Thursday, December 18, 2008

already??

so when ella was born they told me that she would likely lag a month behind in her development -- unlikely story -- at just two months old our little baby girl already enjoys holding her head up...im pretty amazed because she seems to be right on track with a full term newborn -- but is only mini..

Sunday, December 7, 2008

a well deserved break...




not much new going on this week -- i decided not to take ella to the doctor friday. after spending some time on the good-old internet, i came to the conclusion that she probably wasnt allergic to my breastmilk -- and that she was just being a normal baby...i even read online that some breastfed babies dont go poo for up to a week because they use everything you are giving them -- which makes sense and i really feel like she had a BIG growth spurt this last week...

one an funnier note, rachel and i went shopping on thursday and i got to see her beautiful wedding dress -- and when we got home little miss ella finally went poo...this wasnt an ordinary poo and it was one you would have had to see to believe...but when i went to change her it just kept coming -- in fact i put three diapers on her before she was done...rachel and i couldnt stop laughing -- but honestly, if i would have been alone i probably would have broke down and cried and wouldnt have even known where to begin...luckily rachel was standing next to me with a garbage bag and we just kept throwing them in there...i really guess you would have had to of been there cause i couldnt stop laughing...

friday we went to get our santa pictures -- we put ella in her beautiful christmas dress (i even found tights at H&M that fit her), unfortunately she slept the entire time -- i guess i shouldnt have fed her as much as i did before we left --oh well, we got some good ones and will be using them for our holiday cards this year :)

today i finished another class, which put me at the half way point in completing my MBA. didnt think it would be too hard to go to school while being a mom, but boy was i wrong...it was so difficult entertaining ella while i worked on my final...luckily i have some great friends, one of which came over to keep ella and i company and to even change her stinky butt...(gotta love rachel) i think in the future i will have a babysitter for her though just cause it was so so so so hard getting it done, mostly because i spent so much time going back and fourth...i know what you are all thinking, "welcome to motherhood." anyways, i really cant wait to be all the way done with school, but until then, im gonna enjoy the next seven weeks off of school and probably start working out again cause i cant help but feel like a little chunker...

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

exhausted....


so the last week was CRAZY, and even that doesnt truly describe it. as i previously mentioned ella was able to meet a ton of family, including her uncle travis, great grandparents, great-auntie sally and last, but certainly not least grandma and papa hayman. she also spent her first thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family -- there was roughly 20 people there and we even caught sean "preparing" for fatherhood (in the near future, right rachel, lol???)

travis did great with ella -- at first he seemed a little nervous, but by the time he left today, he was a pro. we were able to get some super cute pictures of him holding her and we hope to see him sooner rather than later so that he can watch her grow up as much as possible.

lisa and roderick came on friday -- jon and i picked them up at the airport and couldnt have been more excited...it had been over a year since i had seen them and just under a year for jon -- so i know that it felt good to finally hug them and see them face to face -- not to mention it was the first time they were able to hold their granddaughter. ella took a special liking to her papa -- everytime he spoke or she touched his arms she would instantly calm down. lisa couldnt put her down either, ella just loved her to death -- and i know that we are going to miss their help around the house -- it was nice to have a break and to be able to sleep in while they were here :)

so today was it -- everyone went home -- and it was SO freaking hard to say good bye..thats always the worst part. roderick and lisa had to be at the airport at around 11, while travis didnt have to leave until 5 -- so we spent the day at southcenter mall walking around and had a GREAT lunch at the cheesecake factory..im still stuffed...as i drove him to the airport i had a hard time saying good bye and as i gave him one last hug i lost it and cried the entire way home...it had just been to freaking long and i love that kid so much..and its truly not the same without him..

ANYWAYS

ella is now seven weeks old and is growing like never before. she is super alert and loves attention -- i swear to you that i cant set her down for a minute without her crying -- and im praying i can break her of this by the time i go back to work cause daycare is going to be a nightmare if i dont. she is a super happy baby -- except that i think she might have a milk allergy cause she gets really bad stomach/gas pains -- so bad that she wont stop screaming until she gets a toot out...and sometimes she doesnt even go to the bathroom...kinda freaks me out...so friday we are going in to talk to her doctor about it...ill be upset if i have to stop breastfeeding her, but if that is what is doing it -- all i want is for her to be happy, ya know?

here are some pics from this last week -- enjoy...

Friday, November 21, 2008

as i sit here..


i cant help but staring at ella and feel an overwheming love for her...i cant believe that she will be six weeks old tomorrow...holy freaking crap, time flies when youre loving life...and i cant believe how big she has gotten already, its kinda overwhelming...guess i better get used to it, ya know?

Monday, November 17, 2008

one month check..



okay, so ella is really five weeks, two days old..but still... we went to her one month check today and just like we hoped, our little girl has been a growin...
6lbs, 13.5oz -- 20in long, to be exact :)
she is in the 2nd percentile for her weight, 7th percentile for her height, and 13th percentile for her head size (yeah, shes gonna be a smart one with a brain like that)...ella no longer fits her in preemie clothes and has now moved up to newborns...so its been fun putting all those clothes on her now :)

our little baby girl has also discovered that she has hands and is constantly staring at them -- and last night she played with her toys until she fell asleep, which was around an hour, it was so freaking cute to watch...she is now looking all around when you hold her and makes the cutest little faces and noises i have ever seen or heard -- her signature look is when she sticks her tongue out and she loves giggling in her sleep...





its been great getting to know her -- and both jon and i are super excited to see what the coming months hold for us :)

...next week's events....
1)she meets her uncle travis for the first time

2)has her hip ultrasound cause she was breech

3)first thanksgiving -- and gets to meet a ton of lowell family members she has yet to meet
4)meets grandma and grandpa haymen
5)family photos


as you can see -- its gonna be an eventful week...pictures to follow...

Thursday, November 6, 2008

on a rainy afternoon...

the most beautiful girl in the world

so last night was probably one of the funnest nights ive had with ella thus far...she was wide awake, smiling, happy and looking all around...so we thought it would be the perfect time to pull out some of her toys and see what she was made of :) her favorite was the rattle, cause she could put in her mouth and lick it...check out a couple of the videos, they are super cute...she even gets mad at the rattle and


Sunday, November 2, 2008

Three Weeks Already?!







so...
time flies when you are having fun
yesterday marked ella's twenty-first day being here on earth, pretty amazing if you ask me -- especially since she still has two weeks until she was supposed to arrive...she is adjusting very well to everything, and has recently discovered how much she really likes to eat...so im thinking that she is going to be way over the six pound mark at her next doctor appointment -- maybe even close to seven -- which is on november 17th...

so this whole mom this is totally new to me, obviously, and the only thing that i am really used to taking care of are puppies, and they dont really require much...so i have found myself wondering if i am really doing things right, like should i be playing with her more? should i be holding her more? should we be going more places so that i stimulate her brain? what kinds of things should i be saying to her, or reading to her? yeah, i know...im weird...but i tried to sign up for this thing called "peps" of snohomish county -- which is like a group of mothers that get together and play and talk...however, i was told that there can be a waiting list of up to 3 months...ouch...so keep your fingers crossed that i am able to get into one with the quickness...just cause i feel like i have so many random questions that need answers...like -- how far can they really see when they are 3 weeks old??

anyways -- friday was halloween, we carved pumpkins and dressed ella up in a little bib that said "little boo" (thanks mom)..and we even took picutres...
baby girl and her daddy

with her mama

earlier in the week we busted out that baby enstein playmate (thank you jenn!) and discovered that she loves looking at herself in the mirror as well as chewing on her little puppy...it was a lot of fun, and i cant wait until she can reach up and grab things on her own...

in addition to doing my homework -- yes, i am currently in school right now...which isnt all that much fun...let me tell you...i spend lots of time taking pictures of my baby girl...simply because i want to remember every little thing about her....so here are some nice random pictures that i took on halloween and yesterday...



i would also like to thank my mom and dad, erika, jilly, snickerous, jessy and my sister chelsy for coming over and keeping my company this week...i get a little bit lonely while jon is away at work and school...but i know that he is doing what he has to do for the family...and i love him lots for that...he has been working so hard to achieve his goals, and i really couldnt be more proud of him...by the way -- his birthday is friday -- gonna be twenty five...welcome to the world of old baby cakes :)