Ella Bug turns THREE

What is it about THREE that feels so big? I remember when Evie turned three. It's such a big girl status. I admit, I shed tears this morning. I love my babies so much.

She was born with a full head of black curls and she's kept those curls ever since!

Ella is our feisty, silly, independent little lady. She loves Starbucks, Paw Patrol, PJ Masks, Unicorns, cookies and being with her cousins and Grandparents. Her favorite colors are pink and purple. She hates shoes and doesn't like to have her hair brushed. She's also a snuggle bug.

Happiest of birthday's to our Elleanor! We love you to the moon and back. 💖

My Girl

I feel like I blinked and this little girl changed overnight. Her toddler days are slowly melting into the pre-school stage. She loves to keep up with big sister: She works hard on learning the alphabet, she loves her PJ Masks (Catboy is her favorite) and she would eat chocolate all the day long if she could. She loves to walk around the house roaring like a dinasour (thanks to George from Peppa Pig).

They say she looks like me...but goodness, does she act like her daddy.

She's my wild & precious one. I love her so.

My Baby

The other day we were eating breakfast at the table, and I asked Ella, "Are you a big girl, now?"

She smiled, pointed to herself and said, "No, I baby".

Forever my baby you'll be, little one.

Happy Friday!

I snapped this picture of little miss "on the move"...which is no small feat these days. Two things: Ella has super kissable cheeks, and curls for DAYS. ;)

Happy Friday!

A Vintage Party

Our littlest princess turned one this month, so we celebrated with cupcakes and vintage vibes for our sweet girl. It is just crazy to me that an entire year has passed. How quickly it all goes (I know...I say that at least once a week...)

She was quite a fan of the cupcakes. I'll probably find cupcake remnants for weeks on end. That's okay. It was worth it for the memories and scrapbooks.

She's a mess! But, a very cute mess at that. :)

She Thinks She's Big Stuff

This kid. She cracks me UP! She has a big personality, and continues to show her idependence. She tries to crawl off our laps when she wants down (where does she think she's gonna go? I have no idea). She watches her big sis very intently. She has a deep belly laugh, and her whole face takes part of those laughs!!

She is wearing size 9 month clothes, eats alllllll the time, and doesn't mind being held by friends and family. She's very content, unless she's teething. She really loves her bouncy seat, being swaddled, and snuggling. We love her to pieces!

Ella Bug

Somebody has been a busy little bee this last month:

• She had her first taste of food. I think the photo says it all!
• She has started standing up while holding onto something.
• She loves playing with daddy's beard.
• She kind half rolls over, it's cute. ;)
• She really, really loves to be sitting up so she can see what's going on.
• She tries really hard to talk. She has a lot of facial expression to match her words, so it comes off very serious. Cracks us up!

We are having so much fun with you, Ella bug!!

My Sugarbear

This girl. Goodness, has she just stollen this momma's heart!! She is just delightful!!! I thought I'd share some of her milestones...

Last week, she found her hands! It was so cute. She would hold her fist up, and get all wide eyed while looking at it. Cuuuute.

She wants to sit up, and see what's going on. All the time! Forget the snuggly baby stuff. She's ready to be a big girl! She also likes to "stand up". You know where you balance them on their legs while holding them? She thinks it's the greatest thing. If she thinks we are having fun without her, she fusses until we pick her up and let her join in the fun, which is usually just us sitting down to eat dinner. Haha!

Her smile lights up her whole face...and produces the cutest dimple!!

She is the BEST sleeper. Honestly, she averages about 10 hours every night, and one long nap in the middle of the day. She still takes tiny cat naps here and there, but they don't last long.

If you are slow getting her bottle ready, she will let you know. She "sasses" for several minutes. It is hilarious. Such opinionated grunts, hahahaha.

And all that hair? Still thick, dark, curly, and getting longer every day. ;)

Oh, Ella Faith. You are so loved.

Mommy and Me

A storm front was moving in last night, so we headed to the lake before the rain hit. It felt so good outside! Josh snapped a few of these pictueres of Ella, and I. Soaking up her baby days, for sure.

Ella Bug (Two Month Update)

Our sweet girl is now two months old! I just can't handle it. How in the world did that happen? She has grown so much, and gained quite a bit! I call her our chunky monkey. This girl has some serious rolls going on. I had to put her newborn clothes away (cue the tears again!), and she's almost out of size 1 diapers!

She is just the SWEETEST little thing. She's rarely fussy, and loves to smile. She sleeps through the night, and is very content to just soak in her surroundings. She's also a total cuddle bug. So, I think I'll sign off for now and go kiss those chubby cheeks of hers. ;)

I love you Ella bug!

Dear Ella

I just loved the way you looked in the window light. It was a rainy morning and you were so peaceful and content just laying on the rug. It's hard to believe it's been two months since you arrived. Those first few days were rough, and they seem a distant memory now. I just need to remember to snuggle you up more, and savor that newborn smell. Time is moving quickly. And I want to savor every little second of your baby-ness. 

I love you, always. 

Elleanor's Newborn Photos

I had planned to take Ella's newborn photos myself, as I had with Evie. It's a huge cost saver for us, plus I enjoy the challenge Although, I am not by any means a newborn photographer. It took me HOURS of working to get the shots that I wanted. I ended up taking three rounds of photos on three seperate days.

The first photo, I had found a similiar style on pinterest. I found the green wrap on Etsy, and a coordinating headband on Etsy as well. The second photo was taken on a whim...I had originally purchased the rose garlands for a different pose altogether. But, when I saw that she was looking around, I snapped the picture. It turned out to be one of my favorites!

Needless to say, I'm happy with how they turned out. And I'm still pinching myself that I'm a mother of two. ;)

She's Here! So thankful.

The last two weeks have been the toughest of my life thus far. I'm not a dramatic person, so when I say that, I'm not trying to make something more than it is. I know many people have gone through much worse, and honestly, parents who have gone through this before me our now my heroes.

It started on Christmas day when I noticed some fairly strong contractions. I had already had a scare a few weeks before, so I brushed them off as braxtons. We continued with our plans, and were on our way to his parents. But, the contractions continued much stronger & closer together. We decided it would be better off to visit triage than to risk it per my doctor's advice. So we headed to the hospital not really sure what to think. An hour later I was checked into the hostpiatl, dialted to a five, 80% effaced, and having regular contractions. By the time I was started on IV fluids, I started crying because I realized the possibility of having a 34 week preemie was becoming very real, and honestly, that terrified me.

The doctor on duty that day said he would try his best to stop labor, then we would see where I had progressed the next morning. My contractions slowed down by the time I had been given medication. By the next day, I hadn't progressed at all, so they sent me home with meds, and instructions for strict bed rest.

Strict bed rest with a toddler is pretty much non existint so Josh decided to take the week off. Between him, and our parents helping, I stayed put on the couch until the following weekend. But, not without a second hospital stay (regular contractions again), and two other triage visits. My emotions were all over the place, because my body was wearing down, and I knew they wouldn't be able to keep labor off much longer.

On January 3rd, I woke up feeling better than I had all week, and eerily my contractions were non-existent. Call it intuition, but I knew that "burst of energy" feeling, and that it wouldn't be much longer. I pacified myself with re-packing my hospital bag, sending Josh to store for a few pantry items for the  house, and trying to rest on the couch. By mid-morning the contractions returned steady, and that "feeling" you get when labor is immenent really hit me hard. The contractions continued to strengthen, so I timed them each hour. I tried resting on my side, laying down, and walking through them to determine if it was the real thing. They continued throughout the day slowly getting closer. Knowing we would be heading to the hospital at some point that night, we headed to Josh's parents house. I wanted Evie snug at her grandparents house that night, rather than being woke up and whisked away in the middle of the night. I'm so thankful that worked out, and was one thing I had prayed for.

This time, triage was routine, and most of the nurses had met me at that point (five visits in one week? I dubbed myself frequent flyer). I cried because my doctor wasn't on duty. I cried because even though we had made it to 36 weeks, there was still a chance she would be pre-mature. I also cried with relief, because I knew my body was done, and there wasn't anything stopping it.

Thankfully, my contractions slowed again, so I made it through the night with very little progress. I say thankfully, because it bought baby girl more time (every hour counts!), but also, my doctor was on duty that day!! I haven't felt that excited or relieved in a LONG time. She knew how horrific my previous delivery had been, and how desperate I was to have her deliver for me. And it was literally a walk in the park in comparison.

The hard part came seconds after she was delivered. There were breathing problems, and other issues. Even though Evie had been delievered at 36 weeks, the doctors think she was closer to 37 and didn't declare her a preemie. So, this was a new world to us. I was pretty dazed that day, and finally got to visit her in the NICU that evening. I'm not sure what I was thinking, but I had failed to think through the process that she would be hooked up to so many wires. It broke my heart. It also hurt not to hold her until she was 24 hours old.

Every day was a waiting game. Slowly, but surely her condition improved, but my adrenaline eventually crashed on the third day. My toddler was an hour away with her other grandparents, and we had been seperated for five days at that point. My husband needed to return to work (he had already been off 1 1/2 weeks due to my bed rest). I was trying to recover in a boarders room at the hosptial, but let me just say staring at hospital walls, being in pain, and having very little order to my life about set me off the edge. I just reminded myself that the girls needed me to be strong. Every day I would visit, sometimes getting to hold her, sometimes just staring and crying. There isn't much privacy, so I got used to crying in front of strangers.

On Friday, I lhit my breaking point. I don't think I have ever felt so low. They had tried to slowly ween her off ox that day, only for her to start breathing too fast again. She was also jaundiced and had to be put under the lights, so we couldn't hold her until the next day. It just felt a bit too much, so Josh whisked me away to visit Evie at her grandparents house.

I felt like the worst parent in the world leaving the hospital, but I desperately needed time with Evie. Her snuggles made me feel much more relaxed, and less anxious about the seperation. She still loves me. ;-) We realized we needed to make plans, as the doctors gently reminded us it could be a few more days, or even weeks of her remaining at the hospital. Somehow, we made peace with that, made our plans, and headed back to the hospital. It was very late that night, and the nurse on duty cheerfully announced she was doing great! Apparently, after we left, they removed the oxygyn, and she was doing GREAT. She passed the five hour mark, and if everything went smoothly through the night, they would move her to our room the next day.

The next morning, we woke up to our little sugar bear getting to spend the day with us in our room! Holding her without wires was amazing. We snuggled the rest of the day, and slowly but surely, it felt like maybe life would be returning to normal. Our nurse stopped by and said the pediatrician planned to discharge us the following morning after being seen.

Two weeks of living in limbo, and feeling very disoriented about everything, we are all home as a family of four. Our Ella Bug is doing great, and she received another thumbs up at our follow up appointment.

I am thankful that He proved His faithfulness again. Also, NICU parents are my heroes. I won't stop thinking about them or the families that were still there, and had a long way to go. It's humbling, and heart wrenching.

It has also reminded me to count my blessings. I am so thankful for our Elleanor Faith. She's already taught us so much.

Bumpdate 30.5 Weeks!

I'm already well into my 30th week of pregnancy! The last few weeks have flown by, as we began preparing for the holiday season with family. Heartburn has really amped up, and I've had a horrible cold for several days. Other than that, the little peanut is measuring right on track!

We finally made some head way with her nursery. We wanted to keep things simple, and budget friendly, so most of the pieces in her room were thrifted. There are a couple of amazing thrift stores in our area, and I was able to score several things that I've been looking for. My mom is making the baby quilt, and I can't wait to see what it will look like all together!

I've stocked up on bottles, newborn jammies, and the crib is set up. The only thing I'm lacking, is a place for baby to rest when she isn't sleeping. When Evie was a newborn I used the pack & play around the clock...but I'm thinking that might no work with a toddler. I can see her trying to pick her up when my back is turned. So either a pack & play or a bassinet is on my list of "to finds" before baby girl arrives.

Oh, and I FINALLY found their first set of matching outfits. They happened to be Carter's brand which was on sale, and I had a coupon. How could I resist? ;)

Happy Tuesday!