Ok, I really, really, really need to stop buying this child more spring and summer clothes. But just because she has plenty of clothes already, doesn’t mean that she has enough accessories, right? ;)

I do a lot of second hand shopping. I love consignment stores, rummage sales, outlets and the like. I’ve been able to dress Ella in really nice, name brand clothes since we’ve had her thanks to the Salvation Army’s half off family days! The thrill of the hunt and the victory of finding some adorable little outfit with tags still... more

Before we left for Viet Nam we had started planning Ella’s welcome home party. My husband and I were adamantly against having a baby shower before we left, because we were just too fearful that something would go wrong and then we would be left with the remnants of the party for the baby who didn’t come home with us. So, we decided to have her party about a month after we got home. We didn’t want to spring a party on her immediately after coming home; she had been through enough excitement at the... more

My poor baby’s sick :( She’s developed a cold and she really is not feeling well. I took this picture Thursday evening and she doesn't look like herself at all.

My husband was just saying how he wished she was talking so she could tell us what was wrong, and I couldn’t agree more. It started on Monday with some watery eyes, but I thought it was from being outside on a cold, windy day. Turns out she was coming down with something.

The only other time she was sick since we've had her was just after Thanksgiving and she had a... more

My baby girl. It feels so right and so good just to say that. Mine. My daughter. My Ella. I'm just in a bit of a gushy mood, so that's the tone for this week's Life With Ella :) And she recently started saying ma ma too, which just makes my heart melt every time I hear it.

This picture was taken in our hotel room in Hanoi only a few hours after she was handed to us for the first time ever. Her caregivers gave us a hot bottle all ready to go in case she got hungry during the Giving and Receiving or the... more

We didn’t start working on Ella’s room until we got very close to traveling. I was just too nervous and afraid of jinxing anything to get it all done sooner. I’m so happy with how it came out, even though she doesn’t spend much time in there!

I had read and been told to be careful about creating an overwhelming room for a newly adopted child. Too many bright colors, lights, moving things and loud mobiles, etc. can be frightening to a child who has only known a drab baby center. Well, I’m not too drawn to primary colors and loud obnoxious... more

Our Valentine’s Day started off as a wonderful day. My husband; a teacher, had a snow day due to the snowy, icy roads. So it was really nice to have him home. He got up with Ella and I got to sleep in a little bit. When I got up he told me that she had taken two real steps! She’s been kind of falling into objects as she steps before, but these were real, solid steps!

After I had been up for awhile we decided to see if she would walk to me with me and daddy cheering her on. And she DID!!! She officially walked on her first Valentine... more

If Miss Ella could talk, she would tell you that she LOVES bath time! Next to daddy coming home, it’s probably her favorite part of the day. Of course when we first got her, we had no idea as to whether or not she would enjoy the water. Plenty of kids are terrified of baths and the water, so we didn’t know what to expect.

Our tub in Viet Nam was very deep (re:unsafe!) Ella was sitting up, but was still a little wobbly so it made us nervous. Luckily another family had brought an inflatable duck tub from home... more

Can a girl have too many bows? Not my Ella!

My obsession started in June, when we received the phone call that we had been matched with a little girl! And the girls at my agency were freaking out because they were so excited about her massive head of hair :) I was told to go right out and start buying barrettes. They emailed her pictures to us and I got to see the potential blank bow canvas of hair right in front of me.

I got some of the baby bows which Velcro into the hair, but they’ll never get used... more

I’ve been reading about attachment parenting for years; long before I became a mom. I was always interested in the topic and the subject of baby wearing just seemed to make sense to me. Now that we have Ella, it makes even more sense.

Before we left for Viet Nam we purchased a front carrier that mom or dad could use and a pouch sling that was my size. We only used the front carrier in country and I would consider it an absolute essential! She loved it, we loved it, it was all around wonderful. We kept... more

We have an eating machine on our hands! Ella was showing such a strong interest in eating what we were that we decided to see how she did with some “big girl” food. Well, let me tell you, there will be no stopping this baby! She will eat whatever is placed in front of her with no hesitation. And she feeds herself too (which is just too cute!)

This picture was taken just a few weeks ago when she was eight months old. Now she’s a whopping nine months old and my baby’s growing up too quickly, but that’s for another post… Anyway,... more