10 Months-Old!

Today Ella is 10 months-old. This year has flown by and my little baby is rapidly becoming a toddler. This last month has brought a lot of change in Ella. She has become an independent, inquisitive, and loving little girl. It has been one of my favorite months and has made me a little bit more ready to leave behind the lovable newborn/infant stage. Although I am nervous of toddlerhood at times, seeing Ella become her own person has made me excited to teach her and watch her grow into a little girl.

Ella's biggest changes this month have been verbal ones. Ella first said "mama" and "dada" at 8.5 months, but this past month her verbal skills have blossomed. Instead of opening and closing her hand as a wave, she now enthusiastically waves her whole arm back and forth and says "bye!" It is funny to watch her as she cruises around waving and saying "bye" to no one in particular. When someone leaves and says "bye," 50% of the time Ella's response occurs after they have already left. It cracks me up :)

As my little tomboy, Ella loves balls and has started to say "ba-all" whenever she sees a ball or anything that resembles a ball. She is also a budding bookworm and started saying "booh" for book. "Book" is not as popular as "ball" and "bye" but, as a book lover I am working on making it her favorite word. Ella's beginning to talk has made me realize that one day this little girl will grow up and be able to share stories, tell me her feelings, and have meaningful conversations. Talking, above anything else, has made me excited to have Ella enter the toddler stage.

Over the last month, Ella's personality has developed a little bit more. She has shown us that she has a loving side and will now let daddy give her kisses (before she would smile and turn away!). During infancy, Ella wasn't extremely cuddly, but now she will come up and lay her head on you and give you an Ella hug. It is precious and I am glad to see that my monster isn't all high energy and mischief.

Ella seems to be adopting a lovey in a stuffed horse that her Aunt Becca gave her. She doesn't cuddle it to go to sleep, but likes having it with her when she wakes up or when she is crawling around during the day. Ella and Henry (the 15 month-old that I nanny) will fight over the horse and Ella has shown her selfish side.

Her love for music has become obvious this past month. We visited a music class with Henry and Ella loved clapping, waving her arms, crawling around, shaking instruments, and "singing" (yelling) along. During the library story hours, she spends the entire time shaking egg maracas and clapping. Give Ella a drum or maraca and she will be set for life! Maybe God has blessed her with the Dwyer musical genes and not my tone deafness ;)

To sum up 10 month-old Ella, she is a bundle of energy. She has mastered cruising and crawling and is now able to get into EVERYTHING. Getting her to sit still is a near impossible task that is usually accomplished at meal times and during story time. She is mischievous, loving, silly, and curious. We love our little girl and are excited to see what is in store for us in the coming months.

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Blessed by Daddy

Ella is blessed to be daddy's favorite little girl from before she was born. As most of our friends know, Ella was our little surprise from God. Becoming pregnant was a big shock for me and it took me a little while to adjust. Tim, on the other hand, was happy about it from the beginning. He was excited to see me pregnant (and barefoot?? seems to be the males idealized view of women ;) ) and came with me to every routine midwife appointment. Tim doesn't normally show a lot of emotion, but it was obvious to many that he was thrilled to be having our little girl.

While pregnancy definitely caused some ripples in our relationship (too much hormones in one 650 sq. apt), overall it was a great season in our marriage. Ella arrived 4 days before our one year anniversary and quickly became daddy's princess. Some of my favorite newborn memories of Ella are when she was being held and cared for by Tim. It is wonderful to feel that unconditional parent/child love for someone, but it is truly amazing to watch it take root in another person. Ella can make Tim smile even on the hardest and most stressful of days. 

As Ella has grown, it is clear that she has Tim's quirky, funny, smart, and geeky (don't ask how a 10 month-old can be geeky, but Ella is). These two will be partners in crime for many years to come. A lot of our laughs as a couple are over how much stress the two of them will cause me ;). I look forward to every exasperated moment of it. 

I also look forward to the little battles that Tim and Ella will have. A girl is bound to butt heads with her dad, especially if they have similar personalities. As Ella grows and matures we will have to face the challenges of disciplining a toddler, a small child, a kid, a pre-teen (eek puberty), and then a teenager. Raising a daughter is a tremendous task. Yet, I look forward to having those hard talks with Tim and Ella. To see him tell her why she cannot wear a certain outfit or why it is not nice to hurt a friends feelings. 

Growing up without a father, I never got to experience any of the joys and battles of the father daughter relationship. I was the girl who took her uncle to father/daughter events. Although I did not necessarily miss my father himself, I missed the role that he played in my life. Even as a young girl, I wished that I had a father to read me stories and to scare away the monsters under my bed. As a teenager, I longed for the father presence that I felt in the homes of my friends. As an engaged woman, I felt the hole of a father in my life as I contemplated who would walk me down the aisle. Now, as a mom, I miss the role that a father could play in my life as a grown and married woman and the role that he could play in Ella's life as a grandfather. 

Although my relationship with my father will probably never be restored, I have numerous men in my life who have stepped into that role in various ways. Uncles, the fathers of my friends, men at church, and my father-in-law have all filled this role in various ways.

Yet, there was and is still a father shaped hole in my heart. God has filled in it a way that only He can, but he has not removed it. It is the absence of a father in my life that drew me to Christ. It is God who has allowed me to forgive my father. And it is God who gave me the father that I have. He has a purpose and a plan for this.

But, God has not chosen to give Ella the life of a fatherless child. He has blessed her with a wonderful man who loves her in a way only a father can love a daughter. He will be there to help her take her tentative first steps, to ease her worries about starting school, to ask her about her day and to help her with her homework, to cuddle with and read stories, and to tell her some hard truths as she grows up. I am sure that they will fight. One day she will probably tell him that she can't stand him and that she hates him. And even then, he will be her daddy and he will love her.

I am excited to see their relationship grow as Ella gets older. It is clear that they will be close and be partners in crime. As much as I will probably complain, I welcome their mischief and praise God that he has formed this bond between the two of them. 

Ella is her daddy's princess, and he will be her hero.

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Ella: Future Monet??

I love doing arts and crafts with kids. As a nanny and mom, I am always looking for fun and easy crafts that are great for kids preschool age and under. When I was online the other day, I came across this recipe for edible finger paint. I was ecstatic! This recipe is completely edible, easy, and super fast. It is a great recipe for kids who are interested in helping in the kitchen. I let a 3 year old help me measure and mix it. 

 The recipe is 1/3 cup of flour, 1 cup of water, 1 Tbsp sugar, and food coloring/food gel. You simply combine the first 3 ingredients and warm on the stove until it thickens into a spreadable paint like consistency (it's about as thick as traditional finger paints).

 You then divide the mixture into separate bowls and add the food coloring. We did blue, purple (red+blue), and green. You could do more or less. If you are concerned about the ingredients in traditional food coloring (red dye and such), Whole Foods sells a great food coloring gel that is non-toxic and does not contain the concerning dyes. 

I decided to be brave and try the recipe while at work with 3 little one's ages 9 months, 15 months, and 3 years. It was Ella's daddy's birthday and having her make him a card seemed like a terrific (and cheap) idea.

The two babies definitely took advantage of the "edible" nature of the paint. A lot of their painting was actually smearing it onto their hands so that they could eat it!

Ella loved painting. It is a great tactile activity that allows babies to experience different textures with the paint. 

I am sure that most of her fun and excitement came from mommy giving her paper to play with. This never happens on a normal day!

This may be why she can't have paper normally....she eats ALL paper. Receipts, printer paper, anything. 

Be prepared for messy children. I recommend stripping babies and young toddlers down to the diaper. Right before bath time is a great time to finger paint with babies! 

ENJOY!!

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She's God's Baby First

Ella's 9 month physical was a bit more chaotic than I expected. What I thought would be a 20 minute long well baby visit, turned out to be an hour long look at Ella's hips and head.

Developmentally Ella is doing fantastic. She is hitting all of her social, gross/fine motor skills, cognitive,  and verbal milestones. The doctors and nurses commented on how loud and verbal Ella is. You could hear her talking and yelling from the waiting room!

The pediatricians first concern was when she was calculating the percentages for Ella's weight, height, and head circumference. Her height and weight have stayed around 50%, but her head has jumped about 2 percentage points to the 90th percentile. It had been at the 75th percentile from birth, had a slight increase at 6 months, and took a good jump over the past 3 months. Because of this, Ella has been referred to a neurosurgeon to get her head circumference evaluated and to make sure there are no issues such as a disorder or fluid in the skull. Most likely, Ella has been blessed with her daddy's big head!

Our second concern was with Ella's hips. When the pedi went to make sure that Ella's hips were even, she noticed an extra skin roll in one of her legs. This is a common sign of Hip Dysplasia in which the hip sockets are not forming correctly. We were sent to the Children's Hospital for a hip x-ray. Fortunately, the x-ray came back normal and Ella's hips are perfect :)

Although Ella is most likely a healthy and thriving baby girl, these two concerns reminded me that while Ella may be our physical daughter, she is first and foremost God's. God is the one who decided that we needed Ella in our lives and God is the one who decides how her life develops. God has reminded me that He is in control over all aspects of Ella's life. Over how she grows and learns. Over when she learns to walk. Over her personality and temperament. Even over these scares that come along as we raise her.

Our God is a powerful and loving God. He has a plan and a purpose for Ella's life. Becoming pregnant with Ella and raising her these past 9 months have taught me to trust God with the big and little things in life. As she becomes more independent and determined, I will continually have to draw on the truth that God has my little girl in His hand. She is God's baby and he has blessed us with the opportunity and responsibility of raising her for Him.

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9.5 Months later

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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Mall Walker

Now that Ella has started to really cruise, she loves to "walk" whenever possible. She is still a bit away from walking independently,  but it is definitely cute watching her practice. It is crazy how fast they go from cute cuddly balls of baby to crazy, constantly on the go, little spitfires. 

Pushing her stroller at the mall

Holding Mommy's hand and exploring the play area

Definitely need to figure out how to get onto this...

Walking is good for getting out of baby jail.

Life is non-stop fun with Ella. She definitely has a BIG personality packed into her little body. I have a feeling that once she starts walking, we will never get a moments peace again. This one is going to be a bit of trouble :)

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9 months old!

It is hard to believe that Ella's first year is 3/4 of the way over. Ella has proven to be one of the greatest gifts from God. She has taught me and Tim a lot about ourselves as individuals, as parents, as marriage partners, and as children of God. Being a mom has taught me patience, compassion, discipline, grace, and the overwhelming depth of God's strength and mercy.

Over the past month Ella has grown and learned a lot. She is becoming more of a toddler and less of a baby. She has become a fast crawler, perfected the ability to pull up and cruise, has fed herself complete meals (we have done baby-led weaning where she has eaten non-pureed foods since 7 months), has said "momma," "daddy," and something that sounds a lot like "Ella," and is speaking a lot of gibberish. I love having little "conversations" with her and cannot wait for her to start talking more.

We are beginning to push baby sign language. Ella's strong personality results in a lot of yelling and frustration and we want to teach her correct communication instead of listening to whining and yelling. So far she has mimicked me in signing "all done" at the end of a meal. It is exciting to see concepts connect in her brain.

Ella's personality has blossomed even more into a social butterfly. While she does get attached to mommy when she is tired or upset, she typcially loves to be around other people and kids. She screams with joy when we pass by the kids play area in the mall and loves to follow bigger kids around when we go on our weekly trip to the library.

Ella's favorite foods at 9 months old are cheese, beans, cheerios, and she has grown to really love beets.
Her favorite toys are her cars, blocks, books, and baby doll.
She never sits still and I think we are both going to be slimming down playing chase Ella!



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American Mommy Wars

It has been a couple of month's since Time Magazines notorious breastfeeding cover first caused an uproar. But, the impression that it has made on me is still strong. It has made me realize the tremendous pull of the American mommy wars. It seems like everyone has a widely different and tightly held opinion about how to parent children the "right" way. Raising Ella has taught me to see that every mommy does things differently. Some read baby books and follow them to a T, while others never pick up a book to begin with. Some breastfeed past 1 year, while some formula feed from day one. Baby's co-sleep and sleep in their own cribs. Some cry themselves to sleep while others are nursed or rocked. One way isn't the "right" way. One way isn't the "godly" way. Outside of the moral and biblical training of a child, I have found that the practical do's and don'ts of child raising are extremely flexible. Looking at a class of fifth grade children, I am pretty sure I would not be able to tell who breastfed or drank formula, who ate organic only produce and who was exposed to countless pesticides, or who wore cloth diapers and who wore disposables. These little things just don't matter that much in the end result.

I have seen a couple other blogging moms post a list of the things that they do as moms that they are sure they have messed up their babies according to someone's standards. It is a neat idea and I have decided to follow their example.

These are the ways that we have raised Ella and I am sure someone out there would disagree with us:

Although I was planning to try natural childbirth, I had an epidural and LOVED it.

Ella got a pacifier while in the hospital.

I let Ella have A LOT of independent play. She can play in the living room and her bedroom alone (within reason).

Ella slept in bed by my side 75% of the time until she moved to her own crib at 3.5 months.

I've nursed Ella from birth and don't have a set end date.

We let Ella cry it out for naps and bed.

Ella still nurses at night (mainly because my resolve to let her cry it out at night as opposed to getting back to sleep quickly with nursing is very low at 2am)

We bought jarred baby food and made our own.

We stopped feeding Ella jarred baby food at 7 months and let her self-feed.

Ella has had peanuts, eggs, and dairy products.

I am crazy inconsistent at baby sign language.

Ella loves playing with grass and I wouldn't be surprised if she has eaten some.

We cloth diaper, but I do resort to disposables when doing diaper laundry, traveling, and church. 

I love baby wearing and don't know where I would be without my Moby Wrap and Ergo.

We listen to all different kinds of music around Ella (including Eminem and Mozart)

Ella has watched TV.

When Ella escapes from a diaper change and starts crawling around butt naked I laugh and grab the camera.

I am somewhat lost in regards to the tantrums of a 9 month old and how to discourage those.

I am sure there is more. But the beautiful thing about motherhood is that your kids love you regardless of whether or not you fed them organic or not. I am pretty sure that I will never get thanked for putting Ella in cloth or scolded for getting an epidural. What truly matters is that you show your kids the love of Christ and the power of the gospel. That they are healthy, loved, and guided in truth. 

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