Today Ella is 4 weeks old. It doesn’t seem like it at all. Maybe because she has only been home a week and a half. She is starting to hold her head up on her own. She is also on a pretty good 3 hour schedule. Jameson gets to share his room with her. It is actually working out. He sleeps through her 3 am crying, but when she wakes up between 6 and 7 am, so does he. This part isn’t so fun. Normally he sleeps till 8 or so. This means that when I get her fed and back to sleep he comes out of his room and tells me, “Mom, I wake up!” Wonderful. Some days I do get naps which is nice. It hasn’t been too rough, though. And if I do say so myself, she is one cute girl!

In order to kill some time and energy Wednesday, we headed to the park after dinner. We took Jameson’s planes his Papa Brazell bought him way back in November. We’re just now getting the planes out, because of the weather, and he had so many other new toys to play with. Our “tree” is starting to bud. Here’s what it looks like now.

Jameson loves his dad, and had a blast flying planes. The little one wasn’t flying so well since there was a light breeze.

So they busted out the bigger plane. It has a rubber band that twist to turn the propeller. Jameson thought the plane would fly this far…

  (Can you even see him?)

They found that flying it on the cement worked better.

Ella hung out in her snugli while we watched to boys fly airplanes. She also wore her cute fleece bunting coat (is that what they’re called?) from Grammy Brazell.

We have had some really nice days lately. Spring is definitely in the air here. The trees have been gorgeous. It looks like there’s snow on the ground, but really it’s the peddles from the blossoms on the trees.

And for your viewing pleasure…

Monday, the 22nd, Ella had her first check up with her pediatrician. She was measured at 20 in. so according to that measurement she shrunk. The nurse didn’t fully stretch her out, though. I was watching. She weighs 7lbs 12 oz. which put her in the 50%. It also means, she has gained an ounce a day since she’s been home. I don’t remember what her head measured exactly, but it was in the 16-25%. My kids have small heads… what can I say? When we got home, Ella gave mom a run for her money during a changing session, so we decided it was time for a bath. Ella did not agree.

 

Jameson went and got his chair so he could watch. He’s been helpful in trying to give Ella her binki when she cries. Other than that, he pretty much leaves her alone. He loves when she’s awake, though. He’ll yell, “Mom, she’s awake.”

After her bath, it was time for a nap.

We were sad to have to take Mom to the airport. We had a great time while she was here, and my house has never stayed so clean for so long. She got to witness my cursed wood floors. (They never stay clean. Dirt and dust always appear before I can even put the vacuum and broom away.) She also got to share in the joy of all our stairs. My mom thinks they’re the reason I went into labor early. Probably true. Anyway, thanks for coming mom, and thanks for all your help. We truly appreciated it.

Sunday was Ella’s first time at church. I got to dress her up in her best. It was actually rainy and cold, so her boots seemed appropriate. Also, they might not fit in another week, so she has to wear them while she can. Kevin thought they were ridiculous, but isn’t the concept of shoes on a baby ridiculous? I mean, really. They don’t walk, and their feet never touch the ground. All shoes are good for are to keep their socks on. They’re not the best pictures, but deal with it.

 

We survived with two kids at church. It also helped, I had my mom there with us. Of course, Ella decided she was hungry on our way to church, so I went straight to the mother’s lounge. As we were walking to Relief Society, our bishop stopped to say how cute she was. I could see it in his face, so I asked if he wanted to hold her. He immediately said yes, and had her out of my arms. I told him she might get hungry and to come find me if she got fussy. I walked into RS, and the ladies asked where the baby was.I told them the bishop had her, and they said they couldn’t argue that one. 🙂

He brought her back with about 20 minutes left, because he had a meeting and didn’t want to chance her waking up. After church I asked Kevin if he saw the bishop with Ella in Priesthood. He looked at me and asked, “That’s whose baby he had? Man, I must look like a bad father.” He said he saw the bishop walk in and was trying to figure out whose baby he had, but after a minute turned back to the lesson and didn’t think about it again. I was laughing. Needless to say, she will be getting tons of attention at church. There aren’t too many babies in our ward, and there are tons of willing arms for those babies.

After church, my mom, Ella, and I went to visit my aunt and uncle. We had a nice visit with them, and they were able to see Ella for the first time. My aunt bought her the cutest little outfit and blanket which she’s wrapped in right now. On the way home, I drove Mom by the temple. The gates were closed, though, so we didn’t get out. The small gate you can walk through was open, but it was raining.

After a long day, and a few long nights, I fell asleep on the couch. Ella and I had a nice long nap. I never even realized Nikki joined us till I saw these pictures.

Kevin’s parents wanted to take Jameson to the zoo on Saturday. I hadn’t  had a chance to take my mom out and show her the sights, though, so we made other plans. Kevin was exhausted, and just wanted to stay home, so he stayed home to sleep. We all had our plans for the day.

Jameson loved the zoo. Since I wasn’t there, I’ll tell you what I was told. Jameson came running when he saw us, telling us about hippos and lions, and peacocks, and all the other animals he saw. He talked about the zebras and elephants and how they eat hay. Here is the story of their day in pictures…

While they toured the zoo, Mom, Ella, and I headed into Seattle. After a stressful drive trying to find parking on dumb one way streets, and construction on the streets I need to take, we finally made it to the Public Market. Taking the stroller was not the best idea, but strapping Ella to my front didn’t sound so fun either. We found some fun tourist stores, and took some laps around the market.

Kevin’s only request was to bring home some salmon. We stopped in a little Turkish place for lunch, and so I could feed Ella. Who ever said breastfeeding was more convenient obviously never used bottles. Anyway, we all had lunch, and then headed back down to the market. We stopped to get Kevin his fish, and as we were waiting, my mom asked the guy if they had any seasonings for the fish. He looked at us and said, “No problem.” Then he  threw us a lemon and told us it was on the house. Thanks man.

As we walked back to our car, Ella was still fussy, so we stopped in a courtyard to feed her some more. It happened to be the entrance to a hotel. Mom went in to find out what hotel it was out of curiosity, and the lady told us to check out their viewing deck on the 5th floor. So when Ella was done, we headed up. It was a gorgeous view.

I realized I lost Ella’s binki somewhere between the courtyard and the roof. I was a little bummed, because I had to special order those. They are the same one’s she was using in the hospital. As we left, a cute family that was eating ice cream cones in the courtyard asked if the girls at the desk gave us the binki. Someone saw it and had turned it in. I was so excited. Who knew you could get so excited over honest people turning in a binki?

We headed back to the car, and started our journey back across the water. We picked up Kevin and headed to XXX Burger to meet up with Kevin’s parents. They wanted to try the delicious huge burgers. We found a table, and the BYU vs. Kansas game happened to be on. We watched BYU give up the game during our meal. Jameson loved his rootbeer, while Grammy gave some loves to Ella.

After dinner, we headed home to put Jameson to bed. He had a great day with his grandparents and Aunt Brittney at the zoo. After he was in bed, Ella got everyone’s full attention. She loves to cuddle and be held so she was in heaven. We all had a great day and got to enjoy our family time.

Our weekend started off with a birthday! That’s right. The man who has my heart had a birthday. Unfortunately, we didn’t take any pictures. That morning, Mom and I took the kids out to do some shopping that had never gotten done. We got Kevin his birthday presents, and then stopped by Target for a stroller. After a trip to Ikea with 2 kids, a new stroller was on demand. After the stroller was put together, Jameson decided he needed to try out baby sister’s seat.

We decided to try out our new stroller with both kids with a trip to feed the ducks.

(My face looks like that, because Jameson picked the bread up off the ground and said, “No, I eat the bread. No ducks.” And the fact the bread had been on the counter for a few weeks, because we save the ends for the ducks.)

Mom loved watching the rowers, and their coach who rides in the motor boat next to them and yells.

After the park, we brought Jameson home to get ready for dinner and bed. He didn’t take a long nap, and was staying home while we went out to dinner. Kevin’s parents came up for the weekend along with his sister. They treated us dinner at the Cheesecake Factory for Kevin’s birthday. We had some yummy food and dessert. Then we had a not so fun night. My meal didn’t agree with Ella, making for a long night for both of us. I forgot I need to be more careful with what I eat. We were able to have a good time, though, and Jameson was able to get sleep while my mom stayed home with him.

I lied… we do have a few pictures from Friday night.

Seriously, Brittney?

We’ve had a busy week last week. My mom arrived on Monday to help out. Since Ella was still at the hospital, Jameson had a playdate Tuesday with Grandma while I went to the hospital. He was in heaven, because she took him to the park.

They got ready and had some breakfast…

Just kidding. We feed our kid real food and not just plastic hay.

Kevin warned my mom about the hill at the park. She didn’t realize it’s steeper than it looks and Jameson’s bike doesn’t have brakes. Jameson took off and eventually laid his bike down in the grass. Don’t worry. He got up and shook it off. (My son has a small head and still doesn’t fit in the hats I got him when we moved up here.)

 

Jameson showed her the ropes at the park. He played the piano for her, showed her the swings, and the slides.

After their play date, Jameson went home for a nap, and I picked up Mom to come back to the hospital with me. She got to have some quality time with Ella.

This morning when I woke up at 6am to feed the baby that’s not home yet, I called the hospital to check in. I asked the nurse how Ella was doing and if it looked like she was going to be able to come home today. She said that was the rumor! The doctors hadn’t done their official rounds, but things were looking good. I finished up, and went to back to bed. I woke up about 8:30am and started our morning activities. I called the hospital again, and they confirmed she was coming home. My mom, Jameson, and I headed up to the hospital at about 11am. I walked in and the nurse told me she was just finishing up the discharge papers. I went in her room, and fed her. Thankfully, she hadn’t eaten yet. After she had eaten, I was able to change her out of the hospital provided outfits, into her own.

   

While I was changing her, Jameson made use of the nursing stool to watch his movie.

Once she was dressed, we packed her up to come home. She only cried right at first, then she settled in and slept for 2 hours.

 

We headed out of the hospital for, hopefully, the last time for a while. In the process, Jameson threw the biggest tantrum to date. He has been staying up late in his bed. We’ve been bad about letting him stay up till 9 or 10, since we’ve been going back and forth to the hospital. So he hasn’t been getting his full night sleep, and he refuses to eat breakfast, unless it’s cookies. Well he’s not getting cookies for breakfast, so by the time we left the hospital at 1 he’d had no food, and less sleep than needed. We picked up some chicken nuggets for him on the way home, and by the time we pulled up, he was out. He only slept for about an hour, though, before he was awake again. So tonight, he was in bed by 7. Hopefully tomorrow he has a better attitude.

So Ella is finally home, and we begin our adventure with two kids. The funny thing is that today was my actual due date. So she may not have been born on St. Patty’s day, but she was able to come home, which, I think makes her a St. Patty’s Day baby.

Sorry for the slowdown in posts. It seems like we posted more during the really stressful periods than at other times.

Ella is doing really well now. She is eating like a pig and is really healthy right now. Seems that she just had a little bit of a rough start. Today the doctor discontinued the morphine order that she has been on. They weaned her off really slow and she seems to be doing just fine without it. The last we heard, we should be able to bring her home sometime tomorrow, which is ironically her original due date.

Thank you for the continued support during this stressful time. We are really looking forward to having our family all together at home.

 

Things have been pretty quiet this weekend. Ella keeps progressing every day. She should be ready to come home with us by Wednesday, as long as she keeps up the pace she’s on. She has no more tubes, and is only wearing the monitors on her chest so the nurses can keep tabs on her. She has been brought down to .08ml of morphine. The doctor said they can only decrease at a rate of 20-30% per day to avoid withdrawals. Tomorrow they will drop her to .05ml and from there they will take her off completely. So hopefully we don’t have any withdrawal symptoms appear Tuesday which would make her ready to come home Wednesday. She is up to about 100 cc of milk each feeding now (30 cc is one ounce.) which is awesome. She’s been bumped to on demand feedings which is good and bad. I really liked her 3 hour feeding schedule, but last night she proved it wasn’t enough. I feed her about 66cc around 5 (she only needs 65cc). Then I had to run an errand. When I got back for her 8 pm feeding the nurse told me she got cranky around 7, and she ate another 71 cc. Then she woke up for me and about 8:30 pm ate another 78cc. Crazy girl.

Meanwhile, Jameson takes full advantage of mom and dad not having any extra hands. Kevin was holding Ella, so you can’t really go far because of the wires. I was pumping what Ella didn’t eat, so both my hands were occupied. Jameson took advantage and ate all the toppings off the pizza we brought for dinner tonight. Rather than having a hawaiian pizza and pepperoni/sausage… we now have a cheese pizza. (I’ll post the pic of Jameson in a little bit. I am holding my baby girl and my bag with the camera is across the room.)