CougarKate in Real Life: 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!