Getting bigger!

Ella has passed the 9 lbs mark!  She is gaining weight steadily and doing so well nursing and sleeping.  She is smiling so much more and interacting with us.  She is such a happy baby.  I am pretty sure that I get watery eyes every time she smiles at me.  Such a joy.  Here are a few pics of our growing Ella!  God is so good. 

                           

                                     

                                         Bath time with her brothers

Just loving her

I just can't help smiling when I look at her.  

My heart swells when I look at her.  

God feels the same way, magnified, when He looks at us, His children!

To know that He loves her more than I ever could is so comforting.  

Swing of things

The usual suspects.  

So I feel like we are getting into a rhythm.  A good one.  The last two-three weeks have been pretty good.  You know.... the boys are kind of over the hype of having baby sister home and seem to be as normal as a 3 and 5 year old can be.  I am able to get meds and food to everyone in a timely fashion.  I am able to get kids down for naps or quiet times or whatever seems to be needed that day.  I am able to have people help take and pick up Elijah from preschool.  I am able to keep a pretty decent schedule to train for a half-marathon.

And all the while, Miss Ella seems to be thriving and behaving "normal".  She really seems to be adapting well with having 2 brothers and all the commotion and bustle that comes with it.  She has been strictly nursing and gaining an average of about an ounce a day.  Yesterday she weighed in at 8 lbs 10 oz.  Just the fact that she has enough stamina and energy to nurse has really been amazing and a huge blessing. For me, it has always been easier to nurse than to mix a bottle.  Both of my boys ONLY nursed and did not like a bottle at all.  We have been giving Ella bottles here and there just because she takes oral meds and we need her to be used to taking a bottle every once in awhile.  She really is a sweet, interactive little girl with the most engaging eyes.  I love her.  Love, love seeing her smile and soak in every word I say to her.

She had a cardiologist appointment yesterday.  It went well....heart seems to be doing well functioning at a normal range.  The walls of her left ventricle are still thick, but it is pumping and functioning.  There was some improvement on a 'leak' that she had before that wasn't a major concern, but it isn't there anymore.  The cardiologist said we could take her off of aspirin and ween her off of the coreg.  Erik will have to hop on here at some point and let you know exactly what they said....it has always been hard for me to completely understand everything that's being done and the reasons.  Her heart is doing well is all I really hear and I am happy.  Is that being too naive?

Ella did have a little scare on February 21st.  She had a little spell of a huge spit up, a slightly high fever, and troubles breathing.  We were very nervous and called our cardiologist,  family doctor, and a family friend in the medical field.  She was fine and our cardiologist seems to think it was a reflux issue and it really just tired her out.

It was a reality check AGAIN for me about how fragile our lives are.  It's so funny how we learn lessons and then we have to keep learning them over and over again.  God is so patient and loving.  Love is patient, right?  Right!  I need to remember that when dealing with my kids who are still so young and learning.  This little daughter of mine has been teaching me so much and I am so grateful for every second I have with her.

A mother/daughter talk.

 I really cannot wait until spring shows it's face and cold and flu season tapers off so that I can return to my mom's groups and get out a little more.  As for now, we are enjoying each other at home.  We have been letting people come and visit as long as they have no symptoms of being sick, which has been nice so that we can stay in touch with friends as much as possible.  Thank you all so much for your prayers, meals, groceries, and words of encouragement.  It all really kept us on our feet and going.  We feel like things are settling down and we have a handle on life........until the next "lesson", which we will embrace.  ;)