Reality Check

Carl's parents spent last week with us. It was so nice to have them here, especially during the 3 days that Carl was in Chicago taking an IL state board exam! Ben had a great time with his grandparents, and had an especially good time playing tide-related games with his Grandma. She introduced him to the Tide website as well as videos of people doing laundry on You Tube. She also bought him 2 new tide bottles, one with a purple lid and one bottle that is green and white - Ben was thrilled when he discovered these new "toys"!! They also spent time drawing Tide bottles and washing machines on the chalk board. Ben was amazed that, like him, Grandma NEVER got tired of playing with Tide!! Ben was Rita's shadow all week - he even wanted to eat whatever she was eating! One morning I asked if he wanted to do something special with me and he said "No, Grandma!".

Ella spent a lot of time in her grandpa's arms. She stayed pretty cozy with him most of the day, but he also did a good job of trying to keep her awake since she still had her days and nights mixed up while they were here!

Ella experienced many firsts this past week. This was her first trip to the swimming pool, and our first family picture!

Ben took his grandparents to one of his favorite fountains to see the turtles. He also found a walking stick while there, which was an added bonus! Ben also enjoyed playing outside and trips to the park with Grandpa! Allen and Rita left on Saturday morning and by Monday, reality started to settle in! We were so spoiled by our families during the 3 weeks following Ella's birth. I finally have to start cooking, cleaning, and taking care of 2 kids by myself during the day!! Ella is so irresistible, that Ben can't help following in love with her, too! He constantly wants to kiss, hug, touch, and hold her and when she cries he will put his hand on her belly and say "It's okay Baby Ella". He is so sweet with her, but sometimes he still gets a crazy look in his eyes like he just wants to squeeze her as tight as he can, so I don't leave them alone together!!
These are pictures of Ben holding Ella after her first trip to church.
The weather here is still too warm for trips to the park during the day, so we are trying hard to find things to do that include leaving the house, but staying in the air conditioning. We met our friends, Pam and Aidan, at the museum on Monday. It was my first venture out of the house by myself with both kids and it went smoothly, although toting around 2 kids is definitely a lot more work than just 1. I forgot how heavy the infant car seats are!! Ben started a 6 week summer music class today. His friends are taking a break for the summer and we are going to a different location, so he was a little lost without his buddies, but I think that he really enjoyed doing something from our old routine again. Ella slept in the car seat for the entire 45 minutes, so it was really nice to have a little mommy/Ben time again!

Ella also enjoyed her first bath this week, but it is not a real relaxing experience for her since Ben is unable to see a tub full of water without getting in himself! She has also figured out that it is more fun to be awake during the day and is sleeping 5 hours at a time at night. I usually feed her between 9-10pm and then she will sleep until 2-3am, eat, and go back to sleep until 5-7am. I feel like a whole new person. Keep up the good work Miss Ella!