Tis the Season

What a fun time of year! We have been busy at the Elliott house enjoying our new little man and trying to keep everyone healthy. Baby boy caught a pretty bad cold from Ella Kate when he was 3 weeks old so the past couple of weeks we have been busy with nebulizers, saline drops, humidifiers, doctors appointments, etc. It is no fun to have sick babies and be stuck inside but we have made the best of it by enjoying the Christmas season and being a new family of four. We have really been blessed with so many great friends and oh the food!!! All of our friends sure are good cooks and we are so thankful for all of the meals - I am so very behind on Thank You Notes.

Ella Kate is a great big sister and is actually a big help with John. I feel like Ella Kate has really matured since John has been born and is now doing great with potty training. We wear big girl panties all the time except for school and nap times these days. We have progressed from me constantly asking her if she needs to go potty and physically taking her to the potty to her now telling us when she needs to go potty. She has not had an accident at home in several weeks and we are so proud of her :) We give her 1 junior mint for tee tee and 2 junior mints for poo poo. I have been talking to her about telling her teachers at pre-school when she needs to go potty but for right now I am still sending her to school in pull-ups. When I asked her Friday if she went tee tee for Mrs. Lynn or Mrs. Beth she told me, "Mrs. Lynn does not have any chocolate." HaHa She is a smart girl. Our next step is to work on potty training at school :) Dave has been in Japan on a business trip for the last 8 days and I have had my first taste of being a solo Mom of two. I am tired but Ella Kate has been a big help and so patient with John and I. She of course always wants me to go with her to the potty but several times when I have been busy with John she has gone by herself and poor little thing has even pulled up the bar stool, climbed up, and gotten her 1 piece of chocolate. So proud of that little girl!! We are really excited about Daddy coming home today and very thankful for all of Papa and Lele's help this week!! They have given me breaks all throughout the week and we are so very grateful for them. Miss Priss continues to be a funny little girl and her favorite word has changed from "Well" to "Actually". The great part is that she uses it correctly in sentences. :)

Little John is doing great too and growing like a little weed. He is just so strong!! The last doctors appointment we had he weighed in at 11lbs 12oz. Now he does not weigh quite that much b/c it was a sick appt so they weighed him with his clothes and diaper on. At his 4 day appt he had already exceeded his birth weight by 6 oz - note: the goal is for a baby to regain their birth weight by 2 weeks. Dr. Clements said that he was not going to give us the obesity talk yet but he had one prepared if necessary :) Needless to say he is a good eater! He is also doing good with his night time sleep and 4 nights last week he slept a 6.5 hour stretch. Ella Kate has always been a great sleeper and slept 10-12 hours by 12 weeks and it looks like John is going to follow in her foot steps (a big thanks to good ole Baby Wise - I just love that book and I love sleep)!

Below are some pictures of our recent adventures.

Phipps Santa. As you can see there were quite a few tears. After it was over Ella Kate told LeLe and I that she was just a little bit scared. Then in the car she told us that she was a little bit shy when she saw Santa. :)

This is my favorite picture b/c it is Ella Kate's best attempt at a smile so that she can get the chocolate that we were trying to bribe her with :)

Ella Kate's Christmas Party at School. I just love going to Ella Kate's little pre-school and watching her interact with her friends and classmates. I am so thankful for her school and sweet teachers.
All ready for the kiddos to come back from Creative Movement to their classroom for the big party.
Ella Kate making her funny smile while enjoying her Chick-fil-A minis.
Mrs. Dori reading Corduroy's Christmas while they eat their lunch.
Craft Time!! Listening to Isaac's Mom explain how they are going to make a reindeer.
Everyone was very excited about making a reindeer. We traced their feet to make the face of the reindeer and then used their hand prints for the antlers. So creative. I am signed up to help with the Valentine's party and I have alot to live up to as their Thanksgiving and Christmas parties have been so very cute!!!
Mrs. Brittney and sweet Pres!!! Love that little boy!
Ella Kate sticking cloves in her orange. They smelled so very good!
Ella Kate's turn to make reindeer antlers with her sweet handprint!
All the kids in the class are so cute and play so good together!

The Pink and Very Girly Christmas Tree in Ella Kate's Room

The beautiful Christmas Tree in Ella Kate's room that LeLe bought her. She is so proud of this tree!

This morning while I was making Ella Kate's breakfast I heard John cry and when I walked to the den the crying had stopped and this is what I found. Big Sister had found his passy and was helping him get a grip on it by holding it in his mouth while watching her cartoons (something she has seen me do many times). Now that is some pretty good multi-tasking for a 2 year old. I was so proud and they both looked at me like we have this under control but thanks anyway Mom.