I have wanted to start this blog for awhile, and now I am finally getting around to it. This is an overview of the last 5 months. Hopefully after I get this published I will be around more…I don’t know if that’s every week, two weeks or monthly yet. Or if it’s just when she does something cute—if that’s the case it would be everyday…
Oh and can anyone help think of a creative title for the blog
August
Well a significant thing happened on August 14, 2009…Ella Grace was born. I still remember most everything about the birth, and should try to write it all now before I totally forget it. Thursday night as we went to bed, I start feeling contractions, but really I had been feeling them every time I lied down for the past week, so I didn’t really think too much about it. During the night the contractions started to get a little closer and last a little longer. Finally around 4 am, I couldn’t sleep anymore so I went downstairs to count the contractions and to see if it was really labor. At 5:30, Matt came down the stairs and he asked me about the contractions, at that time it was the 5-1-1 rule (5 minutes between 1 minute contractions for an hour) and I decided to call the OB (Jadallah) and he told me to go the hospital. We finished up our last minute packing and fed the cats and went on our way to the hospital. Since the main lobby wasn’t open yet we had to go the ER entrance and they took us to the triage area in the L&D area. We learned that I was, indeed, in the really early stages of labor and due to “complications” (the doctors had been concerned about high blood pressure and Ella growth) to break my water and “have a baby today” as the nurse put it. At 9 am the nurse broke my water, before that contractions were manageable and I was thinking this was going to be easy, but once they broke the water, my contractions started to become painful. With the help of the nurse and Matt I was able to work through most of the contractions until they started giving me picotin, since I wasn’t progressing fast enough, and that’s when I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do the whole natural birth thing that I wanted to do. We tried using the birthing ball and walking around but the contractions were coming so fast that I really don’t remember ever getting a break between contractions and that is when I cried wolf. Matt thinks I scared the poor intern who came in to see how things were going, I may have yelled at her and I may have told her that I NEEDED the epidural soo badly. They sent out Matt because they needed to do the epidural in a sterile environment, so he went to talk to the parents and had lunch. But here’s the funny thing, after they checked me again (I was a 5 or 6), as they were prepping me for epidural I told my nurse I felt like I had to push, she told me not to and that I wasn’t ready. After they administered the epidural and I lied back down, the nurse checked me again and said “oh, we need to get your husband back in here and your doctor because you’re ready to start pushing”. They had to call Matt overhead and he was really surprised to hear that it was time to push. Jadallah came in, he asked Matt to hold my left leg and the nurse to hold my right leg as I pushed…in 3 pushes Ella arrived at 2:14 pm. Matt wanted to cut the cord but it was wrapped around her head and the doctor had to cut it. Immediately, I was holding Ella who had a full head of dark hair. Ella was 6 lbs 12 oz and 19.5 inches long. We took our first trip to grandpa and grandma Henricksens for a day visit, but ended having to leave earlier than expected because I forgot to bring part of the breast pump.
this is what we looked like when we realized I forgot the part for the breast pump
September
So much happened in September but most of it was a blur, but this is what I do remember…
I really wanted to breastfeed, but Ella had trouble with the whole concept for the first few weeks, I finally made it to a lactation specialist and got some pointers and finally we got the hang out it. Then the next day…Tuesday woke up feeling okay but sort of feverish. Later my friend (Katie and her baby Elijah) came over to hang out and she told me maybe a shower would help so I took a shower and found a red spot on my right breast (mastitis) and called the doctor and set up a time the next day to be seen. And then I started to feel dizzy, lightheaded and I noticed that my left leg was swollen, but honestly I felt that I had done too much and pushed it aside. My mom came to help that night and saw my leg and told me that we needed to go the hospital and something wasn't right. I discovered I had a blood clot (a pretty big one from my pelvis to at least my knee...probably farther down too). Got on some medication and sent home. I was still feeling really crappy...and to make a long story short was back in the hospital (after 3 more ER visits) with an infection in the clot I was in the hospital for a week. Ella came to visit several times in the hospital which was so nice as I missed her terribly. Came home for a week before being admitted again for a virus, that I probably picked up at the hospital, and got dehydrated and was on IV fluids for another week. While I was in the hospital this time Ella got to visit and stay with grandpa and grandma Fellers and her aunt Laurie—Ella got to meet lots of my mom’s friends and went out for margaritas and pizza with my sister. She also spent the night at our neighbors house where Hurley, their dog, wouldn’t leave her alone and kept an eye on her all the time.
Ella loving on her mommy at the hospital
October
For the first few weeks of October, Ella was going to a babysitter while mommy took care of lots of business and doctors appointments.
Isaiah, Stephanie and Chloe
She loved to go play with Chloe and Isaiah and mommy loved that Ella was doing so good during the nights, only waking up once to eat. On October 16th, Ella got to meet her great-grandparents and great- aunt and uncle from Iowa. At one point I didn’t think that I was ever going to get Ella back from great-grandma Pitts.
Great-grandma Pitts
Ella was also dedicated to Christ at our church that weekend (October 18th) with two other little girls (Pamela and Elliana).
Elliana, Pamela and Ella
Ella went to her first pumpkin patch and hayride.
She also went to her first birthday party for Pamela. We also made a trip down to grandpa and grandma Fellers for October birthdays. Oh, and Ella was the cutest pumpkin ever for Halloween.
November
Early November was warm here in Akron, so Ella got to go on several walks/hikes.
November 7th Matt and I went to Pittsburg for our 4th wedding anniversary so grandpa and grandma Henricksen spent the weekend with Ella. Also, around this time Ella started to sleep through the night and would wake up once to get a diaper change and would fall back to sleep. Ella had two first Thanksgivings…one with our friends in Akron at the 3rd annual YMPM thanksgiving potluck and again with the family in Dayton and I walked 5 miles at the Miamisburg Turkey Trot, next year I hope to run it again.
December
December 5th, Matt’s company had a Christmas party and Ella got to see Santa and get her picture taken with him and Mrs. Claus.
Ella also helped with Christmas shopping, mostly by being a good sport about running around Akron while mommy and daddy did some shopping. Ella started to eat rice cereal after her 4 month check up—it took her about a week before she stopped spitting out most of the food. I would put the spoon of cereal in her mouth and then Matt would put the binky in to make her swallow the food.
Right before Christmas, Ella rolled from her stomach to her back—while I was getting the door but the next day I actually saw her roll. Ella had a wonderful first Christmas, I felt like I was at another baby shower with all the gifts and really we could have given her wrapping and tissue paper and she would have been thrilled.
Ella got to meet Christina and Adrian while they were visiting from England and got to spend the night at our house to see what is like to having a baby. Grandpa and grandma Henricksen were here to ring in the New year with Ella and the next day she got to meet Sara (friend from college), Justin and Anna before going to Ikea for her first time.
January
I started to watch a little girl from our church, Norah, on Tuesdays. It’s a little challenging at times, especially when they want to eat at the same time, but we have a lot of fun.
Norah and Ella
One morning I went to get Ella and she had rolled from her back to her stomach. Now, Ella loves to roll, however she will usually do it when neither daddy or mommy are looking. Ella’s “boyfriend” Jonah turned 1 on January 20th and the day before Bryan and Danika found out that they are going to have another little boy. Ella will now have her choice of an older man or a younger man….lol. We went to the Akron zoo for the first time since it was so nice one Saturday—thanks mom and dad Fellers for the zoo membership. I think we had more fun than Ella but I am sure that she will be more interested this summer. Ella went to Jonah’s first birthday party and had fun watching Jonah eat too much cake and open gifts. This past Friday we introduced peas with her cereal. At first, Ella wasn’t too sure about them –spitting it out making funny faces—but now is eating like a champ and tries to lick everything off the bib.
Gotta make sure I get it all
