Five Months Old

So the time is here...we leave for California tomorrow!! This is going to have to be a short one since there is packing to be finished.

Our big 5 month old received a second round of three immunizations last Wednesday. We wanted to get her as protected as possible since we will be flying. Unfortunately, Ella woke up with a bit of a stuffy nose on Saturday. We've been having her sleep in her car seat and then bouncy seat to keep her head elevated. Todd also ended up sleeping with her on the couch Saturday and Sunday morning. Poor baby (or should I say poor babies)!! She hasn't gotten any worse and is sleeping a little more comfortably during the night (we have the humidifier going too). I'm just hoping that she will be alright on the plane tomorrow. The doctor suggested putting her on Benedryl for 24 hours before the flight (timing the last dose to be 30 minutes before take off) to help dry her up. I'm hoping that works because I know what it is like to have sinus pressure - ouch!!

Otherwise, packing has been a two day ordeal. I hate packing. Luckily, DJ and April have just about anything I need should I forget it so that helps! But I think it's almost done which is good because I need to get myself into bed early tonight!

OK, back to packing. I intend on getting at least one blog out while we're travelling so check in! In the meantime, we are floored with the generous donations we have received!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Again, if you are interested in helping out, voting for Ella's two pictures will take place at the Walden Galleria Mall from 10am to 7pm NEXT Friday, October 3rd and Saturday, October 4th.

Thank you for all your help!!!

Twenty-One Weeks Old

I began writing this blog yesterday as Ella was 40 minutes into a cry-it-out session. This was the first time I had let it go beyond 10 minutes. But I decided to try it since she sometimes will fall asleep but wake up a few minutes into her sleep. We are trying to figure out if she is starting to make the connection between crying and then I get to snuggle with Mom/Dad again or not. I'm not sure if I am a true advocate of the cry-it- out (at least at this age), but I guess I wanted to try it at least once.

The book I am reading, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, says to not let her cry more than an hour during nap time. But knowing Ella, I have a feeling she will make it the full hour crying. Luckily, according to the book:

"...all evidence accumulated by a wide array of child health specialists concludes that "protest" crying at bedtime will not cause permanent emotional or psychological problems. In plain fact, the contrary is true.

...Please don't fear when your child cries in protest at night, because she is being allow to "practice" to fall asleep, that this crying will later cause emotional or psychological problems. By itself, it will not.

Let me be very clear about this. I am talking only about children over the age of four months and only during normal day and night sleep times. During these periods, emotional problems do not develop if parents ignore protest crying."

Fortunately, Ella is not a screamer-crier which made it a little easier to listen to. And so the hour did come and I went and changed Ella since she did not stop crying and she doesn't appear to be phased by the fact that she just cried for almost an hour.

So now the question is, do I try it again? The thing is, that for the most part, Ella is a good sleeper. It usually does not take us long to get her down. And when she does wake up, it usually only takes us less than 5 minutes for us to get her back to sleep. The most we've ever needed to do that is twice in one sleep period. However, is our soothing her not teaching her to sooth herself to sleep? Maybe I'll wait until she is 5 months old to try again.

Update: I did try it again today - not purposely - I had to make a phone call and she began crying. And after maybe 25 minutes Ella stopped crying. But now there is this overwhelming guilt I have heard about. I just want to go in and check but know that it is exactly what I shouldn't do. This is when a video monitor would be great! Oh no, 10 minutes have passed and now she's crying again. Now I feel that I am too far into another cry-it-out to go rush in. Oooo...the dilemma's of parenting...what to do, what to do, what to do?

So what did I do - I went in about 5 minutes later because it had been about 1 hour since I had put her down. Fortunately, Ella being such a good baby she really doesn't get crabby without her naps. But I know sleep is essential to brain and body development growth so that's why I am trying so hard to figure all this sleep stuff out.

Enough with the sleep stuff. Last week was a busy week medically-wise! We spent most of both Wednesday and Thursday at Women & Children's Hospital. Wednesday Ella had an appointment with the developmental pediatrician. Upon evaluation she is in the 97th percentile for cognitive growth and the 75th percentile for motor skills (mainly because she was laid up for 30 days in the NICU). Although she does not necessarily need PT (physical therapy - for the big muscles) and OT (occupational therapy - for the small muscles) anymore, I told the doctor I would like to continue for now at least.

After the appointment and after being fed, Ella and I visited with a few of her nurses (Sharon (left), Chris (right), and Peggy) and even saw one of her favorite doctors, Dr. Pop Pop, (aka Dr. Robinson) who just can't get enough of her!!!

Ella then fell asleep for a much needed nap. Therefore, with Ella snuggled in the MetroWrap, I took a walk down Elmwood stopping in a few shops and finally for a piece of pizza and a pop at Casa di Pizza. We then headed back to the hospital to have her monthly blood work done. And this time Ella did not cry at all as she had four vials of blood drawn. At first I was proud and then I got sad because it probably means she is actually getting used to being pricked!

After the blood draw we stopped by the midwifery office so that Martha, the midwife who delivered Ella could finally see her out of the hospital (left photo). Now, since Ella has made such a wonderful recovery it is not uncommon that people 'fuss' over Ella when they initially see her. But I don't think I have seen someone fuss over Ella as much as Martha did! I can't tell you how much we love the midwives!!! They have made us feel so special from the first visit we had with them back in January! More than once has Martha, Sarah (right photo), or Elaine taken the time to just sit and chat with us...for over an hour...at an appointment, in the hospital, and today! If you are looking for a yearly gynecologist, I couldn't recommend them enough (they don't only deliver babies)!!!

On Thursday we headed back to Children's for a hematology/oncology appointment with Dr. Ambrusko. Fortunately, all of Ella's blood labs look good for this month - yea!! He just loves Ella and she smiles and smiles at him! Mom and I then went to Cafe Trattoria on Bryant for a very yummy lunch out on the patio!

Other than that Ella is busy growing up. She weighed 12 pounds 6 ounces last Wednesday and was measured at 2 feet tall!!! She is talking more and more which includes letting out some good screams too now! With her growing bigger we decided to set up the high chair so she can sit like a 'big girl' at the dinner table with us. Previously we would just prop her car seat up on a chair. The highchair kinda dwarfs her, but Ella is strong enough to sit in it with it slightly reclined.

Although we have not started feeding her (our pediatrician said we can wait until 6 months) we are letting her suck on 'pure' food (nothing salted or seasoned). Dr. Ambrusko even stated that she doesn't only need to start with fruits and veggies. So we have even let her suck on a piece of chicken (sorry Aunt Alysia). She seems to enjoy the new tastes as she doesn't spit the items out.

Okay, I could probably keep writing, but if I am going to post this by my Tuesday deadline I better stop now. I hope to get another blog out next week. But if I do not it is because I am too busy packing and preparing for our two weeks in California!!!! Watch out Maya, Zachary, DJ, and April...here we come!!!!

Keep the donations coming!!!!!

Twenty Weeks Old

So the biggest news this week is that we entered Ella in the Buffalo's Most Photogenic Baby contest. She has one picture entered in the Beautiful Infant category and another picture entered in the Precious Infant category. And the way she 'wins' is by collecting the most votes through donations. Since we already paid a registration fee, 100% of the donations we collect will go directly towards Women & Children's Hospital. Therefore, for each 50 cents in donations, Ella will receive 1 vote. For example, if someone donated $5.00, Ella would receive 10 votes.

If you are interested in 'voting' for Ella, there are a few ways you can donate. The formal voting where you can view all the participants' pictures takes place at the Walden Galleria (outside Steve & Barry's) from 10am to 7pm on Friday, October 3rd and Saturday, October 4th.

If you are unable to make it to the mall, you may make a donation (checks made out to Women & Children's Hospital) and hand it to any of our immediate family members (Todd, Me, Mom, John, Dad, Heather, Mom Rassman, Dad Rassman, Jeff, or Kim) by Thursday, October 2nd. We will then make sure it gets to the mall and Ella gets the votes.

Alternatively, you can also make a donation through PayPal (it accepts credit cards and is ultra secure) if you would like. To donate through PayPal, go to https://www.paypal.com/ and click on Send Money. Monies can be sent to me using the e-mail address: nicole_radder at yahoo.com. It's actually VERY easy to do!!! Then we will write a check from the money we collect online and bring it to the mall so Ella can receive more 'votes'.

And...if Ella raises $100 in donations, we will receive the CD with all of the photos that were taken of her so we can print them off for whomever would like!!!!! We then find out at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday, October 5th if Ella's pictures collected the most votes/donations.

Unfortunately, I do not have the actual pictures to show you that will be displayed on Oct. 3 & 4th. You'll have to go to the Galleria on one of those days to see them. But, we will receive 8x10's of Ella's two 'poses.' I will be sure to display them online after October 5th!! Thanks for your help in raising moola for Children's!!!

Furthermore, Ella and I have been asked to say a few words about our experience in the NICU at an upcoming Women & Children's Hospital Foundation benefit hosted by Elm TWIG (Together With Individual Goals) - a women's auxiliary group - at Fox Valley Country Club on October 28th. Apparently, the event sells out so let me know if you'd like more info about attending with Mom and me!

In other news, we are full of appointments this week. PT today, a developmental check up at Children's tomorrow, hematology check up on Thursday, and OT (occupational therapy) on Friday. Luckily, Ella receives both PT and OT here in the house!!

In the meantime, Ella is such a big girl now that she can sit up in her bathtub without the sling! Todd loves giving her baths, Ella loves playing with Daddy during this time, and Mom loves that she doesn't have to do it!


Ella enjoys spending time in her ExerSaucer too! Her favorite toys have become that rolly thing in the front right part of the above picture, any burp cloth (just like Maya & Zachary), and froggy and ducky that sit with her in the car seat. She can often be found hugging ducky and putting froggy's legs in her mouth. We practice rolling over - front to back and back to front, tummy time, sitting up in the Bumbo and reaching for toys, along with a little infant massage each day. When we're not playing you can find Ella attached to Momma in the Moby Wrap aka Metro Wrap facing outward so Ella can take in the surroundings and Mom can get some work done.

That's it for now. Until next week...

Nineteen Weeks Old

As I watched the bus pick up our next door neighbor, Jesse, for his first day of kindergarten, I momentarily missed the first day of school excitement. But that only lasted until I heard Ella calling and found her smiling up at me in her crib.

Sometimes I feel that Ella is changing right in front of our eyes. For one she is filling out her car seat now. And when we pick her up she feels as though she's got good substance to her! Ella is more consistently rolling from her belly to her back without our help too. We try to put her on her tummy as often as possible to not only strengthen her head control (which is very good according to Carol, her PT) but to encourage other motor skills such as being able to drop an item once she has it in her hand. Ella still has somewhat of a death grip which means it is still a reflex. Which, by the way, one theory is that it is a reflex that is similar to the one needed by primates to hold onto their mommies. We are also trying to get her to reach for objects while on her tummy.

Now that she's nice and strong, Ella enjoys sitting up in her Bumbo. I think she looks like an old lady in it sometimes.

This past weekend I was able to get together with a bunch of my college roommates for our friend, Michelle's baby shower. Her baby girl is due in the middle of October. Ella was able to meet Emma, Breanne and Seth's 6 month old. Breanne was my roommate and then housemate at Fredonia. Seth lived next door to us. The result...Emma (and a marriage too)!!!

With September here we are starting our California countdown. Just 22 more days until Mom, Ella, and I leave to visit DJ, April, Zachary, and Maya for two weeks.

Hmmm...can't think of anything else to report. To all my teacher friends and those with school-aged kiddos - enjoy the school year!!!

Eighteen Weeks Old

Weight: 11 lbs. 12 oz.

Length: 22.75"

Head Circumference: 41 cm

Today Ella had her 4 month check up! She jumped from the 10th to the 25th percentile now for weight! She's at the 10th percentile for length and 50th percentile for head circumference. We can definitely tell she is growing as she is getting much heavier to hold for extended periods of time. Not to mention trying to carry her around in her car seat - it weighs a ton now!!! And to think that they were so concerned about her weight just 3 months ago!!!

Yesterday we had to go into Children's to have some repeat blood labs done since Ella's platelets were up a little bit. I received the results today and they are back in the normal range!! However, on our way into Children's we ran into one of our favorite nurses, Peggy. We never got to say good-bye when Ella was discharged so I have been missing her ever since. It was so great to see Peggy and for her to see how much Ella has changed!!

We also stopped up into the NICU to visit with Lynn. She just kept saying over and over, "She looks sooooo good!!" Which she definitely does compared to when she was Lynn's patient!

This past Sunday we got to see our friends from Florida, Dave and Sarah, and their new baby, Annabelle, too. What a cutie! She is 2 months and weighs as much as Ella - Ella has some catching up to do! While we were there a fantastic thunderstorm passed through. I don't know if I've even seen so much lightning.

In the meantime, Ella is practicing how to roll over and keep entertained on her tummy for a good few minutes. Ella's sleeping is becoming more regular too. As much as we like to get out, we are trying to stay close to home so we can stick to as much of a schedule as possible.

And finally, I am absolutely LOVING the fact that everyone else is getting ready to go back to school and I am NOT!!!! I actually thought I would miss working, but I have to admit that I don't miss it one bit - at least as of now. All the moms I worked with said I would feel this way, but I didn't believe it until now!! As I was driving to Children's the other morning I was asking myself if I would rather be at school welcoming the new kindergarteners at orientation or driving my daughter to have her blood drawn. Hands down I would rather be with Ella! And I can't wait to spend each and everyday with her this upcoming year!

Seventeen Weeks Old

Hello! Hello! Okay, our biggest news this week is that 5 out of the 7 last days Ella has only woke up once during the night!!! It seemed 'just like that' that she started pulling a 6 to 8 hour stint between feedings at night. We try to get her to sleep between 8:00 and 8:30pm which means she will sleep until about 3:00am for a feeding. She will then wake up again between 7:00 and 8:00am, be up for a little bit, eat, and go back down for an hour nap or so. She then wakes up, we play, she eats, and then naps for an hour and sometimes 2.5 hours! This keeps going on until it is time for bed again. It definitely still takes us the longest time to get her to sleep when she initially goes down for the night. I just think that she doesn't want to miss anything that's going on. My favorite part is that now when I go in to get her in the morning or from a nap she stops her complaining (not quite a cry) and looks up with a smile!

Other physical accomplishments are that she is swiping and grabbing objects with purpose now. If you put a toy within arms reach of Ella, she will try to and often does grab it! She is also practicing rolling over - still with our help.

Furthermore, our baby is officially out of all of her newborn clothes. She fits in some 0-3 months and 3 months clothing now! We also just had to order new diaper covers because she is on the verge of outgrowing her newborn covers too!

Finally, on Sunday, we went to Mom and John's church picnic so they should show Ella off to all their friends. As I understand it we had many prayers and good vibes coming from the members so we were happy to introduce them to Ella.

This was a short one, huh? I guess that happens when I stay on top of it. If I think of more I'll be sure to add it. In the meantime, check out the new photos I've added.

For those of you who would like to order prints from Kodak Gallery, they are offering photos for 10 cents a print through 9/05/08. Enter coupon code: LABORPRINTS at Checkout to redeem. The offer will be displayed as a 34% discount on 4 x 6" Prints only. One coupon redemption per customer. And so to not have to pay a shipping fee you can opt to pick them up at a location near you.

Sixteen Weeks Old

Oh no...I've done it again...skipped a week. I hope I'm not losing Ella's fans. So I just realized that one of the reasons I need to keep up with blogging is it helps me remember how many weeks old Ella is. I've been going around telling people she is fourteen weeks...for the past two weeks. I didn't realize until right now that my baby is actually SIXTEEN weeks old (or 112 days)!!!

After reading April and DJ's blog I realize that I forget to include the 'little big stuff' that Ella is accomplishing. I think it's because I am with her 24/7 and these things gradually begin to happen but then I don't think about mentioning it. However, I definitely can tell that Ella is growing up right in front of our eyes. To begin with she is probably at least 11 pounds by now!! According to her doctor's appointment last week, most babies have a curve when they plot their weight gain. But, Ella has a straight line!! The GI doctor we saw in Batavia two weeks ago was further impressed that she was gaining from breast milk alone! And with all this weight gain comes rolls - lots of them - on her legs, wrists, and neck - along with some good pinching cheeks!

And as April mentioned about the twins, Ella is also bringing her hands together, bringing them up to her mouth, and sucking on her right hand mostly. Only once have I seen her thumb only go in on its own. Ella also is kicking her legs around and bringing them up which apparently is the precursor to rolling over!! Ella loves to talk...a lot. According to her physical therapist (PT) she is 'quite socially advanced.' How's that for my first brag!! Her favorite word is 'gee.' And like Zachary saying 'egg' we like to have fun with it too. Todd often asks Ella, "Where's Gee?" when we want her to talk and then, "Who's Gee?" I think he's already afraid she may have a boyfriend. Just the other day her vowels came out too - a, e, and u. It's fun because it seems as though we can actually have a conversation with Ella. Although she smiles a TON we haven't heard the hearty laugh yet. I can't wait for that to come!!! However, she's got one heck of a scream when she's happy!

Physically, Ella is getting stronger each day. She is holding her head high up during tummy time. Her PT, Carol, brought over a Bumbo for her to use. It's basically a foam seat that allows Ella to sit upright but makes her really practice head control (like what tummy time does). Ella is also getting better at her 'pull to sit.' That's when you gently pull her up using her arms while she is lying down encouraging her head to come along with her body. No rolling over yet but she does work her way down her crib at night to a perpendicular position from what she started at!

A couple Wednesdays ago on July 30th, I had a couple friends over for lunch. For the first time, I was able to actually handle taking care of a baby and entertaining because Ella is more willing and able to entertain herself if I put her down for a few minutes. Although I'm really trying hard to not get used to putting her down too much as it can easily become. I can just hear you all saying - 'don't hold that baby too much or she'll get used to it.' But you know what, after not being able to hold her whenever I wanted to for the first 30 days, I can do what I want (smile)!! Anyway, I mention this luncheon because it was the first time she took a two and a half hour nap!!!

Remember in my last blog how I said I was trying to get this sleep routine down. I have discovered that the book is correct and the more I can stick to a 'schedule' the better she sleeps. As I write she has been sleeping for almost two and a half hours. Unfortunately, it is proving hard to stick to a schedule with the appointments we have as well as trying to maintain somewhat of a social life. But when I can, we try to stick around home so she can sleep! They say the brain and body grows when the babies are sleeping - so we want Ella to sleep as much as she can!!!

We did end up meeting with a new GI doctor in Batavia on July 31st for a second opinion. Dr. Rossi is great! He and his nurse practitioner were very impressed with Ella. They both expected a 'different looking' baby from what they had read about her on paper. He does not think her liver will have any fibrosis or cirrhosis and, therefore, does not think she should have a liver biopsy to find out. We will just continue to keep an eye on her liver functions - which seem to be all close to normal!!!

Ella had her first sleepover at Grandpa and Grandma Rassman's on August 1st since Todd and I had a wedding to attend. The wedding was a 2pm on Friday so we went to Todd's parents' house between the ceremony and reception so I could feed Ella. Of course, Grandpa and Grandma had a kick wheeling her around the neighborhood showing her off to the neighbors. I then had to leave the reception half way through to pump in the car so I wouldn't burst. Todd really enjoyed sitting with me while I tried to discretely pump on the side of Delaware Avenue...ha ha ha! After the reception we slept over his parents' house. Ella did great with them. Slept from 8:30pm to 2:30am...in her car seat. I then handed her off to the grandparents at 7:45am for them to feed her the leftover milk I had defrosted and got to sleep until 10am!!! I could get used to that!!!!

Last week Ella also received two more of her shots - polio and pneumococcal. She did get a mild temperature but nothing that wasn't taken care of with some Tylenol.

Finally, this past weekend the three of us took our first weekend trip - down to Ellicottville. We have gone down each year for the Taste of Ellicottville since the festival was going on the weekend we got married. Speaking of which, tomorrow is our big three year anniversary. We will be celebrating by going to Toro Tapas on Saturday for dinner - yum!

Okay, I think that's it for now. Let me know if I'm forgetting to fill you all in on some part of her development. But before I go, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ALYSIA today!!