Baby Dedication & Ella's New Developments

Today was a big day for Ella! She was recognized at my mom and dad's church (Grace) and then had her baby dedication at Southland! I am very excited to raise Ella in the church and I know her daddy is too! We have been praying for her and her walk with God ever since she was inside the womb and we will continue to pray that she will be a strong woman of faith as she grows and matures. We are very blessed to have such a supportive family. Ella had lots of friends and family there to share in her special day. Her Great-Nanny came, along with her Granny, Grandpa Jack, Aunt Jackie, Uncle Geoff, Cousin Ava, Nana, Grandpa Rob, Uncle Daniel, Aunt Bekah, Lynsie and Robert. One of my friends (Sarah) also goes to Southland and her baby (Ivy) was recognized today as well. I hope that our girls will get to know each other as they get bigger and participate in the youth there at Southland. They are only a month and a half apart in age.











Ella is getting so big! She is going to be eight weeks old this Friday. She is also becoming more and more alert as each day passes. She is beginning to add "coos" and other noises with her smiles. Her Nana caught her with a big smile on her face this past week. It is my most favorite picture of her! She loves to be talked to and follows objects and people when they move. She still loves her swing, but also loves laying on her back. She has not been consistently sleeping through the night, but wakes only once during the night to eat. She is a wonderful and very beautiful baby girl!

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.