2 weeks of pictures and LOTS of milestones

There are so many things I'd like to write tonight and I hope I remember all of them. Ella has reached many milestones including....

-Her first real word "Uh Oh", followed by "Hi" sometimes, "Num Num" when she wants food and she says "Mumma" and "Dada" whenever we ask her to. She tries to copy almost everything we tell her to say. I think we have one smart cookie on our hands.

-Her first tooth popped through about a week ago. 102.7 temp=a child I thought was very sick. The pedi swore up and down it couldn't just be teething. It was just teething. She was so cuddly though. She fell asleep on me at least twice that day. Poor baby.

-She's been cruising the furniture for about 2 weeks now. She is *almost* walking. She has finally taken to crawling like a champ. Before that she was dragging herself 100 miles an hour.

-I guess this isn't really a new milestone, but she has been clapping and "dancing" to childrens music. She LOVES it. It's the only way to calm her down in the car on long car trips.

-She continues to eat almost everything you give her except for potatoes. I don't think that's a big deal, there isn't all that many nutrients in potatoes.

Ella is such a good baby, well now, almost toddler. I sent her birthday invitations out today. It's so sad to know that she isn't a baby anymore. But I'm so happy she is the happy, healthy, beautiful little girl I always dreamed I would have. I can't believe she has been in our lives for a whole year now. People always say it and I never believed it would go by so fast.

A couple of weeks ago we took a trip to York (Where Adam and I were happily wed) to visit a couple of very special people. Two women from my Success After Infertility board and their miracle babies. 3 miracles in such a close vicinity. What a happy day. It was so nice to meet P and D and their beautiful babies Ginny and Kacey. Here are some pictures of the day. It was so beautiful and P's place is right on the water.
Kacey feeding Ella crackers. She's so generous.

It wasn't easy getting a group photo. This is Kacey being very helpful again!

In other news, my parents had a great camp for the week and Adam, Ella, and I enjoyed so much being out there everyday. Last year, I was out there 8.5 months pregnant, swimming weightlessly praying for Ella to come out and this year here she is!! She didn't like the water very much, but we tried as much as we could to get her some exposure to the water.
This is Ella giving Mumma some attitude. I should probably get used to it.

And to end this post. The infamous first tooth picture that was pure torture for baby and Mumma to get.

Bath Time!

Ella loves bath time:)




But HATES getting out;)

A Video To Start The Year Off

A Year Ago Yesterday

We found out we were pregnant with Ella. I can remember the screams I let out and how Adam said shhhhh! you are going to wake the neighbors up! But at the time he didn't know why I was screaming. We were pregnant. Out of nowhere we were pregnant. We took a break from the clomid and timed intercourse. We wanted to enjoy our holiday season before we started IVF the next month. So we did get pregnant without help, something I was not statistically supposed to be able to do. Although, I'm not sure I like it when people say something like "hey! look what happened when you weren't trying!?!" When someone has a serious condition and knows they can't get pregnant very easily, they don't want something like that thrown in their face. Yes, it happened to be that we got our BFP on a break cycle, but it doesn't mean that it was just because we weren't trying. I feel very strongly about this because we got a lot of that comment and it's just a coincidence and nothing else.
However we got pregnant, we now have Ella in our lives and she is such a blessing to so many people, especially us. That baby that I thought I may never have is here, growing very fast and making Adam and I the happiest people on Earth. We love you Ella May!

Thank You Aunt Carrie and Uncle Bill!

Look what Aunt Carrie made me for Christmas!?!?

An Endo Post

So it's official, the pain is back, full force, almost unbearable at times. I thought maybe it was just a fluke about a month and a half ago when it started, but it's been everyday. I'm on the mini-pill (progesterone only) but I bleed through it all month. It feels as if the cyst that was once on my right ovary has come back. It's one of my biggest concerns because the doctor said that I'm not really eligible for another laporoscopy to zap it out. I have too much scar tissue and I guess it wouldn't be beneficial to me.

Breastfeeding was supposed to keep the endo at bay, but I went a step further and started a birth control pill that is used to "treat" endo. Apparently neither worked and it's back along with an uncontrollable cycle.

I'm not sure what to do at this point. I want my uterus so that I can have at least one more child, so a hysterectomy is out of the question. I think a call to my doctor is due, although I hate bothering him because he can't really do anything about it.

Distressing as it is, I look at Ella and it's almost as if the pain almost melts away.

4 months old!

Ella tried rice cereal per her doctor on Christmas and I think it will be the last time for a couple of months. It bound her up and I'm not sure if she liked it from a spoon, although I'm sure she would like it if she got used to it. Her doctors appointment went well. At 4 months she is in the 50th percentile for height (24.5 inches) and 50th for weight at 13 lbs 12 oz. She is in the 25th percentile in head circumference which is weird because daddy's head is extraordinarily large. She got her 4 month shots and screamed, but it's better that she's vaccinated than not. The doctor said she was the picture of health and a beautiful baby at that! Well...we already knew that part!

Christmas 2008

Our first Christmas with Ella was fantastic! We feel so blessed to have her in our lives and spending a special holiday season with her was our number one gift we received. As you can imagine, she was showered with every toy and book imaginable along with clothes, a bumbo, and a jumperoo.
Adam and I also got lots of loot including new T-Fal cookware! I can't wait to cook with it!
Here are some pictures of Christmas and other randomness!