3 Months--Ella

Today, my tiny girl turned 3 months old! Not so very tiny anymore, I guess. And, as if to celebrate the fact that she's a quarter of a year old, she rolled over for the very first time! I've been getting signals from her that she was pretty close to making it, so I had the camera ready, just in case. Sure enough, I'd barely turned the camera on, when she suddenly rolled onto her back. She was pretty startled, but I was so proud!

Elizabeth is a much quieter baby than Evangeline was at her age. She soaks everything in, but instead of babbling as much as Evie did, she says a lot with her eyes. I love that her eyes are still the same beautiful blue that they were when she was born, but it's taken me this long to get used to them. Todd and Evie both have dark brown eyes, so it's a little disconcerting looking down at Ella while nursing her and seeing these huge bright blue eyes gazing back up at me. She's a beautiful girl, especially when she smiles. Before her baby blessing, I told my mom on the phone that I was getting a little nervous because it seemed that she was taking forever to smile. She told me, "Oh, she's just waiting for her Nonna." Sure enough, on the day of her baby blessing, she smiled at my mom for the very first time. This follows the same pattern that Evie set. While I would love to be the first one that my babies smile at, it's fun that they reserve their first smiles for my mom. I know that she loves it, and I hope that all of my kids follow this sweet tradition.
Once she'd smiled for my mom, she found it easy to smile at everyone, but especially Mommy and Daddy. And she smiles with her whole face; her eyes narrow into sparkly slits, her nose crinkles, and her cheeks practically touch her ears. I've gotten so many comments from ladies at church about what a pretty and happy girl she is. I love it! She just hasn't learned how to smile for the camera yet, so I don't have any proof of these gorgeous smiles, but I'm hopeful that I'll get some cute pictures of her soon. Last week, when she came to stay with me in the hospital, she laughed for the first time! It was a low and quiet little chirp/chuckle combo, but it was a real pleasure for me during an otherwise awful week.
Elizabeth is a much more snuggly person than her sister is, which is both good and bad. I don't have as much time and energy to devote just to her because I have an active toddler to keep track of who also needs my attention. When I put down Elizabeth to deal with Evie, I feel like I'm cheating her of the quality time she craves, which her sister got at this same age just by default. On the other hand, when I have time to snuggle her after her meals, I love feeling her warm little body burrowed into me. I wanted that with Evie, and I was a little sad that Evie was so independent so early. Elizabeth thrives on contact; where Evie would always calm down when I sang "I've Been Working on the Railroad," Ella prefers having her hand held. When I try to sing songs to her to help calm her down, she just looks at me like I'm crazy and keeps crying, but once I take her little hand in mine, she immediately starts winding down. I keep reminding myself that she's not her sister. She's developing on her own timetable, and her personality is her own. I love that little person she's becoming, and I'm grateful I get a front-row seat to watch her grow up. Happy 3 Month-iversary, sweet Ella girl! Mommy loves you!