Peeking in on the Pearsalls: Date night, birthday dinner and family update!

Sorry it's been so long since we've posted!! We've been so busy watching our beautiful little girl grow and boy is she growing!!! It's kind of sad to see her grow out of some of her newborn clothes but also exciting to watch her get so big and change so much. Plus, it gives me an excuse to buy her more clothes!! Yesterday I went a little overboard because at Babies R Us they had SO many cute outfits and clothes with owls!! How can I resist that??!! She is just so beautiful and we catch ourselves just staring at her all the time. She is opening her eyes SO big and loves to focus on your face and watch your facial expressions. She LOVES laying on her activity mat and staring up at the dangling toys and grabbing at them. She is getting better at grasping things and loves to swat at and kick the toys hanging down. Some of her new "friends" are Lucy the ladybug, Lewis the ladybug, Betty the butterfly and Bob the bee. We also just bought her a new mirror that props up so he can see herself and of course it is an owl mirror. :) she discovered herself in the mirror just this morning and it was so fun to watch. She is making all kinds of sounds along with her usual grunts and groans and she loves having "conversations" with us. We love reading to her and talking to her even though we know she can't understand us yet. She is focusing SO well and LOVES to stare into your eyes which of course we don't mind because we love to stare right back! She's also recently discovered her hands and loves to stick not just one or two fingers but her entire fist in her mouth which is especially funny to watch when she has hiccups (which happens frequently). She is also just beginning to smile. Not too often but when she does it melts my heart. I haven't seen a full-fledged beaming smile yet and can't wait for that day to come. She is doing very well on her routine and pretty much eats every 3 hours during the day and sleeps long stretches at night which is great! She usually only wakes once at around 2-3 am then sleeps till 6 or 7 am when we both get up. on a few occasions she has slept 7-7.5 hours which was great but it hasn't been consistent yet. I'm looking forward to the day when that happens so I can start getting a little more sleep. I am glad that I can hear her when I sleep but also wish I slept a little more soundly because it seems like I wake up every hour sometimes from all the grunts and other sounds our little sweetheart makes when she sleeps, especially when we are in Tahoe for some reason. I am also not the best napper in the world and have never been able to take good naps so it's hard for me to catch up on good sleep. But you know what? It's all totally worth it!

Ellie looking up at her toys on the activity mat

We just love our bright eyed beauty

Ellie playing on her activity mat with her "friends"

Just barely caught the tail end of a smile...she's just too darn cute!

Ellie having tummy time on the boppy and looking at herself in the mirror

Russell reading his fantasy football magazine to Ellie

Last friday night we had the chance to go on a "date night" while my parents watched Ellie. They loved bonding with her and we enjoyed getting out of the house together to have dinner with some of my coworkers. Even though we were only gone for 2 hours it felt great to have some adult time and enjoy eating dinner and talking with friends without worrying about Ellie (not that she's that much trouble). We are so grateful to have our parents nearby and that they love spending so much time with Ellie.

Ellie with NaMa and NamPa

Me and Russell about to leave for our date night

Last night we took Ellie with us to BJ's Brewhouse for me and my dad's birthday dinner along with Russell, my mom and my uncle Pres. We celebrate together every year since our birthdays are only a few days apart and we love this tradition. I admit I was a little worried to bring Ellie because the evening is the only time of day when she gets a little fussy and doesn't like to sleep but she surprised me and did SO well! She ate right before we left, fell asleep in the car on the way, and slept almost the entire time so we could all eat together. She woke up right as we were finishing our piezookies (which were AMAZING by the way) and thanks to a private corner and my newly purchased "boob tube" nursing cover, I had my first successful public breastfeeding. I'm grateful and glad that was the first time I had to do it in the almost 8 weeks that Ellie has been here. Pretty soon it won't even be a big deal but last night it was and it made me feel really confident. We had a WONDERFUL experience at BJ's thanks to the amazing service and delicious food and we hope to do it again soon!! My dad and I had a great time together as usual and can't wait to do it again next year!