Here are some great photos from our visits:
Work Peeps - Jessica, Tina, Erin, and the gang all together!
Uncle Daddy and Auntie Melody Visit!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Visitors!
Ella had a pretty busy week last week - we took her to our works to show her off to our coworkers and also we had a fun visit from Uncle Danny, Auntie Melody, and Grandma Connie. Her busy week also resulted in cranky baby and cranky mommy because mommy did not get a good nap in! Mommy needs her naps!
Here are some great photos from our visits:
Here are some great photos from our visits:
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Ella's First Few Weeks Home
Ella is now two weeks and four days old. Having a baby is not easy...not that anyone ever tells you it will be, but you think something so small would never be able to cause so much havoc as she has. Being a mother is wonderful and terrifying all at once. You worry about everything. I was worried to dress her because she screams. Worried to feed her because what if she didn't eat enough. Worried to let her sleep because what if she stops breathing! I don't think the worrying will ever get easier, but the worry also is this extreme sense of love that you can't describe. I want to just spend hours staring at her. I made her! She came from me and is mine forever. Amazing.
The first few weeks were a whirlwind. I haven't left the house much, mainly because the doctor told me to limit walking and activity, also because I am totally freaked out about taking her out into the big bad world! Star and I took a walk with Ella around the block in her stroller. We made it half way before she started screaming. At that point Star got frustrated and started to walk erratically and wanted to get home fast. Fast and first time mommy with baby in stroller don't really go together...sorry Star. We did get out to go to Frost Donuts and Fred Meyer. We are planning an outing to Sears to look for appliances this afternoon. We are both a little worried...
As far as sleeping...Ella sleeps extremely well...when Ella wants to sleep. Diva! Sometimes she sleeps well at night, sometimes not. It is always hard to tell what the night will bring - wonderful dreams and sweet cuddles, or frustrated and blurry tears mixed with screams. Ella also likes to growl. She growls at night when she is semi-asleep. We don't want to wake her, so often I'll just sit and stare at her as she throws her arms and legs in the air and growls. It is adorable unless you have been listening to the monster baby growl for hours on end. Then it is not so adorable. We are hoping she gets better and the monster baby growl will stop. Or maybe when she moves to her own room the growling will be less pronounced through the monitor. Sleepovers with friends may be very awkward when she is older...hee hee. Here is my sweet sleeping child, if only she looked like this at all times.
We have been blessed to have all Grandparents welcome Ella in the past two weeks, and are looking forward to Uncle Danny and Auntie Melody to come this weekend. Here are some pictures from the visits as well as a picture of Auntie Erin. Very important to have an Auntie close, even if she is our adopted Auntie! I am extremely lucky to have such a great friend, plus she brought us dinners from the cooking club ladies and sushi...oh how I missed sushi!
The first few weeks were a whirlwind. I haven't left the house much, mainly because the doctor told me to limit walking and activity, also because I am totally freaked out about taking her out into the big bad world! Star and I took a walk with Ella around the block in her stroller. We made it half way before she started screaming. At that point Star got frustrated and started to walk erratically and wanted to get home fast. Fast and first time mommy with baby in stroller don't really go together...sorry Star. We did get out to go to Frost Donuts and Fred Meyer. We are planning an outing to Sears to look for appliances this afternoon. We are both a little worried...
As far as sleeping...Ella sleeps extremely well...when Ella wants to sleep. Diva! Sometimes she sleeps well at night, sometimes not. It is always hard to tell what the night will bring - wonderful dreams and sweet cuddles, or frustrated and blurry tears mixed with screams. Ella also likes to growl. She growls at night when she is semi-asleep. We don't want to wake her, so often I'll just sit and stare at her as she throws her arms and legs in the air and growls. It is adorable unless you have been listening to the monster baby growl for hours on end. Then it is not so adorable. We are hoping she gets better and the monster baby growl will stop. Or maybe when she moves to her own room the growling will be less pronounced through the monitor. Sleepovers with friends may be very awkward when she is older...hee hee. Here is my sweet sleeping child, if only she looked like this at all times.
We have been blessed to have all Grandparents welcome Ella in the past two weeks, and are looking forward to Uncle Danny and Auntie Melody to come this weekend. Here are some pictures from the visits as well as a picture of Auntie Erin. Very important to have an Auntie close, even if she is our adopted Auntie! I am extremely lucky to have such a great friend, plus she brought us dinners from the cooking club ladies and sushi...oh how I missed sushi!
Grandpa Dave come to visit with Brenda - LOVE!
Grandma Connie with Ella hours after birth.
Grandpa George and Grandma Nancy hours after birth.
Auntie Erin visiting - wide awake little Ella!
Gotta include my first sushi since November - yummers!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Introducing Elizabeth (Ella) Rita
September 2, 2011 was a day that I will never forget. It was the day that I became a mother. At 12:24am my beautiful daughter, Elizabeth Rita, came into our lives and things have never been the same. We feel so lucky and at the same time challenged like we never could have imagined. I want to share her birth story here so it is forever documented and so that I can share this great event with everyone!
Ella's Entrance Into Our Lives:
I had been waiting for a week for my daughter to come. I was doing everything to go into labor - spicy food, yoga, exercise ball, long walks. Nothing was working and I would sit in the baby room and cry thinking I would never have my little one to hold. I was exactly one week overdue and we had just finished dinner when I was cleaning up the kitchen and had a sudden pain. I stopped and it went away quickly. Probably nothing, so I sat down on the couch to watch the Mariners. Minutes later I had a contraction. I looked at Brad and said "Um...that was a contraction!" before I knew it another came, then another. Brad decided to go and pack his bag just in case. I asked him how many back to back we needed to have before calling the hospital. He couldn't remember and neither could I so I got out the paperwork from our class. That's when I freaked out because it said to call when you have 5-6 contractions in an hour. I had that many in 20 mins. He came down and I told him to call the hospital. The nurse told us to come on in and they would check me. We hurried to get the dog put in her kennel and get everything in the car. I also made sure to floss my teeth, since apparently that was very important at the time.
On the way to the hospital at about 8:30pm I started to feel sick. I asked Brad to pull over, but he couldn't in time so I rolled down the window and at 60 miles an hour his car needed to be washed. I asked him to still pull over and then threw up again on the side of the road.
We finally got to the hospital and went to check in. They waiting room was full of people and they all stared at me as I was in so much pain I was doubled over. The lady told us to have a seat. Not something a woman in labor wants to hear. They told us to wait by the vending machines. I was on my hands and knees in pain when the nurse came in and asked if I was okay. No. I was not okay. She took me into a shared room and asked me to take some tests and was asking all sorts of questions. I could barely answer and was not in the chatty mood. She checked me and said I was at 7cms and we were staying. Thank god!
They then made me walk to the delivery room that was down the hall. I walked and crawled into the bed where they asked me a ton of questions and made me sign paperwork. I may have sold my kidney on those papers but I could have cared less. They tried to get an IV in for fluids, but had trouble. As I was sitting there Brad rushed to the car to get our things and call our parents. When he came back I asked if I could get in the whirlpool tub. They said yes, pulled off these stupid socks they had forced on to my feet and BAM I was in the tub. It felt wonderful and as Brad says my eyes glassed over and I looked in heaven.
They told me to let them know when I felt I needed to push, which I said I did right away so they made me get out to check me. I was at 9, but they told me I needed to wait a little before pushing. I immediately asked to get back in the tub, so I rushed back in. The midwife came and was an angel. She was so calm and caring, I just feel so blessed to have her!
What seemed like no time, she checked and I was ready to push. I got out and after an hour of pushing little Elizabeth Rita Beeman made her crying and perfect appearance. I had no drugs or interventions, and immediately felt amazing because my little one was on my chest and we could fall in love. She came out with all of the tests showing she was perfect and I was in no pain at that point.
She was 7lbs 12 oz, 20 inches long born at 12:24am on September 2, 2011. She has a full head of brown hair and her daddy's long toes. We love her!
Ella's Entrance Into Our Lives:
I had been waiting for a week for my daughter to come. I was doing everything to go into labor - spicy food, yoga, exercise ball, long walks. Nothing was working and I would sit in the baby room and cry thinking I would never have my little one to hold. I was exactly one week overdue and we had just finished dinner when I was cleaning up the kitchen and had a sudden pain. I stopped and it went away quickly. Probably nothing, so I sat down on the couch to watch the Mariners. Minutes later I had a contraction. I looked at Brad and said "Um...that was a contraction!" before I knew it another came, then another. Brad decided to go and pack his bag just in case. I asked him how many back to back we needed to have before calling the hospital. He couldn't remember and neither could I so I got out the paperwork from our class. That's when I freaked out because it said to call when you have 5-6 contractions in an hour. I had that many in 20 mins. He came down and I told him to call the hospital. The nurse told us to come on in and they would check me. We hurried to get the dog put in her kennel and get everything in the car. I also made sure to floss my teeth, since apparently that was very important at the time.
On the way to the hospital at about 8:30pm I started to feel sick. I asked Brad to pull over, but he couldn't in time so I rolled down the window and at 60 miles an hour his car needed to be washed. I asked him to still pull over and then threw up again on the side of the road.
We finally got to the hospital and went to check in. They waiting room was full of people and they all stared at me as I was in so much pain I was doubled over. The lady told us to have a seat. Not something a woman in labor wants to hear. They told us to wait by the vending machines. I was on my hands and knees in pain when the nurse came in and asked if I was okay. No. I was not okay. She took me into a shared room and asked me to take some tests and was asking all sorts of questions. I could barely answer and was not in the chatty mood. She checked me and said I was at 7cms and we were staying. Thank god!
They then made me walk to the delivery room that was down the hall. I walked and crawled into the bed where they asked me a ton of questions and made me sign paperwork. I may have sold my kidney on those papers but I could have cared less. They tried to get an IV in for fluids, but had trouble. As I was sitting there Brad rushed to the car to get our things and call our parents. When he came back I asked if I could get in the whirlpool tub. They said yes, pulled off these stupid socks they had forced on to my feet and BAM I was in the tub. It felt wonderful and as Brad says my eyes glassed over and I looked in heaven.
They told me to let them know when I felt I needed to push, which I said I did right away so they made me get out to check me. I was at 9, but they told me I needed to wait a little before pushing. I immediately asked to get back in the tub, so I rushed back in. The midwife came and was an angel. She was so calm and caring, I just feel so blessed to have her!
What seemed like no time, she checked and I was ready to push. I got out and after an hour of pushing little Elizabeth Rita Beeman made her crying and perfect appearance. I had no drugs or interventions, and immediately felt amazing because my little one was on my chest and we could fall in love. She came out with all of the tests showing she was perfect and I was in no pain at that point.
She was 7lbs 12 oz, 20 inches long born at 12:24am on September 2, 2011. She has a full head of brown hair and her daddy's long toes. We love her!
We decided to name her after her two Great Grandmothers that are no longer with us - Great Grandma Betty and Great Grandma Rita. We are calling her Ella for short. We waited to tell everyone her name, and also to pick her name! We were still deciding a few days before she was born, but once we saw her we knew that she was a blessing and deserving of these two special names.
More to come as this new adventure is unfolding...
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