One month....

Ella hit her one month mark....actually she just raced right past it.  I can't believe I've been a mommy to this precious little girl for one whole month already!  She changes every day and I think I do too.  She is teaching me so much about what it means to be a mother (among a million other things).

Since she is changing so fast I, like all moms, want to document all the stages.  Usually with things like this I would go to Pinterest and other blogs to steal their creative ideas but I've been tired and a bit lackluster in the creative department so I'm doing it my own simple way.  Naked baby.  White sheet.  The same photo shoot I did at the hospital.  I wish it were more fun and interesting but it will definitely showcase her changing looks.

Newborn                                               One month

We also had some professional photos taken when she was 2 weeks.  Ella was extremely difficult but our photographer Chrystl did and amazing job capturing Ella.  You cant even tell how difficult Ella was for these photos.  Thanks Chrystl!

Check out the photo shoot:
http://chrystlrobergephotography.com/blog/2012/10/31/sweet-ellas-newborn-photoswheatonbaby-photography/

Disclaimer:  It took me so long to write this post that Ella is almost 2 months.....oops.

Ella's First Owl-ween!

That was lame....sorry.  If you haven't guessed it already Ella dressed up as an owl for her first halloween.

I made the owl hat months ago and recently realized it would make the perfect costume.  Unfortunately, since I didn't have Halloween in mind it was a bit big for her little head but that didn't stop me.  It was still so cute.  To complete this super easy costume I glued felt feathers onto a onesie and put it over little leggings.  Perfect for a tiny baby that still needs to be comfortable and warm.

The owl hat is super easy to knit.  I will be putting the pattern to paper and adding it to my etsy page soon.  If you can't knit there are plenty of owl hats on etsy or even in most children's stores these days.  Owls are so popular right now.

At a month old Ella is clearly too young for trick or treating but we did enjoy a trip to my office to show off her costume.  It was also fun to greet all the little kiddos at our door as we passed out candy.  They seemed to love Ella and her costume - especially the little boys.  They would ooh and ahh over her and even ask questions about her.  It melted my heart and Ella loved all the excitement.  It wiped her out though - I got 7 hours of sleep last night!!  

And can I admit that I am pretty sure I know what Ella will be next year?!  I can't wait.  She will be a year and so much fun!! And if she really wears the costume I have in mind she will be unbelievably adorable.  Cannot wait!

Hope you are enjoying the leftover candy and sugar highs!

Happy Halloween!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

FROM OUR LITTLE PUMPKIN!

OUR TORTURED LITTLE PUMPKIN......

Ella's Nursery

Ella's simple and sweet nursery.  

I did not have a large budget for this transformation so I kept it simple and flexible.  I wanted the pieces to easily work for future nurseries regardless of the gender.  

I started with a grey and white base (grey walls/white furniture) and added just bits of aqua and pinkish/coral.  I used my roman shade tutorial to whip up some coral window coverings that can easily be re-done in the future.  I used the leftover fabric to make these easy pillows.

Ella's DIY Newborn Photo Shoot

I brought 10 hats and 10 headbands to the hospital because I just couldn't choose one.  It was a miracle that I minimized my collection to 10 of each.  Once we settled into the hospital room I was eager to try all the hats and headbands on her.  I think she wore a new hat or headband for every guest that visited.  Unfortunately our hospital stay was extra long due to the c-section and Ella's jaundice.  By day 5 I was going absolutely stir crazy so the only logical thing to do was create our own newborn photo shoot.  We had the props, the baby, a camera, huge bright windows and a lot of time to kill.  It seemed perfect. We sent Bran home to play with the pups while my mom, sister and I had fun dressing Ella up and taking absolutely adorable photos.  And the best part - they were free!  They may not be perfect and totally professional but I still love them.

To start we gathered all the white sheets and blankets we could find in the room, which wasn't hard since it is a hospital.  Then we made a nice comfy bed with pillows and draped the sheets over them for a nice white, seamless backdrop.  The only problem was the baby didn't agree with the comfort part.

I didn't edit these photos but I adore them.  Not that I like seeing her cry but this is Ella doing what newborns do - fortunately for us she doesn't do this too often.

In order to combat the crying I had my sister climb in the hospital bed, covered her in sheets and had her hold Ella while I took the photos.  My mom acted as prop master, baby positioner and soother.

She may hate me for posting these photos.  Sorry Kate!

But it worked.  Here are the results - an over abundance of Ella photos.

The pictures aren't perfect but they are perfect to me.  I used Lightroom to edit these photos but I don't really know how to use it very well.  Regardless of whether you edit your photos or not they will still be a precious memory of your little one.  And it is so easy to do!

Ella's Super Basic Birth Story (no icky details)

Ella was due September 27th but Thursday came and went without any indication of her arrival.  I wasn't anticipating an on-time arrival or even a September birthday so I was pleasantly surprised when contractions started Friday and continued into Saturday.  They weren't regular or strong at first so I did a lot of walking and activity to encourage them on.  By 6:00 Saturday evening they were definitely picking up in pace and coming closer together.  By midnight they were 3 minutes a part and lasting 1 minute so we grabbed our bags, kissed the dogs goodbye and drove to the hospital a little in shock that we would be meeting our little girl soon.

Things seemed to move remarkably fast for me from there but I am sure Brandon would tell you otherwise.  My labor pains were primarily in my back since she was in the posterior position meaning she was facing up, which is not good for delivery.  I opted for the epidural and slept my way to 10 cm.  By 10:00 am I was pushing.  However after a lot of pushing and trying to turn Ella around she moved herself into the transverse position and pretty much wedged herself in there.  For the health and safety of both Ella and myself we were told a c-section was necessary.

Before I knew it I was in surgery.  My doctor came in with his laptop, placed it on a side cabinet next to me and proceeded to pick a playlist and check his fantasy team.  He left his fantasy team up the whole time for us all to watch.  He is a big football fan - most of our appointment conversations ended with the Bears.  It didn't seem to affect his performance fortunately; it was a quick and successful surgery with no complications.  C-sections are strange though.  They say you will feel a little pressure but I think you can feel a lot more.  It isn't painful but the sensations are very strange - I could feel a lot of movement.  Bran says the noises were very disturbing for him.  I think I was too wrapped up in the sensations to hear much.  It was all worth it though and at 1:42 pm we met Ella Rose.

This is my favorite photo.  Daddy and daughter meeting for the first time.  So in love with these two.

  

My first glimpse of Ella. 

Our healthy little girl getting weighed, measured and cleaned up.  She was 8 lbs. and 20 in.

While the surgeons closed and cleaned me up, Brandon got to take Ella to the recovery room where he was able to spend some time meeting and bonding with her.  I am so glad he got that time with her.  I feel like the dads can get so overlooked since they don't have the same food source that the moms do.  The nurses made Brandon rip open his scrubs and do skin to skin cuddling - which is something the moms usually do right after birth.  They then left him with Ella and he had some alone time with her.  It was so nice to be wheeled into the room and have the two of them waiting for me.  As much as I did not want to have a c-section it really went very well and was still a very special birth for us.

And how could it not be - our little girl is healthy and in our arms.  That is all that matters.

Next up on the blog: an over abundance of Ella photos.  No surprise there.