New Video Posted

A new video of Ella has been added to the video collection page. I also listed the dates that all the videos were made for comparison's sake. Enjoy!

Ella: The Video Collection

NOTICE: Due to bandwidth limitations, "Ella: The Video Collection" has been shut down until we can afford to pay for more. The links below are no longer any good. If and when we are able to upgrade our server hosting account to accomodate these videos, the collection will be restored. Sorry.

Over the last 3 months, we have taken several short videos of Ella using our digital camera. They are now available for your enjoyment: just click on a title to download it for viewing. You will need a video player on your system for this. You can download free versions of the following popular players: QuickTime, Windows Media Player, or RealPlayer.

And now, the videos (date made) [file size] (date uploaded):

1. Dad cutting the cord (1/17/05) [1.5 MB]
2. Ella's first sponge bath at home (1/20/05) [29.7 MB]
3. Ella's first real bath (2/6/05) [22.7 MB]
4. Smiles and hiccups (3/3/05) [10.4 MB]
5. More hiccups (3/4/05) [10.9 MB]
6. Testing out her voice (3/8/05) [21.4 MB]
7. Hanging out with her snake (3/15/05) [31.8 MB]
8. Smiling and cooing (3/19/05) [31.8 MB]
9. Holding her rattle (3/23/05) [18.5 MB]
10. Playing her quiet piano (3/24/05) [3.5 MB]
11. Playing her noisy piano (3/27/05) [31.8 MB]
12. Ella loves her Bug! (4/2/05) [28 MB]
13. "PHLBBBTTT!" (4/25/05) [19.5 MB]
14. Squeals (5/5/05) [31.8 MB] (5/12/05)
15. Grunts & Smiles (5/10/05) [28.6 MB] (5/12/05)
16. Pig at the trough (5/11/05) [28.1 MB] (5/12/05)
17. Head down . . . (5/13/05) [11.4 MB] (5/14/05)
18. . . . Eyes closed. (5/13/05) [8.1 MB] (5/14/05)
19. Singing in shadow (5/15/05) [18.9 MB] (5/16/05) - NOTE: low-light; mostly audio
20. Towel chomping (5/17/05) [27.1 MB] (6/20/05)
21. "Pitch the toys off the tray" (6/9/05) [27.7 MB] (6/20/05)
22. Watching Veggie-Tales (6/13/05) [15.1 MB] (6/20/05)
23. First solid meal (6/13/05) [31.8 MB] (6/20/05)
24. In her exer-saucer (6/14/05) [24.9 MB] (6/20/05)
25. Stage-fright (6/17/05) [18.6 MB] (6/20/05)
26. Feet in focus (6/17/05) [5.8 MB] (6/20/05)
27. Rice cereal: "I'm lovin' it!" (6/18/05) [31.8 MB] (6/20/05)
28. Sour Peaches (6/24/05) [21.3 MB] (7/3/05)
29. Getting changed (7/2/05) [27.6 MB] (7/3/05)
30. Attack of the Baby (7/3/05) [21.7 MB] (7/3/05)

This list will be updated as we make and upload more movies, so check back. To prevent this from getting lost in the archives, a permanent link will be featured on the right side column under the "Links" heading. If you have problems downloading or viewing, please email me. Enjoy!

[NOTE: due to the enormous size of these video files + limited server space on which to host them, I've had to delete the older videos. They will still be listed, but not available for download. If you'd like to view one of these deleted videos, email me and let me know.]

Just in case ya'll didn't believe me . . . 

Progress Primavera

Spring has sprung here, as the garden has exploded with the color of yellow and white buttercups, red/yellow/pink tulips, and lavender flox. And just as the yard and garden come alive, Ella, too, is doing the same. A sampling of some of the new things Ella can do:

1. Control her arms enough to reliably get her fist in her mouth in order to suck on it;
2. Manipulate her hands in order to separate her thumb from the rest of her fist and plug it into her mouth;
3. Hold her head up steady enough for Mom and Dad to no longer have to be constantly holding it (she still looks like a bobble-head doll, though);
4. Move her head up and to each side while laying on her stomach;
5. Grab things and stuff them in her mouth (towels are her favorite, but as you can see below, even her Bug isn't safe).

The biggest development happened just today, for the first time: Ella held her own bottle! Now, I don't mean the bottle was balanced atop her hands for a few seconds like my every effort to spin a basketball on my finger. Once I saw she had it her in hands, I pulled my hand away and watched the clock: at the 5 minute mark I shut down the experiment for no other reason than I had to burp her or risk the consequences. Had I not intervened, there's no telling how long she would've gone, because that bottle was steady as a rock.

Week Four of the Dad Administration has clearly started off with a bang, which is a good thing: Week Three was tough. Ella has moved into an expected fussy phase, according to a book Amber checked out at the library; knowing the phase was an expected and normal one didn't make it much easier to endure. But, here we are, and there Ella goes, growing more and more capable with each day.

Tastes like chicken . . . 

A Fine Mess

Yesterday, Ella had a diaper blowout of catastrophic proportions. Soon after Mom got home from work, Ella was in her bouncy seat waiting to eat. Those dinner plans had to be put on hold, though, as an emergency bath (Ella's 2nd in 4 hours) had to be ordered up. Caught in the wake of this blowout was not only every thread of Ella's clothes, but also the bouncy seat itself as well as the kitchen floor (yes, it did . . .). The diaper itself caused Amber to experience the trainwreck mentality: not only could she not believe her eyes at the carnage in front of her, but she summoned me into Ella's room to share in the experience as well. Upon investigation, it was determined that operator error, rather than a faulty diaper, was likely to blame.

Yesterday's story wasn't going to be a story until today happened; now, it provides context. Once again, soon after Mom got home, Ella had to go. The difference, though, is that this time, she was sitting on Dad's lap instead of the now-washed bouncy seat. Sparing you the gory imagery of the crime scene itself, I give you a pictoral essay of the aftermath:


Ella's 3rd bath in 30 hours


Ella's and Dad's clothes soaking in OxiClean


Ready for more . . .
Once again, the wreckage seems to indicate operator error, but given the sequence of events, I suspect user sabatoge.

Springtime Issues

Week 2 of the Dad Administration started off with a phenomenon that is quite routine to us but I'm sure quite bizarre to Ella: the changing of the clocks for Daylight Savings. I think Ella would've just preferred to not have to "spring forward." Normally, Ella gets up around 7-7:30 am and after breakfast and some playtime, is back down for a 3-4 hour nap by 9:30. After the weekend's clock rearrangment, Ella's schedule is all thrown off. Both yesterday and today I ended up waking Ella up around 8:30. Yesterday, she finally made it to sleep for her morning nap at 11:15, forcing me to abandon my plans of taking her in with me to work so I could be present for the sentencing of a defendant I convicted in trial last month. Today, the schedule was even more fouled up, with her not getting to sleep until nearly 12:30. I think tomorrow I may try waking her up at her normal hour and seeing if that recalibrates her internal clock.

Springtime, though beautiful, hasn't been terribly kind to me, either. It took 5 years, but apparently my body has finally succumbed to the Miami Valley effect, as it appears I have developed the common springtime allergies that plague so many. With our first batches of flowers beginning to bloom in the garden, my nose has turned into a drippy faucet and sneezing has become common.

Today was the first day Ella got to watch her Baby Einstein DVD that my secretary gave to us when Ella was born. The above picture is Ella doing just that. Cara, if you're reading: I think she likes it.