Small Milestones

Little E (as the baby will now be referred to) had some minor milestones over the past week that may not seem like a bit deal to some but for a baby that started out scrawny they seem impressive to us! The first one is that she is officially fitting into most her 0-3 month clothing (some pants are too long for stubby legs) and some of her NB clothes just don't fit anymore. Second, she recently has started napping in her actual crib and she's been doing such a great job sleeping like 3-4 hours at a time. I must say that is quite nice. The other news is that she is officially out of her NB diapers and into a Size 1! I am pretty sure SSG and I were cramming her into the NB diapers for a little too long. Oops. We actually didn't buy any NB since she was born and we actually have quite a few diapers we can pass on. We have both Pamper.s, Hugg.ies, and even the Hugg.ies natural diapers.

These milestones actually leads us to the other news. Little E had a doctors appointment yesterday for a normal check-up and of course she got weighed. Now we were there 3 weeks ago and she was 7 pounds 8.5 ounces. We assumed she was easily over 8 pounds but nearly fell over when she was weighed at 9 POUNDS 6.5 ounces! Whoa. Now I realize that there are some babies are born at this but we're talking a child who was 2 pounds 5 ounces. She is actually on the normal growth chart (not the adjusted age) and it's cute because she's at 1%. Hey at least she's on it! She has come so far and we feel so blessed she is doing so well. She's getting stronger all the time and doing a great job having periods where she really holds her head up.

SSG are hanging in there and do have days of just exhaustion. Like all babies Little E has her good days and her bad days. We just try to roll with it the best we can.

Long Overdue Posting

Wow. I just looked back and it's been like 2 months since I posted anything. The reason? My guess would be that over the past 3 months there has been so much going on that I just get overwhelmed with my own thoughts, worries, etc.. In looking back and kind of checking in with myself now, I honestly also think it's taken me this long to recover from the trauma of July 8th, the night I drove a pregnant SSG to the emergency room. I'm not sure I talked about it enough and I also didn't feel like I had time to dwell on it. We suddenly were thrust into parenthood and life in the NICU. I also didn't want to come off as "Whoa is me" because the result was a good one and we have a beautiful daughter and I have a healthy wife. Not everyone in our situation can say that. It's just an experience that one isn't prepared for and something you can't understand if you haven't gone through it.

It's all very surreal that we are now responsible for this little being and I think at times I too find this overwhelming. It's a good overwhelming, don't get me wrong. It's just initially when she came home I found myself kind of taking a deep breath and saying to myself, "Ok, we can do this". NOTHING prepares you for parenthood. I don't care who you are or what you tell yourself. I mean SSG and I are in our mid-thirties and have endless experience with babies/kids and guess what? At times is still difficult. I find it rather amusing to hear really young people talk about having kids and there kind of "this will be easy" attitudes. Heck I think some people think that babies are like cute accessories. Here's what I've learned...it's not all freakin rainbows and butterflies. There are highs and lows but the other thing I've learned is that nothing prepares you for just how much you can instantly love this little being. Little E is amazing and I look at her with such awe every single day. She's our little feisty fighter.

Pretty Ella

A few weeks ago we got a free photo session for our purchase of clothes at Ja.nie and Jack. Ella had been home for only a few weeks and while we had scheduled a photo session with our wedding photographer for later in the month we just couldn't resist the opportunity to catch Ella in some shots when she was a wee girl. I went back today and bought some of the image files (so yes it was not really free!). I would have loved to get more but they were expensive and since we are getting pro pictures taken next week (they were supposed to be tomorrow but are being rescheduled for next week) we decided that we would not get all of them. I think they came out great and personally I think that Ella is beautiful but I may be a bit biased.

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One Month

So we have made it one month with Miss Ella home. It seems like yesterday that we were going to the hospital every day and at the same time so far away. So much has changed in our month together as a family. I think we have gotten into a bit of a groove and routine and I must say that we are holding our own pretty well here.
Since we can't go anywhere (for the most part) we spend our days watching daytime tv, doing laundry, and washing bottles and pumping supplies. We have been brewing our own coffee, having sandwiches for lunch, and making home cooked meals for dinner. We have even eaten at the dinning room table a few times and shared a bottle of wine.
Ella is really coming into her own. She is having periods of happy awake time between her naps and meals. She is getting some tummy time in most days and is starting to interact with her activity mat and toy bar on her bouncy seat. She also is starting to smile. She doesn't do it all the time but she definitely smiled at our friend Jen today and I think we heard a little chuckle tonight when we were getting her in her pjs. She is starting to really look at us with her big blue eyes. I look forward to each day and the new Ellaism.
You may have noticed that we have a new ticker at the top of the blog. One is her chronological age (from her birth date) and one is her adjusted age (from her due date). From now until her 2nd birth day we will use her adjusted age for developmental milestones. For the most part Ella should reach all her milestones somewhere between her actual and adjusted age. If she can learn to sit and roll and crawl somewhere between these two dates she will be doing great. Most likely she will be delayed in some areas past her adjusted age but quite frankly I am just so happy that she is home, she is alive, and she is my daughter I am not so concerned at this point.
Next week we have our photo shoot with our wedding photographer. We are so excited, she is wonderful and we love her work. She was kind enough to gift us this photo session while Ella was in the hospital. It was her photograph of Shazam and I that was in Ella's isolette and crib for her stay in the hospital. We need to order a new copy since it was a little worn from all the changing of beds that she went through. If you are looking for a photographer for your wedding or for family portraits I highly recommend her. Check out her website she is truly gifted. I look forward to seeing the results.
Tomorrow I am actually leaving the house and getting my hair cut. I am very much looking forward to my outing and may go crazy and go to the grocery store too. If I am feeling totally crazy I think I may stop by target too.
Ella is one lucky gal she has three days to celebrate every year. Her birthday, her due date and her homecoming day. Happy one month home my dear Ella, one down, many happy years to come.

Blog Fantasy

One of the interesting things about keeping a blog is the different people who read the blog. Some of our readers are friends and family from real life, some are internet friends that I don't know in real life, and some are strangers from all over the place. I find it interesting to look at the log of where our readers live and how they got to the blog. It is crazy to think that someone in Africa found our blog, even crazier is that they seem to think we are interesting enough to read about our life and keep coming back.



There is one reader that I have made up a whole little story about. I don't think they have ever commented and there is no reason for me to think this but I am convinced that Portia deRossi reads our blog. I base this completely on the fact that I see a reader from Los Angeles listed as a reader. Perhaps this has been caused by the fact that we are in lock down here at the Darwin has Two Mommies household and I think we all are going a bit nuts.



I like to think of Portia sitting on her swank couch in her swank house reading our blog and calling Ellen over to show her our latest entry. I am sure she says things like, "Ellen you won't believe the funny thing that Shazam just wrote in the blog." or "Ellen Don't you think Super Sammy G looks great for just having a baby.", or "Wow baby Ella gets cuter every day."



Oh I know that it is probably unlikely that Portia is really reading the blog. But it makes me smile to think she does. So here is a shout out to my Los Angeles reader, I like you even if you are not Portia. Though it would make my day if you are!

Ella Week 13

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Check Up!

Just wanted to post a quick update on our doctors appointment today. I went well and Ella started on some reflux meds today. I think is is already helping! Yeah for drugs that work. I love our doctor (she is a family practitioner) the practice she is in is a nice combination of traditional medicine and alternative and is just the right balance for us. Her first line of defense is not to medicate which I like but when it is the right thing to do she does it. We trust her so much. I feel like we are lucky to have her. Ella is already much less cranky with the medicine. It is peppermint flavored (who the hell makes kids medicine that flavor) and she took her first dose fine but I don't know if she will continue to like it we will have to see. She is growing like a weed!

Her new stats are

weight 7 lbs 8.5 oz
length 19 inches

She will be three months tomorrow. It is crazy to think she has gained 5lb 3.5 oz and 5 inches in 13 weeks! She is now in the 25th percentile in weight for her adjusted age (her age from her original due date). She is starting to catch up a little bit at a time. We will be celebrating her 3 month birthday with her grandparents tomorrow. I can't believe that it has been 3 months it has been the longest and quickest 3 months I have ever experienced.