Our Pumpkin Patch 'Adventure'

We went to our local pumpkin patch which was just down the road from our house. After enjoying the glory that is Vala's Pumpkin Patch in Omaha for several years, no pumpkin patch will ever compare. But this got us what we needed [and then some]:  pumpkins, apples, and fresh apple cider!

So many pumpkins to choose from!

Ella's mode of transportation

She's so cozy in that thing!

Carving our pumpkins!

Rachael and Ella during pumpkin carving 

The finished product!

Mine, Ella's, Rachael's, and Mike's.

Mike enforced a rule that you could get a pumpkin only as big as you could carry. 

Ella's fit in her baby backpack :)

Ella {4 Weeks}

Can she really be four weeks old already?

Turns out, she is. We're still working on sleeping at night, but it's better than a couple weeks ago. This week Ella has found and taken more interest in two things:  her voice and her fingers. She coos [what does that mean anyway?] a lot more, and I swear she says "Hi" sometimes, maybe because we say that to her so frequently. Can she really be mimicking that sort of thing already? Maybe that's just a natural sound. She has begun to suck on her fingers more, too. It seems like she finds them on accident, but she seems to like it when she does. She hasn't ever been a fan of her pacifier, so maybe she will be a finger sucker? I kind of hope not... that seems like a hard habit to break.

We really enjoy watching Ella when she dreams, too. She makes such animated faces, and the giggles are our favorite. We think we've even seen a couple intentional smiles while awake! Maybe she's ready to start interacting more? Can't wait for more smiles and giggles!

We really enjoyed having Auntie Rachael visit last week. Ella really enjoyed the extra snuggles! We went to the pumpkin patch, the Amish market, and a hockey game; we handed out Halloween candy and celebrated our birthdays. What a fun week!

Ella and I went to the Mussleman's Family Tribute professional ice skating show at Penn State's Pegula Ice Arena over the weekend as well. Mike worked at the arena during the show, so Ella and I went with a couple new friends. Ella slept the entire time, so it won't be her last trip to the ice arena! [oh, and be sure to catch the skating show on NBC on Nov. 24th!]

Oh, and one last thing. Ella's bellybutton officially has no scabs, so she has graduated to a real bath. She loves it! Her expression is hilarious when she first gets in the water, and until she gets chilly she just loves it. 

That's about all we're up to. Sending love from Ella!

as you can see, she likes to move those arms & legs!

Ella {3 Weeks}

[posting this a little late...]

It has been another fun week watching Ella grow. The Grandmas have now both left, so it's been just Mike, Ella and I attempting to conquer life this week. We're trying to get some resemblance of a schedule going, but some days it seems like Ella has other plans. 

Of course sleep is still something we could use more of, but we're generally going in the right direction. Ella is eating like a champ, and I'm pretty sure she's going to be ten pounds before we know it! She has outgrown her Newborn size diapers, and she's getting dangerously close to being too big for her Newborn size clothes. I'm not coping with that very well... but I guess I better learn to deal.

Auntie Rachael [my bestie from childhood] comes to visit us this week, and we're very excited to see her. We don't have much planned, but we always find a way to entertain ourselves. I'm sure there will be lots of snuggles to be had [with Ella, of course]!

I just still can't believe how fast time is going!

And Now to {Lose} It All

If you're reading this now, you likely followed along during my pregnancy journey. And witnessed my gradual [yet significant] weight gain. Ella was born at 41 weeks, so I had gained a little more weight and was slightly bigger than I was when I last checked in at 40 weeks. 

I had never weighed that much in my life, so it was a little tough for me to accept. As I think I mentioned somewhere along the way, I considered sharing my weight-loss journey with you. While you may not really care, it's another part of my pregnancy journey -- and so I'll share. [of course you may not really care about a lot of things I post....]

Society tells me that it's not so lady-like to share exactly how much you weigh, so I'll try to talk in weight gained and lost. Pre- and post-baby weights. Because really, only my driver's license needs to know how much I weigh :)

By the end of 41 weeks, I had gained 51 pounds. Yep, fifty-one pounds. Yes, I am well aware that they recommend gaining 25 to 35 pounds. Woops! So far it's been two weeks since little Ella joined the world, and I'm down 27 pounds. Still up 24 pounds from pre-baby weight. [and i got the classic 'when are you due?'... without being pregnant. ugh.] But I can again wear my wedding ring and button some of my pre-pregnancy jeans!

Why am I sharing this? I am about to embark on a 30-Pound Challenge with a few family members. No, I won't out you guys... I know you didn't sign up for this blog business. But I do thank you in advance for keeping me accountable and getting a little healthier with me along the way! We'll have weekly weigh-ins as we each race to lose 30 pounds. I promise I won't bore you with weekly updates as we go, but I will likely share some milestones with you. Why? Because I can. And because it's going to be tough for me. I'm hoping you all will encourage me and keep me accountable along the way. In the end if I make my goal, I will be 6 pounds below pre-baby weight. That's not going to be an easy task, but I'm going to try.

So far, here are my before and after pictures:

9/27/13 -- 2 pounds under top weight

10/22/13 -- Down 27 pounds

[i do realize the bathroom mirror selfie is a little weird.. just go with it]

So here goes. Thirty more pounds to lose. Here's to eating healthy and making time [not excuses] for exercise. Wish me luck!

Ella {2 weeks}

This week went just as quickly as last. Will time ever slow down?? 

We're working on getting our days and nights figured out around here. Some nights are better than others, but we're doing our best. We've been doing some tummy time, and Ella seems to be getting stronger. She's really good at lifting her head, considering she's only two weeks old! She's looking around a lot more too, which is fun. 

Bath time is one of our favorite things. Ella's umbilical cord fell off this week, but we still have to do sponge baths until the scab is all gone. She isn't always so sure she likes the bath part, but when it comes to washing her hair, she's all about it. She loves having her hair washed and looking in the mirror. Mike thinks we have a girly-girl on our hands!

Ella went to the pediatrician again this week for a regular check-up. She's still packing on the pounds ounces. The doctor said she looks "perfect"! [we could have told you that]

Current stats are
Weight:  8 pounds 6 ounces  - 62nd percentile
Length:  21.5 inches - 97th percentile  [looks like she got her daddy's height!]
Head circumference:  32.5 cm - 58th percentile


Unfortunately we weren't able to go to Auntie Katlyn's (my good friend from college) wedding in Albuquerque this weekend. The pediatrician thought an airplane and lots of germy hands at less than 2 weeks old weren't such a good idea. We're very sad we missed it, but a huge Congratulations to Katlyn and Jason! We hope to see you soon & we send you lots of love!

Ella {1 Week}

It's hard to believe, but our little Ella is already a week old! She is so precious, and we're loving every minute with her. Well, the nights are a little rough right now [and mike isn't enjoying being pooped on] but we wouldn't trade it for the world. 

Ella visited the pediatrician this week, and she was very impressed with how well Ella is doing. She had gained weight and her jaundice was completely gone only two days after leaving the hospital. What a champ! 

Grandma Diane [very sadly] went home this week. Grandma Marie and Grandpa Dennis arrived. Needless to say, Ella is getting lots of love from her grandparents already!

Mike and I are having such a good time watching Ella change so much every day. She is more awake than she was even a few days ago, and we're excited to see the changes that are to come.

Thank you to everyone for the well-wishes and the love you've sent!

She's Here!!

After weeks and weeks of waiting, she has finally joined us! Our precious baby girl was born last weekend. Here's a quick run-down and some pictures. I'll post [a clean version of] the birth story soon.

Gabriella Marie

10/5/13 at 6:52am

7 lbs 14 oz

21.5 inches long

First family photo

Ella - 1 day old

Ella - 2 days old

Going home!