Halloween Bash!

On Sunday, my parents had a family Halloween party at their house. Most of the family decided to dress up and some of the costumes were quite comical. The party consisted of lots of food, a scavenger hunt, cornhole and even a hayride. I was excited for my mom's side of the family to get to see Ella because several of them had not yet seen her or hadn't seen her since the hospital six weeks ago. I know they enjoyed seeing how much she has changed and getting to hold her. I have posted a few pictures from the party for you to enjoy.



















Mommy went back to work today! After having a slight breakdown last night, my day went pretty smoothly. The kids were excited which made me excited too. Everyone asked about Ella which made me very proud! I was so excited when 3:00 rolled around and mom brought her to my classroom! I'm sure she had a wonderful day with her Daddy and Nana!

Summer Weddings :)

Next summer, one of my best friends (Sejla) will be getting married, so yesterday we went to try on bridesmaid dresses at David's Bridal in Lexington. Of course, I took Ella and Sejla sat with her while Lynsie and I tried to figure out what sizes we needed. The dresses are very cute (a short black skirt, green criss-cross top, and a black satin sash). I am so excited to be apart of this special time in Sejla's life! She is going to be a beautiful bride!




Last night, Lynsie and Robert came over for a McDonald's dinner and some Nintendo Wii. It was very fun! I love this picture and how Ella is staring a hole through Robert! She was such a good baby last night! I have to say, Lynsie looks very natural with a baby in her arms! :) :)

Happy Six Week Birthday Ella!

Today was Ella's 6 week birthday! Time sure has flown by and now it is time for mommy to return to work. Dr. F cleared me today to return to work on Monday, so today was my official last day off. It's a bittersweet time knowing I will no longer be spending 24 hour days with Ella (except for the weekends and days off), but exciting at the same time to become a working mom who gets to rush home to her beautiful baby girl everyday. My students are excited for me to return, which makes me excited as well. Second graders are wonderful! I know Ella's Nana, Granny, and Nanny are all very excited to start babysitting next week and I am so blessed to have them watch her! I remember loving spending time with my nanny when my mom worked so I hope Ella has the same experience.


Exciting updates on Ella at 6 weeks!!!

Ella slept through the night last night which was very exciting! Her daddy fed her her last bottle around 9:45pm and she did not wake up this morning until 6:00! I hope this continues and is not just a one time occurrence :) Either way, she's a great sleeper!

Ella has not had a choking episode all day! Thank you for your prayers!

Ella embarrassed Nana today in the doctor's office because she pooped so loud! Everyone in the waiting room turned and looked at her and continued to laugh at her when she made 3 or 4 more loud "noises".

Ella is beginning to outgrow all of her newborn clothes and can wear most of her 0-3 months clothes now! I am excited because she has so many cute outfits to wear now:)

I have posted a few pictures from this past week (when Ava, Aunt Jackie, and Granny came over & Nana and Mommy took her to Party City) and today for you to enjoy!

Ella's Reflux

Well, last night was definitely my most frightful night as a mommy. At around 9:30pm, two hours after Ella's last feeding, she started her choking and gagging again. However, this time it took her like 10 seconds to catch her breath. Her daddy did such a good job of staying calm and helping her through it. He was very nurturing and such a perfect father. She threw up pretty much all of her last bottle and finally stopped. I held her upright for a while after, but as soon as I put her back down in her sleep positioner, she started choking again. Her poor little face turned red and she couldn't catch her breath again. This continued for a while, but the doctor said there is not much that can be done except to keep her upright and try feeding her Pedialyte for her next feeding. So, mommy ran to Wal-mart to get the Pedialyte, but Ella did not want it! So, instead we went back to breast milk and she was able to drink 2 ounces. I was very thankful that Ella drank something so that she would not be dehydrated. After eating, Ella only had small episodes of gagging and was able to sleep and relax. Mommy and daddy took turns staying up with her all night to make sure she was not choking. It is most definitely not a fun thing watching your sweet baby struggling helpless like we did last night. I pray that her reflux never gets that bad again and that God will make me a stronger mommy that does not panic so much. I have never in my life been so scared and concerned for someone, but I guess that comes with being a mother. I am very thankful that she seems to be herself again this morning and was able to eat more breast milk. I am going to try and feed her more often and less at each feeding to prevent her from overeating/getting a tummy ache. We will also keep taking the Zantac and see how things go. I know lots of babies have reflux and it is quite common, but I would love for everyone to pray that God heals her of this problem so she does not have to suffer from it anymore.

Erica's Wedding

Last night, Ella, Daddy and Mommy went to mommy's cousin Erica's wedding in Ohio. We were a little apprehensive about taking Ella with it being an evening wedding (she's usually very fussy during those hours of the day), but she did so good. She slept on the way and then ate right before the wedding started. About half way through, she started waking up fussy so we took her to the cry room and watched the rest of the wedding with all the other children in my family. Kermie and I sat and watched the other kids ranging from about 2 years old to 11 years old. It is crazy thinking Ella will one day be that big too. Here are some of the pictures I have posted from the wedding: Ella with her proud great-uncle Tom, Ella with her Great Grandma, Great Grandpa, and Grandpa Rob, Ella with Aunt Bekah, and a picture of the Bride, Groom, and the Bride's parents.

Before the wedding, Ella's Granny and Grandpa Jack came over. Granny helped give Ella her bath and even got her dressed for the wedding (which was an ordeal because mommy and daddy could not decide what to put her in). I'm glad Granny is patient :) I have posted a few pictures of them on today's post.



One last important update: Ella slept from 9:30pm until 4:30am last night! That is her longest stretch ever!

Little Tid Bits

Ella turned 5 weeks old today. These five weeks have went by so fast and are full of sweet memories. Here are some of the latest things going on in her life:

Ella went to the doctor the other day about her reflux. The doctor put her on some medicine to ease the discomfort. She seems to be doing better. She is not choking quite as much which is great!

The past two days, Ella has went out to eat with mommy and some friends. Ella went out to eat with Ashley, Sarah, baby Ivy, and Kayla yesterday at Rafferty's. She was a little fussy, but managed to let mommy eat:) It was fun getting to watch another mommy and her baby out and about. Mommy found it comforting knowing that not just her baby likes to fuss :) Both Ivy and Ella were so cute with their big bows on. Tonight, Ella went out to eat with Andrea at O'Charley's. Sometimes I wonder if she really likes going to all of these places with mommy. She's such a good baby :) Andrea enjoyed getting to hold her and even fed her some of her bottle. I am so glad so many people enjoy seeing Ella and spending time with her. Mommy forgot her camera both times so there aren't any pictures.

Here are a few pictures we took tonight of daddy in his army gear, mommy, Ella, Nana and Grandpa Rob.

Shopping !

Yesterday, Ella, Aunt Bekah, Bekah's friend Sheridan, Nanny, Nana and mommy went on a road trip to Ohio! We decided to go to the Jeffersonville Outlet Mall to shop. It was a pretty rainy day, but Ella was a perfect angel as always. She slept the entire way to the outlets and slept while we shopped. Her Nana bought her some very cute outfits and mommy found her the most adorable dress to get her pictures taken in. I cannot wait to post a picture of her in her new dress! On our way home, we stopped by the Kenwood Mall and Ella loved looking around. Her mommy and Nana held her most of the time and she was wide awake. She was fascinated with all of the lights and skylights. Mommy loved the store Janie and Jack and put all sorts of clothes on Ella and took her picture. Her daddy couldn't wait to pick her up as soon as we walked in the door! I know she missed him very much!

I also found out that one of my best friends is pregnant yesterday! I am so very excited! Now, Ella will have another playmate!

4 Weeks Old

Today, Ella is four weeks old. It is amazing how fast time flies by! She has changed so much in the past four weeks and it has been wonderful watching her every change. Here are a few of the ways Ella has grown in the past four weeks.

Ella loves to swing in her swing. She would probably swing all day if mommy and daddy would let her!

She has moved out of the co-bed and is now in her bassinet beside mommy and daddy's bed. She sleeps well in her bassinet. She especially likes it when mommy turns the vibrate on low to help her fall asleep. She still tries to wiggle out of her sleep positioner though! Ella is not on a concrete feeding schedule, but is becoming more consistent at night time. She usually eats between 9pm and 10pm. She wakes up around 1:30am -2:30am and then does not wake up again until 5:30am-6:00am. Mommy is so glad Ella likes to sleep! Ella usually wakes up to eat every 3 to 4 hours during the day (sometimes before that). When she eats, she typically eats 3 to 4 ounces. She loves her baba!

Her favorite song is Jesus Loves Me. Mommy loves singing this to Ella when she is grumpy and needs to sleep! Ella also likes saying her prayers with mommy at night. They thank Jesus for all the wonderful blessing He has given them!

Ella likes to hold her head up! When mommy and daddy burp her she holds her head up for a few minutes at a time. She is getting so strong!

Ella loves bath time! She has graduated from the kitchen counter to her own bath tub in mommy and daddy's bath! She loves the water being poured on her.

When Ella is awake she loves being talked to and held very close! She loves going outside on the porch and taking walks. She is a wonderful, wonderful baby girl and her mommy and daddy love her very much.

Ella's First Trip to Church and Ava's 9 Month Birthday

Today was Ella's first trip to church. Her daddy and I were a little apprehensive about going to church, but we ended up being on time and Ella did such a wonderful job! She slept for the majority of the service so mommy and daddy just took turns holding her. We both felt very proud holding our own beautiful little girl! After church we went to eat at Cracker Barrel with Grandpa Rob, Nana, and Aunt Bekah. Ella was wonderful there too! She attracted lots of attention like she always does!

Yesterday was Ava's 9 month birthday, so Ella, daddy and mommy went to visit. We cooked out and played for quite a while. Ella was a little fussy yesterday. She loves being held, walked around and pat on the bottom. :) She did sleep well again through the night. Mommy is very thankful for that!

Another Outing

Yesterday, Ella and I went to Georgetown to eat with Sejla. Ella was very well behaved in Ruby Tuesday's and only cried once. She loved being held by Sejla and the attention all the people gave her. One woman commented on how big she was for 3 weeks. I thought this was funny. After we ate, we went down to Nana's and Grandpa Rob's house for a few hours. Ella was wide awake for most of our stay. We sat outside on the front porch and Ella decided to take a nap. It seems she likes being outside... especially when the wind blows.

Ella has been eating better the past day or two. She has been waking up only once to eat other than around 12 am and 5:30 am. She is still spitting up, but not quite as much.

I enjoy just looking at her sweet little face all day. She makes some of the strangest faces, but still looks so beautiful. Her daddy's favorite face is when she straightens her neck and lifts her eyebrows. She's very funny!