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!!

Fourteen Weeks Old

Weight: 9 lbs. 13 oz.
Length: 21.75"
Head Circumference: 39.4 cm

Wowsers...it's been almost the entire month of July since I last blogged. I know, I know and I'm sorry!!! So the short of it is that DJ, April, and the twins came to visit for ten days. And Alysia came home during that time too! We had a FABULOUS time!!!

In these past few weeks, Ella has become that much more smiley and talkative. She is certainly capable of babbling up a storm at times!! She has also packed on the pounds - gaining almost 2.5 pounds over the last month. She was 9 pounds 13 ounces as of last Wednesday!!!

The California crew came in late on July 8th so we had to wait to see them until the 9th. It was hard waiting but was well worth it!!! DJ, April, and I spent many of their days here together feeding, changing, and rocking the babies. In fact, many of the times, all three of the babies were on the same schedule. So we would all sit down and feed together - which was fun to have company. Now I sometimes get lonely feeding all on my own!!

Then we would get to trade off babies depending on who was being the quietest and which one of us needed to do something or get some sleep. One of the nights I left Todd and Ella home and traveled with DJ, April, and the twins to a picnic in Lewiston. Even though I missed my crew, I enjoyed being able to give my time to holding and taking care of my niece and nephew!!

On Thursday, July 10th, Alysia came with me to Children's for a Hematology appointment. Boy was I glad she came. The first 40 minutes I spent checking in at 4 different windows (check in for the general clinic, check in for the specific Hematology clinic, check in for the blood labs registration, and check in to get her blood drawn). After another hour's wait Ella got 5 tubes of blood drawn (poor baby). We were then able to be seen by the hematologist which always includes a resident coming in first and then we see Dr. Ambrusko. And after all of this her labs were not ready to be read...argh!

But that same night, my friend from school, Megan, had her baby - Emily Marie. She sure is a cutey!! We're hoping to get over to see Emily soon.

Mom and John then hosted a big ol' family picnic on Sunday, July 13th. It was so great to hang out with a bunch of our cousins, aunts, and uncles. I do have to say that it was such a relief that just about everyone 'volunteered' to wash their hands before holding Ella or the twins. It's so helpful to not have to ask people to wash their hands. It's such a simple task that can save any baby from picking up germs that can lead to illness - some that are harmless to us but will knock out a little bambino!!

The next day, on Monday, we had a Radder breakfast at CJ's on Sheridan. We basically took over their back room! It was great because Grumpa was able to join us and meet the twins too! And the food was quite yummy in our tummies!!! And...there were plenty of arms ready and willing to hold the babies so us new parents could eat using BOTH hands!!

On Tuesday, Todd, Ella, DJ, April, Maya, Zachary, and I ventured up to Lewiston again, this time to Tom, Kate, and Anna's house. Tom is DJ's bestest friend - the one who has been my medical dictionary and medical terminology translator as well. My cousin Kevin and Gen and their two girls, Mason and Isabella were there too. It was funny to step back and look at how our get togethers have changed from late night beer drinking to mid afternoon cookouts. The neat part is that we are all going through this 'stage' at the same time.

Wednesday was another Radder meal with Dad, Heather, Grumpa, and Cathy (Grumpa's lady friend), Alysia, DJ, April, Zachary, and Maya. We have definitely found that entertaining is not as easy anymore especially because we tend to be down a person especially when I'm feeding Ella. But tonight was at least a little easier since Dad brought over, prepared, and cooked the meat. Every little bit of help we can get these days helps. Besides Todd has certainly been a trooper picking up a lot of the slack too!

Thursday morning, mom's neighbor and a mother of two students I have taught, came over and taught DJ, April, and I infant massage. It was really neat to learn. Cheri was kind enough to compact three sessions into one so that DJ and April could participate before they leave. I will probably do it again with Megan (my friend from above who just had a baby). I have since tried to do some of the 'moves' at least once a day with Ella. She seems to enjoy it!

And then the dreaded day came on Friday - when DJ, April, Zachary, and Maya had to leave. I don't think I've ever cried before when DJ has left but it really hit me this time. I just so enjoyed spending time with DJ and April as well as cuddling, kissing, hugging, holding, and taking care of Maya and Zachary. It was really had to see them leave. It would be a wish come true for us to be together all the time!

So that next Monday, July 21st, we had a GI appointment (liver specialist) only to arrive to locked doors. After calling the main office (I was at a satellite location) they told me my appointment wasn't until August 21st. That may have been how the receptionist put it in the computer but I know for a fact that the appointment was for July only because Dr. Baker did not even want to wait six weeks to see Ella again. So after pulling the "just three months ago my daughter was in liver failure" the office was able to find me an appointment for later in the week with Dr. Putnam. He was very pleased with Ella's progress and went over each one of the labs that were done on Ella. The most impressive is that her bilirubin levels are almost ZERO!!!!

Previous to that appointment we had Ella's three month check up. I can't tell you how much I LOVE our pediatrician's office. First there's Dr. Cavalieri (a friend of my mom's side of the family) who came to the hospital every Sunday to check in on Ella's progress. Then there's Dr. Trask who is so good at listening and letting me know that everything is okay and that we're doing the best we can. And finally, Dr. Watson, who set aside an hour for this month's visit and called me back when I was having a paranoid mom moment. The scary part of the appointment was beginning Ella's immunizations. We had put off the shots until now to allow Ella as much time as possible to get better before putting foreign bodies into her body. Even though Ella is behind on her shots, we agreed to only give her two at a time. One reason is so that if she has a reaction we would know exactly which one since she received one shot in each leg. The other reason is that I just didn't want her body to have to deal with too much. After a slight scare that she was having a reaction (she could not stop crying for over 15 minutes - which is absolutely unlike Ella), everything turned out to be just fine. She will go back for two more shots either next week or at her four month visit.

On Saturday, Alysia left to visit Ithaca, then make her way to NYC where she will get a plane to Gainsville, FL. She is moving down there to teach some classes as well as audit some classes. There is then a possibility that she will apply to the Religion and Nature program at the University of Florida. Sounds like it's all right up her ally! I definitely miss having Alysia around too. She has become one great cook, aunt, and babysitter!!!

And finally, the whole sleep issue. Which tends to be the number one questions when I see people, "How is she sleeping?" I'm not sure if it would be considered a regression, but Ella still has one good chunk of sleep, but is now getting up every two to three hours like clockwork and not napping very well. I'm sure most if it is our fault because we either have a doctor's appointment or just not home to give her consistency. So I reviewed Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and started keeping a chart to see if I can find a pattern to her day. I am also following the author's advice to not allow her to stay awake for more than 2 hours no matter what it takes to get her to sleep. And as of today, it's really working!!! She has so far taken 3 one hour or more naps. Apparently, when we get her naps in order it will really help her night sleeping as well. I'll keep you posted.

Okay, I think I've given you enough to read for now. I will attempt to get back on track updating each Tuesday. Stay posted...

Hold on...I'm coming...

Apologies to all you faithful blog readers. We've been very busy visiting with Ella's new cousins. I promise to update ASAP. In the meantime check out the new pictures under Month 2. I'll be back...

Eleven Weeks Old

So today is Tuesday and it's time to update the blog. However, I'm SO excited that DJ, April, Zachary, and Maya are coming in that I can't think of anything to write about. The crew should have been here already except that their plane was delayed in St. Louis (they were there visiting April's family). Luckily they were able to get themselves on another flight, but they won't be here until after 10:30pm. So that means we have to wait another day to see them.

July Fourth weekend brought us to many places. We started the weekend off with Todd's birthday on the third. YaYa and Papa John babysat Ella so Todd and I could go out to dinner. We went to Frog Hair. Love the atmosphere but the food and service have yet to impress us. Therefore, we picked up dessert and took it back to my mom's house to share.

The next morning (July 4th) Todd's parents came to babysit Ella so that Todd and I could go golfing with our friends, Geri and Mo, at Arrowhead. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. I forget how tiring 18 holes can be. Todd ended up losing more balls than I could keep track of though!

That evening we went to my cousins', Mike and Alex's house for a cookout dinner. We tried to make it to fireworks, but a full night's sleep was more important to the three of us.

Saturday evening we enjoyed homemade baby back ribs to celebrate Todd's birthday at Mom and John's. Sunday evening we celebrated Todd's birthday once again with his parents at their boat with my Dad and Heather.

Other than our outings - and making sure everyone who holds or touches Ella at these outings are washing or sanitizing their hands (it's more difficult than you think - you wouldn't believe how many people are 'put off' that we ask them to wash their hands!!!) - Ella seems to be getting into more of a sleep routine. She is consistently in bed around 10:00pm each night. She will then wake up between 2:00 and 4:00am. Most nights she will then sleep until 6:00 or 7:00am and sometimes 8:00am - which means I am getting up once in an eight hour stretch. However, when I put her back down after that feeding I will usually lay back down too. She then will sleep another couple hours. Ella will also take an afternoon snooze at some point and sometimes an early evening nap too - but nothing predictable yet.

With those nights I get up just once in 8 hours, there are the nights that she is up at 1:00am, 4:00am, and 7:00am still. However, we have started to swaddle her (thanks to the suggestion from my cousin, Wendy) and this seems to allow her to sleep longer.

Ella loves to have her arms free and, therefore, originially fought the swaddle when we brought her home (probably because she wasn't ever 'contained' in the NICU). However, we started to notice that she was flailing her arms and scratching herself in her sleep which would wake herself up. We tried the mitties but she would fling those off too. So that's when Wendy, the Baby Whisperer, suggested we give swaddling a try again. Ella still throws a fit when we swaddle her if she's awake. Therefore, I now swaddle her as she is drifting off to sleep in her crib. However, our little Houdini often wakes up with her arms out. So I am looking forward to taking some swaddling lessons from DJ and April.

Finally, Aunt Alysia got to see Ella again, but this time in a much healthier state. Alysia flew in so that she could be here to visit and see April, DJ, and the twins too. She will also be here for a big family picnic my mom is having on Sunday to introduce the twins (and Ella) to the local family members - as well as some out-of-towners too (my cousins, Matt & Mara, and their son Jackson will be in from NYC).

Alight...off to sleep - we have a big day tomorrow meeting the twins for the first time!!!

Ten Weeks Old

Whoa - this past week Ella slept from 10pm until 4am twice!!! Of course with that comes the couple nights in which she awoke at 2am, 4am, and 6am. I have to admit that as long as Ella and I have one good stretch of sleep (usually from 10pm to 2am) it doesn't bother me to get up as much as I thought it would. It's when I only get an hour or so of sleep that I find it the hardest to wake up and stay up. Although even then I can't really complain because she is good about eating and then going right back to sleep.

We had a chance to reunite with Chris, Ella's primary nurse while in the NICU, this past Friday. We also got to see Chris' nursing student, Kristen, who helped out with Ella and who is now training to work in the NICU. She was great with Ella as well and will be a great addition to the NICU nursing staff! Chris was quite impressed with Ella's appearance, growth, and development and couldn't get enough of her - even shedding a few happy tears. We were so lucky to have her take care of Ella and even happier that we've been able to stay in touch.

This weekend I had my first night out with some friends for a bachelorette. Granted I was home by midnight and only had two drinks all night but it was nice to get out especially since I missed Amy's wedding shower while Ella was in the hospital.

And now that school is done and my teaching friends are off I look forward to spending time with them walking, visiting, swimming, eating, and more as this is my first summer off since 2000. Although this may end up being my hardest working summer!!!

In the meantime, counting down the days (1 week from today) until DJ, April, and the twins arrive on July 8th! I am so excited to see both all of them and to hold and snuggle with Maya and Zachary.

Finally, wishing a very Happy 34th Birthday to Todd on July 3rd!