Birth Announcement

our big girl

Ella is getting so big! She isn't a newborn anymore. Last week she started fitting lots more of her 0-3 month clothes. I got so excited because she can wear her little jeans now! I have so much fun getting her all dressed up. We took her to the doctor last Wednesday and found out that she weighed 10 lbs. 14 oz. I measured her and she was about 23 inches long. I can't believe how fast she is growing. I used to think that those clothes looked so big and now they fit! I guess I'd better get used to it though.

I have really been looking forward to seeing Ella smile. On March 25th she gave me two big smiles! I was so excited. She still isn't smiling very often; probably once or twice a day. I can't wait until I see this happy face more often. I started taking pictures today and was very excited that this open mouthed grin was captured. She is such a cutie.

simply the best

There is absolutely nothing better than holding my sleeping baby girl in my arms. Every time I look down at her my heart melts. Motherhood just gets better and better every day!

What a relief!

Every week I get an update from a few online baby sites. I started getting them when I found out I was pregnant so I could see how the baby was developing. This week I was so reassured to read this article about the 6th week of postpartum recovery:
Back To Life As Usual? Hardly! It's probably no surprise by now that life will never be the same. Not only does your schedule (what schedule?) look very different, but the world will look different, too. Even simple chores such as grocery shopping will take on new meaning now that you're responsible for another human being. As busy as you're going to be, it will be that much more important to take the time to pay attention to the choices you make.
Thank goodness this is normal! I was beginning to feel like a failure since I can't seem to do anything anymore. Because I feel so far behind I decided to ask my mom if she could come help me out. She has been offering to come stay over night with Ella so I could get some sleep for the last few weeks. So on Tuesday afternoon she came to my house and stayed for 24 hours. It was so nice to have help for that long. She helped with cooking, laundry, sleeping :), and mainly holding Ella so I could actually clean my house. It was incredible! Since I don't know how long my house will stay clean, I decided to take some pictures as evidence that it really can be clean.


I love having a clean house! It is so nice to walk around without being constantly reminded of the hundreds of things I need to do. When Gustavo got home I begged him to help me keep it clean. We'll see what happens.

I know most of you check the bog for pictures of Ella so here she is...

Good Day

Today my little sister Eleanor came over because her professors are all in New York this week so she had a little free time. It was SO nice to have company and an extra set of hands (2 things I don't get very often anymore). Even though my house was embarrassingly messy I was able to get a few things done and have a great conversation with my little sister who I love, but rarely get to spend time with because she is a very busy girl. She helped so much. I was able to shower and later give Ella a bath after she had her first blow out (gross!). After Ella's bath El did her hair and we put her first headband in. I'm very excited that headbands are no longer too big for her. Doesn't she look so cute!

Update

Well, I had my 6 week checkup today. I have still been in a lot of pain so I was glad to see the doctor, but also worried about what I would find out. He said that a lot of my stitches hadn't dissolved yet and that they were causing discomfort and irritation so he removed them while I laid on the table and cried. They are all out now and he said that should give me a lot of relief. He gave me some medicine and told me that I should stay home and work on recovering for 2 1/2 more weeks. He wrote a letter to the district and they seemed to be fine with it. For those of you who didn't hear that story, the district tried to discourage me from requesting extra recovery time by saying that even if my doctor wrote a note I would need to see "their" doctor for a second opinion. After I inquired more, the same woman told me that my doctor's letter may be sufficient as long as it met specific requirements, but if they questioned it then I would have to get a second opinion. Gustavo delivered the letter to her today and she said it seemed good so I don't think I'll need to go see anyone else, but if that is what they need me to do then I'll go and cry some more while another doctor checks me out! I realize they are running a business and don't want to be taken advantage of, but it was kind of frustrating and seemed a little cold when she was telling me this at first. It will all be fine though and the doctor gave me new hope that I will feel better eventually.

Ella has also had it rough lately. This week she has extended her fussy/colic period from three hours in the middle of the night to at least four hours and a few other times throughout the day. Poor baby. I decided to cut most dairy from my diet and we'll see if that helps her feel better. It has only been five days and I am realizing how much I LOVE cheese and milk. I'm sure we will figure something out. I'll end this post on a positive note: I get two extra weeks to get better and be with my adorable baby. (I guess it hasn't been approved yet, but I'm being optimistic... right!)

I will post with pictures soon

One Month Old

Gabriel was blessed on Sunday so it was my first time back at church with Ella. I was very excited to dress her up and bought this cute little dress the first time I was out since having the baby. She doesn't fit very many 0-3 month outfits yet, so this was the first time she was dressed in anything other than pajamas. As you can see from the pictures, I had lots of fun. I also realized that we haven't posted any pictures of alert Ella. Look at those CHUBBY cheeks! I think she was just going through a growth spurt and all of the extra weight went right to her cheeks.
Now that Ella is getting bigger everyone says she looks like Gustavo. I still can't see either of us in her, but I will love it if she looks like her daddy! My mom is certain that her eyes will be blue and that excites me. One of the children at the blessing was looking at Ella and commented on her "bad hair day." I thought it was very funny. Yolanda was sweet as she replied, "No, it's a good hair day." I just laughed!

I love it when she yawns! I just wish it meant she slept more.

If you look closely you can see that I painted her nails and put her bracelet on for the first time. I am so excited about having a beautiful little girl!

I still can't get over how adorably peaceful she looks when she sleeps!