Here we are!

Okay, so we disappeared from blog-dom for a while, but we're back. :) I have so many updates, I know I'm going to forget some really important ones, but I really am going to start doing this more regularly so that won't be a problem every time.... This might turn into a novel since I'm so behind... so bear with me!

For starters, Ella had her 9-month checkup about a month ago and here are her stats: weight=18 lbs, 7 oz (50-75%); height=28.5 inches (75-90%); head=17.75inches (90%). She's perfect on the charts and is healthy as can be. The only problem we have had is her ears. She has had a few ear infections and the latest one just wouldnt go away. We tried 4 different antibiotics and even did shots, but it just wouldnt give up, so a week and a half ago (Friday, the 14th), we went ahead and had tubes put in both ears. She handled the surgery quite well and was back to her old self within hours (after a little nap to let the anesthesia wear off). She's had a stuffy nose and a cough since then, but otherwise has been feeling pretty good. It's also good that she can hear us again because the fluid in her ears was having a significant impact on her hearing.

Let's see, what things is Ella doing these days?
- She's crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything she can find. She prefers to be standing if at all possible. She lets go and stands by herself for a second at a time, but is still fairly unsteady without support. She'll walk all over the place if someone is holding her hands. She'll be running before we know it. Part of me is pretty excited about that because it means she can chase her brother wherever she wants without my help. :)
- She's jabbering a lot. Her favorite sound/word is "Dat" but she also says "buh-buh-buh-buh" and "uh-oh". Her "uh-oh" is so cute because she says it so sweet and quite. You have to hear it!
- She's eating a lot of table foods now. She's pretty much switched over to the regular meals at school instead of the baby foods. She's gotten to where she really is not interested in baby food anymore. She prefers things she can eat on her own. Her favorites seem to be bread, avocados, peas, carrots, grean beans, bananas and Ella snacks (aka Fruit puffs). Just another month and a half and she'll be all table foods and drinking regular milk! Woo hoo! :)

I'm sure there's more on Ella, but I'll have to think about it and post it when it comes to me. :)

Now for Owen! He's getting so big and has become quite the conversationist. It's so amazing that someone who has only been on this earth for a couple of years can carry on a coherent conversation and understand complex concepts. It's is just crazy! The other day, we were getting in the car and he reached out and touched the car and we told him "Don't touch the car. It's really dirty. Yuck!" And he replied "Dadda's car is dirty? Both cars are dirty? Owee don't touch. Get grease on my hands." It's so cute and so funny to see how he remembers EVERYTHING that we've ever told him. He cracks us up. He also makes these hilarious expressions when he talks which just adds to the humor of it all. We really need to get some good videos of it so we can share it cuz it's great. :)

We've had a little bit of problems with his right ear too. His tube is coming out of that ear and he's had a bit of a bout with an infection in it, but the ENT said that it's not uncommon for an infection to occur as the tube is coming out. So we'll keep an eye on it and if it keeps coming back, we'll probably have to get a new tube put in. Hopefully not! I am hoping to stay out of the surgery center for a while. :)

Owen has been doing so many things lately, I know I can't think of them all right now, but I'll try to recall a few:
- He's started asking a lot of questions. His favorite one right now is "What happened?" He says that ALL the time. If someone coughs, makes a loud noise, says "dangit" or something, etc, he immediately turns to them and says "What happened?" It's really really cute and it's fun to teach him things. He also has started asking me "Where we goin momma?" when we're in the car.
- He LOVEs swinging on his swingset in the back yard
- He loves swimming at the neighborhood swimming pool (though we haven't been in several weeks now :( )
- He has learned about strawberry milk and that's all he wants to drink lately... Thanks Grami!
- He and Ella give each other hugs and kisses when we get to school before I take them to their respective classrooms. And Owen always gives Ella a "five". She hasn't quite caught on to that yet, so I kinda have to do it for her. :)
- He can count to 10 quite easily
- He sings his ABCs nearly perfectly start-to-finish
- He sings "Old MacDonald had a parm" and "tinkle ittle star" :)
- He also just started singing "The wheels on the bus go round and round"
- He does some routines from school a lot. He's been walking around this week saying "Open, shut them. Open, shut them. Give a ittle cwap. Open, shut them. Open, shut them. Put them in your wap." :) And I've heard him (once or twice) sing their little prayer that they do before meals at school "God our father (God our father) We thank you (we thank you) for our many blessings (for our many blessings) A-a-men (A-a-men)".

It's like a light has gone on in his little brain and the learning has just multiplied in the last couple of weeks. It's so much fun and we just can't wait to see what all he learns next! :)

Well I must get to bed, but I'll try to write more as I remember more significant things. :)