Our Baby Love

Ella is now 2 1/2 weeks old and doing great! The first week home from the hospital was a little rough because I was experiencing some unexpected pain and was laid up for the week stuck on the couch but Brad stepped in and was awesome and took on the role as Mr. Mom and did it all - he was amazing! My mother-in-law also helped out a couple of days and that was very much appreciated as well. All Ella did at first was basically sleep, eat, and poop and was an extremely contented baby and besides the first night or two of obvious adjustment and lack of sleep, she was perfect! Lately, she has been awake a lot more during the day which is so fun to be able to talk to her and have her look back at you instead of just watching her sleep while her eyes roll back into her head:) Although she is more of a handful when she is awake, it is so fun to see her growing already! She has been on a pretty regular schedule of eating every 2-3 hours during the day, and every 4 -5 during the night so that is not bad at all. She tends to be more awake in the mornings and sleeps a lot during the afternoons but of course that can vary as well. She lost quite a bit of weight after she was born - went down to 8lbs - which the pediatrician has been monitoring but as of last Friday she is up to 8lbs 10oz, and the goal is to be back at her birth weight by next Monday. I don't think this will be a problem because the last couple of days she has been eating like crazy! (generally eating 3-4oz per feeding).

I know that this sounds totally silly, but we swear that she smiles at us when she is awake and it is not because of gas:)...seriously she does. She is just so sweet and loves to just be held and talked to and it is the best feeling when is seems as though she is totally engaged in the fact that you are talking to her. Some of her favorite pastimes are walking around the house with Dad (especially when she is gassy:), sitting in the glider while I read to her books, taking rides and walks, and just plain being held. Her dislikes are changing her clothes and diaper, and getting a bath...the thing that these all have in common are that it involves taking off her clothes - she screams like a maniac when she is uncovered at all - bless her heart. I am sure that I could go on and on about the firsts that we have witnessed and things we have done with her thus far, but I will stop here because this is already too long. There is also so many pictures that I wanted to post of all the lovely people that have visited us or things that we have done already as a little family, but I am just going to stick with pictures of Ella for now- some pictures of Ella that encompass the joy that she brings to us!

The many faces of Ella....

Sleepy

Happy Sleeping Beauty Dazed and Confused Cuddly Diva

Hungry Full:) So Big!!!

P.O.'d Wonder Woman

Spoiled Just so stinkin' cute! Mommy's girl and...
Daddy's girl