The highlight of this past week was celebrating my step-dad's 70th birthday!! My step-sister, Sally, organized a family dinner to celebrate John's big day at Rizzo's Restaurant on Monday. We had a great time as almost all the local siblings and grandchildren were in attendance.
Other than that, Todd and I spent the weekend at the mall. Needless to say, we were doing some last minute Christmas returns. We started out at the Outlet Mall on Saturday and took advantage of some great sales. We then headed to the Galleria on Sunday which was not busy at all due to the freezing weather. Ella came with us on both excursions and was a super trooper. She definitely preferred to be carted around in the umbrella stroller as she can see much more than when she is in her infant seat stroller.
Ella is on the move more and more these days. When we put her on her tummy there is no stopping her. Ella still isn't crawling, but is up on her hands and knees much more, scooting backwards much more, and rolling to get places much more. She also loves making sounds like "Bob bob bob," "Mmmmm," "Ma ma ma," "Da da da," "Pss pss pss," as well as lots of raspberries. According to Carol, her physical therapists, not many babies make the /p/ sound this early.
Other than that we have some exciting numbers...
- As of today (Tuesday), Ella is 280 days old!
- On Thursday, the twins will be 300 days old! And in 65 days they will be one year old!
- On Saturday, it will be 80 more days until Ella's first birthday!
- And also as of today, we have 40 more days until Todd, Ella, Mom & Dad Rassman, and I leave for Marco Island, FL!!!! Warm & sunny weather awaits us!
In the meantime, we're loving the snow that is coming down! If it's going to be cold, it might as well be snowing!!! Enjoy your week!
Seriously?? Nine months old on Thursday?? No way...not our baby!! As I write Ella is rolling and sliding herself around our family room. She is not crawling yet, but she is able to effectively get herself around a good six square foot area by rolling and scooting backwards all while moving at least two of her stacking blocks (one of her favorite toys) with her. Every once in a while she'll catch a glimpse of herself in the glass of our entertainment center which she thinks is just amazing. But she still gets her biggest smile and lets us know with a scream when Maggie, our kitty cat, comes into her view. A sure sign that Ella is growing up is that she is totally content playing on her own. She has been rolling, propping herself up on her hands, occasionally getting into a quadraped (on her hands and knees), moving backwards...aka entertaining herself...for a good 45 minutes right now.
In the meantime, much has gone on over the past month! Probably two of our biggest moments were, first, Ella getting another great check-up from Dr. Ambrusko her hematologist/oncologist, and, second, visiting with family over the Christmas holiday. Sorry, family, health takes precedence!!!
One event I failed to mention in my last blog was that on Saturday, December 20th we started the vacation with a family portrait as a gift to my mom. We traveled down to Holland, NY to have our wedding photographer, Dave Saviano of Countryside Photography, do our photo shoot. To see all the pictures visit the site up in the upper left hand corner. (Let me know if you have difficulty accessing the photos.) The babies did quite well and looked very cute...as did the adults too. For a photo document of our photo shoot click here to see Maya & Zachary's site. Let me know if you have difficulty accessing the photos.
I ended last month's blog with our Christmas Eve events that did go as planned. It was very cute to see all four babies together at Brian & Barb's house. My favorite picture is the one above with all of the Roba grandchildren and Papa John showing what I'm sure everyone thinks at one time or another when they are balancing four babies between the ages of 7 and 9 months!
Ella and I slept over at Mom's house Christmas Eve and after going to bed around 1am, Ella and the twins decided that they were really excited for Christmas morning and got up at 6:15am! But it was at least fun to get up with DJ and April and see all the babies together. If you have already looked through Maya & Zachary's photos you will have seen how busy the babies were trying to open up gifts. They found it hard to wait until the rest of the house got up!!
Christmas night we spent at our house with Todd's family. That certainly worked out well since it meant that we could put Ella to sleep at her regular bedtime which, these days, is important to Ella's staying happy! Take note of the cute Mets hoodie Ella received from her Aunt Kim and Uncle Jeff. Todd is very excited to get to some Bisons games this spring and summer now that they are the farm team of the Mets!
New Year's Eve was spent very low key which Todd and I both appreciated! We made a delicious dinner together and then watched a movie before heading to bed by 11:oopm! We did celebrate a belated New Year's on Saturday with our neighbors, Nicole and Bob at Kathe and Michael's house. Ella came with us and then went to sleep in her pack 'n play until it was time for us to walk back home.
The rest of the week was spent recuperating before I went back to 'work' de-decorating the trees and stairways that I had helped my mom assemble. Meanwhile, Todd prepped the basement with his dad and brother to have two cracks repaired. Oh the joys of adulthood...within the last month we had to replace a sensor in the Explorer, replace the modulator in the furnace, and repair two cracks in our basement. They say things happen in threes, so does that mean we're done for now?
Ella and I started attending Wee Read at the Clarence Library on Wednesday mornings. It's for babies 6 months to 2 years. We sing songs, read a couple books, and then play too. Ella has been a hit with the teacher and moms as she actively sings and bounces as we sing. Ella and I also took out her first book, Spider's Busy Day by Eric Carle. It's one of Maya and Zachary's favorite books and has become a favorite of Ella's too!
Finally, Ella has been experimenting new foods like yogurt (which she always makes a funny face when she has her first spoonful), rutabaga, peas (although she got a couple hives after eating them so we will have to try them again at a later date), green beans, and ground flax seed. We have not given her any finger food yet, but I think it may just about be time to try it some out. We are also beginning to get into somewhat of an eating routine. It's been working out that I breastfeed Ella when she awakes in the morning and from naps and then I bring her downstairs to feed her some solids: cereal in the morning, yogurt after her nap, and then a dinner of vegetables and some more cereal. We are ready to begin adding fruits into her diet too (I know, a bit delayed, but the winter is not exactly the best time to find fresh fruits here in Buffalo).
I think that finishes our latest update. If there's more to add I'll be back! And, I promise, now that we are getting back into a routine that I will get those weekly updates back into action!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
Oh boy...our baby is growing up...way too fast already!!
For the past four days we have been enjoying Alysia, DJ, April, Zach, and Maya's company! Everyone arrived in Buffalo a-okay and just in time before the 'storm' we received up here - the part of winter that I love. Take away the cold rain and brown snow and I would take snowstorms the entire winter!!
We've been keeping our visitors' days filled with visits with Poppy and Moppy (my dad and Heather), meatballs (a Sunday morning tradition that dates back to my mom's grandmother), and even stringing popcorn and cranberries while watching a Christmas movie - this year it was Elf with Will Farrell. Ella, Maya, and Zachary have been enjoying each other's company...learning to share toys and not pull hair! Zachary is inchworming circles are the girls, but the girls have become professional sitters and players-on-their-own-ers.
The holiday shopping is done and the gifts are wrapped as we prepare (mentally) for the next few days of craziness. I love it as that's what I'm used to growing up, but Todd is still learning to 'go with the flow' of chaos!
We'll start Christmas Eve at Brian, Barb, & Braiden's house (my step-brother) where we'll have four babies under the age of 9 months together! We will then make our way to my mom's house for the Montante Christmas Eve. Which will work out well because we will be able to put the babies to sleep for the night. We will then spend the night at my mom's so we can all wake up on Christmas morning like the good ol' days. That way we will all be together for Christmas brunch since next year DJ, April, and the twins will be in St. Louis (April's hometown) for Christmas morning. We'll then move back into our house to host Christmas dinner for the Rassmans. Usually we celebrate Christmas with my dad here at our house on the 26th but this year, because Heather is working Friday and Saturday, it will have to wait until the 28th. And then, sadly, DJ, April, and the babies leave on Monday the 29th. But the positive part is that Todd will be on vacation from Christmas Day to January 4th.
Okie dokie - it's morning nap time and someone is definitely letting me know it! I think that's all I have to report on. Merry Christmas to all!! Thank you for being a part of our lives!
Awww...16 more days 'til baby's first Christmas!!! But better yet 8 days until Alysia gets home (next Wednesday) and 10 days until DJ, April, and the twins arrive (next Friday)! I am SO excited to snuggle and smooch those babies and see how they all interact with each other this time.
Been keeping busy with Christmas internet shopping. Until this Friday when my mom and I are going to make a trip up to the Outlet Mall. I can't remember the last time I was up there. Although all three sets of families have decided to scale back a little bit on the gifts. Our goal is to focus more on the time we spend with family and friends rather than the "Ugh, I still have to get ____ a gift." Did I mention that I can't wait to see Alysia, DJ, April, Maya, and Zachary?!?!?
This past weekend Ella and I attended Uniland's Children's Christmas party where Ella had her second encounter with Santa...still not a big fan. Not a fan of the elf with the funny looking ears either. Then that night Todd and I went to Sodexo's Holiday Party at Samuel's Grand Manor while Mom and John stayed home with Ella.
In the meantime, Ella is pivoting much more on her tummy as well as holding herself up quite high on her hands. She is also scooting backwards, but definitely not as fast as Zach is doing the worm. Ella seems to be enjoying her food more and more each day. In fact there are some times we can't seem to 'shovel' the food fast enough into her mouth!
Finally, Todd, Ella, and I went to visit my grandfather in the Williamsville Suburban rehab center yesterday. He was just moved there after being at the Veteran's Hospital since before Thanksgiving with a severe infection that started in his leg but then spread into his bloodstream. He has made a very good recovery so far and is getting stronger and stronger each day. We think he will be up there for at least a couple weeks as the infection really did a toll on his body. Fortunately, he is in good spirits and is quite motivated to get better and get home!
I think that's it for now. I have posted a link to Thanksgiving pictures thanks to my Aunt Gigi. Funny how there's not one picture of Todd or me holding our own daughter the entire stay...ha ha ha!!
Hope you're able to take the time to enjoy this Christmas season!!!
Oi vey...I apologize for such a stretch between our last blog and this one and so much has gone on!!!! Since November 11th we've celebrated Mom Rassman's birthday, Ella and I had lunch with two girls from high school and their babies, I helped my mom decorate 9 trees (including two 12 footers), 5 stairways, and 6 landings in 5 different buildings, and celebrated Thanksgiving with my family.
As my dad's birthday is 6 days before Todd's dad's birthday, my mom's birthday is 6 days before Todd's mom's birthday - crazy, huh?!? Anyway, my mom spent her birthday cruising down the Danube from Germany into Austria while we celebrated Todd's mom's birthday at their house. Which means Mom Rassman is less than a year away from retirement!!!!
On Wednesday, November 19, Ella and I got together with Sarah and her 5-month-old son, Cole, as well as Shannon and her 6-month-old daughter, Ellie. Although I graduated from Nardin with Sarah and Shannon I have not talked with them since 1995 until along came Facebook. We had a good time watching the kiddos interact with each other while we chowed down on a great chicken souvlaki lunch! It was great to 'reconnect' especially since they have babies right around Ella's age too.
Most of my last few weeks have been spent helping my mom decorate the Uniland Christmas trees. Mom has been decorating these trees for about the past 18 years and I did help in the early to middle years (but that was when there were only 3 trees and a stairway). But after taking about a 10 year break, I signed up to help out again!! With Mom being the mastermind behind all the decore, I merely helped by 'dressing' the trees, stairway garland, and garland on the landing.
Ella came along with me on the days Todd wasn't home or my dad wasn't watching her. She did a fantastic job playing on her own while we worked. Although I think just about every woman (and a few men) working in whatever building we were decorating came out to say 'hi' to Ella. And Ella had a great big smile for each one of them!
And now after 10 days and close to 100 people hours, the trees are now done! If you ever get a chance I encourage you to check them out (100, 300, & 500 Corporate Pkwy; 6400 Sheridan Dr; 285 Delaware Ave) - each tree is different varying from traditional to very funky! I have to say my mom is one talented decorating cookie!!!
We had a wonderful time celebrating Thanksgiving with my side of the family this year down at my Uncle Carl & Aunt Carol's chalet at Kissing Bridge. Aunt Gigi and Uncle Bill came in from Williamsburg, VA; Natalie flew in from Durham, NC; and Michael Sean visited from Redbank, NJ. My other cousin, Michael Paul, came home from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh too.
The holiday started with a lasagna dinner Wednesday night at my cousins' Carl & Wendy's house. We then packed up and headed down to Colden early Thursday. Since there was close to 2 feet of snow on the ground, our traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Bowl football game was traded in for some good ol' sledding. Ella's feet managed to never hit the ground as she was successfully passed around to every family member! We then stayed overnight to help Ella's schedule and also give us more time to visit with the out of towners.
The weekend ended with a private tour of the Darwin Martin House on Jewett Pkwy in Buffalo. My cousin, Michael John, was recently elected to the Board and, therefore, invited us all on a tour of the magnificent Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece. If you haven't taken a tour, I highly recommend it!! For more info see http://www.darwinmartinhouse.org/
Finally, Ella has been doing wonderful. She just received 3 more shots and is now all caught up (until her 1 year visit). She weighed in at about 16.5 pounds and approximately 26 inches long. Ella is getting close to growing out of her 6 month clothing and working into 6-9 month as well as 9 month clothes.
She sits up very well on her own (although she will need pillows behind her for a few more months) and officially sleeps on her tummy. Although Ella has mastered rolling onto her tummy, she is still learning to roll from her tummy to her back, pivoting while on her tummy, and propping herself up higher on her hands.
Ella has finished the box of rice cereal and is moving on to oatmeal cereal. She has tried carrots, acorn squash, and sweet potatoes. We'll continue introducing veggies and then move onto fruit. Right now she is still primarily nursing but eating about a tablespoon of cereal in the morning and a tablespoon of veggies in the afternoon and evening.
Oh!! And Ella's second tooth just came in today too!!!! She continues to be very smiley and quite a talker cracking us up all day long with her sounds!
And now the countdown begins to when Alysia, DJ, April, and the twins arrive...just 15 days!!!! Can't wait!!!!!!
This past Saturday marked Ella's 200 day old birthday!! Woo hoo!
In more exciting news, last Thursday we visited her hematologist/oncologist where she was deemed "a picture of health!" Dr. Ambrusko was also the first one to spot Ella's first tooth!!! I swear it must have erupted as we were waiting (we were there awhile). Ella will continue to go every other month for her hem/onc check-ups. The doctor also said that we could start doing her blood work every other month instead of once a month. Although the more I think about it I'm not sure I'm ready to let two months pass between blood draws.
Thanks to our families, Todd and I had the opportunity to venture out on our own twice this week. On Saturday Todd's parents came over for breakfast and then stayed with Ella while we went to the mall for almost 5 hours! And then on Wednesday, Dad and Heather came over for dinner and then Todd and I went to the Sabres game. Do you see the pattern? If we feed them they will stay!!! We're so fortunate to have them able and willing to help raise Ella!
On Wednesday Ella and I also had a lunch/play date with Megan (a girl from school) and her 4 month old, Emily. Joe, Megan's husband and also a kindergarten teacher, made yummy Mediterranean chicken breast with a balsamic reduction and mozzarella cheese sandwiches for us before going to work. Emily and Ella enjoyed their time together (as did Megan and I)! We can't wait to play again!
Physically Ella keeps getting stronger and stronger! She is now able to play in a sitting up position on her own...at least for a few minutes before leaning too far that she is unable to 'right' herself back up. Even though she takes her falls like a champ, we surround her by pillows to cushion her tumbles. And because Ella is now sitting up, Carol (her physical therapist) says she is most likely ready for a front facing stroller, to sit up in shopping carts (of course with a shopping cart cover), and to sit in restaurant high chairs!
Ella continues to be a rolling champ (we often find her on her belly in her crib) but still gets stuck on her tummy. We are currently working on getting Ella to push herself up to a sitting position.
I can't express how thankful I am that we have a physical therapist and occupational therapist working with Ella. And I'm not talking about the fact that they are helping Ella catch up physically. I am thankful because they are teaching ME so much!! Even with the books I have been reading and the talks I've been having with other mothers, I still would not know to do a quarter of the 'exercises' we do with Ella if it wasn't for Carol and Teresa. They have really taught me how to play and interact with Ella so that it benefits her motor skills development!
In the meantime, Happy Birthday to Uncle Brian on the 10th, Yia Yia on the 12th, and Grandma Rassman on the 18th!!
Oh no...I missed a week!! Ok, ok, ok...where to start with our lots of exciting updates! Let's see...about two weeks ago Ella visited her GI doctor and was officially discharged!! That's right...we no longer need to see the liver doctor!
Then the weekend before Halloween, Todd's family's friends, Craig and Fay, came into town for a visit. We had a great time! They both loved meeting Ella and Ella loved snuggling with them too.
On the 27th Ella also had her 6 month check-up where she weighed in at 15 pounds (almost tripling her birth weight) and 25 inches long!! Ella's pediatrician also proclaimed that she is a healthy six-month old! You have no idea what a wonderful phrase that is to hear!
Dr. Trask also gave us the go ahead to start her on rice cereal while pushing breastfeeding to every 4 hours. Ella is doing great waiting for the four hours. Eating the rice cereal is not her most favorite thing to do, but she is getting the hang of it. Todd seems to do better feeding Ella than I do!In addition, Dr. Trask encouraged us to try to have Ella go without eating for 8 hours at night. She suggested that I feed her before I go to bed around 10:00pm and then let her go until 6:00am. So you know what that means...a good ol' cry-it-out session!! She woke up around 1:30am the next night and I decided at that time that I would lie on the floor while she wailed away so I could peek in on her if I wanted to without disturbing her. Ella successfully cried for 2 hours until 3:30am. At that time she fell asleep and did not get up until 5:30 or 6:00am...she (we) did it!!! The next night she woke up at 4:15 and 5:15 but got herself back to sleep each time before waking up at 6:00am to eat. Every night is not a perfect 8 hours, but as long as I'm getting up only once, I honestly don't mind. So in the end her sleeping schedule looks something like this...
~6:00pm - begin nighttime routine...feed cereal, bath, pjs, breastfeed
~7:00pm - in bed
~10:00pm - wake up to breastfeed
Some time between 4:00-6:00am - wake up to breastfeed
~8:00am - wake up for the day (although she is known to sleep in until 9:00 or 9:30 some days!!)
Ella's naps still are not hours long, but I've come to the conclusion that since she sleeps pretty well at night, her two 45 minute naps and one 30 minute nap late in the day must be working for her.
On Tuesday the 28th, Ella and I attended the Elm TWIG Women's Auxillary Dinner for Women and Children's Hospital. I was asked to say a little bit about our experience in front of the 300 attendees. I took this opportunity to thank all the donors from last year since with their donations the TWIG group was able to purchase medfusion pumps (which were used on Ella to administer the chemotherapy, blood products, and antibiotics) and a Giraffe Isolette (the bed Ella was placed in to keep her in humidified air and to keep germs away from her while going through chemo). We had a great time especially since my step-sister-in-law, Barb, won two baskets and Mom Rassman won a basket and a wine fridge with a dozen bottles of wine!
Developmentally wise, Ella is doing many new 'tricks.' It's been neat to read, see, and hear how the twins are developing and then see Ella do the same things a few weeks later. Ella officially rolled over on her own today!! The first time she did it was in her crib early this morning. I could tell her cry was muffled but I thought it was because she was sucking on her Flatophant. But when Todd peeked in on her, she was on her tummy! Ella then proceeded to roll many more times today all by herself!! Although she originally seemed like she was better at rolling from tummy to back, she now rolls back to tummy easier. And, therefore, has difficulty getting back to her back without help.
Ella has also been sitting up pretty much on her own (with someone spotting her from behind) for a couple weeks. She loves to watch Maggie or knock down blocks while sitting. Ella's arm and hand control improves by the day! She also now loves to feel the texture of just about anything that is within hands reach. Therefore, I have gotten out the touch-and-feel books to read together too.
Ella is also much more interested in her feet than before. It's so interesting because Carol, her physical therapist, had said that when she started to bring her feet up to play that it would help with her rolling over...and it sure happened that way! In fact, Ella now loves to roll all over the place especially when we are changing her!
Finally, we celebrated Halloween by going in to Ledgeview to visit for the afternoon. I was able to show-off my little flower to many of my friends, students, and their parents! We then spent the trick-or-treating hours at one of our neighbor's house (we are humbuggers when it comes to passing out candy!).
I think I've caught you all up on our doings. New pictures are now posted to the left. Don't forget to click on the speech bubble next to the word 'share' while viewing the slideshow. In the meantime, don't forget to vote!!!!
