10 days old

Getting ready for bed

Running to take part in the diaper change

Momma's Baby & Little Helper

Thanks to everyone who reads this blog. It is surprisingly meaningful to write down my thoughts and stories and know that people are witnessing these snapshots of our lives. I think people actually just come back for the photos. And a special thank you to all who comment (Emilie and Jeanine you know who you are) because I am a person who loves feedback.

Oh, we've had a few bipolar days riding the highs of the highs of our new family member to the undeniable lows and overwhelmed minutes and sometimes hours. I said to my mom that Ella is like the Energizer Bunny on crack lately so for two overtired parents to keep up with the likes of her (not to mention the mess she makes) is no small feat. Ella and I had yucky colds (which made her hyper and me barely able to function). I think if anyone out there is looking for a new form of torture they should give the newborn baby- sick mother combo a try. Even worse, Maya has had some congestion and has been unsettled from her symptoms. Hopefully, this is the worst it will get for her. It will be a miracle if she doesn't get the full blown cold since it's almost impossible to keep Ella and her snotty hands away from Maya. We wash her hands, she promptly swipes them under her nose and then runs up "Hi, Baby Maya" and tries to pry her hands into Maya's mouth. Luckily, Sandi is healthy, albeit on the tired side of life, and she keeps pumping her good immunity into Maya every 3- 4 hours in the form of breastmilk.

I cannot express how appreciative I am of the people around us. Today, we ate a yummy veggie pie for lunch that Mindy made for us. The last couple of days we've been devouring bagels and cream cheese Mindy and Charissa brought us because Sandi said she was craving them as a middle of the night snack. Tonight for dinner we ate a delicious multi-course meal that Emilie made (and her husband dropped off on his way to school this morning). We had soup, salad, bread, muffins, and a scrumptious apple blueberry pie! (Emilie, true to form, even sent homemade croutons and fresh dill garnish for the soup- this is mom of two who works full time!) Oh, my goodness. Sandi said every time I come home I have a present in my hand that someone has sent home for one or both of the girls. Last night, Patti, my mother-in-love, bought us a cozy new recliner to have in our living room to snuggle up with the baby and took us out to dinner. Then today, she took Ella out for a couple of hours for lunch so we could have some peace in the house to get some stuff done. I am telling you- we have got it good!! Want all this? Have a baby!

Okay, I'll leave you with one Ella funny. Okay, actually two. I have no idea where, but Ella has picked up the expression "Sor-ry!" You know the two syllable, sarcastic sounding form of an apology? It is lovely.

Second: Ella was pretending she was a baby cat (in popular circles thought of as a kitten) the other day when I was putting her down for her nap. She wanted me to be the momma cat so we played with this for a while. I rubbed her back with my "paw" and I kneaded her belly with my "claws." I even pretended to give her a big lap up the side of the head. This produced countless giggles and shrieks. Then I told her I was going to take a "cat nap" in my cat bed while she took one in hers. She said, "Momma, we're not really cats." (We're not?) I said, "We were just pretending to be cats, right?" She replied, "No, Momma. We're real people."