Gettin Plumped...I mean, Pumped!

The title of this post was originally going to just be "Getting Pumped" due to the video below, but then I decided to post some pictures, as well. When I uploaded the pics and realized how chunky Miss Ella Gracie girl is getting, I decided to add the "L" in there!

We got the pics because we thought it was cute how she's just so comfy & content sitting in the middle of Daddy's big book. :)


She is such a sweet baby girl!

He's So Sweet:)

This little boy sure knows how to melt his mama's heart.

This afternoon I got the kiddos dressed up really cute for the pumpkin patch, but Stace wasn't able to leave work until late, after all the pumpkin patches were closed (we soon found out). We drove accross town to the one that we read online was open until 8 pm. We rolled up at 7:00 and found a completely pumpkinless and people-less pumpkin patch. We'd read that there'd be games and food, so I didn't make dinner. My plan was just to give Boo Boo some snacks until we got there. Well, that didn't work out, & we were all hungry, so we went and got some dinner. I was a bit bummed after getting them dressed up so cute, and after having looked forward to it all day/month, but my attitude quickly changed when I felt the pat of a tiny little hand on my back. I look over and down to my left and see Julian smiling up at me; he then hooked his arm around mine, pulled me close and gave me a big hug (he always pats your back when he gives you a hug). He then said softly & sweetly "I'm glad to see you, Mama!" He did this three more times throughout the course of dinner. Oh. my goodness. I love you, sweet boy!

He's so loving with his little sister. He will shout enthusiastically "hooray! Hooray for Mama and Dada and Boo Boo and Ella Grace!" He never forgets to include her. I am amazed at how much he understands that we are a family, and that Ella Grace is a part of it. Even in his still-baby mind, and even though she's only been around for less than 6 weeks, she is a very much a part of our family. A very big part.

He always wants to make sure she's with us. So if he and I are going outside to the backyard, he will say "Mama, get Ella Grace!" (or..."ella"-- sometimes "eh-wa"-- gwace".) He will go up to her when she's fast asleep in her swing, lean over to hug her and say "it's okay. It's okay, Elwa Gwace.")

He'll climb up on the green chair and say "Mama, hold Elwa Gwace!!" (he says her name really fast...like it's all one word). Meaning, he wants to hold her

and give her loves. :)

This week he started pleading "Mama! Don't go!" or "Dada! don't go!" when I/we're putting him down for naps and bedtime. It was heart-wrenching the first day he did it. I hated to leave him. I didn't for about 20 minutes after the first time he'd said it (during nap time). That night he did it to Dada, and Dada had an equally hard time leaving him that night. Ah...!

This week we had our first little blip of jealousy...and I am not sure if that is the right word. I don't think it is. Julian woke up from a nap on the wrong side of the bed on Monday. I was feeding Ella Grace when he woke up, and trying to comfort him while he cried. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. (Sometimes he takes a little bit of time to "wake up" after a nap...but it rarely ever leads to him crying.) It was a little hard to try and hug/ comfort him while feeding her. I was asking him what was wrong, and he said, between sobs, "Mama! Put Elwa Gwace down!" Ah...that was tough. So I put a still hungry baby girl down so I could hug and hold him, but then she started crying. So sad :( Like I said in an earlier post though, those moments are so fleeting, and so few and far between.

He knows very well that he goes by "Julian" & "Boo Boo," but usually refers to himself as Boo Boo. So I was surprised tonight at dinner when a server came up to us and was oohing and aahing over the babies, and she asked him "what's your name?" and said "Julian!"

On a funny little side note, his Aunt Candace introduced him to Angry Birds on the iPad. He likes it a lot, so Stace put it on his phone. He pronounces it so cute. Today Stace asked him "Julian, is it 'Angry Birds' or 'Hungry Birds?'" And he very confidently pronounced, "it's HANGRY Buwrds!"

I just love my sweet boy. I love this little family I've been blessed with.

Today...

Today, I am grateful for good doctors. Good doctors who take the time to double check...just in case...even when they suspect it's nothing.

As a routine part of any baby checkup, the doctor checks out the baby's hip joints.

1. Ella Grace had this check when she was born from a pediatrician before we were released from the hospital.
2. She had it again at her three day checkup by the nurse practitioner at her old pediatrician's office.
3. She had it again when she was nine days old by the pediatric endocrinologist.

Three times I was told her hips looked and sounded great.

At her two week checkup (which was her first visit to her new pediatrician), the doctor said she thought she heard a slight click, but that we'd check on it again in two weeks.
At her one month checkup, this sweet doctor said she still heard that slight click. Though she doubted there was a problem, she couldn't be entirely sure, and so she would be referring Ella Grace to a radiologist for an ultrasound of her hips. "Just to make sure. Just so we don't have to worry" she said with a smile.

Today she got her ultrasound. There is a slight problem. She was born with what is called a "dislocatable hip"...not "dislocated" but it could be if we don't fix it. It usually happens with babies who are born breech, but she was not. The radiologist said we will likely be referred to an orthopedist, that Ella Grace will probably need to wear a harness, and that we'd get another ultrasound for her in 6-8 weeks. The harness looks pretty intense. But, according to a friend of mine who is in his last year of radiology residency (who was actually in the examination room with the doctor and I) said enthusiastically to me this evening "the harness works."

Today I am grateful for good doctors.

And on a lighter note, today I am grateful for this article.

Quick Reflections

I have really lucked out. Both of these kiddos have been such sweet & pretty much perfect newborn babies. I remember being told I wouldn't be as lucky the second time around because Julian was such a good baby, but other than that health scare, it looks like I have been.

Ella Grace is & Newborn Julian was such a good sleeper. It took a bit longer for Ella Grace to warm up to the swing, but she slept in it for several hours yesterday! (And then again, maybe it didn't...I held Julian all. the. time when he was born because I could, and then we spent quite a bit of his first month or so with Stace's family, so there was always someone to hold him. But now, I have two babies to hold and care for, so she doesn't have that same advantage. Julian was barely ever put his swing at all when he was as young as she is. So he very well could have, & probably would have, reacted to the swing in the same way she has when he was in his first weeks of life-- he loved to be held too...like all babies who are fresh out of the oven.) She has been sleeping in her bassinet all day, so I'm getting lots of housework done! They also both do/ did really well on car trips. I have said "oh, she doesn't like her car seat," and "she doesn't like to be put down" but I was not giving her enough credit. She has probably cried about 5% of the total time she has spent in her car seat since she was born and these babies go from being held 24/7 in mommy's tummy for 9 months, to suddenly not being held all the time-- it's a big adjustment, with which they both did/ are doing beautifully. Why have I done that (not given credit where credit is due)? Well, I have had my moments of feeling overwhelmed since becoming a mommy of two: it's been tough those times where say, I'm feeding her and Julian needs me at that exact moment too, but in retrospect, those moments have been fleeting and I know I will look back and miss them terribly.


I just love these babies so much:)
Brother and sister love after her first full day of church:) He did this all on his own, and he always does. And she doesn't mind it one bit...it's so sweet:)

Ella Grace's First Month

Happy one month birthday, Ella Grace!

It's hard to believe that it was four weeks ago that I first held you in my arms.

You have grown so much already in these last four weeks! You have gained nearly 3 lbs since we left the hospital, and grown more than two inches in length.

Here is a breakdown of what you have done in the first month of your life:
After bringing you home from the hospital:

You saw your brother for the 2nd time! He likes your nose!

Your belly button clamp fell off 7 days after you were born, and so then you had your first bath!

You met many special people in our family, including your Great Grandmother "Grandmama Dacy" as Julian calls her & Aunt Elaine. This picture is from your very first trip to Georgia for your very first official family reunion (3 weeks old)

You met your Grandma Dacy at 2.5 weeks, and we took a "4 generations" picture:

You met mommy's brothers & sisters:

And your Grandpa Bill, Aunt Beth, Aunt Kathleen, and Pop Pop!

Of course you got real acquainted with your "GEEGS!" (Gigi)

• We took you to the local park where brother insisted on pushing you in your stroller, as well as our neighborhood park a couple times! You had your first ride in the wagon, too!

• You started giving us real smiles! They started the first week while you were sleeping like it does with most babies (but "they say" those aren't real smiles...--what do they know, anyway?) But in the last week you've been smiling back at us when we smile and talk to you! SO FUN!

• You, Mommy and Big Brother had our first outing without Daddy. We went to the library to find some Thomas books-- you were a champ!
• You had lots of doctors appointments and labs, but thank goodness you are ok! We have another appointment with a radiologist next week to check out your hips, but the doctor thinks you're A-OK. She just wants to be absolutely sure:) Thank goodness for good doctors!
• You had your baby blessing from Daddy, my brothers, your Pop Pop, Pop Pop's brothers CF & Stevie, your Daddy's cousins Shad & Clee and Bishop Bowcutt two days before your 1 month birthday:

Thank you for coming to our family, sweet baby! We love you so much and are so excited to watch you learn and grow each day.

This is gonna be fun:)

Annnd...I decided to take some with a shirt on in case she would get embarrassed looking at the ones above when she's older:) so hard to pick a favorite!

Ella Grace's First 2 Photoshoots

The following 4 photos were taken by my amazingly talented friend, Irene!
Ella Grace was 10 days old in them.




The following photos were taken by my amazingly talented mother-in-law!
Ella Grace was 7 days old in them.










I'm so in love with this little bundle of baby:)

Breathing a Big Sigh of Relief

Ella Grace is pushing four weeks old this weekend. She is just an angel. We are so blessed. These last four weeks of getting acquainted with her have been so good. She sleeps really, really well. This is her totally passed out while sitting up straight...haha!

She is calmed quite easily, with just a couple exceptions (one of them being during my first YW presidency meeting we had since she was born this week!). For the first couple weeks she would smack her lips every so often when finishing up a meal-- it was so cute! She hasn't done it for a little while though. She also had quite the knack for filling her diaper RIGHT after we changed it;) but this also seems to have not happened for a little while now. She has big blue eyes (and super long fingers as you can see here! Also, long feet and legs. Lucky girl. She did not get that from me!) that seem so eager to take in the sights around her when they're open (which is still pretty seldom).

I think her blocked tear duct may have cleared itself up for good this week. Her pediatrician said it may come and go throughout the first year of her life, so it might pop back up to say hello, but I'm thinking it could be gone for good now!
sayonara gunky eye!

Her belly has become a "perfect circle" as Stace likes to call it!
bath time today:)

She wants nothing but to be held; that's just how Julian was:) Nobody minds! I'm holding her now as she sleeps & type this post one-handed.


Speaking of Julian...

he has truly been amazing with her. He really seems to understand the need to be gentle with her...with one exception happening so far (this afternoon), when he really wanted to touch her eyes. I think he only wanted to because he knows that's a no-no. Haha. Toddlers. :) But I have been so happy to see him treat her so well: he truly was the one and only apple of my eye before she came along, so for him to be so willing to share that role with her, & to be so loving and accepting of her really has surprised me, and filled my heart with relief. It has put lots of smiles on Stace & I's faces as we croon "aw, Julian! You are such a sweet big brother!" He seems to really like that;) When we say things like that to him, and give him that positive reinforcement, he will give her another kiss or another little hug. Today he got to play basketball, and when we left the court he was saying he wanted to "shoot the ba-da-da with dadda. Shoot with mama & dada & Ella Bwace." Stace likes to make her dance (just moves her little body side to side in the air), and Julian thinks it's hilarious:) Which is hilarious. Though he has been so good with her, he has upped the amount of times he says "mine!" in a day from maybe 2...to probably 200! He never says it to her though...so, that's good, right? :) Yes, though he's been really sweet towards her, he has really been testing us lately! He is definitely his own little person with his own very strong opinions & agenda! Amelia put a nice spin to it: "he's a leader!" haha:)

I've gone from being a "No TV" mom to Julian to letting him watch quite a few shows! I was trying to hold out until he turned two. But now he's a fan of Thomas the Train, Curious George, Super Why, Sid the Science Kid, parts of Toy Story & Finding Nemo. Hopefully I can reign it in soon.

Here he is watching a riveting episode of Thomas the Tank Engine.
But my sister-in-law (my mommy role model) ensured me this would happen. I distinctly remember her laughing a while back when I told her I didn't watch Julian to watch any TV and saying "just wait til your second one comes along!" Well, she was right! In fact, here are the gems Beth texted me one night that I don't want to forget. My phone automatically erases texts after a few weeks, so I'm going to write it here before I lose it! "If there's one thing I've learned in my years of motherhood...A.) A little extra TV doesn't hurt their brains. B.) No matter how hard you try, you can't make your kids do the right thing all the time & probably most important C .) a big hair bow can make any outfit cute! Oh yeah, and D.) No matter what you will always feel guilty about something you did/ didn't do/ said/ didn't say to your kids. But I think that means we're just striving to be better!

Onto my "big sigh of relief": So after what seems like an eternity of testing & waiting on the the results, today we found out that no one will again be drawing blood out of our tiny baby girl's body anytime soon! Her labs from Tuesday testing her thyroid levels came back smack dab in the middle of normal! YAY!!!
Tears of gratitude came this afternoon as I gave a big sigh of relief. I have been fairly confident for a little while now that they would come back normal, but to hear it from the doctor today...to know it, just filled my heart with gratitude as I remembered the depths of worry I found myself in just a couple weeks ago. Phew...ahhhhh! So, so happy:)


Funny Things Julian Has Said This Week:

• He will take any object and turn it into a train. He slides it along the ground and said "chugga chugga choo choo!" over and over again. He also ALWAYS says "ho! ho!" It's so funny! That's what his train says...it's a Santa train;)
• Stace started making the train noise with him, and when he stopped Julian said to Stace: "Sing it Dada! Sing it wif me!" (meaning, keep making the train noise! And he was happy when Stace started the train noise back up:)
• He often says to me "hi mama! how ya doin?!" such a polite little fellow;)
• He got a Fisher Price baseball tee from Target last weekend! It may have been the best $16 we've ever spent. He LOVES it!
  
• Last weekend Stace was rocking him and Julian asked him to sing Baby Beluga (or "Baby Yuga" if you're Julian). Stace sang all 3 verses, & then started to just softly hum it. Julian then said "turn it up, Dada! Turn up the music!"
• He likes to say "conductuh say 'aaalll abbooaaaaad!"
• When Ella Grace was fussing last week while they were in the double stroller, Julian leaned forward & tried to give her one of his goldfish & said "here ya go Ella Bwace" so sweet:)
• Last week she was getting fussy while in her swing & he looked up right away, said "oh no!" ran to her, and gave her the train he'd been playing with:)
• With any peep she makes, his mouth drops open & he gets this concerned look on his face and says "oh no!" and will say "Ella Bwace is crying!" or "baby cwying!" and run to her to try & comfort her:)

I sure love my sweet babies!