Three Weeks Old!

I don't want to jinx myself, but everyone always told us what a good and easy baby Molly was and that we should stop while we were ahead. It's impossible to have two good babies in a row, the naysayers would naysay. Well, guess what? We beat the odds.

I am not saying that I have two absolutely perfect children 100% of the time, but Ella is such a content and peaceful baby. Even her "screaming" is calm and collected and easy to soothe for the most part. She is a bit of a night owl, sometimes getting her second wind between the hours of 9pm and midnight, but once she goes down, she generally sleeps in stretches of at least 3 hours. Last night, she even gave us a solid 5 hour stretch from 12am-5am. Talk about grateful parents!

I also must say that parenting the second time around is a lot more calm for me. I feel more in control and less anxious about things than I did with Molly. I actually find myself worrying more about how Molly is adjusting to the baby than anything else. And I think she is adjusting pretty well. Every day when she comes home from school, she asks for baby Ella and gives her sweet kisses and hugs. And on the days when Ella and I go pick her up from school, she shows the baby off to all of her friends and teachers, telling them not to touch her because they have dirty hands. What a sweet, protective big sister!

My Little Hands

My little hands soon will patty-cake, peek-a-boo, and wave,
Soon they'll catch me while I learn to walk and splash me as I bathe.

My little hands will reach up to you, for hugs before I sleep,
And fold together when I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

My little hands are tiny now, but yours will serve to guide me,
And when I'm grown I'll still reach out and know you're right beside me.

Tummy Time!

Since Ella has started to stay awake for longer stretches during the day, we have resurrected the tummy time playmat from Molly's infancy. I remember when Molly was a baby, she absolutely hated tummy time the first several times we tried it with her. Ella just seems indifferent to the whole experience. She lays on her tummy and seems to like it most when we play the music on the mat for her.

And every now and then, she cracks a little smile...

Molly also likes to lay with her and entertain her.

Monkey Joe's

Recently, one of Molly's favorite jump places, Monkey Joe's, opened a location close to home. Since Ella's arrival, she and daddy have been going to play and jump on Sundays to let her get some time away and have some fun. Today, she had the company of her friends Alex and Lacey to jump with her! Daddy took some pictures while they were there, and Molly assured me she had a great time playing!

Started on the small slide...

The tackled the big ones...

Molly and Alex...

Newborn Photos - Sneak Peek!

When Ella was only four days old, we had some professional photos taken of her by Chryshelle Spurgeon Photography. Chryshelle shared the following images with us today from our session. We are waiting for her to send the link to the full gallery of images she captured for us, but from the few we have now, I am super excited to see the rest!

And, I am so glad she was able to get one of the two girls together. I already know this photo will have to hang someplace special in our home!

What Might Have Been

Today would have been my official due date for Ella. It's surreal that this long-awaited date has finally made its way here, 40 weeks from its initial anticipation, and I have snuggled in my lap as I type this, a baby girl who is one day shy of two weeks old.

The past two weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of getting acquainted to the demands of a newborn infant - something that seems so far ago in the past with Molly - and getting acquainted to life as a family of four. We had our initial family outing in these past two weeks and stopped for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. When we walked in, the server said, "Table for Four?" And it felt so right to say, "Yes." We are loving every minute of being a party of four.

To celebrate our due date and to celebrate Ella being awake and alert today, we did a little photo shoot. Here are some new pictures to enjoy!

Big Sister Pride

When I picked Molly up from school yesterday, her teacher told me how proud she was of "her baby Ella". She said Molly talks nonstop all day about her baby sister. Then, when one of her little classmates came up to me and asked me where Molly's baby was, I felt such an overwhelming feeling of love.



Sure, she has her moments of acting out since Ella has come home. She is pushing her boundaries to see what she can get away with now that there is another little one here to distract us. She also demands our attention in ways she never has before. I am sure it's all perfectly natural, as she is only 3 years old (almost) and has a lot to adjust to with this new baby in the house.

Most days, though, she is perfectly sweet and attentive to the baby. She wants to hold her, kiss her, feed her, rock her, and help with everything. She tells her it's okay when she is crying and asks her what's wrong. She sweetly pats her on her little head and gently kisses her little cheeks and tells her that she loves her.



And just as proud as Molly is of Ella, I am that proud of Molly.

Baby in Black and White

First Trip to the Doctor

We took Ella to the doctor for her initial check up. The good news is that she is pretty much perfect :)

Here are her stats:

Birth weight: 8 lbs, 2 oz
At discharge: 7 lbs, 13 oz
At her check-up: 8 lbs, 6 oz
(75th Percentile)


Birth height: 20.5 inches
At her check-up: 21 inches
(90th Percentile)

So she is already a growing girl!

Eye Spy

It's been said that the eyes are the window to the soul. What a beautiful soul this one must have. Such trust, love, and dependence in those eyes that reach out and hold onto my heart. 4 days old and I am already head over heels in love with her.

Sleeping Beauty

How we spend our days...

Nights, on the other hand, are a different story :)

Little Tigers

Daddy was so proud of Ella for making her debut in time to see the Cotton Bowl. Her first LSU game was a win! Geaux Tigers!

...And Baby Makes Four

One last photo as a family of three...moments before Ella was born.

Welcome, Ella!

1.7.11

5:10 pm

8 lbs, 2 oz

20.5 inches

Less than 24 Hours!

In less than 24 hours, we will be packing the car and headed to the hospital to start inducing labor. I cannot believe that we are so close to meeting our baby girl, and so close to a new and exciting chapter in our lives.



Tonight, I have so many emotions from anxiousness to excitement, and even a little sadness as I embrace the idea that our days as a family of three are very quickly coming to an end. For almost three years, our lives have been all about Molly. She has been such an amazing child and has brought us so many new experiences and so much happiness. While we are beyond thrilled to be having a new addition, it absolutely pulls at my heartstrings to think of how her world is about to change.

The thing is, I have never been a big sister. She is about to experience new territory that I myself have never had the chance to experience. She is about to embark on a journey that I cannot set an example for from my own experience. Luckily, I have two amazing big sisters who can show her the ropes. And I know Ella will be blessed beyond measure, just as I was, to have a big sister who will love her and take care of her and truly become a friend like no other. I am so excited for them to have that bond of sisterhood, and I cannot wait to watch it unfold as their mother.