3 Months Old

First of all, I'm a little embarrassed that the first family picture I have to post is of us in our pajamas and I'm pretty sure I haven't brushed my hair in a day or two. Yikes! But I figure this is a much more accurate picture of how things really are around here so throw us a bone okay? We'll try to get some good Christmas pictures...not in our pj's and I promise to brush my hair!

In more important news, Ella is three months old this week! She is so sweet and just smiles all the time. She is a happy baby which we are so thankful for considering all that she has been through. She is such a little trooper! She is sleeping well and working hard at eating better with the bottle. We are loving having her home with us and we're slowly adjusting to everything. The past two weeks since she's been home have been rough and good at the same time. This week has started out much better so we are hoping that things continue to get a little less crazy around here. We've decided that both our moms can never leave us because we can't survive without their help! :) Our sweet moms have been trading off coming a week at a time to stay with us and help ever since Ella was born in August...yeah,it's December...unbelievable! We have the most amazing and loving parents, they are such a blessing to us.


As for Miss Ella, she is pretty much on house arrest due to it being winter (we're a little germophobic!) and because her feedings are such an ordeal that it is too hard to go anywhere with her at this point. And really our main focus is for her to continue to heal and to eat well so we are just trying to focus on the task at hand. Also, if I can avoid looking like a three-ring circus when in public I will. I mean the other day we went to the doctor and it took all of us, me, Rick and his mom to keep things under control. Eva didn't help matters either by deciding it was a great time to take her shoes off, open and close doors and run down the hall at the office. Really Eva? Not the time for that sister! So, basically we only leave the house to go to Ella's doctor's appointments (without Eva) which we have at least once or twice a week. We have a lot of follow up appointments with different doctors and weigh-ins with her pediatrician that keep us busy. Other than that we are at home working on feedings. Pretty exciting right? :) So even though Ella is home it's not like we really have a normal life with a new baby. It is hard but it is okay, we are very blessed with an amazing little girl who is such a joy. We are so thankful for how far she has come and that she is home and things are headed in the right direction.

There's nothing like Ms. Potato Head earrings to really pull an outfit together!

This week she is doing better with her bottle. Praise God! It is still kind of a battle most times at the beginning of the feeding but then she settles down and does well with it. She is taking more on average which is great but she still is not taking a full bottle so there continues to be inconsistency. We are so thankful for these small steps and it just gives us hope that if we keep trying things will get better. It is still taking an hour or more once she takes the bottle and finishes the rest through her G-button so it is quite the ordeal. I feel like all we do all day is work on feedings so it is very draining emotionally and physically but I know the hard work will pay off. Thank you for your continued prayers for Ella and her feedings, we really are seeing some improvements this week. Keep praying!

We have our appointment next week with Scottish Rite on the 9th so please continue to keep that in your prayers as well. We are so humbled by all the love and support from everyone, we could not do this without it. Please continue to keep our family in your prayers.

Ella finally got to meet her cousins Caden and Emery, we love our cousins!