All Things Ella!

I figured it was time for another update on the princess of the Phillips household!

"Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning" Here is our "morning"!

--She will be 9 months in less than 2 weeks! So crazy to think we're not too far off from a birthday party

--She's eating pureed solid foods, but still figuring out finger foods. She hasn't quite connected the fact that when she grabs a chunk of food she can put it in her mouth. It's rather comical because everything else in the world she picks up goes in her mouth, but not actual food!

Giggly baby!

--We are still staying away from everything that is dairy. I plan to talk with the doctor more at her 9-month check-up to try and figure out how we determine in the future if she has a true dairy allergy or not. We tried her on a dairy formula when she was 7 months (we supplemented for just under a month) and she broke out like a mad woman. So, it was kind of a nice little test to see if the dairy would still cause her to get crazy eczema. But, now I'm wondering more about the future. I don't want to expose her to anything that could cause her throat to close up or something terrifying like that! So, we'll see what the doctor's advice is on that one :o)

Why scoot around on your tummy if you can do it while on your back?

--She has no interest at all in crawling. Seriously, she could care less about it. She still HATES being on her tummy. I can amuse her for a minute or two on her tummy before the screaming starts, but then she screams and rolls over. Haha. But, every once in a while, during her brief tummy time, she'll make some moves that lead us to believe she's about to crawl! Personally, I'm just enjoying the immobile time while it lasts. Because, I know it'll be a whole different ball game soon enough!

--She likes to sit up for a little while, but for whatever reason, likes laying on her back better. I've tried to keep her from laying back down before and she'll throw a mini-tantrum and push back on my hand as hard as possible to get back laying down. Some days she'll sit up and play a whole lot, while other days, she's on her back a lot.

Whenever she's doing something funny and we pull the camera out
she immediately stops and gives this face!

--If the sitting up versus laying down thing doesn't prove she's strong-willed, then spend a day with us and you can see all of the other little things she does that proves her strong personality :o) She keeps things interesting and I love it!

She loves to get into everything! So, she's helping mommy go through coupons :o)

--She is babbling away these days. Mama was her first word and her new word is Dada. She is also so very loud in her babbling. And, I. Love. It. She loves to talk and it's pretty much non-stop these days. It's my favorite sound in the whole world!

--Her current favorite toy is a plush doll of Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) that she got for Christmas. Even today she was crying because John was holding her and she wanted me to hold her (I had to throw that in there, because she is such a daddy's girl), then John grabbed her Aurora doll to show her and she instantly had a huge grin. But, she was still crying. So, John and I were cracking up at the smiles mixed with tears

She seriously melts my heart

--Speaking of princess stuff, any time she sees anything Disney princess she starts smiling! Her favorite book at the moment is Tangled, she smiles the whole time! I'm so excited to take her to Disney again, because I think she would be a smiling fool over meeting the princesses

She loves her daddy!

--She has gotten so ridiculously sweet. She has always been a sweet baby, but lately she just seems to be getting sweeter. So many smiles, giggles, flapping her arms in excitement, and enjoys a good hug!

--She still sleeps great and I couldn't be happier about that! I don't take it for granted at. all. And, tonight, for the first time she is sleeping with no sleep sack! She fell asleep just like normal, so I am hoping she snoozes just like normal. With the weather being so much hotter outside, it was time to ditch the added warmth.

I'm beginning to notice in a lot of the pictures I chose, she's in her carseat

--She is getting more hair! I can clip a small hairbow in it while we're at the house. I don't trust going out into public with a bow clipped straight to her hair, because it falls out pretty easily, haha. But, her hair is still pretty dark and looks curly when wet!

Those are all of the highlights I can think of for now! We are loving her more and more every day. It's hard to believe there was a time when she didn't exist in our lives. But, it's also hard to believe that she's our child! So funny all of the random emotions and thoughts that parenthood bring. She is such a joy and most certainly the greatest blessing of my life!

Yeah, What She Said!

Read this blog right now! Yes, click on the link and read my friend Elizabeth's blog.

I agree with everything in it and just take out the whole Texas part and the Elizabeth part and insert with Georgia and Jennifer. Got it?

Friends, please come visit the Phillips house. We are always stocked with Oreos and if that's not enough to bribe you to visit us in Hotlanta, then here's a sure way to get you to make the trip...

Lent to the Lord

"For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord." 

-1 Samuel 1:27, 28b

The above verse is one that I prayed and prayed before becoming pregnant with Ella. I prayed that if the Lord would grant my petition asking for a child, that I would do as Hannah and give my child to the Lord. Then, after finding out I was pregnant and the anxiety of the entire pregnancy, I pleaded these verses.

And, now she's here. She's strong-willed like her mother. Yet, loving like her daddy. And, y'all she is the most beautiful baby I have ever laid eyes on. Sometimes, I just stare at her and wonder how in the world a baby so pretty came to be mine. Her laugh is ridiculously contagious. As soon as she starts, I can't stop, which in turn, makes her laugh harder. I couldn't ask for a greater blessing than Ella.

But, then comes the pesky second part of that Scripture. The whole, giving her over completely to the Lord. That seemed much easier when I prayed it before she actually got here. I know all of the spiritual answers and agree with them, but that doesn't make it any less difficult.

If you want to know the truth, a little window into the last 8 months, my struggle with the Lord has not been an easy one in this area. I know what it's like to hand your baby over to the Lord and then things end in the way you never expected. I also know that doesn't hold a candle to the pain of parents that, for whatever reason, the Lord called their child home far sooner than they ever planned. 

And, here I am, clinging to my baby scared that the Lord may not know what's best. What if I miss a step when going up or down the stairs with Ella and something bad happens? What if I lay her down for her nap and she doesn't wake up? What if she chokes while eating? What if I'm driving on the highway and something starts to happen in the backseat and I can't get to her in time? What if...?

Unfortunately, I can give you lots of different stories from my life where I trusted the Lord and things didn't turn out how I planned for them. And, some days I truly struggle in handing over my baby to the Lord. Does He really know best? Do I really, truly believe that God is good?

Tonight, I cried my eyes out to John and explained how sometimes I feel that I am just waiting for something to go bad with Ella. We discussed a lot of it and traced back the roots of the fears. Half of it being the loss of our sweet first baby. But, after we talked some, we decided to sneak into Ella's room to watch her sleep (one of my favorite things!).

Well, she heard us (oops!) and awoke, crying. I picked her up and held her close. She instantly fell back asleep. Then, as I was swaying her, I looked up and noticed the above verse that is painted above her crib. I instantly got teary and felt the Lord whisper, "When are you really going to lend her to me?"

Wow.

Don't get me wrong, the Lord gave mother's an instinct to protect their children. It's amazing how He crafts that within a woman that has a baby. It's okay to be careful and to protect my little one. But, there is also the point where if it's done out of fear and worry, that is in no way trusting the Lord with my baby.

I am learning what it means to hand over my baby. 

Every. Single. Stinkin'. Day. 

I am ridiculously, unbelievably, immeasurably, beyond blessed to be given the gift of Ella. And, I will spend the rest of my life handing her over to the Lord and praising Him for letting me care for His creation in her!