Playtime

Men in Uniform

Last week, Ella went to her first NBA basketball game. We won four tickets (great seats!) through our bank. David and Carla joined us for the game and dinner beforehand. Ella was so good (despite her cold... and not sleeping afterward). This weekend, we took her to another Georgetown game. I figure she's been to about 8 games since she was born. We sure hope she loves the sport as much as her parents :-)

Adventures in Babysitting

It's been nearly two weeks since my last post and all I can say is... I have been EXHAUSTED! Upon returning from Montana, Ella and I got sick. Nothing too terrible, but I found it nearly impossible to take care of myself when Ella needed my attention. She just wanted to eat all of the time, so she got on a new schedule of eating every two hours instead of four. AND she stopped sleeping... well, almost. I was getting up with her 4-5 times in the night, instead of the once I had gotten used to. It continued even after we both got over our colds. Needless to say, I was an absolute wreck. I could hardly function.

SO... after moving her into her own room, we let her cry. And cry. And cry some more. Like for two hours (though we would go check on her periodically). It didn't seem to work. After that long, I would cave in and feed her just to shut her up. I started to think there was something wrong, so I took her to the doctor last Friday. Prognosis: Ella's got my number. She's gained nearly two pounds in the last three weeks (hmmm, I wonder why) and has absolutely nothing wrong with her. The Dr. said to stop feeding her so much and just let her cry. And that night, I let her cry again - only I didn't go in her room at all. Not until she was asleep. And she had a pretty good night. I only fed her once! And the next night, she slept nearly 8 hours before I fed her. Last night, she only slept 5 hours at a time, but I'll take that any day.

The whole experience was overwhelming and quite heartbreaking. I just wanted to pick Ella up, hug her and apologize over and over for putting her through all of it. But I know it's for the best... for all of us. Now if I could only train myself to stop waking up every two hours in anticipation of her crying...

Ella and Family

A few pics of Ella with the family in Montana. I miss everyone already!!!!!!!

Home again :-(

We got home last night after a marvelous trip to Montana. I didn't want to leave. It was great to see everyone! Ella was good... most of the time. At least she was cute - and she picked up a few tricks. She now likes being on her stomach and lifts her head up quite well - like she's been doing it forever. And, she makes high-pitched squeals, which are rather cute - but they may get old if she's still doing it in a few years. What can I say, she just gets cuter and cuter. Really. There's just so much to say about the trip... but not now. I'm sick and need some rest. Yuck!

Until next time, here are a few photos...

Yo Mama!

This is me at 5 1/2 months. Ella's got a few pounds to gain before she looks just like her mama ;-)

Hello from Montana

Well, we're still in Montana and I don't want to leave! Our stay has been wonderful and Ella just loves everyone here. Brady flew into Missoula last night and we're on our way to see him this weekend. Then we'll all be heading back to the big city on Monday morning... Where does the time go?

I have LOTS of photos to post when I return. Until then, take care and stay warm (it's 1 degree here!).

Love,
A + E

4 Months!!!!!!

Ella had her 4-month checkup today and boy has she grown! She's weighing in at 13 pounds, 4 ounces... over four pounds gained in two months! She's also 24 inches long. It's all that milk I've been feeding her. She's gone from nursing every 3-4 hours to nearly every other hour. It sure wears me out. We started giving her rice cereal at night to help out. I wanted to wait until she was 6 months old, but it just seems that this girl wants to EAT!

Ella had to get another round of vaccinations today, which was heartbreaking. But she was a trooper. Now she's just a little fussy and wants to be close to either Brady or me for comfort.

Tomorrow, we'll be flying out to Montana for a long vacation... and for Ella to finally meet the rest of her family. Brady will be joining us on the 11th. So... if you're around, we'd love to see you.

Happy New Year!