Today Ella had her 9 month well baby visit. It is crazy to think that 9.5 months ago, Ella was just a tiny newborn dependent on me for everything. She couldn't move alone. Could barely lift her head. All of her nutrition came from me. She was helpless. So much has changed!
I thought I would use this time to reflect back on the day that Ella was born.
Ella was born after 68 hours of labor. Yes, 68 hours of semi-regular, strong contractions! During that time we made two trips to the hospital. The first was for a check on Ella because she had not moved in a day and the second was due to my contractions. My labor was progressing, but the contractions were not strong enough and not close enough together. I was sent home with pain medication and a sleeping pill. I was promised 8 hours of sleep: I got under 3. I was exhausted and ready for Ella to make her big arrival.
Finally, after 2 days of contractions and 2 sleepless nights, I was admitted into Labor and Delivery. Although I had planned on having a natural childbirth, I was incredibly thankful for the pain medications that allowed me to get a night of sleep before delivering Ella. I went to bed 3 centimeters dilated and woke up 6.5 centimeters! Things seemed to be moving along.
Labor was a sleep-deprived blur. I had an incredible team of midwives. Ella's heartbeat was somewhat distressed, so she required a scalp monitor to keep a closer eye on it. She had also had a bowel movement in utero and the NICU team was on standby in the room in case she was distressed at birth. After 2 hours of pushing and a little scare (Ella wasn't progressing and they brought in a team to consider using forceps or suction), Ella came out screaming. Our little girl arrived weighing 6lbs 9oz and 20 in. long.
December 14, 2011 doesn't seem that long ago, but Ella sure has grown. At 9 months old she weighs 18 lbs and 13 oz and is 28 in. long. She is no longer completely dependent on me. Her independent spirit is one of her best (and most trying) personality traits. She can feed herself and loves doing so. Now she is able to get places on her own by crawling, cruising, and assisted walking. While she is still an extremely vocal baby, she is now learning words and her babbling sounds more coherent. I am proud to say that she shows a love for books and reading. Ella has blossomed into a bright social butterfly. She loves "big" kids and lights up when she sees her best friends (the boys that we nanny).
As the year comes to a close and Ella's 1st birthday draws nearer, I am excited to see how my little girl grows and develops. She has been a tremendous blessing to our small family. Our little cheese ball comedian and sweetheart brings daily reminders of the amazing gift that God has given us.
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