went and spent the day with at my sister Amy's in Mapleton. Ella loves her cousin Abbey :) I see lots of babysitting in the future!

Ella chillin' in her favorite spot (her boppy)

My best friend Phyllis came to visit from London. She has sent NUMEROUS gifts to my baby girl, and she was so excited to see her she insisted on having her all to herself for an entire day. Despite what you see in this photo, Ella loves her Aunt Phyllis :)

Ella was blessed on July 3rd by her daddy. He did a beautiful job. She wore her cousin Abbey's blessing dress, shoes and blanket compliments of Grandma Pinson, bow cut off of my garder belt, and bracelet's from Jill and Phyllis Holmes. Quite the ensemble!! It was such a great day filled with family, friends, love and the spirit!

Some cute pic's of my fam on the 4th of July. I left early because I was stressing out about getting Ella off of her nighttime routine. (I'm slightly OCD when it comes to this). Oh well, sometimes a good nights sleep trumps having fun :)

This little girl is just full of smiles these days. It is so much fun to talk and sing with her. She is quite the jabber mouth!!

Adam and his mom ran the Cell to Well 5K. I was supposed to run it with his mom but I got a clogged milk duct the night before (ouch), so I had to bow out :( So proud of Adam for being such a great man, inspiration, and adorable daddy!

Can't get enough of her!!!

These are some great pictures that my sister-in-law Alex and brother Randy took of our family. It really is strange to think back 7 weeks to when we didn't have her here. She is just such a major part of our lives now!!! What did we do with all our free time?!?! (crazy things like flushed toilets whenever we wanted, watched T.V. at full volume, washed our hair, washed dishes, etc...) But all of those things are overrated compared to having a happy, well-rested baby girl, right?! She is giving out plenty of smiles these days, and has been pretty consistent with sleeping 6 hrs a time at night.
I went back to work Monday, and that was one sad morning! It is THE craziest thing to be with someone 24/7 for almost 11 months straight (counting pregnancy) and then all of a sudden being "ripped" away to go be with adult people for 8 hrs. It was not easy, but once I got to work I was ok. I have some wonderful people who are taking care of Ella.
On Monday's, my sister-in-law Amanda watches her. This past Monday went great, her 2 year old Jude even pushed Ella to the park in her stroller :)
On Tuesdays my mother-in-law Linda watches her. They had a great time watching the ducks in the pond!
WEDNESDAYS I'M HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Best day for sure)
Thursdays my co-workers daughter Jamie watches her. Today went really well and Jamie took great care of Ella.
Friday's my mom will watch her.
So, she is getting passed around a lot, but so far she seems to be adjusting just fine. She is a trooper!
So, my back is breaking, my eyes-lids are permanently at half-mass, and I'm pretty sure I stink like baby vomit, but it is all worth it. She'll thank me one day for all of my sacrificing, right?!?! ;)