And look, it's already mid-November! Time is sure flying these days. Well, here's an abbreviated version of the latest news with the Gramkows!
Visitors - October was filled with many visitors! Uncle David and Aunt Audrie (which we already posted about), Grandma and Grandpa Gramkow came for a few days, and then mommy had some college girlfriends come to town too! We sure loved the company and Ellie liked showing off all her new tricks!
Apartment Life - We're moving, this Friday actually! Only about 10 minutes away...but closer into the "city" of Fort Worth. We decided to go on staff with an organization called Apartment Life. "Apartment Life places CARES Teams (a married couple, family, or two single adults) into apartment communities to assist management in building community and serving residents. These teams receive a rent free apartment and commit approximately 10 hours per week (per team member) to the community." So Ben and I will be a CARES (hospitality) team and will serve the Coventry Apartment Complex here in Fort Worth. We move on Friday, have Apartment Life training in Dallas on Saturday, and then start! We have events planned for Thanksgiving and are really looking forward to meeting the residents. I'm really excited about this opportunity! It'll be a great combo to staying at home with Ellie and feeling like I have an "outside" job as well. Ellie will be able to come with us to events, pass out fliers, etc. Also, I'm SO excited because it's really related to what I did at the Jardine Apartments (at K-State)...even a resume builder! Wahoo! http://www.caresteam.org/
Church - We've really loved our church we've been attending (Trinity Chapel Bible Church). It's really been a life saver in getting to know people (now that the Fall semester is here) and for me personally, to get connected with other women and moms! Ellie and I have been on a couple trips to the zoo and park with some other moms and kiddos. I'm going to a Women's bible study Tuesday mornings studying Psalms. Ellie's getting more and more used to the nursery, phew! Ben and I took a parenting class there (similar concepts to love and logic) a few Sunday nights and oh, Ben is taking a New Testament Greek class taught by our pastor. (Of course he is - life long learner Ben!) We meet with a Community Group each week too for a meal and book discussion on Encouragement. I am excited about the committee I just joined - the BABY committee where I get to pray for moms and their pregnancies and then help organized meals when their baby comes!
Ronald McDonald House - I've now volunteered twice at the Ronald McDonald House. I go there on Ben's off work Friday. It's been SO awesome to give back and I know Ben likes his Ellie time too. The first time I went there, I totally went in with the attitude that I am here to serve and whatever happens happens (even though I really wanted to talk to everyone there!). BUT..I did have the opportunity to talk to two NICU moms whose babies were born at 25 weeks...all while I was cleaning the kitchen! I got to rejoice with one of the moms as her son just got off the ventilator and now is on CPAP. Wahoo! I think it's also therapeutic for me to be in the world where we were just a short year ago. The Fort Worth Ronnie's is HUGE...38 rooms. Then again, you'll have that with a bigger city than Topeka, Kansas!
Halloween - Our new apartment complex had a costume party and so we went to meet some of our future friends! :) Ellie actually got third place in the contest with her super cute pig outfit! Earlier in the week the chiropractic office had a costume contest too, and Ellie won first place there! Our church had a "trunk or treat" in the evening so we got to go around to the different trunks and pick out our favorite candy! (yay tootsie rolls!) Next year, Ellie is going to LOVE the big bouncy, jumpy play house (not sure what the right term on those are!)
Ellie-isms - Well, of course we've thought Ellie was amazing from Day one, but it's just SO funny how they change and develop. She's such a silly girl. I sure love her smiles and giggles. She's still cruising, balancing for a couple seconds on her own, and now has a "walking toy" that she walks behind.
I really think it's going to be soon that we'll have a walker on our hands! I'm super excited and Ben has made it very clear that he is in "no hurry." She started helping me with laundry. She likes to hand clothes to me from the basket. She also just likes to hand anything to you! She loves us to brush her hair and then wants to play with the brush of course! Just lately, she's put the brush up to her head and imitates brushing it herself. She loves toilet paper!
She's a big fan of high fives. We're working on waving and blowing kisses! On the food front, lately she's loved Chicken Spaghetti. I'm pretty sure she had it ALL week! Thanks for the good recipe, Pioneer Woman! (pioneerwoman.com) She clearly wants to eat what we are! She still takes a bottle, but it's down to 1 or 2 times a day, so we're really close with weaning that! She LOVES music and will dance and bounce. Last night we were out with some Lockheed Martin couples at a restaurant and all the sudden, guess who's busting a move in her high chair! It's just too cute!
Well, I suppose that's a good update for now...back to packing!
Oh, and how about those
K-State Wildcats yesterday beating KU! Wahoo!
Yes, that's right, that is NOT a typo friends! Ellie took her first steps YESTERDAY! She was playing on the floor with Ben and I, and I turned her toward him standing. She's been doing this balance act with her hands out to her side, cruising along furniture and squats. (Ben wonders is she's the only baby to do squats and slow motion too!) 
So we knew it was close! So she turns toward her daddy and arms straight out to her side gets this concentrated look and takes two steps on her own! We were so excited! We got her to do in again. Then yesterday, all she wants is our fingers to hold onto. She's not so sure about that by herself stuff quite yet I guess. Too funny. Ben and I just continue to watch in amazement. She's so FUN! She's sure developing her voice and laugh too. She loves to dance with Daddy and she loves it when mommy chases her on all fours! She's started playing pretend. She brushes her hair and holds remotes up to her ear like she's talking on the phone! She's got a mean crawl these days too...and even faster speed...head down! It's so funny. I just worry she's going to run into something when she does that.
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