Month 3

It is so crazy how much Ella has changed in the last month!

Big Changes:
- Ella now coos and laughs a lot now! It is so adorable and I enjoy it so much. We have discovered that her favorite show is Super Why. We have watched Mickey Mouse Club and Little Einsteins, but none of them make her laugh and talk at the tv like Super Why. Whenever I need to keep her awake or need to do something I can just turn on the TV and find time to do things.

- Ella now plays with toys. She has yet to start playing with hard toys but she loves her crab and bunny toys.

- At the beginning of the month Ella had to wear a harness because she had a mild case of hip dysplasia. It was this full body harness and I hated it! She had to wear it for 24 hours a day and had to be sponge bathed. It was awful. The worst part too was that when she pooped (all over the place) it got on her harness dying it a nice shade of yellow. She only had to wear it for 2 weeks. She is now out of it and kicking up a storm.

- Ella still sleeps through the night. Sometimes 9:30PM - 6:00 or 7:00 AM. It is phenomenal!

PROUD MOMMY MOMENTS!

-We went to a Mr. HAB pageant and she sat through the entire hour and a half program without crying! I know that doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is a far cry from what she originally would have been like.

Month 2

Where do I begin? Looking back at the month it is crazy how much my little princess has changed. Starting at the beginning of the month she was still cranky and cried all the time when she wasn't asleep, now she is such a pleasure to be around when she is awake.

Ella's Changes:

She now smiles! It's amazing how that little thing can make you feel like you can make it as a mom. Ella has now been smiling since 6 weeks and when she isn't tired or hungry it is relatively easy to get her to smile. The funniest thing to her is tapping her nose. Every time her little face lights up! When she is having a rough time and it's not nap time we go outside and lay on a blanket. She loves to go outside and look at everything and she loves the breeze on her face.
(Ella Outside)

We are now working on getting Ella on a schedule and she is doing so well. Our goal is getting her to eat every 3 hours with at least an 1.5 hour nap between feedings. Nap time is going so smoothly. We put her in her crib (swaddled and with white noise) and she typically doesn't cry for more than 5 minutes before she is out! I never thought I would say this. Not only does nap time go well but she only wakes up once at night for a 15 minute feeding and then she is immediately asleep again. ***MILESTONE*** Ella slept all the way through the night on January 28th, from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM!!!

A few of Ella's favorite things:
-Ella loves to lay on the floor and kick her legs. She just kicks and kicks and kicks. I always wondered what she was doing in the womb and now I know. She kicked!

-She loves to smile! This is such a nice change to the constant crying.

- She loves bath and lotion time. What I mean by lotion time is I turn the lights down in her room and turn on some soothing spa music, then we have a 10-15 minute baby massage. She loves her feet and legs rubbed.

-Ella still loves to be swaddled and wants her white noise machine. It is going about 23 hours a day.

-Ella loves to be independent from us. She loves to spend the night at Granny and Granddaddy's house, hang out with Granddad and Grandmom and hang out in the nursery at church. I love that she loves to cuddle with Kyle and I but I am also thankful that she seems to have an independent spirit, which hopefully means that she will be a leader when she is older and have the strength and courage to do what is right.

Month 1

I cannot believe Ella is already 1 month old. It feels just like yesterday that I was holding her in my arms for the first time. My little miracle! What a month it has been. You ask, "Is motherhood everything you thought it would be?" Yes. I love being a mom. My life is never boring nor slow anymore. Every minute of my life now revolves around this precious little girl.

The First Month:
Along with parenthood being wonderful it is also the hardest thing I have ever done! People always say it's difficult but until you are in the midst you have no clue. Ella is going to be a very intense person. At the end of month one she intensely eats, intensely stares and intensely cries! Also, she won't dirty a dirty diaper, which I find hilarious. If you change her pee diaper as soon as you finish swaddling her perfectly, she poops and wants to be changed!

She sleeps okay. She now sleeps for 4 -5 hour stretches then when she wakes up around 1:30 she likes to stay up for 2.5 hours before going back to bed which usually winds her up sleeping on my chest on the couch. She sleeps long and wonderfully!

Ella's day usually consist of: waking up, eating, contentment time (she just stares and seems happy), followed by crying, then swaddled, held, swing and/or bouncy seat, nap. Eat, 2 minutes content time, crying, swaddling being held then swing and/or bouncy seat. Repeat!

I am so thankful to have read The Happiest Baby on the Block this week. It was wonderful and a true sanity saver for me. We are now only 2 weeks away till the peak of her crying and then slowly it will get less and less.

This month she experienced her first Christmas and what a wonderful first Christmas it was for her. She got so many things that I know she loves! Christmases in the Crabtree household will never be the same again, they will be so much better than they ever were!

I know it sounds like I'm complaining but I'm not. I am just telling it like it is. If I said everything about parenthood was always sunshiny and smiles I would be lying. It is the toughest thing I have ever done but it is also the thing that has made me the happiest person too. She is my world and I love her more than anything. She is worth every dirty diaper I have changed, every tear that I have cried and all the electricity I will use because of the swing.

November 29th!

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my 36 week check-up (36 WEEKS, it went by so quickly!). They palpitated my abdomen till it felt bruised, again, and then said that they need to do an ultrasound because they still couldn't tell which way she was lying. So, the ultrasound happens and low and behold there is her head jammed in my rib cage and her butt deep within my pelvis. I have known that this was her orientation for sometime but you never know, she could have turned. She didn't.

The doctor said that are best bet would to just schedule the c-section. We did! We will be holding our baby girl in our arms shortly after 9AM on November 29th. I am so ecstatic and antsy and anxious. I have so much to do!

From the beginning I kept saying that I hope she is born on November 30th, so I don't leave her with the stigma of being a Christmas baby and it looks like dreams do come true!!!

Ella Jean Crabtree

We recently went to see our beautiful daughter to confirm that she is as beautiful as I thought she would be. Well, Ella seems to be one to keep us on our toes. We got to see her pretty little profile but mainly her feet and hands. What a funny girl she is. We have been twice now and it's the same photos both times. Although we couldn't get any great photos we definitely get the idea!

This is Ella's hair on Sept. 24

This is Ella on Oct. 2 (look at how much longer it is!)

Once Upon a Shower

Today was Ella's first shower hosted by Allison and her mom Sylvia. It was a fantastic shower and I could not have asked for more.

I would first like to say thanks to Allison. To throw a shower is hard enough but Allison who is working full time, taking classes full time and on top of that had car trouble this week and her phone is broke went above and beyond, like always! Whenever someone offers it means more to me than people could possibly know. The time, energy and money that it takes to throw one is immense and I do not take it for granted!

It might have been a stressful time for her but it was such a great shower. The theme was Once Upon a Time and the gift of choice was a book or a toy (along with other great stuff). Ella is set for her reading time and play time. The turnout was amazing and I am so thankful for everyone who showed up. Kyle, I and Ella feel so loved and we cannot express our appreciation and love for everyone.

The Invitation

The Menu
Each appetizer was themed after a book; it was very creative.

The Table Set Up

The Hostesses with the Mostesses

Here are a few of the people that love Ella (the ones that we got good photos of anyways)

Ella's Best Friend Piper

Ella's Other Best Friend Kinsley

Thank you so much everyone. We love you all and again are so grateful to have all of you in our lives.

New Zulily Outfit - HELP IT'S AN ADDICTION!!

I am getting so excited! My showers start this weekend. I cannot believe it's already that time and that I have hit my third trimester. It seems just like forever ago that I found out I was pregnant (no, I'm just kidding). Anyways, I know with showers come a lot of clothes and I shouldn't be buying any but I just can't seem to help it!

This is Ella's newest dress. Ballerina Pigs!

P.S. Zulily, is a great place. Two of the 4 outfits in my last post have come in, however instead of sending me the black and white striped they sent me this black and white gingham with a yellow flower. It's cute but not as cute as the other one. So, I called telling them they sent me the wrong outfit and they didn't have any of the ones I ordered in stock so they refunded me the price of the outfit and gave me a $10 credit on my Zulily account and I get to keep the outfit. So, I guess they aren't perfect but they make up for it.